As a brilliant translation guide in The Atlantic deftly reminded us last week, the world of translation is much broader than those of us who spend our time translating between actual groups of languages. Certainly, the idea that politician-speak needs translation is not new. It just becomes a little more apparent during election years like we have in the U.S. right now.

However, this newsletter is all about NEW: new books, new updates, new programs, and new perceptions.

I've been working on revising my Tool Box book this last week, and it really got me thinking: of all the tips and tricks and programs that I mention (or have mentioned) in the book, which do I really use myself on a regular basis?

I especially examined my use of utilities (=small free or inexpensive software programs, often with just one main feature). In this newsletter (and to a lesser degree in the book), I'll often mention the discovery of a new utility, start using it myself for a little while, and more often than not end up uninstalling it after a few days or weeks. Why is that? Well, the explanation lies in the way those utilities directly affect my workflow and my computer.

On my computer, the first group of diehard utilities are those that I've been using on a daily basis for the last few years (this means that they've long survived the critical first-couple-of-weeks benchmark): TrayIt to make room on my taskbar, PushPin to allow windows to stay on top of other active windows, Skype to communicate via voice and IM, IntelliWebSearch to speed and consolidate my dictionary searches (more on that below), and Lookout to index my Outlook mail (sadly this isn't available as a separate application anymore, but it's now integrated into Outlook 2007). This tiny group of utilities has become a natural extension of my computer environment and the way my mind and fingers think.

Then there are those utilities that I still have on my computer but don't use the way their developers would like me to. They would like me to start these every time I start my computer, but I prefer to have them come up only when there's a definite need for their specific function. These include ClipMate for managing my clipboard, SnagIt to manage my screenshots, and AllChars to enter some uncommon special characters or text strings. I've found that if I run these applications all the time, they tend to hog my system resources or have conflicts with other programs.

And then there are the plethora of utilities that are not designed to run all the time but are used for specific and relatively rarely occurring purposes. These include programs to convert measurements, data, and files; manipulate keyboards; search/replace text; manage, split, merge, and rename files; crack passwords; count words; track time; backup data; or manage downloads. Since these are used only in specialized instances, they usually don't run into conflicts with other programs. And if they are well written, their footprint is so small that they don't use any common resources. These are still installed on my computer as well.

The ones that didn't survive on my computers really had only one shortcoming: the developer's ego.

In nine out of ten cases, this is how utilities come about: someone who is technically inclined notices that a certain, very specific computing feature is missing or poorly implemented. So they write a tiny program that addresses this specific issue. And since they suffered from the previous lack or poor execution of that feature, their utility often hits the spot: it's exactly what they and other users have been looking for. Ideally the story would end right here (maybe with occasional updates when a new operating system is released, or when the developer suddenly notices that many users don't read English and a user interface or Unicode abilities have to be introduced).

But, of course, it doesn't stop there. Often the developer builds up a user community that surrounds him with praise and lots of suggestions for enhancements. They convince him that it would be really cool if the program not only managed and stored the clipboard, but also managed screenshots. Or if the program handled not only screenshots, but also videos. In no time, the small, efficient utility has become a major blown-up program that tries to be everything to everyone and potentially wreaks a lot of havoc on computers.

(Tip to those developers: Remember why you didn't like the zipping capability in Windows or the count feature in Word? Exactly -- because they were built by non-experts.)

I usually wouldn't make such a big deal about the release of a Service Pack (SP), but this one from Trados goes a bit beyond the typical collection of bug fixes (and, yes, it has that, too). There are at least two features in SP2 for Trados 2007 that I really like and which finally address what I've been clamoring for for a while.

Most of you remember that I've written about the sad lack of support of very common XML files with embedded HTML among translation environment tools (TEnTs). Even though HTML and XML are related languages, the HTML coding within an XML file has to be encoded once more (so that a bold tag -- <b> -- becomes a monster like this: <b>), making it impossible for most TEnTs to interpret it correctly and leaving the translators alone with having to figure out all those codes themselves.

Until now, Idiom WorldServer was the only tool that allowed for a post-filtering of already processed data to catch and protect those buggers.

Now Trados can do it, too. Trados TagEditor now includes a utility (Tools> Plug-ins> Snippet Mark-up Plug-in) that allows you to post-process any non-native tags within an Excel or XML file. No, it's not particularly user-friendly, but, yes, it's very powerful once you get the hang of it. Here's how it works once you have it set up: when you open an Excel or XML file in TagEditor which also contains other code, it asks you whether you would like to process the remaining code as well. If you agree, it processes the file again, closes it, and when you reopen it, all the ugly code is protected.

The other new feature that I like is its support for InDesign CS3. Nothing too spectacular, you might say, but the TEnT contenders have been rather slow to adjust to the new format, which is quite different from CS2.

There are also a few things that haven't been fixed -- the slow opening of Workbench and TagEditor and the annoying full display of the trizillion toolbars in TagEditor (which can be hidden but are displayed in full next time you open it again) -- but we don't want to get too greedy. . . .

And speaking of  InDesign. . . .

InDesign enjoys a LOT of goodwill among its user community. It seems to fall into the category of the Mac-versus-Windows or the Firefox-versus-Internet-Explorer syndrome. But only sort of. Because, unlike the battles mentioned above, this is not against Microsoft -- it's against QuarkXPress -- ,and in this battle it looks like the challenger is winning. Even with the Unicode abilities of the most recent QuarkXPress 7 (something InDesign had from the get-go), the migration of users from Quark to InDesign remains remarkable. And this is despite the fact that in its short history, InDesign has twice committed the faux pas of introducing upgrades that were not directly compatible with each other -- including the last one to version CS3, which is compatible with earlier versions only through an export to the XML-based .inx fomat.

As I mentioned above, TEnTs have been rather slow to migrate to CS3 (I think partly because they hoped that the CS2 filter still worked). Trados is the first TEnT to officially support CS3, but of course there are other solutions as well.

ECM-Engineering, a company I've mentioned a number of times in the past, has released an InDesign export tool that supports all versions of InDesign, including the latest. This application allows you to export into RTF or XML formats that are supported by most TEnTs. Once you are done with the translation, the RTF or XML file re-imports seamlessly into InDesign.

Another similar product is CopyFlow Gold for Adobe InDesign CS3, from the makers of the famed CopyFlow Gold for QuarkXPress (which, by the way, has become the official recommendation for pre-processing Quark 7 files by most TEnT vendors -- why invest money into a native filter for a dying program? . . . ).

Earlier this week I had a chance to talk to the developer of a completely different solution: one2edit. This high-powered program attacks InDesign in a completely different way. It offers a browser-based editing environment for InDesign files specifically for multi-language projects. The advantage is that the InDesign files never have to be exported or converted out of InDesign (thus circumventing any possible loss of formatting) and translators work in a complete WYSIWYG environment -- without having to own InDesign themselves. Beyond this, one2edit offers an interface with both Trados and across to allow for perfect and fuzzy translation memory matching within the browser interface.

This solution is available for large corporate clients as their own server-based installation and for language providers through a pay-by-the-page model.

. . . was the name that Michael Farrell did NOT choose for the new version of his beloved IntelliWebSearch tool (he thought it might have an unfortunate ring to it). However, it would technically have been accurate: in the new version of his free tool, you can not only search online dictionaries, but CD- or hard drive-based dictionaries as well. You may have noticed that I listed IntelliWebSearch in the exclusive list of applications that I run at all times -- and I do this for good reason. For those few who haven't installed it yet, wouldn't it be cool to just highlight a term in any program (it doesn't matter whether it's Word, a TEnT, or a browser), press a shortcut key, and send your term to your favorite dictionary or browser? In this new version you can have up to 50 pre-configured dictionaries, simultaneously send your query to as many dictionaries or browsers as you want, and, as I mentioned above, also search offline content.

Truth be told, at first I didn't much like the new version when Michael sent it to me a few days ago. I felt that the interface was not nearly as clean and self-explanatory as the old version. However, once I got the hang of it (and read the online help on Michael's website) I was thrilled, and I know that this tool will continue to save me a lot of time, especially when it comes to offline searches.

I have a hard time imagining that Michael will keep his tool as the freeware it is now, so you'd better get it while it lasts.

That's a cool name for a TEnT, huh? I'm not quite sure how and why Rodolfo Raya (formerly of Heartsome) chose it, but it certainly has the ring of a battle cry.

Swordfish is still in its beta stage, and as a Java tool (which can be run on any platform that supports Java, including Windows, Mac, or Linux) and with the formats it supports (InDesign, HTML, Office 2007, FrameMaker, OpenOffice/StarOffice, RTF, TTX, XML, Java Properties, PO, etc.), it points to great similarities with Heartsome.

I asked Rodolfo whether this is just a continuation of Heartsome, and he said:

I can't say it is a continuation of Heartsome. It is a tool that I developed for Heartsome and was rejected. I have the code and don't want to waste the effort of one year of programming. Clients who tried the program and liked it asked me to release it on my own.

Swordfish is usable now. Some people are using it for production despite the warning about beta quality code. It has bugs, but nothing really serious. (...) I don't know if I'll sell Swordfish or just give it away for free. Some friends suggested releasing a free version with just a few filters and an advanced one for a price. This is probably what I'll do, but the decision will come when the program is ready.

I'm looking forward to testing the tool when I have time, and I'll let you know what I think.

One thing is certain: things are definitely not boring in the realm of TEnTs.

And that's why there's a . . .

I first published the The Translator's Tool Box: A Computer Primer for Translators almost exactly five years ago, and it has gone through two dozen editions since then, but the latest revision that led to the current 6.1 edition has probably been the most exhaustive. I have not added any sections this time, but I have extensively added to and edited the chapters on CATs (which includes TEnTs as well as localization tools, QA tools, and project management tools) and Complex Formats. Also, all other data has been updated (including all hyperlinks) and it is once again being published in dual format: as a PDF file and an HTMLHelp system. I did this for an earlier version, but then abandoned it because I didn't get much feedback. However, I noticed that the help system is the one that I use when I have to quickly check something rather than the slower PDF, so I figure I'm probably not the only one.

Werecat (\'wər'kat\): a person transformed into a cat or capable of assuming a cat's form. Or something like that.

Thanks to Pablo Bouvier I was pointed to Werecat, a tool much like the two I mentioned in the last newsletter that allow you to export the content of your PowerPoint presentation into Word, process and thanslate that in a TEnT, and then bring it back. The only difference to those tools is that Werecat's free. We'll take it.

© 2008 International Writers' Group