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Language, Technology and Process |
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Archive |
Archive
typically refers to a group of files packaged by an
Archive or Compression utility. The most common PC
compression utility is WinZip. Archives created with
WinZip can be recognized within Windows with a .zip
extension. The most common compression utility for
the MAC is Stuffit. Stuffit files can be recognized
with either a .sit or .sea file extension. |
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Cost Per Word |
Typically, almost all pricing in the language
translation industry is presented as 'Cost Per
Word'. 4Translation always presents pricing based on
the Cost Per Source Word.
Many translation companies price their work on the
Cost Per Target Word so
that their Cost Per Word is lower.
For example, a language translation project of
10,000 English words into Spanish may be quoted at
$0.18 per English (Source) word. However, the final
Spanish version may include 12,300 Spanish (Target)
words given the 23% expansion rate for Spanish.
Therefore, the cost per Target word is $0.146 which
appears to be lower that $0.18 per Source word. In
the end, both quotations are equal ($1,800.00). Always be careful
to request pricing based on the source word count so that you can accurately compare pricing for
language services.
To help our clients calculate Source Word Counts,
4Translation developed
PDFCount for
Acrobat to calculate Source
Words in PDF files. Complimentary versions are
available, contact
Jim Wanek
for more information. |
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Electronic File |
Most of
our projects are completed by using the original
electronic file, such as MS Word, QuarkXpress, Adobe
PageMaker, Adobe FrameMaker, etc. In some cases, the
original electronic file is not available and the
language translation work is completed from 'Hard
Copy' provided by the client. |
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Expansion Rate |
When
English is translated into most other languages,
more words or characters are needed to convey the same
meaning. Expansion rate is the ratio of target
language words divided by the source language words
and is presented as a percentage. For example, the
expansion rate for an English > Spanish translation
is 23%. This means there will be approximately 23%
more Spanish characters in the Spanish version of
the document. Please note if your translation service
provides you with a 'Cost Per Word' based on the
'Target' language word count, the rate may appear to
be less that a rate presented on the Source word
count. |
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Final Deliverable |
Final
deliverable simply defines the final or end product
of the language translation process. The final
deliverable may be different from project to
project. For a simple text translation, the final
deliverable will typically be a target language MS
Word and, PDF file. For more complicated Asian
language projects with DTP, the
final deliverable may be a target language Quark
file with Outline EPS images to
display the double
byte characters. |
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FTP |
File
Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a method to download or
upload electronic files to and from your computer.
The FTP process requires an FTP utility to
communicate 'user name' and 'password' to the FTP
Server. FTP is a very reliable method to transfer
large electronic files. |
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HTTP |
Hyper
Text Transfer Protocol is a second method to
download or upload electronic files to and from your
computer. HTTP file transfer uses your Web browser
to communicate with the Web server and does NOT
require any special programs on your computer, user
names or password. 4Translation uses HTTP
extensively throughout each project to receive files
from our 'File Transfer Page' on our Web site and
deliver completed work via links from our Web
server. |
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Independent Editor |
Independent editor refers to a step in the language
translation process. Typically, a draft translation
is completed by a native
speaking professional linguist. This draft
translation is then 'edited' by a second native
speaking translator and is an integral step in the
quality control process. |
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Native Speaker |
A Native
Speaking translator is a person who resides in or is
from the target region of the desired language. |
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Notice To Proceed |
At
4Translation, the Notice To Proceed includes both our proposal and our Terms and Conditions and
defines the business relationship with our clients.
Every proposal includes a Notice To Proceed which must be
completed by our clients before any project work
will start. |
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Platform |
Platform
refers to the operating system that the source
application is running. Typical platforms include
PC, MAC, and Unix. There are over 200 combinations
of source application
and platform. It is important for us to know your
operating system environment so that we can prepare
the final deliverable
to be compatible with your operating system. |
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Platform Independent |
Some
file formats are platform independent which means
these files can be opened and viewed in common
operating systems. Examples of platform independent
files include PDF, EPS, RFT (rich text format), HTML and TXT. |
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Proposal |
The
4Translation proposal is a summary of the pricing,
schedule, services and
final deliverable for a given project. |
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Source Application |
Source
application refers to the software application used
to create a specific document or electronic file.
Typical source applications include MS Word,
QuarkXpress, Adobe PageMaker, and Adobe FrameMaker. |
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Source Words |
Source
words refer to the number of words provided to us for
translation into another language. English is the
source language for the majority of our projects and,
therefore, Source Words refer to the number of
English words in the original or source document. |
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Target Words |
The
target words are simply the number of words
estimated to be included in the final target
language translation or
final deliverable. |
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Translation Review |
Each
client has the option to have the target language
translation reviewed by a native speaker within
their organization. |
