1.3.14. – Text editors You will definitely need a text and source code editor if you intend to localise software. A popular and free solution is Notepad++. ATOM is another excellent open-source text and source code editor available for macOS, Linux, and Microsoft Windows.
1.3.13. – Image editors Sometimes you need to manipulate a picture, for example, to add it to your online profile or your résumé. A good and free alternative to Adobe Photoshop is GIMP. If you need to resize an image, you may use Image Resizer, which is also free and easy to use.
1.3.12. – Zip/unzip You often need to compress large files in order to send them via email or decompress zipped files your clients send for you to work on. Here are some popular options for file compression/decompression: 7-Zip IZArc WinRAR WinZip
1.3.11. – Password managers Your daily work requires you to register on several portals, such as translation vortals, software platforms, client TMS, online CAT tools, etc. It is impossible to use the same password for every occasion, nor would this be safe – if someone gets unauthorised access to your password, they automatically gain access …
1.3.10. – Screenshots The print screen shortcut will take a picture of your whole screen, including data you might not want to share. For example, you might need to send your software support an error message that appears on your screen without revealing any other potentially sensitive information about the text you are working on. …
1.3.8. – Encryption Under topic 1.3.2. – Backup, we have already mentioned Boxcryptor as a solution to encrypt your cloud storage. This software encrypts your files on your computer before uploading them to the cloud to keep them safe. Such software ensures GDPR-compliance (if you are in the UK or EU) by adding an additional …
1.3.7. – Quality assurance As already mentioned before, the grammar check and spellcheck of MS Word are not flawless, and for specific languages, such as Greek, there is no grammar check. In CAT tools such as Trados and MemoQ, you can select whether MS Word or Hunspell will do the spellcheck of your work. Most …
1.3.6. – CAT tools According to ISO 17100:2015, the acronym CAT stands for computer-aided translation, representing a variety of software applications used to support the task of human translation. These computer programs are usually referred to as translation tools, computer-aided translation tools (CAT tools), or sometimes, translation environment tools (TEnTs). (Credits: ISO). Following my survey …
1.3.5. – Translation management systems A translation management system (TMS) is a business and project management programme (online or offline) that helps you manage your daily workflow by keeping track of your projects, clients, suppliers, invoices and contracts. At the beginning of your career, you might have used Excel sheets to keep track of your …
