Halloween is around the corner. And nothing drives this message home more than everyone’s favorite monster.
Even with his ability to love and be kind, do you know why people were frightened by the monster in Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein?
“Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?”
Many argue that what made the monster's appearance so frightening was from being a patchwork of a number of old body parts.
Now, you may think that multiple translators working on a document simultaneously would result in another one of Dr. Frankenstein’s creations. But on the contrary: the “Translator’s Workspace” (akin to Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory) has the tools to help you create a beautiful and consistent translation.
Understanding the context of what you are translating is the single most important task that a translator should do before providing a translation.
Before you even start a project, clicking on the file name allows you to preview and understand the document as a whole before diving in.
When you click ‘translate’, you may also be prompted to confirm that you have read any style guides or glossaries that have been provided by the client that will further ensure the consistency of the final translation.
Once you are within your workspace, there are still many tools at your disposal.
Concordance search allows you to see how a word or term has been translated previously in the project you are working on. This is particularly useful if you are wondering about the context that a certain word has been used in before. It is also imperative for the consistency in terms - which is a condition that our Translator Quality System holds you accountable for. To use it, simply highlight a word or phrase within the Text For Translation area and the option to search concordance will appear.
As you will see, the same action will also allow you to Create Terms. Once you create a term, it will be underlined everywhere in the document for both you and other translators. Hovering over the term will give you the term’s definition and the way it is translated previously. This way, all translators working on a document will know how to translate this term and ensure the document’s consistency.
Finally, you can comment on strings on the right side of the Translator Workspace to communicate with other translators or the MotaWord admin team about any particular remarks you want to make that will help guide the translation toward a consistent and better final product. Similarly, if you see any strings with comment bubbles, be sure to read them and understand how your colleagues are thinking or what issues they are having!
If you are still lost, remember that we are here to help you find your way. We offer live demonstrations of the platform twice a week that you can participate in to help you learn more about MotaWord. These are a great opportunity to see how MotaWord works and ask us questions - maybe even contribute with solutions to pain points our platform might be having.
About MotaWord
MotaWord is the world’s fastest professional translation platform. Through the use of cloud technologies, smart algorithms that manage projects around the clock and over 15 thousand professional translators MotaWord provides high-quality translations in any language 60% cheaper and 20 times faster than traditional translation agencies.