Aaarrggghhhh!!!!

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Dear compiler of the glossary I just received...

While it may satisfy some deep-seated urge, please refrain from Capitalizing Words Just To Have Them Capitalized.

This may seem like a small point to you, but there are good reasons to refrain from Universal Capitalization. First, it saves work if the translator intends to manhandle the glossary into an otherwise usable form (i.e., data for a program that scans text and finds glossary terms). Second - and this is perhaps more important - proper capitalization will alert the translator to instances where - saints protect us - capitalization is necessary. (Is it "Sulfolan" (a product) or "sulfolan" (a generic)? Since everything is capitalized in your glossary, the only way to tell for sure is to Google it.)

Electrons are cheap, keep entries short. The entry for "Boiler Fuel Export Pump Station" should be two: "boiler fuel" and "export pump station." This aids in usability (it's sad that "pump station" occurs 37 times, but never on its own^[1]) and can actually reduce the number of entries in the long run. This particularly applies to the nasty habit of sentence-length entries that betray either your lack of initiative or inability to identify critical terminology.

Consistency in terminology is a virtue; so is proper spelling.

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Cheers...

[1] Typically, glossary managers don't deal with "partial" hits (imagine looking up "reactor"; do you really want a gazillion hits, returning all the kinds of reactors that might be in the glossary?) Hmmm. Aha! My ancient, creaking and overdue-for-an-upgrade Glossary Browser comes to the rescue!

Not too shabby...

The basic premise of the next few days is to put about 11,500 source words out of their Russian misery. Wednesday, saith Galina, shall be devoted to a trip to Farmington and other sundry tasks. This left today, tomorrow, and Thursday to deal with the text.

Straight math says "Translate 3,800 source words per day" (a noble goal). A few minutes ago, I completed just over 4,000 words, which puts me in good position for tomorrow. The text is not very hard, just verbose.

I also accepted a 200-word job for a European client, which was processed and sent off just to get it off my desktop. I still have about 200 words to deal with for my best client in Houston, which I will take care of tomorrow morning when I'm fresh.

* * *Yesterday's visit to Feht's was its usual time well spent. Dinner was simple, but marvelous as usual. The conversation was punctuated frequently by titters and laughter. We took Shiloh along, and she was introduced to Charlie, Feht's new German Shepherd. And though I suspect she was less than thrilled to meet a dog about four times her size, she maintained a modicum of assertiveness, and seemed to settle down.

The icing, so to speak, on the evening was Feht lending me his copy of Don Giovanni, which I am looking forward to watching before we leave for Texas.

Cheers...