http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/ (login) ja Copyright 2009 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:43:24 +0900 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification A clear, easy-to-understand translation can contribute greatly to a product's success. Suppose a product has a new interface that improves productivity but that is difficult to get used to at first. A customer who reads a poorly written, difficult-to-understand description of the interface will have a poor impression of the product itself. But a customer who reads a clear description that explains the benefits of the interface and how to take advantage of them will be excited about the product and have a positive impression of it. http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2009/01/clear-eas.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2009/01/clear-eas.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:43:24 +0900 ]]> http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/09/the-virtue-of-doubt.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/09/the-virtue-of-doubt.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:23:31 +0900
In general, the company that I work at now prioritizes comfort at the office.  I believe that this is a very good thing because comfort improves productivity.
]]> http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/07/function-before-form.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/07/function-before-form.html dress code productivity work Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:05:11 +0900 http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/07/adventures-in-desk-work-1.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/07/adventures-in-desk-work-1.html comfort desk work Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:24:32 +0900 http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/06/mediaefx-lingo.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/06/mediaefx-lingo.html references style guides writing Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:43:57 +0900
Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

"When a signal disturbance exists..."
versus
"When there is a signal disturbance... "
]]> http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/06/the-awesome-power-of-japanese.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/06/the-awesome-power-of-japanese.html Japanese translation Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:03:09 +0900
Since big translation jobs tend to require sustained concentration, I suppose that tea is the way to go.  But coffee is very delicious.  Maybe if I just sip it...
]]> http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/06/caffeine-efficiency.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/06/caffeine-efficiency.html caffeine concentration translation Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:40:59 +0900 http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/05/the-science-of-taking-time-off.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/05/the-science-of-taking-time-off.html vacations work management Wed, 14 May 2008 18:12:59 +0900
But after further thought and experience, I've concluded that one of the special challenges of technical writing is that the translator must always be clear.  When a master novelist writes an unclear sentence, we can assume that he intends for the sentence to be unclear, thus the job of the translator is to write a similarly ambiguous sentence, but when an engineer writes an unclear sentence in an instruction manual, we can usually just assume that he had a hard time expressing the concept that he was trying to convey, and then it's up to the translator to figure out what the engineer was really trying to say.

This can be a trying process.  I've pointed out countless mistakes to clients in my less than one year working as a full-time translator.  This helps the client to know that you understand the material, and it is probably good for business in the long run, but it also takes up a good deal of time.  Recognizing that a sentence is unclear usually only takes an instant, but then I have to explain to the client why the sentence is unclear and ask them how they would like to clarify it.  This is time I could be spending translating something else and making more money. I'm hoping though that in the long run, the time I invest into this process of improving upon the clarity of the original document will not only be good for business, but will also make my own writing lucid enough to make even most novelists jealous.
]]> http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/05/the-challenges-of-technical-tr.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/05/the-challenges-of-technical-tr.html technical translation Tue, 13 May 2008 18:10:16 +0900
Once I started translating full time I noticed that my eyes were getting very tired at the end of each day.  It wasn't that I wasn't used to reading in Japanese, as I'd been reading novels rather frequently for many years, but rather that translation is just harder on the eyes than ordinary reading.  For most of the day my eyes have to dart back and forth between my two computer screens as I search for the best possible way to express some Japanese term or concept in English.  At first this was a daily problem, and I was worried about possible long-term effects, but now my eyes are fine even at the end of a very long day.  One reason is simply that my eyes have become stronger, but I also owe much of my newfound comfort to these simple steps that I took to take some of the burden off of my eyes:

1. Make text bigger. I regularly set the text size in word processors and PDFs high enough so that the text I want to read just barely fits into the screen, or sometimes even larger than that.  Bigger text = happier eyes.

2. Close your eyes when thinking.  When I used to stumble across a difficult to translate passage, I would keep reading it until I thought of a good translation.  Now I read a passage until I understand it, then I close my eyes so that they don't keep wandering over the passage as I'm thinking about how to best render it in English.

3. Use search features as much as possible.  Skimming through a document to find a particular word or passage puts lots of strain on your eyes.  It's always better to just let the computer do the searching for you.  You can also save time by remembering search keyboard shortcuts and making new shortcuts of your own.

4. Excercise.  I find that getting up and moving around for even just a few minutes works wonders for my eyes.  I suppose that the increased circulation helps to reduce muscle fatigue.
]]> http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/05/what-this-blog-is-about-and-ho.html http://mediaefx.net/blog/nathan/2008/05/what-this-blog-is-about-and-ho.html English Japanese eye fatigue translation Mon, 12 May 2008 14:06:01 +0900