MS Word for translators: Find and replace features and other tips and tricks (by Attila Piróth)

This webinar gives a systematic overview of MS Word's versatile "Find and replace" function and how it can be used for file preparation. By following over 30 exercises, attendees will get a firm grip of how (and when) to use formatting, styles, special characters, and wildcards in F/R operations. Attendees will also learn to create macros, and learn a handful of other useful tips and tricks. Using these techniques in the file preparation phase, freelance translators and project managers can save time and ensure a higher level of consistency during translation.

Examples will be shown using Word 2002 -- the same techniques are readily adaptable to higher versions.

Outline:

1. MS Word's find and replace function

• F/R: basics
• F/R using formatting
• F/R using styles (outlook: the importance of styles; some typographic considerations)
• F/R using special characters
• F/R using wildcards
• Further tips and tricks

2. Conversion between text and table

• A close look at the tmx format as well as Wordfast's TM and glossary formats
• Examples where conversion between text and table can save a lot of time

3. Tagging

• Typical scenarios in which the text contains non-translatable parts
• Preparation of the source text in order to separate non-translatable parts ("tagging")
• Demonstratrion of the power of tagging using Wordfast

4. Macros

• Introduction to macros
• Creation of a short macro
• Tips on when and how to create your own macro

5. Questions and answers

Learning objectives:

• Get a thorough overview of what Word’s Find and replace function can do and how to look for additional information
• Make a word count in a file containing highlighted non-translatable text
• Change the formatting of particular character string types
• Prepare a source file for translation by clearly indicating the terms that appear in the glossary
• Understand the advantages of using and customizing styles
• Learn how to manipulate line breaks, tabs, and other special characters
• Convert a semicolon delimited text into a two-column table
• Understand the importance and advantages of tagging
• Tag a simple file to protect codes (and exclude them from translation)
• Tag a simple HTML file manually
• Understand the basics of macros
• Create an own macro for quality control purposes

Target Audience:

The webinar presents file preparation techniques which can be useful for freelance translators and project managers alike. Beginner-level users of Word will be able to follow the webinar without problems -- but even expert-level users are expected to learn a good deal of useful tips. The material covered in the webinar will be made available for attendees, so they can do the exercises for themselves -- after (or during) the session.

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Beginner-level familiarity with MS Word

 Attila Piróth    View feedback | View all courses

Bio: After completing his scientific and translation studies in Budapest, Hungary, Attila gave undergraduate courses on scientific terminology and translation for 4 years. He became a freelance translator in 2000, and passed the ATA certification exam in his main language pair, English to Hungarian. Attila is a regular speaker at ProZ.com conferences. He lives in Bordeaux, France. In 2007, Attila set up a team of French<>English translators with a double aim: to provide linguistic aid to humanitarian organizations and to help freelance translators start their career. In 2009, an internship for two translators was set up at the main beneficiary of this team effort, Solidarités. Within the framework of this internship, Attila gave ten training webinar sessions (of 2-2.5 hours each) to the interns and other team members. To see more details about his experience as an educator, click here. More details on the Solidarités collaboration are available here.