Using NWP as a CAT tool

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ptram
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Joined: 2007-10-21 14:59:09

Using NWP as a CAT tool

Post by ptram »

Well, not exactly, but something like that. CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) tools are software that helps translators compare different versions of a document, and reuse existing translated text. This is usually done by dividing the original and translated documents in sentences (segments), compare different versions of the original document, and find what has remained unchanged and what has changed. Unchanged text is matched to the older translation and automatically added to the target translation, while changed text is offered for translation.

The Compare Documents macro in NWP does something similar, while leaving some tasks to the manual work of the translator. You start by opening the older and newer version of the original language, and let NWP create a comparison document showing the sentences that have changed in the original language. (If the document is in a format other than RTF, just copy & paste it into a new NWP document – formatting will get lost, but you probably don't need it for this work).
compare.png
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You then open a copy of the older translation, and use the comparison document as a guide to quickly locate the changed sentences. It is easy to edit, add or delete text from your translation by following the comparison document. A real CAT tool would automatically offer you the original text to be translated in the target translation document; with NWP you have to manually copy the original text, or just read it from the comparison document. You don't work in the CAT window, but in the original application. It's just a different way of working. The great thing, with Macs, is that it is easy to work with different documents from different applications open onscreen.
side-by-side-editing.png
side-by-side-editing.png (12.96 KiB) Viewed 7755 times
As a side note: reading from the comparison document is fine if you are dealing with simple text. Copying and pasting is better if your text contains a lot of formatting and special codes.

Paolo
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xiamenese
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Re: Using NWP as a CAT tool

Post by xiamenese »

Sorry Nisus, I don’t believe in touting other software here, but as a translator, the only software I would recommend for translating is Scrivener. It’s combination of split editors — allowing you to have the source in one split and the translation in progress in the other; snapshots allowing you to save milestones and to open them in the one split with the current version in the other, together with the possibility of Scrivener showing the changes; notes and research folder puts it all into one app and a single window.

And its compiled to RTF files are beautifully compatible with NWP for final layout polishing.

Mark
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Jester
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Re: Using NWP as a CAT tool

Post by Jester »

I'd forgotten about Scrivener, thanks a lot!! I'm currently writing an article about translation programmes/software on Mac for translators, so suggestions'd be much appreciated!

/Daniel
credneb
Posts: 187
Joined: 2007-03-28 07:30:34

Re: Using NWP as a CAT tool

Post by credneb »

re: Nisus vs Scrivener as translation tool

Never used Scrivener, but the post about split windows, etc., sent me to their website. Based on their information, it offers nothing over Nisus for this translator.

A lot depends on the type of translation and how the individual translator works. While I look forward to when Nisus again provides split windows, document comparisons for my language pair (English - Japanese) are handled nicely by Nisus macros. Terminology is handled using other macros I wrote for the purpose using Nisus glossaries.

As Scrivener is another _writing_ tool, it will also pale in comparison to dedicated CAT or TM tools, particularly if the source content is concentrated in a particular field.

But it all depends on how you work and what is being translated.
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