Introduction to Swordfish

Swordfish is a vital tool professional translators use to manage translation projects. In this introductory course, you will learn to use Swordfish, a cross-platform Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tool, and create and maintain translation memory files and glossaries that will greatly assist you in your translation work. Become skilled at program installation so you can set up databases to record your progress while performing translation projects and keep a glossary with preferred terminology. You will learn to convert files into different formats to meet the demand of clients and collaborate with colleagues using other CAT tools, as well as cooperate with classmates to complete translation assignments, and use the industry jargon during negotiation with clients.  The main goal of the course will be for you to learn how to set up the visual environment in order to customize the workspace; convert files originally created in different formats to open them as XLF bilingual documents within the program; and translate language while using different hotkeys, which will expedite the process. By the end of this course, you should be able to perform quality control tasks to make sure that the final translation is free of misspellings, extra spaces, and missing tags, and convert the file back into the original format to ensure proper delivery to the client.
 
What You Will Learn: 
● Successful program installation and using a license on different computers.
● Setting up a database to record your progress while performing translation projects and keeping a glossary with preferred terminology.
● Converting files into different formats to meet the demands of clients and collaborate with colleagues using other CAT tools.
● “Industry jargon” for negotiation with clients.
● How to incorporate legacy material (translation memory and glossary files submitted by the client) into your work to assure consistency.
● Acronyms and specific lingo in order to differentiate concepts used in the world of CAT tools and learn how to work in pairs as translators and proofreaders.
 
Quarters Offered: Fall, Winter | Online
Course Fee: $300
Prerequisite: None
Software/Hardware: (optional)
Note: Participants should have intermediate computer skills, which includes being familiar with MS Word, Google Docs, and MS Excel spreadsheets, Web research, and standard email practices.
Contact: For more information about this course, please email ahl@ucsd.edu