Last September, I got a task to translate some UI files from one of my clients based in the USA. The client said that there would be so many repetitions across the files, so I thought that the process would be super fast. Unfortunately, the client asked me to use their own developed translation tool (not strictly required, but it would be good if I used it, the client said). Read More
Will Okapi Checkmate Able To Replace Xbench?
As a freelancer, reducing operational cost is very important, including costs to buy the license of CAT and QA tool, cost of certain premium service to support productivity, etc. And recently, I am interested to try Okapi Checkmate (or I will just call it “Checkmate”) as an alternative to Xbench. Checkmate is a free QA tool. It means that I will possibly able to save a 99 EUR per year by stop buying Xbench license. But, is it really possible to replace Xbench with Checkmate? Read More
How to Handle a Big Translation Project in a Team
What would we do if we get a big translation project, e.g. up to one million words with a short deadline, let’s say only 1 or 2 months?
Of course, the answer is building a solid team that consists of reliable and qualified translators. Once the team is built, then we need to prepare the “tools” that will help us to build effective communication, data traffic, etc. So, what tools are they? Read More
Cara Menangani Proyek Besar Dalam Tim
Apa yang akan kita lakukan jika kita mendapat pekerjaan dengan volume cukup besar—misal sampai 500.000 kata—dengan tenggat hanya 1 atau 2 bulan?
Tentu jawabannya adalah membentuk sebuah tim yang terdiri atas penerjemah-penerjemah terbaik. Setelah tim terbentuk, lalu kita siapkan “alat” untuk mempermudah komunikasi dan koordinasi, pengaturan lalu lintas data, dan sebagainya. “Alat” apa saja yang dimaksud? Read More
Seperti Ini Rasanya Menjadi Freelancer
Seperti apa rasanya menjadi seorang freelancer, atau lebih jelasnya, freelance translator (penerjemah lepas) seperti saya? Apakah menjadi seorang pekerja lepas itu berarti benar-benar “bebas”, seperti bebas menentukan hari dan jam kerja, bebas menerima dan menolak tawaran kerja, bebas bekerja dari mana saja, dsb.? Read More
How to Handle EPS Files in CAT Tools
Last February, for almost 1 (one) month I took a part in a huge technical translation project that involving EPS files. EPS is one of the output files produced by Adobe Illustrator that cannot be directly processed in CAT tools such as SDL Trados. To process EPS files in SDL Trados, we will need a special plugin called “Sysfilter” that costs up to 400 USD!
Actually, I was positioned as an editor on that project. And the client’s main request to the translator team was to translate the EPS files directly in Adobe Illustrator. Unfortunately, none of the translators owned and were able to operate Adobe Illustrator. So, they would prefer to process the files in the CAT tool. Then, knowing that in the past I was learning graphic design and multimedia, the lead translator asked me to convert the EPS files into Trados-ready format.
So, what did I do so that Trados could recognize the EPS files without Sysfilter plugin? Read More
How To Enhance Your Marketing Experience In Social Media Using Hootsuite
Social media is a powerful marketing tool. The more we exist on social media, the bigger chance for us to sell something. Imagine that we could involve in a lot of social media, and then it will be easier for people to find us and get familiar with us and our products or services. But, how could we exist on a lot of social media while we should struggle to defeat daily deadline and do effective marketing at once? Read More
How To Publish Blog Content Into 30 Channels Of Social Media At Once!
Do you have a lot of blog posts that need to be shared with your audiences in your social media accounts? If so, how do you usually share your blog posts? Copying and pasting your link on each social media? What a time-consuming! Why don’t you use simpler way: share your blog post at the same time you hit the “Publish” button? Is it possible? Read More
Urip Margono: Penerjemah yang Sempat Vakum dan Kini Kembali Berkiprah
Bulan Juli tahun 2017 kemarin, melalui perantaraan mentor saya, saya berkenalan dengan seorang penerjemah senior bernama Urip Margono, atau sekarang saya biasa memanggil beliau “Pak Urip”. Saat itu, perkenalan dan obrolan-obrolan singkat baru dilakukan via SMS dan Skype. Baru pada bulan September-lah (2 bulan kemudian) kami bertemu langsung di kota tempat tinggal beliau, Kutoarjo.
Beberapa saat sebelum kami berkenalan, saat itu saya sedang melakukan negosiasi dengan seorang klien asal Korea Selatan. Proyek yang sedang dalam proses tawar-menawar itu adalah proyek penerjemahan game dengan word count sekitar 300.000 kata, yang nantinya harus dikerjakan dalam tim. Maka singkat cerita, saya memasukkan Pak Urip dalam tim saya beserta 2 penerjemah lainnya.
Pak Urip adalah seorang ‘veteran’ yang kini sedang menjajal dunia freelancing. Dulu beliau adalah penerjemah di penerbit Elex Media Komputindo (Kelompok Kompas-Gramedia). Beberapa buku yang pernah beliau terjemahkan antara lain: Read More
Menangani Berkas Adobe Illustrator Di CAT Tool
Selama hampir satu bulan penuh, pada bulan Februari lalu saya menangani proses penerjemahan dan revisi file EPS, di mana file EPS adalah file keluaran (output) aplikasi Adobe Illustrator yang tidak bisa secara langsung diolah di CAT tool. Agar bisa mengolah file EPS di CAT tool seperti SDL Trados, dibutuhkan plugin khusus bernama “Sysfilter” yang harganya sampai 300-an USD! Read More