所谓欲善其事先利其器，在信息时代，译员要掌握的工具可不止是一支笔一张纸一本词典那么简单。
客户传来PDF文件如何转化成word？原文中出现大量生词查询缓慢拖累进度怎么办？翻译记忆质量参差不齐怎么办？翻译工作量巨大前后文不一致怎么办？翻译项目需要多人协作怎么办？口译术语管理怎么做？英文书写担心语法问题怎么办？身为自由译员却频繁摸鱼无法专心工作怎么办？
其实呢，这些问题都可以通过各种工具得到有效处理。最近在gengo又看到了一篇文章《Free Tools for Translators to Boost Quality and Productivity》，分享有助于译员提升翻译质量和工作效率的免费工具，所以就当了回搬运工。而且英文不难。所以大家可以直接看英文。（嗯，直接原因是周五了我懒得翻译了……）
作者是Maria Scheibengraf，一位阿根廷资深自由译员兼 Crisol Translation Services翻译公司的联合创始人。
原文地址：https://gengo.com/free-productivity-tools-for-translators/
其中Xbench我已经有用过。有时候翻译公司要求在提交译文前先过一遍Xbench。另外值得注意的是，作者特别提到Smartcat不仅是一个翻译协作网站，还可以用来寻觅客户。
其他工具，大家可以根据自己需要尝试探索哦。
1. Xbench 质检工具
Inconsistencies, spelling mistakes, typos… as translators, we dread them because catching them can be difficult and time consuming.
Xbench is a free Quality Assurance (QA) software that allows you to adjust the settings to your needs and generate a report that will let you edit your work until it is immaculate. This way, you save time by not having to manually find every error and your quality is significantly improved. Moreover, this software can be seamlessly connected to CAT tools if you need it (for example, you can upload Trados Studio bilingual files).
Want a bonus? Xbench also reads translation memories. There are multiple versions available. Try looking for the older ones as they are free.
2. TermWiki Toolbar 查词工具
As translators, using glossaries and dictionaries becomes almost second nature, but checking different ones during a project can slow us down. The TermWiki Toolbar allows you to search terms in over 150 industries and 90 languages straight from your browser. That way, you can translate accurately without compromising on speed. Apart from finding terms in just a few clicks, you can also contribute your own. The option of browsing terms is quite handy too, as it takes you straight to TermWiki’s complete term lists. Give this free software a go and see for yourself why it’s among the most invaluable tools for translators to manage their terminological and glossary development needs.
3. SmartCat 协作平台
SmartCat is one of the best browser-based tools for translators. It’s particularly useful for linguists working in teams, as it allows collaborative work. Everyone in the team can open and edit the project simultaneously, and tasks can be divided. It’s an all-in-one solution designed to save you effort, as you won’t need to switch between software to complete the different stages of your translation. This way, you can load your glossaries and TMs before translating, have a colleague edit your work, use the QA check feature to ensure top-notch final quality, and benefit from the machine translation function if you so wish. The bonus? There’s a marketplace where you can find clients.
4. TMXEditor 翻译记忆编辑工具
TMXEditor is a desktop application designed for editing translation memories in .tmx format. With this tool, you can process and edit the content of all your translation memories, merge or split files, remove duplicate fields, etc. Besides, it allows you to work with any language combination. You can then also import the .tmx files into your usual CAT tool. TMXEditor is your best friend if you, like me, love merging same-industry or same-client TMs into one big TM that you can just open during your project to save effort and time.
5. BoothMate by Interpreter’s Help 口译术语管理工具
Specially popular among interpreters, BoothMate is ideal for managing terminology, extracting terms from texts to build glossaries, sharing such glossaries with other linguists, consulting dictionaries and learning with flashcards. The result? Accurate, consistent translations for which you don’t need to spend any extra time doing manual terminological work. You can even consult your glossaries and terms offline, just make sure to open the app with Internet connection and it will automatically sync up the information.
6. PDFescape PDF转换编辑工具
Use PDFescape to to convert PDF to editable formats, to merge PDFs together, insert or change text, use the freehand drawing tool, add images, insert new pages, sign forms, etc. I personally love the notes and comments feature when editing translations. Moreover, you can improve your file’s security by adding electronic signatures and watermarks. Say goodbye to spending hours on end transcribing your client’s PDFs into a text editor!
7. Grammarly 语法检查工具
Grammarly is amazing for proofreading what you write online —be it an e-mail, a social media post, cloud-based translations, etc.—, and is also a writer’s best friend. You can easily integrate this tool into your web browser as an extension. Among all the tools for translators available online, Grammarly is one of the most comprehensive ones: it detects grammar, syntax, and punctuation errors, poor style, homonyms, and even plagiarism. Even though the paid version includes more features, the free version is useful as well. Take advantage of Grammarly to produce spotless texts and to work more efficiently by having a virtual assistant at hand.
8. StayFocusd 专心干活：）
How many times have you started working on a translation and ended up watching cute cat videos on YouTube? StayFocusd is a simple Chrome extension that allows you monitor your idle browsing. This way, you can work efficiently and remain focused on giving your best to the task you need to complete. Simply set the maximum amount of time you would like to be on a certain website before it becomes blocked, and you are done.
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