Translation is a complex activity, and often complex terms are used to describe the job of human translators, as I wrote in my blog post on 30 April 2019.
I have turned the blog post into a video, in which I’m using simple words to explain why human translators are still high in demand. Watch it here:
Getting started with AutoHotkey is easy. Simply follow the 6 steps below. Once you’ve defined your first hotstring, you won’t want to live without AutoHotkey afterwards!
(Note: AutoHotkey only runs on Windows, so your computer has to be a Windows computer.)
Step 1:
Download AutoHotkey from https://www.autohotkey.com onto your computer and install it.
Step 2:
Right-click on your desktop, select “New”, then select “AutoHotkey Script”. You can change the name of your AutoHotkey file if you like.
Step 3:
Right-click your AutoHotkey file on your desktop and open it in Notepad or any plain text editor.
Step 4:
Ignore the first few lines of text that already are in your AutoHotkey file. Type your first script underneath. To begin with, you could use this script, for example (or use your own name!):
::dd::Donald Duck
Note: there must be no spaces between the colons, your abbreviation and Donald Duck!
Step 5:
Save your AutoHotkey file.
Step 6:
Activate your script by double-clicking the AutoHotkey file on your desktop.
(Remember to carry out this step every time you add a new script to your AutoHotkey file.)
And that’s it! You’ve just defined your first hotstring in AutoHotkey. The script is now running on your computer. The next time you type “dd”, it will automatically be expanded to “Donald Duck”.
You may add as many hotstrings underneath in your AutoHotkey file as you like. Find abbreviations that will be easy for you to remember, for example:
::dd::Donald Duck
::tte::Thomas the Tank Engine
::lrrh::Little Red Riding Hood
::ppl::Pippilotta Rollgardinia Victualia Peppermint Longstocking
Note: when you double-click your AutoHotkey file the next time, the following message will appear: “An older instance of this script is already running. Replace it with this instance?” Click “Yes”.
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| Once you’ve defined your first hotstring, you won’t want to live without AutoHotkey afterwards (Image by Tommmy_ on Pixabay) |
Do check out my other blog posts about AutoHotkey, in which I share many more useful scripts for translators and writers. They will help you save precious time on routine computer tasks!
Working more efficiently with AutoHotkey (part 1)
Are you frustrated because your work often seeps into your evenings or weekends? Are you on the lookout for new ways to get more done?
If so, I warmly recommend “Deep Work” by Cal Newport. It is a book that will help you create a productive and serene work environment. It is brimming with actionable ideas for working with great(er) intensity and is, ultimately, all about protecting your time.
What is deep work?
Deep work, as defined by Cal Newport, is a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and work with the concentration required for serious and cognitively demanding work. The opposite of deep work is shallow work.
Shallow work consists of non-cognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, which are easy to replicate, such as spending too much time on unimportant emails, social media posturing etc. Such activities should be steered clear of or at least minimised, as they have little impact on your bottom line or your well-being.
According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, we feel most fulfilled after we have stretched our minds and abilities, for which he coined the term “flow state”. It explains why deep work feels so immensely satisfying:
“The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
But deep work doesn’t just feel satisfying; it is also the antidote to the frantic blur of shallow tasks and frazzled attention spans that characterise our modern, computerised world. Deep work is valuable, and it is meaningful.
Downtime facilitates insights and solutions to job-related problems
By embracing deep work and thereby countering distractions, you’ll even be able to wrap up your day’s work earlier and enjoy more downtime. What’s more, Cal Newport argues that if you allow your conscious brain to rest, you empower your unconscious mind to begin sorting through your most complex professional problems.
For me as a translator, complex professional problems typically are tricky-to-translate terms or difficult-to-phrase sections in a text. Carving out downtime accordingly increases the likelihood that while I’m enjoying time away from work, the solution to a professional problem might suddenly pop into my head.
Working creatively with intelligent machines
Cal Newport interestingly makes reference to intelligent machines, which is also why I recommend “Deep Work” to knowledge workers as food for thought! Artificial intelligence is a hotly debated topic in the translation industry, where intelligent machines are disapproved of by some and welcomed by others.
So how do you go deep in our chronically distracted and overwhelming world? Cal Newport suggests several strategies, all described in the book. One he recommends is the ruthless prioritisation of particular tasks, so you’ll inevitably be hard to reach for set periods of time.
The ideas put forward in books like “Deep Work” are useful to me in that they help me explain (and sometimes even defend!) my style of work towards my family, friends and colleagues. For I am either hard to reach or cannot be reached at all while I’m working or am up against a deadline. It is a deliberate decision on my part not to check my phone or answer non-work-related messages during such periods.
The book to my mind has only one drawback: Newport focuses tightly on his own university environment, and various suggested strategies therefore aren’t universally applicable to all our individual work environments. As he’s written “Deep Work” with his professor’s hat on, sections of the first part of the book are rather abstract; however, the second part is more accessible and practical.
If you’re looking for new ways to get more done in less time and create a productive, distraction-free and serene work environment, “Deep Work” by Cal Newport is the book for you! It sets out how to refine your ability to work with great intensity and, importantly, how to protect your time.
Cal Newport is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University. In addition to his academic research, he writes articles and blog posts on the intersection of digital technology and culture. Check out his long-running and popular blog, “Study Hacks”, here.
I’ve previously published a blog post about “Digital Minimalism”, another brilliant bestselling book by Cal Newport, here.
It was wonderful and weird at the same time, to the point of feeling almost surreal: getting together again in the flesh for an ITI Conference! The delight about being actually, physically there, able to talk face to face, as remarked upon by Dr Isabella Moore CBE Hon FITI in her engaging speech, sums up the general mood at this year’s eagerly anticipated ITI Conference.
The ITI Conference was held at the Grand Hotel in Brighton on 31 May and 1 June 2022 and was entitled “Embracing change, emerging stronger”. It was a vibrant and memorable event, which encouraged thinking about new ways to future-proof both our businesses and our lives.
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| The ITI Conference 2022 at the Grand Hotel in Brighton was a vibrant and memorable event |
A hybrid event with physical distance no longer a barrier to attendance
It
was not just the ITI’s first in-person large-scale event after the
pandemic, but also its first-ever hybrid event: all sessions attended by
on-site attendees were recorded and live-streamed to online attendees
worldwide. These were then made available to all attendees to watch at a
later time. Attendees consequently no longer faced any dilemmas about
having to decide which sessions to attend, while reluctantly having to
miss out on others.
The programme was rich and varied, and
consisted of four streams (three for translation and one for interpreting), which
were running simultaneously. It featured notable and inspiring
speakers, who were happy to share not just working methods, but also
their personal experiences and ways of coping in recent times –
confidently, in an open and strikingly honest way, or enthusing us with
their energy or humour!
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| The event encouraged thinking about new ways to future-proof both our businesses and our lives |
The world is changing rapidly, and so we must change
It is impossible to provide a condensed overview of the content of all individual sessions, but I’m sure all of us conference-goers have gathered up their own precious nuggets of take-home ideas and inspiration for embracing change. Thank you so much to all the speakers!
My own personal highlights (as I’m about to start thinking about a diversification of my business) include: the presentation by Amelie Aichinger MITI about how to approach a new specialisation; the presentation by Cecilia Lipovsek AITI on strengthening your business with intellectual property; and the panel discussion on learning a new language with Paul Appleyard MITI, Lloyd Bingham MITI, Kasia Wawrzon-Stewart MITI, Richard Davis MITI and Gwen Clayton FITI, which touched on aspects of continued skill development at various stages of our careers.
The hard skills of translation
One personal impression (at least one gleaned from the sessions I attended) was that machine translation, although it did receive a mention here and there, is no longer the hot topic it was at some previous translators’ events. The general consensus now seems to be that the way forward is to simply embrace and exploit machine learning and artificial intelligence technology to our advantage (where it’s useful).
The focus of some talks was very much on the importance of hard skills – in other words, actual translation as opposed to post-editing work – as well as the added-value human end of translation: this, according to Lloyd Bingham MITI, is the part of the market that we want to operate in. He argued that soft skills are still important – especially in the digital world –, but there is no longer such a heavy focus on them.
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| The ITI Conference 2022 was the ITI's first-ever hybrid event |
Rekindling old friendships, networking and learning
Other highlights for me outside the conference programme were the fringe activities, an important part of any ITI Conference: a pub meal with a contingent of the ITI’s German network translators at The Lion & Lobster; drinks with the ITI’s patent translators (the STEP Group) at The Walrus pub; and later on a meal with three people from the STEP Group (who, like me, had not booked for the conference Gala Dinner) at The Prince George pub.
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| Networking and fringe activities are an important part of any ITI Conference |
My overall impression of the ITI Conference 2022 was that it was an
invigorating experience for everyone and a great success. It was all
about “the rekindling of old friendships, networking and learning”, as
described by ITI CEO Paul Wilson in his opening speech. The appeal of an
ITI Conference such as this one, beautifully described by one
conference attendee, lies in “the magic of genuine human connection”.
Thank you to the ITI for organising this year’s conference in Brighton, and for the enrichment that was brought about by stimulating presentations and the networking opportunities in the warm and friendly atmosphere that marks any ITI Conference. It was intensive, it was tiring – but it was worthwhile on so many levels.
What does it take to create a fit-for-purpose commercial or technical translation? In my previous blog post I described how I revise my translations to make sure they are phrased clearly, read smoothly and don’t include any mistakes or translationese.
In today’s blog post I’m sharing an overview of my complete translation workflow to provide an insight into how I generally work. It usually comprises the following 10 stages:
1) Formatting the file for word processing if it’s not editable
2) Preparing a rough draft of the translation (aka target text) and researching the subject-matter and related terminology
3) Identifying issues in the original text (aka source text) and discussing them with the client before the translation is executed further, OR preparing a translator’s report identifying such issues (and delivering it along with the translation at the end)
4) Preparing a second translation draft by closely comparing the source text against the target text, implementing any necessary changes and improving on the initial rough draft
5) Checking individually that any numbers or reference numerals in the source text have been transferred correctly to the target text
6) Printing off the translation, editing and revising it as an independent piece of writing (away from the source text) using pen and paper, and considering the translation in its entirety
7) Transferring changes made in the previous stage to the translation on the screen
Next, I step away from the translation and revisit it the next day or, ideally, a few days later.
8) Checking the translation against the source text again carefully to ensure it is appropriate in every respect for the client’s specific purpose
9) Running a spell check
10) Putting finishing touches to the translation and (if required) finalising the translator’s report
To create a professional, fit-for-purpose commercial or technical translation, a number of tasks involving great diligent care need to be completed. In this blog post I provide an insight into my 10 translation workflow stages.
