ETI 102Introduction to Translation

Using dictionaries and other sources efficiently and effectively

What is a translation memory? • A translation memory is a linguistic database that continually

grows and “learns” from the translator.

• All previous translations are accumulated within the translation memory (in source and target language pairs called translation units) and reused so that the same sentence never has to be translated twice.

• The more the translation memories are built up, the faster translators can work, thus accelerating delivery of translation projects and increasing revenue.

• e.g. SDL Trados Studio 2009

What is a Termbase? • A termbase is a central repository, similar to a database,

which allows for the systematic management of approved terms in both source and target languages.

• Use of a termbase alongside your existing translation environment ensures that your business can produce more accurate and consistent translations, and become more efficient.

• A translation agency can share their termbase with a client or receive a term list from a client to populate an existing termbase.

• e.g. SDL MultiTerm

What is software localization? • Software localization is the process of adapting a software

product to the linguistic, cultural and technical requirements of a target market.

• This process is labor-intensive and often requires a significant amount of time from the development teams. Software localization projects often run in parallel with the development of the source product to enable simultaneous shipment of all language versions.

• Translation is only one of the activities in a localization project – there are other tasks involved such as project management, software engineering, testing and desktop publishing.

• e.g. SDL Passolo, Wordfast Professional

COMPUTER-ASSISTED TRANSLATION (CAT)• Déjà Vu (ATRIL)

• Marc Prior: Translation memory applications for Linux.

• SDLX (SDL International)

• Trados Workbench (Trados GmBh)

• Transit (Star AG)

• Wordfast: translation memory engine available for Microsoft Word on PC and Mac.

Online Dictionaries, Glossaries, & Language Resources

• Encyberpedia: Dictionaries, Glossaries, & Thesauri • http://www.encyberpedia.com/glossary.htm • Links to a wide range of useful dictionaries and glossaries.

• TheFreeDictionary.com • http://www.TheFreeDictionary.com • Offers a "dictionary, thesaurus, literature reference library and

search engine all in one.”

• Merriam-Webster Online: Language Center • http://www.m-w.com • If your dictionary isn't handy, look up words on this site -- and find

out when a word first (officially) entered the English language.

Online Dictionaries, Glossaries, & Language Resources

• One-Look Dictionaries • http://www.onelook.com • Hundreds of links to a wide range of dictionaries and glossaries.

• Thesaurus.com

• WordNet 1.6 Vocabulary Helper • http://poets.notredame.ac.jp/cgi-bin/wn • A useful tool that enables you to look up a word (including

uncommon words) to find out its definition, usage, and history.

• Wordsmyth: The Educational Dictionary/Thesaurus • http://www.wordsmyth.net

Some good dictionaries• Bilingual • Türkçe-İngilizce Redhouse Sözlüğü, İngilizce-Türkçe

Redhouse Sözlüğü, İngilizce-Türkçe/Türkçe-İngilizce Redhouse Büyük Elsözlüğü

• Longman-Metro büyük İngilizce-Türkçe Sözlük• Adam Yayınları Büyük Türkçe İngilizce Sözlük

(sahaflarda bulmak mümkün)

• Monolingual• Longman Dictionary of English (British)• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Random

House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary(American)

Online Topical and Specialized Glossaries • Abbreviations.com • http://www.abbreviations.com • Search for acronyms and abbreviations, or browse by category

(e.g., computers, science, food, games, international, etc. -- 117 categories in all).

• Acronym Finder • http://www.acronymfinder.com • Look up 60,000 acronyms/abbreviations and their meanings.

• Acronyma • http://www.acronyma.com/ • Billed as "the largest acronymn database on the Web," with over

446,000 entries; use it to look up the meaning of an acronym.

Online Topical and Specialized Glossaries • Cliche Finder • http://www.westegg.com/cliche/ • An interesting resource that enables you to search for "clichŽs"

by keyword (e.g., a search on "cat" provides such gems as "Busier than a one-eyed cat watching two mouseholes").

• Dictionary of Slang • http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/

• DoD Dictionary of Military Terms • http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/dod_dictionary/

• Easton's Bible Dictionary • http://www.ccel.org/ccel/easton/ebd2.toc.html

Online Topical and Specialized Glossaries

• The List of Slang Dictionaries • http://www.realisticdiplomas.com/The-List-Of-Slang-

Dictionaries.aspx • An excellent selection of slang dictionaries, including links to sites

on street slang, Internet slang, hip hop, sports slang, international English slang and much more.

• Medi-Lexicon • http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/ • "A dictionary of over 140,000 medical, pharmaceutical, biomedical

& healthcare acronyms and abbreviations. Plus medical news and searches for the medical, pharmaceutical or healthcare professional."

Online Topical and Specialized Glossaries

• Symbols.com • http://www.symbols.com • "SYMBOLS.com contains more than 2,500 Western signs,

arranged into 54 groups according to their graphic characteristics. In 1,600 articles their histories, uses, and meanings are thoroughly discussed. "

Lexicool

• Lexicool: Text analysis tool provides information on the readability and complexity of a text, as well as statistics on word frequency and character count. It can be of assistance to translators when calculating quotes for clients.

• http://www.lexicool.com/text_analyzer.asp

Sample Text• In psychology, the feeling of complete and

energized focus in an activity is called flow. People who enter a state of flow lose their sense of time and have a feeling of great satisfaction. They become completely involved in an activity for its own sake rather than for what may result from the activity, such as money or prestige. Contrary to expectation, flow usually happens not during relaxing moments of leisure and entertainment, but when we are actively involved in a difficult enterprise, in a task that stretches our mental or physical abilities.

Textalyser Results

• Total word count : 93• Number of different words : 70• Complexity factor (Lexical Density) : 75.3%• Readability (Gunning-Fog Index) : (6-easy 20-hard) 14.7• Total number of characters : 557• Number of characters without spaces : 455• Average Syllables per Word : 1.89• Sentence count : 5

Textalyser Results

• Average sentence length (words) : 23.25• Max sentence length (words) : 34• ( contrary to expectation flow usually happens not during relaxing

moments of leisure and entertainment but when we are actively involved in a difficult enterprise in a task that stretches our mental or physical abilities)

• Min sentence length (words) : 15• (in psychology the feeling of complete and energized focus in an

activity is called flow)• Readability (Alternative) beta : (100-easy 20-hard, optimal 60-70)

23.5