Translation Materials

Important materials for translation process

1. Source / Reference files

Source or reference files refer to any original material that the texts for translation are extracted from, or that are used for reference, so that the appearance/ context can be seen during translation.

Reference files are typically in the following file types:

· PDF

· Word Document

· Excel Sheet

· Screenshot Image

· etc.

2. Working files

Working files are typically in CAT tool format (Computer-Assisted Translation tool).

These files contain the source text in one column, with an adjacent column in which to enter your translated (target) text.

Please see our user guide, which provides detailed instructions for first-time users.

These files may be in a variety of formats depending on the CAT tool application. For example:

· SDLX (*.itd)

· TRADOS (*.ttx)

· WordFast (*.txml)

· Alchemy Catalyst (*.ttk)

· LocStudio (*.edb)

· etc.

However, in some cases, a translator may be asked to work directly in a Microsoft Office application such as MS Word or Excel.

3. Translation Memory (TM)

Translation Memory (TM) is a very important tool that helps translators & revisers in working on related texts.

It stores a number of matching, previous translations, thus increasing speed and consistency in both style and terminology among all the linguists working on the same or related jobs.

4. Glossary / TermBase / Terminology List

A glossary (TermBase or Terminology List) is often necessary for a localization project.

Translators MUST follow the glossary strictly when one is provided (however, not all projects are necessarily provided with a glossary).