Translation practice Archives

11 February, 2019

The impact of poor translations

Poor translations are often hilarious. On social media people share pictures of translation fails with unintended meanings, clearly demonstrating the pitfalls of machine translations and poor translators. However, the impact of poor translations could be more far-reaching.The human translator as a robotTranslating seems easy if you know a second language: you'll just take the source text, translate the words and voilà, there is the translation. In some cases this method indeed works, but in many other cases this is over-simplistic,...

by Pieter Beens

The end of humanity in project management

21 January, 2019

Translation practice

The end of humanity in project management

With translation project management increasingly taking the form of a process in which jobs are proposed without personal contact maintaining good standards is becoming more and more difficult.Flooded in cyberspace'Dear Premium translators', reads the email. 'We have just assigned new files to the Auction. [...

by Pieter Beens

8 January, 2019

Translation practice

Why you may fail in 2019

Posts on social media timelines seem to all carry the same message: succeed, win, and gain power, influence, and new business. Failing might be a good option as well though.The craving for successA look at an average LinkedIn or Facebook timeline might be both embarrassing and demotivating. Headers like 'How to make 2019 your best year yet', personal testimonials like 'How I became successful with ...

by Pieter Beens

11 December, 2018

Translation practice

Five trends that defined the translation industry in 2018

It’s December and we have less than three weeks to go until this year comes to an end to reflect on what happened in the translation industry in the year past. What defined our industry and which developments took place that will influence the foreseeable future and beyond?

by Pieter Beens

Overview of Translation Conferences 2019

26 November, 2018

Translation practice

Translation Conferences 2019

[vc_row full_screen_section_height="no"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Congratulations! You found the Translation Conferences 2019 overview! Since a couple of years ago I publish an overview of translation conferences in the upcoming year. This year I proudly present to you the translation conferences 2019 edition - made possible by hundreds of volunteers who dedicate a huge amount of time to organize the best translation conferences in the world. This translation conferences overview is only a non-exhaustive list, meant to help you find a translation conference in your neighbourhood...

by Pieter Beens

The decline of rates in several industries

14 November, 2018

Translation practice

Why the decline is everywhere

Everywhere in the translation industry people are experiencing decreasing rates and increasing pressure. Translators are not the only professionals who face tough challenges though.

by Pieter Beens

30 October, 2018

Translation practice

Translating with your voice

Translation traditionally happened by typing text in a text editor or in a CAT tool. The introduction of speech to text introduced a possibility to translate by voice as well. How does that work and does it impact quality and productivity?

by Pieter Beens

The 7 habits of highly effective translators

2 October, 2018

Translation practice

The seven habits of highly effective translators

In 1989 Stephen Covey wrote the now famous book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. The book was highly successful, with more than 15 million copies sold in 38 languages. In his book Covey conveyed the message that highly effective people have seven habits or routines that lay the foundations for their success. In this blog post I describe seven habits that can make translators highly effective.

by Pieter Beens

21 August, 2018

Translation practice

The limitations of a quality assessment

There are many tools available to assure the quality of a translation, both automated and by means of a human intervention. And while these tools do a good job in checking and ensuring the quality of a translation they can still be lacking in making sure the quality is top quality. Put simply, quality controls have their limits as well. It is worth taking that into account while doing a quality check.

by Pieter Beens

7 August, 2018

Translation practice

Trados Studio 2019 review

SDL, the company behind Trados Studio, recently published the latest offspring: Trados Studio 2019. What does Trados Studio 2019 have to offer and is it worth an upgrade? This Trados Studio 2019 review answers the most pressing questions about the new Trados Studio 2019 software.

by Pieter Beens

Recent posts

Search the blog