Ccaps Blog

We know that a day has 24 hours and that, theoretically, we can divide these 24 hours into 3 blocks of 8 hours each. We would then have 8 hours to sleep, 8 hours to work and 8 hours of free time to do whatever we want.

It is precisely about these few extra hours that I would like you to think about. What have you been doing with them? Your success will be determined on how well you use your free time. Usually we do not plan how to use these hours and end up losing precious time that cannot be recovered.

We must make a difference and this can only happen when we are not sleeping or working, for all we do in our working hours is only obligation.

I believe we should all stop and think a bit about the quality of the time we have in our hands and try to plan better what we could do in our free time. Let us not waste it. Past time is history and can no longer be recovered.

As usual, I have read a podcast by Professor Marins and thought it was very interesting. I would like to share it with you, but only if you can understand Portuguese…

Here it is, the Portuguese translation of “localization” right on my keyboard. This is to remind me on a daily basis what the company I work for is all about!

I just wish that pressing a single button would do the trick…

PS: You probably know this, but I cannot stress enough that a localization company does NOT manufatucture GPS devices!

If you are like me, you certainly enjoy going to a bookshop and opening all kinds of books.

This is how I found an interesting series of Brazilian books entitled: Cartas a um jovem… (Letters to a Young…). You can simply take out the ellipsis and put the profession you like: chef, psychologist, athlete, economist, and so on. Each book is written by a renowned professional, something like an instruction guide of the profession. This is a great option for those who want to know more about a certain area, in order to decide whether this is the right job for them.

 
Where it all started…

Although the collection is outstanding, it is far from being complete. Among all the books, I could not find one dedicated to translators. Since I have no intention to become a writer, I guess the best thing to do is to wait for a blessed soul in our area to write this book. In the meantime, I have decided to write an abridged version for the theme in this post, giving 3 tips for those who wish to become a translator, in particular a translator specialized in IT localization.

Improve Your Technical Writing
Try to read as many style guides as you can, and train your skills with electronic texts. Find out more about the conventions used when writing texts for the Internet. Develop your text in a short, concise way, studying specific maneuvers to shorten paragraphs and reduce sentences. Get to know the main English terms related to IT and the Internet.

Unravel the Mysteries of IT
Embrace the digital revolution! Familiarize yourself with the world of computers by reading about technology in all kinds of industry publications. Tune in to software manuals, telephone manuals and router guides along with other technical texts. Try to see how the techniques mentioned in the previous paragraph are used. Understand how text editors work, how to make efficient Internet research and master translation tools.

Be Curious
This is a tip for all kinds of translators. Read all you can about localization. Checking out the Ccaps Newsletter is an excellent idea. There you can always find great articles about localization with different points of view. Discover how the localization market works, what kinds of professionals are sought for and what is expected from a localizer, among other relevant info. Our blog is filled with posts that talk about this.

In other words, if you plan to become a localizer, congratulations! You have a long and rewarding career ahead of you. But, to become a fully-fledged localizer, you will have to do a lot of research, improve your writing skills and put in your personal effort. Don’t worry: you can count on Ccaps’ tools to help you on this journey!

Have you ever wondered that knowing how to use a tool isn’t quite enough? The truth is, we must first learn how to master it, so that we can use it as effectively as possible.

After all, what good is it to spend so much money with software and equipment if we end up wasting time when they are to be used? What good is it to work 10 hours non stop in front of your computer, when the same job could be done in 6 hours or less by merely using tiny, simple techniques, like keyboard shortcuts and serial production?

In today’s corporate world, delivering a high-quality, cost-effective service is not just enough; we must also add “time” to the equation, a variable that is often shorter than we would like it to be. How about developing small tools and procedures that can help us with this process then?

My work screen with several windows open

I usually try to know by heart the keyboard shortcuts I use the most. Shortcuts to save, open or create a new file, “save as” and even shortcut sequences. These allow me to execute certain tasks with greater speed. In general, people around me cannot keep track of what I am doing when I use such techniques, since I hardly wait for the program menus to appear.

After all, if I can use 100% of my processor and the resources available, why should I leave them idle, waiting for slow commands to do what I want to be done?

How about you? What are your strategies to optimize the use of your equipment and software? Leave a comment explaining your techniques!

We have recently received a comment (in Portuguese) from Denise Bottmann about a very important topic: copyright. This comment made me think about the subject and write the following post.

For some time now, the name of translators started to appear in the credits of movies, sitcoms, documentaries and other TV programs, which seems pretty fair to me. Aren’t the names of make-up artists, directors, cinematographers and all the other people involved in the movie production there? Why then should the translator be left out?

However, with the exception of books and movies, the translator is usually an anonymous professional.

I have never seen a single page on the Internet that displayedthe credits of the professional in charge of the website translation. Some websites include the credits for the designer responsible for the development, but the translator always remains incognito.

If photos are always accompanied by the name of the author, why should we not do the same with the names of translators, reviewers, content generators? It doesn’t have to be anything big or fancy. A small reference or note for the professional who created the material would do.

Here’s my idea. If you agree, raise your hand (and I will give you some credit…

Are you having some problems with your project deadlines? How many times have we gone crazy just thinking about how tight our deadlines are and how the client doesn’t give a damn because all he or she cares about is getting the project delivered by the due date? All I can say is: you’re not alone and there is a solution for everything.

To complete a project successfully, we all have to follow methodologies. It is precisely the methodology that gives us better control of the project and enables our team to be more efficient as the project is likely to be delivered within the planned deadline and budget.

Running out of time?

In the July issue of the Você S.A. magazine, there was an article on the techniques project managers use to better control timeframes. Featured options include: delegating, acquired experience and the use of specific software for creating the project timeline.

You can read the article (in Portuguese) by clicking here.

If you are not using any of the options mentioned in the article, it’s about time you start it. I guarantee you will gain a lot from that!