Translating FM files into Japonese

[Alison Craig]

Stephen:

I have handled translation for up to 17 languages for my company and have only ever seen a per page cost quoted for final DTP preparation (I haven't done Japanese at this job, but we do translate into Chinese).

As you say you do the final PDFs then obviously your translation firm isn't doing the DTP.

Any professional translation firm will already own TRADOS and/or other translation prep tools, so if they are asking you to do this, then they sound lazy or unprofessional. 

If you want to contact me off list, I can steer you to some better firms with decent processes and reliable work (my company is a medical device company and there are heavy duty requirements for translations firms to qualify to translate our docs).

Alison

PS: I'm not in the office until Tuesday as Monday is a holiday in Canada)

________________________________________
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com [framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Stephen O'Brien [sobrien at innovmetric.com]
Sent: June 28, 2013 7:16 AM
To: Frame Users (framers at lists.frameusers.com)
Subject: Translating FM files into Japonese

Hi,

We have located a translator in Japan to translate a 300-page training booklet written in English. The document is very largely table based with typically an image in row 1 and the caption underneath in row 2 with straddled narrow columns containing arrows to show a sequence of actions.

The translator is charging reasonable translation costs and then there is an additional 12$/page cost because the files are from FrameMaker. When we questioned that cost, he asked if we could provide files in Trados format. Maybe he is not familiar with FrameMaker files.

Anyway, I find this strange as in the past I have always provided FM files and the company doing the translation took care of everything else on their side. I received my Fm files translated into the target language from which I made PDFs.

Can anyone familiar with translating FM files explain why the individual is requesting files in Trados format? Can that be done – just pay a company to generate Trados files from FM files?

Many thanks (cold and wet here in Quebec City at 10 Celcius),

Stephen O'BRIEN
Coordonnateur à la documentation et rédacteur technique senior | Documentation Coordinator and Senior Technical Writer
InnovMetric Logiciels | Software
sobrien at innovmetric.com<mailto:sobrien at innovmetric.com>
T (1) 418.688.2061
F (1) 418.688.3001
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