Information technology has had a tremendous impact on translators' information, practices, and markets. No one would question the view that translators have enormously benefited on many counts from the computerisation of their workstation and working environment. For instance, email is an essential tool for translators as it allows all kinds of file transfers, reduces the risks associated with barely legible faxes, establishes immediate communication and reinforces the links between mailing list subscribers. In the guise of mailing lists and forums, it is also a powerful source of information about all kinds of freeware, some of which can be a real goldmine for those who 'know something about computers'.
The Web has now become a kind of vital umbilical cord linking translators to a wealth of on-line documentation. It allows the translator to have access to specialist forums and discussion groups related to specific subject areas or materials, to put their questions to domain specialists, to consult colleagues and fellow-professionals, strengthen collaborative networks, to access the vast array of terminology bases and banks now available and gain immediate access to all types of particularly helpful documentation (in particular, foreign language documentation from subsidiaries or partners in other countries, documentation from competitors working in the same or similar fields and producing similar products, manufacturers' documentation, parts lists and so on).
If the translator still has doubts or has failed to find some of the terminology or phraseology needed, the Web can also be used to contact domain specialists or experts, informers, colleagues and anyone else who might be able to supply the answer.The Web has therefore changed the very way translators work. It is now possible to apply all the precepts that were often impossible to comply with due to the sheer material obstacles the translator faced.
In pre-Internet days, every translator was deeply convinced of the importance of 'knowing the subject' and getting hold of the necessary linguistic raw material (e.g. the terminology and phraseology) before attempting to translate. But the obstacles and the time needed to get hold of the relevant sources and documentation were such that hardly anyone was able to comply with that requirement. Failing access to informers, the required documentation and dictionaries would usually come days after the translation had been handed in. Even when they did have the time, translators were not sure where to start looking and even less so whether what they were looking for actually existed. Everyone knew full well what needed to be done, but few had the wherewithal to do it.
The Internet has put an end to the translators' traditional isolation, even to the point of distracting them from their work. Today, provided no broker or other third party comes in between them, they can easily and instantly contact the work provider, the author or designer of the material in hand, various information providers, all of their partners, fellow translators (particularly those who subscribe to the same mailing lists), and just about anyone they fancy.
It takes no more than a few seconds to find in-depth information (a key Web site, for instance) on the subject of the translation and it is usually a matter of minutes (or an hour or two, as the case may be) to learn what it is vital to know. There no longer is any excuse for bypassing any episode of the full documentation stage.
When confronted with a terminology problem, translators can access major terminology databases within seconds (or minutes if the network and database are very, very, busy), as well as a host of dictionaries, glossaries and word banks for almost every conceivable language and subject area. There is in fact very little that translators cannot find, nowadays, in the terminological and phraseological treasure trove that the Web has now become. And if they get stuck, fellow list subscribers will be glad to oblige.
The Internet allows translators (and revisers) from different parts of the world to work on the same translation contract under the same project man-agement setup and even to translate and edit the same document collaboratively without ever meeting each other face to face. More directly, being an international medium of communication, the Internet has helped to increase the global volume of translation worldwide - as demonstrated by the expanding machine translation market in this sector. This raises the question of 'human' vs. 'machine' translation.
The Web has now become a kind of vital umbilical cord linking translators to a wealth of on-line documentation. It allows the translator to have access to specialist forums and discussion groups related to specific subject areas or materials, to put their questions to domain specialists, to consult colleagues and fellow-professionals, strengthen collaborative networks, to access the vast array of terminology bases and banks now available and gain immediate access to all types of particularly helpful documentation (in particular, foreign language documentation from subsidiaries or partners in other countries, documentation from competitors working in the same or similar fields and producing similar products, manufacturers' documentation, parts lists and so on).
If the translator still has doubts or has failed to find some of the terminology or phraseology needed, the Web can also be used to contact domain specialists or experts, informers, colleagues and anyone else who might be able to supply the answer.The Web has therefore changed the very way translators work. It is now possible to apply all the precepts that were often impossible to comply with due to the sheer material obstacles the translator faced.
In pre-Internet days, every translator was deeply convinced of the importance of 'knowing the subject' and getting hold of the necessary linguistic raw material (e.g. the terminology and phraseology) before attempting to translate. But the obstacles and the time needed to get hold of the relevant sources and documentation were such that hardly anyone was able to comply with that requirement. Failing access to informers, the required documentation and dictionaries would usually come days after the translation had been handed in. Even when they did have the time, translators were not sure where to start looking and even less so whether what they were looking for actually existed. Everyone knew full well what needed to be done, but few had the wherewithal to do it.
The Internet has put an end to the translators' traditional isolation, even to the point of distracting them from their work. Today, provided no broker or other third party comes in between them, they can easily and instantly contact the work provider, the author or designer of the material in hand, various information providers, all of their partners, fellow translators (particularly those who subscribe to the same mailing lists), and just about anyone they fancy.
It takes no more than a few seconds to find in-depth information (a key Web site, for instance) on the subject of the translation and it is usually a matter of minutes (or an hour or two, as the case may be) to learn what it is vital to know. There no longer is any excuse for bypassing any episode of the full documentation stage.
When confronted with a terminology problem, translators can access major terminology databases within seconds (or minutes if the network and database are very, very, busy), as well as a host of dictionaries, glossaries and word banks for almost every conceivable language and subject area. There is in fact very little that translators cannot find, nowadays, in the terminological and phraseological treasure trove that the Web has now become. And if they get stuck, fellow list subscribers will be glad to oblige.
The Internet allows translators (and revisers) from different parts of the world to work on the same translation contract under the same project man-agement setup and even to translate and edit the same document collaboratively without ever meeting each other face to face. More directly, being an international medium of communication, the Internet has helped to increase the global volume of translation worldwide - as demonstrated by the expanding machine translation market in this sector. This raises the question of 'human' vs. 'machine' translation.
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