Whenever we work as part of a team, the ideal working atmosphere is never a matter of chance: every team member must undertake to make things happen. Just like in sports or drama groups, each and every member has an important role to play. Each and every member should be well aware of the responsibilities their respective roles entail, because that’s how they can show respect for their own job and that of others. I like to think that every team, regardless of their field of action, stands for a social unit operating as one single human being: if all organs don’t do their part, health is at risk.

Now, if we apply sociologist Émile Durkheim’s organicist metaphor to the TEP process used by most translation agencies, we can easily see how the non-compliance of some can turn other linguists’ jobs into a nightmare. In fact, providing quality translation services takes more than being awesome at the language pair you choose to work in—it’s also a matter of being willing to succeed as a reliable team member. Like I said in an earlier post, “Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it,” so why not “autograph your work with quality” while you can?

In this post, I will focus on how translators can improve their output, as well as their overall quality and teamwork skills, by simply following three easy steps before and during translation. So if you want to make sure your editor won’t get instantly mad at you, try these tips and see what happens:

1. Read all reference materials… always
From my experience, many translators will simply skip this step in a way that makes it seem like just an optional part of their job. This is counterproductive, both for translators themselves and for editors. If a project package contains reference materials, such as a style guide, glossaries, previous translations and/or source files for reference, you need to open and read them. Considering reference materials should not be taken as a mere matter of choice. In fact, going through these materials is a key part of at least the first two stages within the TEP process. Once you get acquainted with reference files, translation feels like a more doable task than if you were (blissfully) unaware of these sources. This is because reference materials can help you avoid tougher research regarding the target audience and client, and therefore save time for more exhaustive research on the things that could only be out there on the Internet. As well as this, if you do your homework (read all the references you receive!), you can also avoid certain punctuation and meaning mistakes, especially if reference files include images, explanatory notes from the client or multimedia items. Additionally, reference files can help you avoid formatting or segmentation issues by showing the text in its intended source or target format. In some cases, clients may also send previously translated and approved material in your target language to be used as a guide for the current project, so reading these files will not only save time and result in a number of convenience benefits for you and your editor, but also contribute to keeping consistency throughout several projects for the same client. Finally, when a translator checks reference files, they can help reduce the overall query margin expected from the TEP team, while downtime for all three parties involved in the TEP process may also decrease. How? Since translators are the first linguists in the TEP process who come to work on the source text, they can spot first-hand potential translation issues on an early basis. This gives translators the power to proactively collaborate with their team by calling the PM’s and/or client’s attention to such hurdles before it’s too late, that is, before the entire team has run out of time to send any queries at all prior to final delivery. Also, because clients may take some time to provide a response, the earlier a query is sent, the merrier.

2. Always be techno-caring
I don’t know why, but some translators will take it for granted that, despite the format born by the source text, they can choose to use a different CAT tool to work and then make their deliverable to the editor using the file format exported by the tool of their choice, regardless of the one originally requested by the end client or the PM. Of course, I’m not questioning translators’ right to choose the CAT tool they enjoy best to translate. I too work as a translator and know what it feels like to have to work on a project you like with a CAT tool you hate. What I would question here is the carelessness shown by few translators I’ve recently worked with who have returned the translated file to me, the editor, in the file format of their own choice, instead of sending it in the requested format according to project instructions. When you’re part of a team, every choice you make, whether it concern linguistic matters or formatting issues, has an impact on the rest. Considering how other linguists in your team may be affected by your CAT-tool decisions is just as important as considering how the target audience will be affected by the quality of your translation. This is a golden rule for successful teamwork which should not be overlooked in translation. So if you’re planning to translate a Word file in SDL Trados Studio when you were asked to use Trados X.X, don’t just deliver an .sdlxliff file to your editor: deliver a .doc file and the .sdlxliff, if you like, because part of a translator’s job is to be always aware of project-specific instructions. And if you’d really like to deliver your translation in a file format other than the one requested in the assignment, ask your team first, see whether they are all equally comfortable with you making changes to the expected deliverables. After all, they have the same right as you do to choose what tool or file format they want to work with. Ultimately, odds are that the client’s request to use a certain CAT tool and to deliver the translation in a certain file format is indisputable, so better be safe than sorry and ask, or use your best judgement and translate in the format originally provided for the project in question.

3. Don’t forget tag placement!
This might seem like an obvious piece of advice for anyone who’s already been working with CAT tools for a relatively long period of time, and yet, it never ceases to amaze me how some not newbies will make avoidable mistakes regarding tag placement. Tags have a purpose in the source text, and for that matter, they should be placed within the target text by the translator paying extra care and attention. Whenever a tag is used in source, it is to signal certain changes in format, either regarding font size or colour, or even spacing issues, which will help the DTP team when converting the translatable file into the final formatted document. When translators forget about tags, or what’s worse, when they simply pretend not to see them, they run a high risk of creating formatting issues not just for the editor and proofer, who are their direct team members, but also for the DTP team who will ultimately be in charge of rendering the target format into that expected by the client. So never forget tags—they’re always there for a reason, and if you’re not sure where or how to replace them in target, then do your research, ask, and don’t be afraid to ask again. Remember you are part of a team, and that your PM and editor (and hopefully your client) should be able and willing to help you. Oh, and don’t forget to use Xbench. Xbench is a powerful, user-friendly QA tool that can do wonders for translators and editors alike, as it compares and contrasts source and target in order to spot mistaken, misplaced or missing tags, numbers, spaces, proper names, trademarks, and other issues, among many other helpful functions.

Well, those are my top-three basic tips for translators who work as part of a team. What about you? Any recommendations for translators working with editors?

*This is an extract from a post I published under the same Title at my blog on editing, The Magic Pen Edits.