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Sunday, 25 September 2011

Twitter's new analytic tools will track its effectiveness

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from the L.A. TimesTwitter's new analytic tools will track its effectiveness September 14, 2011 | 5:46pm

Twitter web analytics

Twitter Inc. will soon release new analytic tools that the San Francisco company says will help website owners track just how much traffic they're getting from the social network.

"Twitter is a powerful platform for websites to share their content and drive traffic and engagement," said Christopher Golda, a member of Twitter's product team in a post on the company's developer blog. "However, people have struggled to accurately measure the amount of traffic Twitter is sending to their websites, in part because Web analytics software hasn't evolved as quickly as online sharing and social signals."

The new analytic tools -- called Twitter Web Analytics -- are an effort to solve that problem, Golda said.

Golda landed at Twitter after the company purchased his start-up, BackType, in July. Not surprisingly, BackType was a company that built analytic tools for companies looking to figure out whether what they're doing with social media is effective.

The Twitter Web Analytics tools will roll out to a "small pilot group of partners" this week and later to all website owners, social media coordinators and other who would like to track such data, he said.

"We're also committed to releasing a Twitter Web Analytics API for developers interested in incorporating Twitter data in their products," Golda said, not revealing when such developer tools might arrive.

Twitter Web Analytics will be tools that help users "understand how much traffic they receive from Twitter and the effectiveness of Twitter integrations on their sites," he said, noting that the tools will track how "your website content is being shared across the Twitter network" and "measure the effectiveness of your Tweet Button integration."

RELATED:

Twitter: 100 million active users and no plans to go public soon

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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

twitter.com/nateog

Image: A screen shot of Twitter Web Analytics tools. Credit: Twitter Inc.

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Wednesday, 17 August 2011

Using the Google Translate Tools

The Internet broadens our world in such a unique way. From your own home, you can talk to, read about, learn from, even buy and sell from people all over the world. Because of this, things like language produce barriers that we would never encounter in our own towns. Thanks to tools from websites like Google, translating is simple, fast, and easy.

From the Google home page, click on the "more" link to see additional categories and search filters. Click on "translate". You will be taken to a simple translation page. This is helpful to type or copy and paste words, phrases, sentences, and small paragraphs of text to be translated. There are dozens of languages to choose from, both to translate from and to. You can also leave the "Translate from:" field set to "Detect Language" if you don't know the language.

This page is the first for four sections of translation tools. The four sections are listed on the left sidebar. The next section is the "Translated Search" tool. This is for performing searches on websites written in other languages. This is great for getting foreign recipes, traditions, or news stories, etc. Here's how it works.

* First, type your keywords in the search bar that you want to learn about on foreign language sites.

* Next, choose the language in which you want Google to search.

* Third, choose your native language.

* Finally, click "Translate and Search", so Google will translate your query into the language you selected, find websites matching the query in that language, then Google translates the search results into your language!

The third translator section on Google Translate is the Translator Toolkit. This section is a page for translating larger sections of text. For example, you can upload a document from your computer to be completely translated to another language. It's like the first section, but for larger texts, like entire webpages or documents. You can also download and share translated pieces.

Once a document is uploaded into the Translator Toolkit, your piece is translated to the language of your choice in a few seconds. You are then shown a side by side view of your document or webpage on the left and the translation on the right. If you highlight a section from the left, an editor appears on the right including only the highlighted section. You can then insert hyperlinks and make other types of edits.

The toolkit can be shown or hidden and includes a Glossary, Dictionary, and other resources. You can then save and edit the pieces within the Translator Toolkit section.

The fourth and final section, "Tools and Resources" is a collection of additional tools for all your translation needs. The first tool contains a code that can be added to webpages where anyone can automatically see the text of your site translated into different languages by changing the language on a drop down list. Under the code is a preview so you can see what your website would look like.

Also available is the Google Toolbar, which contains a variety of tools, but also include an automatic translator, so you don't have to manually translate every page of text as you go. This is ideal for users who frequently visit websites in other languages.

The final tool in the fourth section is the option to add a button to your browser. A button is available for each language available, which, when clicked on, reloads any page into a translated version. Whether you need something translated to or from your native tongue, or are just curious about different ways to say things, try Google Translate!

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Sunday, 14 August 2011

How Good are Automatic Spanish Translation Tools

No matter what industry Spanish language translators translate work in, they all seem to have at least one thing in common: defending their profession against those who believe that automatic Spanish translation tools can replace professional translators.

This is one of the biggest myths that translators have to deal with on a daily basis and even though we are constantly trying to educate our clients and others about this misconception, it still seems that many people still believe it.

Those who don't understand what it takes for a professional translator to accurately translate a document often say that automatic Spanish translation tools like those you can find online at various search engine websites are better than ever and are all that someone needs when they need a translation.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I admit that these automatic Spanish translators are getting better and better, but they are nowhere near what they need to be to even remotely compare to work done by a professional translator.

Many times, these tools perform word-for-word translations and are unable to take into consideration any type of context needed to understand what the document is all about. To illustrate this, I've decided to take a sentence from a Spanish-language newspaper, plug it into a popular online automatic Spanish translation tool, and then show the result.

Here is the Spanish (it's from a Spanish language newspaper):

Repitiendo a gritos una y otra vez ´Alahu Akbar´ (Alá es grande) y otras proclamas más, en tono desafiante, mientras blandía un ejemplar del Corán, el depuesto presidente iraquí Saddam Hussein escuchó la sentencia que le condenó a morir en la horca.

...and here is the English translation:

Repeating to shouts time and time again ´Alahu Akbar´ (Alá is great) and other proclamations more, in challenging tone, while he brandished a unit of the Corán, the demoted Iraqian president Saddam Hussein listened to the sentence that condemned to him to die in the gift.

Even if you don't speak Spanish, it's easy to see that while you can get a gist of what the sentence is about, there are a few really glaring errors that don't remain faithful to the original version, when you need a translation that is truly correct and faithful to the original document, you will need the services of a professional translator.

So while we Spanish translators have our work cut out for us in terms of defending our profession against those who would whittle it down to using automatic Spanish translation tools, I say the results speak for themselves. Who would you rather trust?

Clint Tustison is a translator interested in helping other translators improve their businesses. His website, Spanish-translation-help.com is filled with information helpful to translators regarding the translation industry, and his free monthly newsletter, Translator Techniques, has tips and techniques for translators.

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Thursday, 11 August 2011

Google's Translate Creates Tools For Translation Services

Google's Translation Centre, launched in 2008 and now called Google Translate can be a valuable tool for translation services. Although, people initially thought that Google translate would present stiff competition for online based translation service, the centre provides useful and advanced software that can dramatically cut back the time spent on translations by the companies. It also provides a database of translators who can check the translations made by the software, and translation service providers are able to tap into these resources too if they are can't find their own resources.

The Google Translation Centre can be used by translators to do the first draft of their translation that they can then check for sense and meaning. The service is still free for the time being, and if used intelligently by online translation services, this tool can support them rather than stand as competition. The human resource behind this online tool is what makes it truly useful. Previous translation programmes yielded inaccurate results due to the complex nature of language. However, Google supports their translation programme with a database of volunteer and professional translators.

Unlike some critics initially thought, the service should not take work away from professional translation service providers. The need for translators is increasing and it's one industry that is set to bloom despite the recession. Professional translation services provide a package deal to companies, so they are unlikely to take their work to Google, where they will have to manage the translation process themselves.

Translation management is an intricate skill; there are very different translation needs for different industries. For example, a news story will need to be translated very quickly at a low cost, while a student manual might take more time and require a more experienced translator, as well as quality checking and probably accreditation. The advantage of Google translate is that it can be used as a standard of measure for all online translation services, and in this way there is no conflict of interest.

Google's translate is one step closer to creating a completely multilingual web system. With a solid backing of experienced translation professionals and technology, Google could streamline the translation process on the web to the advantage of web users and translation professionals. Freelancers can also benefit from the resource as it allows them a space in which to market their skills and engage with other professionals.

Frances wrote this article for Prestige Network Translators and Interpreters Prestige Network meets all your language and communication needs.

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Wednesday, 10 August 2011

Impact of Translation Memory Tools on Translation Services

The translation memory tool, (TM) is a new booming concept used in contemporary translation technology to transform the industry day by day. It is a type of database that is primarily used in translation software programs to support human translators. It contains text segments in a source language and their translation equivalents into one or more target languages. Moreover, these segments can be single words, paragraphs, blocks, or phrases. Designed to facilitate major functions like segmentation of source text and matching the original with the corresponding target segments, this device helps translators complete their assignments more effectively.

Looking at the present scenario, this technology has turn out to be both crucial and popular. It has brought a new revolution in the translation business, where the translator can successfully use online and electronic resources. In the last few years, some of the most admired translation memory tools like Wordfast, Trados, DéjàVu and SDLX have brought a radical change into the translator's operational techniques and its impact on translation industry can't be ignored. Some of the advantages brought by these Computer Assisted Tools are the big savings in time when repetitive terminology and sentences happen in the project being carried out. Not only that, the repetitive text with small variations can be reutilized to produce a homogeneous and consistent translation with considerable productivity increases that lead to cost reduction for the end customer. With these tools the terms used in the past are very much on the translator's finger tips, thus making the work more enjoyable and less stressful while the customer gets a better quality. Once a good TM has been produced, this can be also used by less experienced translators because the TM contains many of the secrets written by the experienced translator. In very large projects where team-work is a key factor, the TM can be shared on-line by a large team of translators and the less experienced translators will be instantly assisted by experts in the field to obtain incredible results that otherwise would not be possible.

With TM, there is no need to strain the eyes every time searching for the beginning of the next source sentence that needs to be translated. This technology, will never allow you to bounce a sentence or even a paragraph, which is one of the most common situation when required to translate any hard copy or when overwriting electronic documents. As a result of this the translation will be free of missing translation bits and pieces.

As the competition is getting tougher in the translation business, this technology also equips translators to handle the information outburst in all areas of human endeavor. Translation Memory Tools has proved to be a very functional tool for assisting the localization of HTML and additional software files with Tags to maintain the formats and the code of the original document. The Tag Editor is used in these cases. In addition to all this, the Translation Memory Tool also provides additional benefits to client as it saves time and some discounts can be applied to the end customer for providing the work in a "friendly" format that lessens the work burden. In this case clients pay reduced fees for recurrent and repetitive text. The translation memory files also provide clients the flexibility of using diverse translators or agencies in future project without having to stick to the same provider, therefore the TM can be considered as freedom provider.

Nowadays, the Translation Memory Tool has become very popular among translators and agencies doing translation of technical manuals due to the large amounts of recurrent text that can be easily reutilized to provide better quality at a lower cost in a shorter period of time. Exactly what the customer is expecting from the translation provider.

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Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Advantages of Human Translation & CAT Tools

A common misapprehension exists among people everywhere, especially those not working in or related to the translation profession, that translation is nothing but a straightforward mechanical process comprising a simple word-for-word correspondence between two languages that anyone proficient in two language pairs could easily handle. To this end, we are bound to say that a simple word for word translation can only apply to machine translation whereas human translation and God-created human brain are totally different.

Human translation or the God-created human brain of a professional translator is backed by study and experience to which the translator resorts to when need demands. He knows how the job is to be done, understands the Translation Paradigm and knows how to apply it. Putting his senses to good use, he is capable to learn, develop and update his knowledge, thereby constantly undergoes a non-stop developmental process of knowledge absorption that pours to expand his personal and professional experience.

Consequently, a professional translator can solve problems and can make correct decisions regarding issues such as; ambiguity, the correct choice of the exact accurate word to be used among a long line of synonymous meanings to convey the exact meaning of the source document into the translated document, the correct decision regarding when to add or take off words to support the meaning and clearly convey it, how to bridge the linguistic and cultural gaps between two languages and cultures while crossing the cultural barriers, how to use the right collocations, how to use the right approach, style and tone of the author while observing, at the same time, the language conventions in order to finally create a translated document (target language) that is a mirror copy of the source document conveying the exact message of the author and conforming to the translation ISO being IDEA, STYLE AND ORIGNIAL COMPOSITION.

However, we are not against machine translation but we are in favour of Human Translation supported by Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools. In order to conserve time, money and quality, CAT tools, including Translation Memory (TM), have become very popular with translators, translation agencies, and even clients.

Although TM has its advantages and disadvantages for professional translators and translation bureaux, it has advantages and virtually no disadvantages for clients.

Firstly, the great advantage of TM lies in the capacity of translation quality which is likely to improve in terms of consistency, both in the same document and throughout other documents. TM saves pairs of terms or strings of texts, and reproduces them whenever the same Source Language (SL) term or string comes along in any other place in the document being translated. Therefore, it helps to maintain consistency by always using the same equivalent for the same term or string. In other words, the translation becomes more efficient and consistent. Moreover, the same TM can always be used with future translations, thus achieving consistency in terms of terminology and style throughout the translation projects.

Secondly, Terminology search is said to account for 75 percent of a translator's time. Thus TM saves the translator's time by sparing him the need to look up the terms and words again if they are repeated in the text, especially in the case of large projects, or in another translation from the same client or in the same field of specialization. The translator will translate repeated terms and strings only once and TM will 'translate' them whenever they appear again in the SL which saves time. TM also spares the translator the need to strain his memory in remembering how he translated a certain term or string before or the need to go back searching through the document to locate it.

Thirdly, TM increases productivity which can lead to an increase in income. This accounts for the fact that many clients now are not only aware of but also require that their work be translated by TM software. In other words, the use of TM makes translation agencies more competitive by being distinguished from others who do not use TM, thus they are more likely to receive more work. Finally, TM is quite portable. It can be stored on a CD or a ' Flash Memory Stick'.

In spite of all the above advantages of TM, we have to admit that it is a tool that can only be used for technical documents comprising a certain amount of repetition such as manuals, brochures, and balance sheets that contain a considerable number of repetitions and need to be updated quite often. This is where TM comes in to achieve consistency and efficiency. On the other hand, TMs are not likely to be used for literary texts where the context plays a more important role compared to non-literary texts. Literary texts are also characterized by their figurative language and elevated style which makes them difficult to translate with TM. Moreover, literary texts do not seem to have the same amount of repetition as technical texts.

We therefore conclude that making use of human translation together with CAT tools is the ultimate goal that any client must seek to be sure to achieve an originally efficient and consistent translation quality.

I am holder of B.A. in English Language and Literature from Cairo University, Egypt. I also have three professional translation diplomas from the American University in Cairo (with distinction).

I am a certified translator and translation instructor at the Arabic Translation & Intercultural Dialogue Association (ATIDA), the Arab Translators Network - Arab Professional Translators Society (ATN-APTs), and the Egyptian Translators Association (Egyta).

You can find some of my translated work published on ATIDA and my profile page on Proz.com http://www.proz.com/profile/776773. I have about 10 years solid experience in translation besides copywriting which I found to be my passion. My translation fields of specialty are diverse ranging from legal, business, medical, technical, and documentary translation to art, literary, and marketing translation in addition to many other fields published on my website.

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Monday, 8 August 2011

Five Tips for Using Automatic Spanish Translation Tools

Automatic Spanish translation tools are all over the Internet these days and it's easy to see how many people get the false idea that these tools can currently or in the near future will replace professional translators.

Well, most people know that these free online Spanish translators are not ideal translators andien shouldn't be entrusted to translate important documents. However, there are times when these automatic Spanish translators can provide some value to you or your business, even as a translator.

Along these lines, here are five ways that you can take advantage of these free online automatic Spanish translators:

1) Translation practice

Translators always need to keep their skills in practice and one way to do that is to use free translators. You can have one of these translators translate an original document, and then translate that same document yourself and see what differences there are between the two.

2) Provide free service to website visitors

Some people will never understand that these free automatic Spanish translators are inferior to professional translation services. Regardless of this, you can still provide a free service to your website visitors by putting links to these tools on your website.

3) Get the gist

Sometimes the best thing that these automatic Spanish translation tools can do is provide a gist about what the document is about. While the quality of the translation is lacking, many times it is possible to get some understanding about the main points of the document.

4) Ideas on how to translate something

In the past, I have run across difficult passages in translations that I have been working on. One of the methods that I use to overcome these obstacles is to run the difficult part of the document through one of the free online Spanish translators. While I never use the translation that is provided by the translation tool, many times it does give me some additional ideas on how that passage could be translated.

5) Prove to clients that free tools are not as good as a professional translator

It is a never-ending battle for translators to educate their clients about the fact that translation is a difficult thing to do and that a professional translator cannot be replaced by on online tool. One of the ways for translators to do this is to provide translations from these online translators so that clients can see how they do on longer, more complicated documents.

These tips can turn something that translators see as a curse (automatic Spanish translation tools) into something that will help them in their translation businesses.

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Sunday, 25 September 2011

Twitter's new analytic tools will track its effectiveness

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

Using the Google Translate Tools

Sunday, 14 August 2011

How Good are Automatic Spanish Translation Tools

Thursday, 11 August 2011

Google's Translate Creates Tools For Translation Services

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

Impact of Translation Memory Tools on Translation Services

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Advantages of Human Translation & CAT Tools

Monday, 8 August 2011

Five Tips for Using Automatic Spanish Translation Tools

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