The translator has a special relationship with words and is continually looking for the perfect term for that context, for that target audience, for that reading rhythm. He works in the rear, like a director behind the camera, to give voice to a text that otherwise could not cross the borders of the country in which it was created.
Enter the terms in a personal glossary
You will facilitate the search and shorten the working time.
If you come across a term that you have already found in some other document, you will not have to try litmus or desperately look for the correct equivalent with the same emphasis with which the gold miners seek gold: everything is already enclosed there, in your glossary.
For the work to be truly complete, next to each word indicates the source you drew from to find it; in case of doubt, you will always know where to go back to look.
Before translating, always read the text from beginning to end and do not take personal initiatives
A complete first reading of the Document translation(รับแปลเอกสาร which is the term in thai) will allow you to get an idea of the topic and the difficulties you will encounter along your way.
The translated text must be the same as the original in style, content, and form; it is a faithful copy of it, not a second edition that you revisited.
On the contrary, feel free to report any errors, ask for clarifications and explanations or transform and make explicit the structure of a sentence – without alternating its meaning, I recommend! -If some tweaks are necessary to make the text usable even in the target language.
Use CAT Tools critically.
It is not my intention to prevent you from using and knowing these assisted translation tools; I want to get out of your mind the idea that they can do the work for you.
CAT is an abbreviation for Computer-Aided Translation. They are computer programs, not human brains, which translate by recognizing the terminology sequence as part of their database. For this reason, they are perfect for assisting you in the translation of texts characterized by a high degree of repetitiveness, such as individual instruction booklets.
If you are given deadlines, stick to them
Meeting deadlines is undoubtedly synonymous with professionalism in every job.
But be careful! It is not enough to have finished the job in time to be professional; you must also make sure that the work delivered is not summary and hasty.
Take your time, read and reread the text – maybe hours or the next day, depending on the time you have available – and work in absolute tranquility, where nobody can disturb you most efficiently and effectively possible.
Staying true to the original text doesn’t necessarily mean translating literally
It means doing everything possible to convey the original message without burrs, inconsistencies, or ambiguities, taking care of its shape, style, and correctness, aware of the fact that there are cases in which translating word by word complicates the understanding of the text unnecessarily.
