TODAY, IN THE TRANSLATION TIMES.

MultiLing Corporation to Attend STC Conference

Transit Tip: How to Simplify and Edit the Review Process in Transit

How Does MultiLing Corporation Ensure the Quality of Each Translation Project?

Just a friendly reminder that Multiling Corporation will be present at the upcoming 47th Annual Conference for the Society for Technical Communication in Orlando, Florida (May 21-23). Emmanuel Margetic and Brian Chandler will be on hand at the conference to show attendees how Multiling Corporation combines the best in language technology with incomparable customer service to save clients time and money, while setting an industry standard for precision and quality. Come visit Emmanuel and Brian at the Multiling Corporation booth, and learn an easier way to succeed in all your translation endeavors.

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Question: When editing or reviewing a file in Transit, I really do not want to review the whole file, only the segments that were manually translated and edited. Is there a quick way that I can differentiate between which segments have been manually translated and which segments were pretranslated by Transit?

Answer: Often, it takes significant time to examine Transit files to find only the segments that need to be edited or reviewed. A key factor to remember is that any manually translated segments should carry an asterisk (*) in the segment number tag. Try the following process to reduce the edit and review time:

1. Open the file(s) that needs to be edited or reviewed.
2. Choose the "Fold Segments..." option from the "View" menu. From the "Fold" window, enter an asterisk (*) in the "First Expression" box. Check to make sure that under "Folding Criteria", the "Display Segments with Expr." box is checked.
3. Now click the "OK" button. Transit will now hide all of the segments except the segments that were manually translated and marked with an asterisk. This makes the review process very simple, as only segments that need review will now be displayed. The missing segments have not been deleted, only hidden. To redisplay all file segments, simply choose "Remove Folding" under the "View" menu. If your documentation contains asterisks in the actual document text, the method above may not produce the correct results. If this is the case, choose the "Fold Segments" option, and instead of entering an asterisk in the "First Expression" box, type in the following expression: \o[0-9]+[\!\?|#~]*\*\c Before clicking the "OK" button, under the "Options" box, check the option of "Regular Expressions". This method will produce the same results as the option above, filtering out only the pretranslated segments.

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We believe that the best way to deal with challenges is to prevent them. That's why we:

• Carefully select specialists with the necessary background and skills (language and technology).
• Use the most up-to-date software and regularly train our personnel to use it effectively.
• Whenever possible, collect samples of previously translated documents to which translators can refer.
• Confer with expert terminologists and incorporate automated terminology programs.
• Analyze every aspect of each task and plan accordingly. In the event that a challenge does arise, we make necessary adjustments, and then systematically and thoroughly check the product before delivery. In addition, throughout the production process, we repeatedly check our work to make sure you're getting the quality you deserve - and more.

Before we start, we:

• Confirm the status and quality of your files to make sure we can access them and get the information we need.
• Create a project-specific task list that includes all elements of the translation process to ensure that we don't miss anything and that we document every task.
• Create a project-specific task list that includes all desktop publishing elements and graphic requirements.
• Anticipate potential challenges and brainstorm solutions to ensure that nothing impacts the project schedule or quality.

During the translation process, we:

• Repeatedly edit the translation to make sure everything is accurate and consistent (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation, word modifiers, style).
• Use Transit to ensure that all text has been translated.
• Use TermStar and terminologists to ensure that the terminology is accurate and complete.
• Constantly review the text and make sure it corresponds with previously translated materials (when available) and all other project elements (e.g., help system text vs. software text).
• Confirm that the graphics and screen shots are complete, that all reference items (e.g., table of contents, index, title pages, page numbers, crop marks) are accurate, and that all fonts are correct.
• Double-check printer-ready files if requested, and create a pagination sheet.

For projects involving software, we:

• Resize dialog boxes. Check for proper text display.
• Check the hypertext and shortcut key functionality.
• Ensure that the localized software meets all target country standards.
• Confirm that all files have been compiled correctly and that the software functions properly.

For projects involving a help system, we:

• Test the product to make sure the keywords, topic titles, and jump text are accurate, and that all links are set appropriately.
• Compare the original materials with the newly localized version.
• Make sure the help graphics are updated to correspond to the localized software.

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