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One magnificently farblegargling day...
Jan. 30th, 2003 08:21 pmI got a call from a client at 7 am, asking for rapid turnaround on a 2,000 word project. Despite the time pressure to finish the 1099s and the unemployment paperwork, I accepted.
The document translation went very well. The language was straightforward and everything made sense, to the point where I could see myself executing the procedure described in the document.
Then Word hung.
No problem, I thought to myself, since I had just saved the file a few keystrokes ago.
Heh.
While none of my work is lost, there is an uncomfortable number of weirdnesses introduced into the file, and as far as I can see, these are due - once again - to some farblegargling propeller-head deciding to do something Cool and Wonderful™ in the document, and to call upon application features that normal people shun (because they don't need them).
This phenomenon is corollary to - and in some ways almost at the opposite end of the spectrum from - the "shoehorn technique," in which the document originator relies upon font size, the use of the space bar, and other gymnastics to make sure a document looks a certain way.
Anyway, I'm eliminating the weird spots - one by one - as I'm doing a final check on the file. I have about 2/3 of the file left to review.
* * * Then I get a call from another client, asking for a document to be done in the Monday time frame. "That shouldn't be a problem," I said, "just send it to me and I'll look it over." I just got finished looking at it.
AAaarrgghhhh!
First of all, the original has some middling-to-serious problems. Section headings have no numbers, except for the four sections that have the same number. From time to time, it appears as if the character fairy decided to sprinkle the characters '!', ')', and '|' randomly throughout the text. Moreover, in some places words appear inexplicably activity in the text (yeah, like that!), while in others, words just suddenlysuddenly appear in duplicate.
Second, someone has already tried to translate one large table in the thing, and not only does the English, um, suck, but the format of the table is enough to make men and women of good will weep mightily. Based on my experience with OCR programs, someone scanned and OCRed the original document, and then - for this table - never fixed the formatting, which consists of umpteen gazillion text boxes... I think. They don't act like text boxes, and they don't act like table cells. Moreover, the client wants me to edit this work.
Criminy. Anyway, I sent along my recommendations to the client (get a better original, beg for more time if that's not possible, and retranslate the "translated" table), without actually having accepted the work. The ball for this one is whistling across the net, toward the client, as I write these words.
* * * I didn't get to look at the file until recently, because I was in Durango, visiting the doctor.
I'm still alive, I think they said, which is always pleasant news to hear.
After the doctor, Galina and I stopped at the health food store (the new one), after which I got necessary supplies at the Office Depot (those pesky 1099s!), after which we headed back home.
The document translation went very well. The language was straightforward and everything made sense, to the point where I could see myself executing the procedure described in the document.
Then Word hung.
No problem, I thought to myself, since I had just saved the file a few keystrokes ago.
Heh.
While none of my work is lost, there is an uncomfortable number of weirdnesses introduced into the file, and as far as I can see, these are due - once again - to some farblegargling propeller-head deciding to do something Cool and Wonderful™ in the document, and to call upon application features that normal people shun (because they don't need them).
This phenomenon is corollary to - and in some ways almost at the opposite end of the spectrum from - the "shoehorn technique," in which the document originator relies upon font size, the use of the space bar, and other gymnastics to make sure a document looks a certain way.
Anyway, I'm eliminating the weird spots - one by one - as I'm doing a final check on the file. I have about 2/3 of the file left to review.
AAaarrgghhhh!
First of all, the original has some middling-to-serious problems. Section headings have no numbers, except for the four sections that have the same number. From time to time, it appears as if the character fairy decided to sprinkle the characters '!', ')', and '|' randomly throughout the text. Moreover, in some places words appear inexplicably activity in the text (yeah, like that!), while in others, words just suddenlysuddenly appear in duplicate.
Second, someone has already tried to translate one large table in the thing, and not only does the English, um, suck, but the format of the table is enough to make men and women of good will weep mightily. Based on my experience with OCR programs, someone scanned and OCRed the original document, and then - for this table - never fixed the formatting, which consists of umpteen gazillion text boxes... I think. They don't act like text boxes, and they don't act like table cells. Moreover, the client wants me to edit this work.
Criminy. Anyway, I sent along my recommendations to the client (get a better original, beg for more time if that's not possible, and retranslate the "translated" table), without actually having accepted the work. The ball for this one is whistling across the net, toward the client, as I write these words.
I'm still alive, I think they said, which is always pleasant news to hear.
After the doctor, Galina and I stopped at the health food store (the new one), after which I got necessary supplies at the Office Depot (those pesky 1099s!), after which we headed back home.
