Checklists and procedures...

LJ friend kehlen_crow asks: "What are the main items you "check off" the list while translating something?"

Over the years, I've tried to make as much of my "checklist" as self-documenting as possible. For example, I have a macro that creates a new folder for each assignment that shows up in my email, whereupon I save all attached files in said folder (after they've been scanned by my virus scanner). I then turn to my "organizer" (the emacs editor running in org mode) and create a structure for the assignment and all constituent documents. This is a good time to make note of any reference documents the client may have included, or of any special instructions or keywords. (A nice feature of org mode is the ability to create links from the emacs file I'm working in to folders on my disk or to messages in my inbox. The latter is particularly helpful in finding specific messages quickly should a client have questions about what may have been agreed to regarding rates, deadlines, etc.)

Once that is done, I open each document to make sure it opens and that images are readable. (Nothing will ruin your day faster than waiting until the last minute to find out a file is corrupt, or that a few pages in the middle of a PDF file created by a scanner are not readable.)

If a client is looking for a quote, I have to do what it takes to generate one. This may involve OCR.

As the work comes to a close, I have a process I call "despeckling," named after the acronym DSPCKL, which stands for:

• Disambiguate. I am always turning over my word choices as I translate, and often come up with improvements or corrections to wording. Sometimes, these are serious enough to require me to stop and go back through the text and make changes now, but generally, I can just note them down for later and do them all at the end in an orgy of search-and-replace.
• Spell check. Self-explanatory. Nothing turns a client off faster than misspelled words.
• Pronounce. I read the translation (or at least parts of it, if time is tight) as if it's being spoken. It's amazing how many minor goofs can be caught this way.
• Cleanup. I usually write translations with the aid of a translation memory tool such as Wordfast. This produces a strangely formatted file that contains both source and target texts. The cleanup process does a number of things, the most important of which is to leave a target-text-only file that can be delivered to the client.
• Keys. Graphics are generally "keyed" in a table in the text. The name of this step generally applies not only to keying figures but any other work related to figures (some figures have text boxes whose contents must be translated, for example, though strictly speaking, this should be done before the start of cleanup). This step segues smoothly into...
• Layout. Very often, clients have specific requirements for page sizes, margins, fonts, font sizes, headers, footers, etc. In this last step, I make sure documents conform to such requirements.

Then there are a number of steps associated with making sure I invoice the work in a timely manner, using the correct information, and so on, through to making sure the payment clears the bank.

Cheers...