Translation Software/program Classes Needed

[Petunia]

Hello, I'm from Washington DC and have a degree in Environmental Science. I'm looking to tap into the translation sector in BA in this specific field because I'm also 100% bilingual. However, I'm not familiar with the translation programs that are available and there are just so many. I'm looking for someone who is already in this field and would be willing to teach me the ropes. Please don't see this as competition. I plan to move to Patagonia in a year and would like to start building on this type of work. I live in San Telmo and am pretty flexible. I look forward to hearing from someone.

 

[mattb]

Hi, Petunia.

I'm not really available to help you, as I'm not in Buenos Aires. But, since I've been freelancing as a translator for the past year or so, here's a few pointers from another newbie:

1. Do not worry about software. Really. I worried about software and most of the times I end up using the software my clients require (if they do require any). So 90% of my work is done in Microsoft Word or Scrivener.
2. CAT software platforms have their use, and they save a ton of time in technical translation, in cases where there's a lot of repetition or when you need to use (or build) a dictionary of translations. (CAT stands for Computer Aided Translation, by the way.) Some of the heavyweights here are TRADOS, Wordfast and MemoQ. I used OmegaT a few times. It's popular with a few shops because it's open source and free. But most of the big shops I know use TRADOS.

Here's some info on CAT tools: http://www.proz.com/software-comparison-tool/cat/cat_tools/2

If you want to check it out, the proz.com community is very active and is full of seasoned professionals. I know I've gotten help from them more than a few times

Good luck!

Matt

 

[Schimmi]

Hello Petunia,

I am working about 7 years in translations and since about 5 years I am working with Trados.

If you have bigger projects, CAT-tools are a great help and many customers requiere that you work with them. Personally I think it is a great investment, if you want to work seriously in the translation business.

Another great option is MemoQ. I also tried OmegaT, but forget it.

Proz indeed is a great ressource for translators. They offer discounts on buying Cat-Tools and there you could book a Cat-Tool-Training as well.

If you have questions, don´t hesitate to ask me. I am in the city, if you like a brief introduction to Trados at least.

Brigitte

 

[Petunia]

Thanks Matt & Brigitte, I really appreciate it and this information is really useful. I guess my follow up questions are....

1. Is it necessary to get certified? I don't really want to fly back to DC to take the ATA exam, but if it's necessary then I will. I do plan to do this full-time & long-term so I'm willing to go all the way......if needed. Or, while I'm here in BA, should I get a certification from the Colegio de Traductores Publicos???
2. Is there a certain "place" where you market yourselves?? How do you begin?? I noticed that proz had a section for work, but if I want to work with companies here in BA, is there any website or approach???

Thanks for your help.
Cristabel

 

[RichardP]

Look through this page. Unless certified by an official organization, which can take years, you will have a hard time working locally. Back in the day I did do some translation projects here but through somebody else who was too busy to do it themselves and they passed the work on to me.

http://www.traductores.org.ar

 

[Schimmi]

I am not a certified translator, in fact I am an industrial engineer, which is more useful (if compared to the training you need in Germany to be a certified translator, which doesn´t really meet todays requirements) - by the way, I am translating from English and Spanish into German. Maybe in your combination it could be different.

In Argentina the certification is quiet expensive as well.

I am not sure, if it is really convenient to work for companies in Argentina, payment is sometimes ridiculous. I started here in Argentina, but I don´t work any more for companies here. But maybe it is good to gain some experience. Proz is a very good way to get jobs. Also there are a lot of agencies which you could directly apply to. Amazon is worth a try, too. But those things take their time. I needed about 3 years to really be able to live from what I am doing.

I hope, I could help

 

[Girino]

1. Is it necessary to get certified? I don't really want to fly back to DC to take the ATA exam, but if it's necessary then I will. I do plan to do this full-time & long-term so I'm willing to go all the way......if needed.

There is an upcoming ATA sitting in Buenos Aires on October 1st, 2016. In my experience, they do at least one sitting per year in South America, either in Buenos Aires or Lima. Buenos Aires seems to host sittings more frequently than any other South American capital city, but you can't be sure that there will be a sitting in BsAs every year as dates are published about 6 months in advance. Sitting in South America are usually held towards the end of September, early October. There is a preparatory course at the Colegio de Traductores in Capital for English > Spanish translators. I don't work in that pair so I have never attended that.

This is the last year the exam is handwritten, next year should be computer-based for all.

Anyway, on the topic of certification I suggest you these readings:
https://traduccionesitaliano.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/ata-%E2%A6%BF-diptrans-%E2%A6%BF-iti-a-comparison/
https://signsandsymptomsoftranslation.com/2013/06/11/diptrans-miti/

Or, while I'm here in BA, should I get a certification from the Colegio de Traductores Publicos???

There is no such thing - it is a 4-years degree at the Law Faculty with compulsory attendance. Plus, if you are not interested in being a sworn translator in Argentina, there is really no point. There are other university translation courses (always 4-years) not for sworn translators, for example "Traductor cientifico-literario", specialized in other fields.