Free Online Dictation

Our web guru recently discovered this free online dictation software, which seems to work quite well. Warning: it's no Dragon Naturally Speaking, but it is free and seems to be a good option for short messages. Perhaps you want to try it for your annual Christmas letter? We do a tremendous amount of typing, and any sort of relief we can get is great, so we took Online Dictation for a spin.

Here's a brief overview of our very informal software testing:

• There's no need to install any anything. Just click on the link and start speaking after you click on the microphone symbol.
• It only works in Chrome, which happens to be our browser of choice, but we realize that this is quite limiting for folks who use other browsers.
• We tested the system with several sentences. First, we tried: "The chicken laid an egg today" in honor of the very first egg that a friend's chicken produced today. The transcription was flawless. If anything had been incorrect, we could have clicked on the word in question to correct it. The system allows you to copy and paste the transcribed texts, and it looks like this: The chicken laid an egg today.
• We then tried another sentence. Again, perfect. The system was batting 1000.  I really don't feel like going to the gym.
• The third sentence was harder and was purposefully spoken in our best Austrian accent. Here, the system produced hilarious results. What we said: "I can't believe this dog is hungry again!" (referring to Luna, our always-hungry mutt), and the system came up with this, so clearly there's some room for improvement: Hey get a pizza target how to get.
• The final test was a comment about today's work load: "The work is piling up on my desk." Again: perfect. The work is piling up on my desk.
• Our humble opinion: this system works quite well as long as you speak in short sentences, enunciate well and don't try to mock your own accent, as we did in example #3. It's a great tool for short e-mails, tweets and perhaps even blog posts!

Again, here's the link to Online Dictation.

Holiday Gift Ideas

Ah, it's that time of the year, isn't it? We've already made several Santa-style delivery trips with gifts to friends, colleagues and clients, and we are just getting started. While we personally have everything we need and prefer to support worthy non-profits, here's a line-up of fantastic gift ideas for the friends, clients and colleagues on your list.

In recent months, after reading a very enlightening article in Mother Jones about the work conditions in warehouses that fulfill orders for online retailers, we've shifted our purchasing to smaller vendors and to physical stores (support your community!) as much as possible, but we realize that some purchase will just have to be made through big online retailers.

• Books and dictionaries. This is, without a doubt, our favorite category. We bet you know many translators who really, really want a specific dictionary, and we recommend you purchase them on InTrans Books to help support the only independent bookseller in our industry. We have a serious book-buying habit, and InTrans is our favorite resource. Here are a few of our favorites: Found in Translation (we've been ordering this one by the dozen) and Mox Illustrated Guide to Freelance Translation. We recently fell in love with the Five-Minute Linguist and also really loved Trip of the Tongue, which we got as a gift. For how-to books, there's no better book than How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator by Corinne McKay. We also love The Prosperous Translator.
• Desk stuff. This washable keyboard from Logitech might be perfect for the messy translator in your life. This nifty clean desk set might also come in handy, and keeping all your cords and cables organized is something we should probably do. 
• Smartphone accessories. During the last year or so, we have struggled with consistently dirty smartphone screens, and had yet to find a good solution. We spent a lot of time cleaning the screens with our little cleaning cloths, but that didn't seem to help. Now, at the ATA conference in San Diego, our friend Tom Ellett had a nifty case that was lined with microfiber cloth -- instant cleaning when you pull the device in/out of its case. We loved it and had to order one. Tom's wife, the talented Alison Ellett, sells these on Etsy, a site we really enjoy supporting. 
• No wrapping necessary. One of the best gifts Judy has received in the recent past is a one-year subscription to Jost Zetzsche's (AKA tech guru) online newsletter, the Toolkit. Her friend Karen Tkaczyk gave her the subscription a few years ago -- great idea! For a mere $20, you can give your favorite colleague piece of mind and access to Payment Practices, a database of translation/interpreting agencies' payment habits. It's an invaluable resource for those who work primarily with LSPs. 

• Software. Do you have a fantastic colleague  who could really benefit from a software package? Perhaps he or she has not been able to buy it this year, so this would make a fine gift. Try the invaluable TranslationOffice 3000 (you get a discount if you mention this blog) and Wordfast, our new favorite translation memory software. You can save 15% if you purchase the license before January 1, 2013. 
• Membership. How about giving a colleague a membership in his/her local T&I association? Many local associations charge less than $50, so this would make for a fine and affordable gift. 

Getting up close with a fluffy llama in Chile.

• Donations. While it is certainly not a reliable source for translations, we all use Wikipedia on a daily basis. In fact, most humans on the planet use it every day, but it's a non-profit, so may we suggest a modest donation to the world's fifth-largest website? We've actually already been on Wikipedia five times today, and it's not even noon. It truly is amazing that all this content is available for free, but they do need donations to keep the site going. We are also big fans of giving the gift of livestock and other animals through organizations such as Heifer International. For $120, you can give a family an adorable goat, and you can even buy a share of a goat for as little as $10. A share of a llama, our new favorite animal (we fell in love in Chile last year) will set you back $20, and you will give a family the opportunity to make a living with the help of this hard-working and very fluffy animal. Now, that's some Christmas spirit right there, isn't it? And how about buying a gift certificate that can be used for carbon offsets? This could be perfect for your client who travels too much and feels guilty about it or for one of your globe-trotting colleagues. 
• What we want. Well, nothing really. We just want happy and healthy colleagues and friends throughout the world! Actually, there is one thing, and it doesn't cost anything: we'd love to have more reviews of our Entrepreneurial Linguist book on Amazon if you are so inclined. 

Happy giving and happy holidays!

Kindle Edition: Entrepreneurial Linguist

We are happy to announce that our book, The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation, has finally been released in an edition suitable for e-readers, including Amazon's Kindle. The book was initially released in the spring of 2010 (including a not very hip PDF version), and we've had many requests for an e-reader edition. Unfortunately, it took us a while to finally get it done, but we were inspired by Corinne McKay's decision to go with BookBaby (thanks, Corinne), so we followed suit. Our editor took care of the rest, and the e-reader versions are now available just in time for the holidays! Here's the Kindle edition. It's also available on iBookstore and on the Nook store. Happy reading and sorry it took so long!

Jobs: Manager of Language Services (Las Vegas)

Please see the following job posting, which was recently announced. It will be located in Las Vegas, NV. The hiring company is Language Access Network (LAN), a well-established provider of video remote interpreting services. The company is requesting that all résumés and letters of intent be e-mailed to careers@lan.us. Please contact LAN directly if you have any questions. We have no connection to LAN and are sharing this job posting as a courtesy -- perhaps one of our fantastic colleagues will get this position?

Established in 2003 as a Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) company, Language Access Network has since become the trusted leader for healthcare communications.  As hospitals and other healthcare organizations seek to mitigate growing costs, LAN acts as a true partner to these organizations, helping them realize not only cost savings, but a true Return on Investment within their language services departments.

Looking to expand your career in a team-oriented, people-focused company?  Language Access Network offers a positive work environment committed to improving the lives of patients and providers every day.  We don’t settle for the daily grind; rather, we excel at improving outcomes, fostering teamwork and joining together for the benefit of our clients.

Looking for something more in your career?  Connect to the bigger picture with Language Access Network.

•••

Position               Manager, Language Services

Location:             Las Vegas Language Center

Classification:     Middle Management

Purpose:             

The Manager of Language Services maintains and controls all operations within the Language Services department.  The Manager reports to the Director of the department, as well as executive staff on key tasks.  The Manager is actively involved in planning, vendor selection for the Department, establishing Language Center culture and implementing corporate vision.

Duties: 

• Recruitment, training and orientation of language services staff
• Coordinate and assign supervisors
• Oversee all interpreters and operators, including remote staff
• Assist in developing internal policies
• Determine staffing needs in conjunction with Executive and Directorial staff
• Liaise between Executive Management and staff
• Perform preliminary testing with internal processes and software
• QA of internal and external interpreting, mentoring and coaching of interpreters, methods and best practices
• Serve as SME of interpreter service requirements in developing new platform
• Work with IT to provide understanding of interpreter practices and needs in relation to technology
• Establish a positive work environment and develop key strategies to foster a healthy corporate environment
• Develop and implement performance measures
• All other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:              

• Ability to manage and motivate people in a positive work environment, comprehensive knowledge of Language Services including best practices, Interpreter Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.  Comprehensive knowledge of hospital language service program structure and needs, basic knowledge of HR practices and regulations, excellent problem solving skills, the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team, excellent communication skills both written and oral, ability to champion the needs of the department, comprehensive knowledge of computer platforms and programs used in the Language Center, attention to detail and excellent record keeping skills.

Certification from a national body regarding interpretation preferred, but not required.

Email your resume and letter of intent to careers@lan.us

State Court Interpreting Examination: Nevada

The AOC (Administrative Office of the Courts) of the Supreme Court of Nevada just announced that the first phase of the state court interpreter certification process will be held in Las Vegas and Carson City (outside of Reno) in January and February 2013. Nevada is part of the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts, which means they offer (some) certification reciprocity between member states, so applicants from other states can take the exam here (please check with the AOC of your state to be sure reciprocity exists). 

This popular two-day workshop is immediately followed by the (not too challenging) written exam, which in Nevada is English-only. It's the first step toward certification (for several languages, including Spanish, French, Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian) in Nevada. The notorious oral exam is usually held in late summer or early fall. We blogged about that exam here.

For more information, please visit the announcement page of the AOC and please contact them directly for any procedural and administrative questions. If you have any general questions about the exam, feel free to post a comment and we might just have the answer (or point you in the right direction).

Disconnected

Last month, we took one of our annual twin trips and decided to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Judy had done this strenuous 8-mile hike before, while Dagy had not. The Grand Canyon is within easy driving distance of Vegas, where Judy lives and Dagy was spending a month, so this was one twin trip that was relatively easy to plan. The canyon is 277 miles long, and one of the few places where one can hike all the way to the bottom is just outside Grand Canyon National Park on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. It's quite remote, and the hike starts at Hualapai Hilltop, which is some 2 hours outside Kingman, Arizona (almost no services along the way). One can rent cute mules to carry stuff to the campground, but since we were only staying two nights, we carried everything we'd need ourselves. Plus, Dagy draws the line at camping, so we stayed at the somewhat shabby, yet clean and terribly overpriced lodge ($200/night).

The hike was tough, gorgeous, breathtaking and definitely a very unique experience. The best part? Spending quality time together with no distraction other than our blisters. Judy, thanks to her spotty T-Mobile service, had no Android reception whatsoever (other hikers were using their cell phones just fine), and Dagy had her European data package turned off because of the outrageous charges. We didn't take a laptop, and the lodge did not have a TV, so for two blissful days, we were completely unaware of what was happening in the world (and yes, the presidential election). We were a bit afraid of being so disconnected, but something wonderful happened: we did not work at all! We did nothing even remotely work-related beyond talking about our business and discussing some teaching strategies for Judy's Introduction to Translation class at UC San Diego. We had been concerned that being in a black hole in terms of information would be really strange, but turns out it was not. It was wonderful. We hiked, we talked, we laughed, we swam in one of the gorgeous waterfalls, we read, told stories, and just enjoyed each other's company. No Facebook or Twitter needed.

We realized how beneficial this brief period of being fully disconnected really was. We focused on the essential: spending time together and getting a brief rest from the virtual hustle and bustle. We've been so trained and conditioned to be available and wired all the time that it's nice to know we can do just without any sort of gadgets Now, the camera is another matter: we need the camera. Enjoy the pictures.

What about you, dear colleagues? Do you ever truly disconnect? And does it stress you out or does it relax you? We would love to hear your experiences.

Royalty-Free Pictures on Pixabay

This week's technology tip comes, as always, from our very own web guru Thomas Gruber, who has a knack for finding interesting stuff that we like sharing with our colleagues. Many of you might find yourselves looking for good online pictures for use in, well, blogs, newsletters, T&I association matters and even for clients. Yes, we sometimes replace language-specific images in translations (if the client agrees and/or requests that) with more neutral or culturally adequate images. The challenge, as always, is trying to find out whether the image is royalty-free, because we certainly don't want to violate any copyright laws. There are, of course, a variety of sites that do this for you, but Pixabay might be one of our new favorites. We tested the site by doing a few searches for images we wanted (networking, marketing), and found some great ones. Since this is a free service, you will have to deal with some ads, and the search results will also return paid images from Shutterstock, but the vast majority are royalty-free.

Just because we can, we are posting this one of a puppy here. Check out Pixabay here. Many thanks to Tom Gruber for today's technology tip!

Should You Ask the Client?

Running a successful business can mean having to successfully negotiate around landmines, and oftentimes there are no right answers. Every client is different and most situations are unique. One issue we've been thinking about lately is whether or not you should ask the client about questions you have concerning the source text, formatting, the intended use of the translation, the audience who will read the text, etc. 

Again, there are no hard rules, but we try to solve this potential issue ahead of time by:

1. Asking the client about where the translation will be used before we accept the project. We also ask about any specific requirements the client might have and then list those in our price quote, which the client will sign.
2. Some clients will not react the way you'd think, and they will tell us to "just translate this document." We tend not to work with those clients, because clear communication and expectations are  key. We can't meet expectations if we don't know what they are. We don't want to set ourselves up to fail. Great translations are always collaborative efforts, and that includes the client. We know they are busy, but their participation might be necessary to guarantee the result that they want.

After we've started the project, we generally follow a few guidelines before we ask the client:

1. We do some brief research into the issue using our high-level dictionaries and some basic internet research skills. It might be something obvious that we are not getting, or it might be something very tricky.
2. We discuss it to see if one twin has the answer, which is oftentimes the case.
3. If that doesn't solve it, we ask the client.
4. If need be, and if the client wasn't able to fully answer the question or explain it well (or doesn't have the time to answer), we ask one of our resident subject-matter experts (legal and IT) to see if they can shed light on the issue. Many times, many of our clients work in the marketing department and didn't write the text, so occasionally it's quite a bit of work for them to track down the answer.
5. Alternatively, we post the issue on a translator listserv. Our colleagues are truly wonderful.

We usually prefer to ask the client rather than post too many terms on translator listservs, because many times the client can solve something in 10 seconds that would waste our colleagues' time. For instance, no fellow translator in the world knows what "TCM"' stands for, but the client does: it's an internal acronym for a content management software that's named after one of the company's software developers. We did the right thing by not spending an hour researching the term, as we would not have found it anywhere.

In general, we think asking the client (legitimate) questions is a good thing, because it shows the client that you care and that you are putting some serious thought into your work. On the other hand, asking too many questions makes you look like you are not trying hard enough and don't have sufficient resources or research skills. For instance, you don't want to ask your client what FMCG is (you can find that in three seconds).  Many clients really welcome questions and go out of their way to answer them, while others might be slightly annoyed that you are "wasting" their precious time or might not answer at all. We try to make it easy on customers by collecting our questions and sending them in one easy e-mail, which clearly details and references the questions. 

What about you, dear colleagues? Do you have any rules on how you handle this tricky subject?

Results: Federal Court Interpreter Certification Exam

The results of the written portion of the Federal Court Interpreters Certification Examination (FCICE) were finally sent out the week of November 15. Judy took the exam at the beginning of August (she reported on her experience here), and we are happy to report she passed. Here's Judy's full report on her grades, which she is disclosing in great detail.

Even though the FCICE website emphasizes that no printed communication will be sent to candidates, I did receive my results via the postal service. I took the exam on a computer at Prometric testing center, so I am a bit puzzled why it takes two months to grade a standardized non-essay exam, but I digress.

I was delighted by the results, even though I was shaking when I opened the very thin envelope which I thought meant bad news. It did not! Dagy, my twin sister, is here from Europe and we are working from the US for a month, and I was so happy I did not have to open the envelope on my own! 

Candidates need to score at least 75% on both the English and the Spanish section to pass the exam and to qualify to sit for the oral exam, which will be held in 2013 (dates to be announced).

I usually score higher on the Spanish section than on the English section, but as I'd previously mentioned, I thought the register for the Spanish section was higher than the English portion.

My overall scores:

English: 89%

Spanish: 85%

There are 10 individual sections (five for each language; I am indicating my scores next to the sections). The sections are:

1. Reading comprehension (English 100%/Spanish 94%)
2. Usage (English 100%/Spanish 81%)
3. Error detection (English: 88%/Spanish 88%)
4. Synonyms (English 94%/Spanish 69%)
5. Best translation (English 81%/Spanish 100%)

I was quite floored to see that I scored 100% on three of the sections. Overall, my lowest score was 69%, which I am a bit embarrassed to admit. I scored that low in the section I perceived to be the most challenging:  Spanish-language synonyms. I am a voracious reader in my three languages, and I thought I had a pretty extensive vocabulary, but there's always much room for improvement. I think that some of the Spanish-language terms were a  bit archaic, and some I simply didn't know, so I guessed (mostly incorrectly).

The official results letter came with disclaimer warning me not to use the results from the individual sections as a diagnostic tool, as the sample is too small, but I am doing so anyway, as it's an interesting exercise. I am very pleased with my performance on the Spanish-language best translation section and scored exactly the same (88%) in English and Spanish error detection. I thought the Spanish-language reading comprehension was quite challenging, and was surprised to see that I scored 94%. I think the English-language reading comprehension was probably the easiest for me, and my score (100%) reflects it. 

Overall, I am very happy with the results, but I keep learning and improving on all fronts every day. What about you, dear colleagues? Did you get good or bad news? Feel free to share as much or as little as you'd like. What's your overall assessment of the test? I think it's fair, straightforward and well-balanced.

ATA Conference: San Diego Restaurants

We both look forward to seeing many of our fantastic friends and colleagues at the ATA conference in San Diego in a few days! We are busy putting the finishing organizing touches on our lunches, dinners and meetings, and now our friend, colleague and fellow foodie Marianne Reiner, who lives in San Diego, has kindly put together this list of restaurants. We are grateful to Marianne for taking the time to do this for all her colleagues. We hope you find this list helpful. We are really hungry now....

San Diego Restaurants nearby conference hotel (Hilton San Diego Bayfront)

In addition to the limited on-site eatery options, there are numbers of good to excellent restaurants in downtown San Diego. I will focus here on a part of downtown called The East Village, which I think has better options for lunch and dinner.

-My absolute favorite is Café Chloé , 721 9^th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101. www.cafechloe.com

The food is of very high quality with mouth-watering fares such as Mushroom and Bleu d’Auvergne Tarte or Smoked Trout and Apple salad to their Mussels or high-end version of Mac & Cheese! The place is small and popular for lunch and dinner. So call ahead for reservations.

-The Mission, Soma East Village location, 1250 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101. www.themissionsd.com

This is a highly popular place in San Diego, with 3 locations. The place is known for having long waiting lists on week-ends. The East Village location is in a very cool building and within walking distance from the conference hotel. The lunch menu is delicious and stays close to classic fares with a Mexican influence. Again, you are better off calling ahead or planning to wait. The Mission is not open for dinner.

-Lolita’s at the Park, 202 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101. www.lolitasmexicanfood.com

This is a good option for a quick and inexpensive lunch within walking distance to the conference hotel. This place offers classic Mexican fares and is also open for dinner.

-Jsix Restaurant, 616 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101. www.jsixrestaurant.com

This is an excellent restaurant, with a young, innovative Chef, whose focus on sustainable and local ingredients has given him a great reputation in San Diego. The place is pricey but if you are willing to splurge, it is worth it.

-East Village Tavern and Bowl, 930 Market Street, San Diego, CA 92101. www.tavernbowl.com

This is a restaurant and a hipster bowling alley! It has a surprisingly good lunch menu and as well as easy fares on their dinner menu. The place gets very loud in the evening. But it is a really fun place if you feel like a strike or spare in the middle of the day!

-Neighborhood, 777 G Street, San Diego, CA 92101. www.neighborhoodsd.com

This is a great option for a good salad, burger, wrap or a warm soup for lunch. They are also open for dinner. And I have to give it to them for their humor. Their website opens to a drawing of Jesus eating a burger!

-Venissimo Cheese, 871 G Street, San Diego, CA 92101. www.venissimo.com

Venissimo was the first high-end, European style cheese shop in San Diego. Their first location was in the Mission Hills neighborhood. This is not a restaurant but a cheese shop but if you are craving a great cheese sandwich, this is the place to go to. They will make you a sandwich with the cheese of your choice, on one of their ciabatta or baguette bread and will accompany it with fresh grapes or an apple. A delicious and easy treat. And if you are curious, I would suggest taking your sandwich few blocks away and eating it at the ball park downtown. The baseball season being over for our local Padres, the park is now fully open to the public. The stadium and its surroundings will allow you to see a good example of the downtown revitalization.

-Café 21, 750 5^th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101. www.cafe-21.com

This is a wonderful option for lunch. I only know their Normal Heights location but I am sure the downtown one cannot disappoint. As their motto says this is a place for a “Neighborhood fare with flair.”

-Zanzibar Café, 707 G Street, San Diego, CA 92101. www.zanzibarcafe.com

This is another good option for lunch and dinner. The place is very popular and gets loud but the food is worth it.

-Saffron, 3731-B India Street, San Diego, CA 92103. www.saffronsandiego.com

This is a great Thai restaurant in San Diego. But you will need a car or take the trolley to get there. The food is totally worth it. Su-Mei Yu has received accolades from food publications from around the world. This is a lunch and dinner place (closes at 9PM though…). If you go there, you will need to beat the lunch crowd. So get there just before noon or after 1PM. The place is highly popular as you can imagine and people from all around the county drive to get some of Su-Mei Yu’s best recipes.

-The Brooklyn Bagel Company, 1000 Island Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101. www.ordermybagel.com

I have not personally gone there yet but it was recommended by some foodie friends. It is a bagel shop with what promises to be great sandwiches for lunch. It may not satisfy our friends from NY or Montreal but I still thought I would share it! And it is also a nice stroll from the conference hotel.