subject: Translation Tip: Optical Character Recognition [print this page] If you plan to use a translation memory tool, you will definitely also want a good Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program which can prove quite useful even if you are not using a translation memory tool. For example, you get a large PDF file which has a lot of tables and graphs in it. One option is to have that file open in one program and visible in the top half of your computer monitor, while typing into a blank Word file in the bottom half of your computer monitor. With this method, you will have to create the tables, possibly punch all the numbers in manually, and possibly resort to some fiddly approach concerning the graphics.
But what a good OCR program does is it scans the original document, creates the tables for you, punches in all the numbers, then converts the text into actual text in a Word document, or any other format that you request it to. So you can go right away and just type over the text as explained later and not have to worry or waste your time with creating tables and punching in numbers. Or you can take this new electronic version of the original document and import it into your translation memory software, so that repeating phrases are automatically translated for you, and you do not have to worry about formatting at all, exporting your translation into the original format once you are completed.
There are many OCR programs but the best seems to be FineReader. It can recognize many languages too, and the latest versions are very good at the most complicated formatting, and can import from many different types of programs.
Develop a Strategy Before Starting, and Writing Over Top of an Electronic Document
If you will not be using translation memory software but rather type directly over top of an electronic document, there are certain tips which can help you with this.
Firstly, it all depends on what you receive from your customer. After all, if you deal with direct customers, you can expect that, after you read all these fantastic tips, they will be hardly as savvy as you will be in the fine art of different translation strategies. So generally it is a good idea to take a look at a document and spend some time analyzing it a bit before starting. The few seconds you save lunging into a translation could cost you dearly later, so take the time to decide on a good strategy. Before accepting any work, make sure you look through the document carefully and seriously consider if you can do a good job with it. If you tell your customer it is too hard for you, or you even help them find someone else, they will be happy that they can trust you, and it would be better than doing a bad job. If and when they find your mistakes, they will simply never trust you again. Once you have accepted the work, you should take a little bit of time to examine it. You might be surprised to find entire sections which repeat or are very similar in content.
If the document has a lot of tables and graphs, you might consider OCRing. If it has a lot of text which looks like you have translated in the past, you can pump it into your translation memory software and reap the juicy rewards.
It might be easiest to just prepare it from scratch in an empty Word file, but for this you will need to know how to format in Word, explained in the next section.
And the last option could be to type directly in the document, whether it was sent to you in electronic format, or you converted it into that with your OCR program.
One option is to get an upgraded version of Adobe Acrobat which would allow you to type directly in the PDF file.
A lot of times your customer might want the translation delivered in Word, so that they can use it for their internal needs and because their secretaries and other staff are not readily equipped with a fancy program like you have and which allows you to edit PDF files.
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