25 May 201527 April 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

La diversificación en el sector de los servicios lingüísticos

Para qué engañarnos: he de reconocer que la primera vez que oí hablar de este libro, lo que pensé fue «¿Y por qué hay que diversificar?». Al fin y al cabo, dejé de dar clases para traducir porque estar fuera varias horas diarias no era compatible con traducir a jornada completa, o al menos no para mí, y la verdad es que tampoco me gustaría verme obligada a dar clases a tiempo parcial. Dicho esto, entendería que os sorprendiera que me lo haya acabado comprando. ¿Por qué sentí la necesidad de leer un libro cuya contraportada anuncia que «servirá de inspiración a los traductores de hoy día y los preparará para el éxito más allá de la traducción»? La cursiva, por cierto, es suya.

25 May 20159 October 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Books on My Shelves – The Bright Side of Freelance Translation

I can’t help it, really I can’t, but every time someone mentions the “bright side” I think of that Monty Python song at the end of the Life of Brian. This “bright side” isn’t quite the same, however. It’s not about finding the positives in a negative situation. It’s about sharing the experiences of colleagues who have realised “that the solutions to the ups, downs, bounties and challenges of life as a freelance translator are in their hands, and their hands alone, who buckle down, refuse to whinge and get on with the job”.

This bold statement, which for many is their philosophy of life, also sums up why it has not been well received in all corners of the translation sphere (especially as it seems many critics didn’t get much beyond the first paragraph of the introduction, which this quote comes from). It has inspired Herman Boel to write a series on his blog Alta Verba called The Reality of Our Profession.

It might also explain why the new slogan for the IAPTI conference in Athens in September is now: “Neither nihilist nor naive”. Because obviously things happen that are totally beyond our control and change our circumstances. The recent recession springs to mind, and let’s not even get started on machine translation and the impact it has and will continue to have on various segments of our industry.

25 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 6: Common Mistakes Part 2 – Data is or Data are?

Common Mistakes in Papers for Publication Part 2 – Data is or Data are?

This second instalment of common mistakes I encounter when revising and editing texts that have been written by non-native speakers of English kicks off with “data”. Should it be followed by a singular or a plural verb? I’ll base my response to this on the New Oxford Style Manual, as this is the style guide I use for my work, but I’ll also check The Chicago Manual of Style to see if it differs.

25 May 201528 April 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Good Agency Wish List

Agencies come in all shapes, sizes and guises, from huge international companies that can pay their directors overlarge bonuses to boutique organisations run out of a bedroom, and everything in-between. I’ve translated for a fair few in my time, most of them relatively small with PMs who tend to stick around for a number of years. This type of set-up is perfect for building good working relationships for mutual benefit, which can then trundle along quite happily without any major hiccups.

Whilst the ones I work for on a regular basis tick enough of the boxes to make the translation journey with them worthwhile, others leave much to be desired. I can think of many qualities a good agency should have, but I have limited the list in this post to the 20 that matter the most to me so that it doesn’t get overly long. Please let me know in the comments if you think I’ve left anything important out.

24 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 5: Spanish Place Names

Spanish Place Names according to the New Oxford Style Manual

Most of these places in Spain in the list below are obvious and/or there’s no change. However, surprisingly (and randomly), some lose their accents and others don’t. The English versions all appear in the New Oxford Spelling Dictionary and/or the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors.

24 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 4: Spellings Part 3 – Some You Might Not Know

Spellings Part 3 – Some You Might Not Know

Just like last time, when we had any more written as two words in UK English, but as one word in US English, this week highlights another couple of differences between the two.

24 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 3: Spellings Part 2 – Ten You Should Know

Spellings Part 2 – Ten You Should Know

Unfortunately, the spellchecker in Word doesn’t catch all our errors, especially if we hyphenate words or it doesn’t agree with the style guide we’re using (in my case, for my work and this post, the New Oxford Style Manual). Below is a list of ten spellings that I have come across in my work and which sometimes cause difficulties. This is the second of the spelling lists in the bite-sized tips series.

24 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Paper Dictionaries are Dead. Long Live Online Resources!

A recent Proz.com quick poll and discussion focused on whether translators buy the latest versions of the dictionaries they use when they are published. This quickly turned into a debate on whether to ever bother using paper dictionaries given that everything is now online, and even whether professional translators need dictionaries. As long as we are in our comfort zone (and shouldn’t we always be?), then there should be no need to refer to anything at all.

24 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 2: Spellings Part 1 – One Word or Two?

Spellings Part 1 – One Word or Two?

Unfortunately, the spellchecker (one word according to Oxford, by the way) in Word doesn’t catch all our errors, especially if we hyphenate words or it doesn’t agree with the style guide we’re using (in my case the New Oxford Style Manual). Below is a list of ten spellings that I have come across in my work and which sometimes cause difficulties. This is the first of the spelling lists in the bite-sized tips series.

24 May 20159 October 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Books on My Shelves – Diversification in the Language Industry

Honesty is the best policy, so I will admit that when I first heard of this book my reaction was firmly in the “why is diversification necessary” camp. After all, I gave up teaching to translate because heading off to classes for a few hours every day was not compatible with being available to translate for clients full-time, at least not as far as I was concerned. And I certainly wouldn’t want to go back to teaching part-time out of necessity. It might surprise you then that I bothered to buy it if that was how I felt. Why did I feel the need to read a book that announces on the back cover that it “will inspire today’s translators and set them up for success beyond translation” (their italics, not mine)?