| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: Have you ever used a typewriter to work on your translation(s)? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Ballistic 
Belgium
Local time: 07:16
English to Dutch
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Gilla Evans wrote:
But not for a long, long time. When I started transating in the late 70s/early 80s I used to write my first draft by hand, then type it up (very carefully!!) and put it in the post. Then came the fax machine, then early computers (which were a bit of a nightmare and always going wrong), then modem to modem transmission (!), then the internet. I lived the history in one short life... (though I don't quite go back as far as the quill pen).
My experience is exactly like yours dates included
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 06:16
| Remington Travelwriter | Sep 23, 2011 |
It was portable (if you were a big strong girl!) and had its own hardcover case. Engraved on the metal underside "Built in India". This would have been from 1959 (it used to belong to my aunt, who got it for her 21st birthday). I used it from about the age of 12 onwards, used it for assignments at university, and for freelance translation work until about 1991.
My first really bad swear word was uttered in front of this typewriter, at age 19 (in reaction to yet another typing error, in tr... See more It was portable (if you were a big strong girl!) and had its own hardcover case. Engraved on the metal underside "Built in India". This would have been from 1959 (it used to belong to my aunt, who got it for her 21st birthday). I used it from about the age of 12 onwards, used it for assignments at university, and for freelance translation work until about 1991.
My first really bad swear word was uttered in front of this typewriter, at age 19 (in reaction to yet another typing error, in triplicate). ▲ Collapse
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Ballistic wrote:
What's a typewriter?
I was going to post that exact same question...
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Jenn Mercer
United States
Local time: 01:16
Member (2009)
French to English
| In case of what? | Sep 23, 2011 |
I do not own a typewriter, but if I did, I cannot think what help it would be to me for translation. Let us assume that my computer had crashed, the internet was down, and even the power was out. If I then took this theoretical manual typewriter out of the closet and typed up my translation, what would I do with it? I can't think my end client would be very happy getting a hardcopy in the mail two (or more) days later. My translation deadlines are often shorter than the time it would take to mai... See more I do not own a typewriter, but if I did, I cannot think what help it would be to me for translation. Let us assume that my computer had crashed, the internet was down, and even the power was out. If I then took this theoretical manual typewriter out of the closet and typed up my translation, what would I do with it? I can't think my end client would be very happy getting a hardcopy in the mail two (or more) days later. My translation deadlines are often shorter than the time it would take to mail a document. Where would I be then?
My best scenario in this case would actually be to boot up the laptop and hope that the power came back on before my battery died. It's a pretty good battery, but old, so I am thinking about 4 hours. Most power outages in this area (knock wood) are less than that. My true manual backup would be my collection of paper dictionaries.
While I did not do any professional translation on typewriters, I did learn to type on an electric typewriter. I kind of miss the noise of a whole room of typewriters, but I am not an accurate enough typist to work in any professional capacity. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Henry Hinds
United States
Local time: 23:16
English to Spanish
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In memoriam | Yes, but not often | Sep 23, 2011 |
Being in business for over 40 years, I have used a typewriter for translating, but I have always been the world's worst typist and correcting mistakes could often mean retyping an entire page. Therefore most of the time I would write my translations out in pencil on legal pads and that would go to an expert typist who could more efficiently produce the final version.
I still remain the world's worst typist, but at least the computer is totally forgiving. I love it. I wish I could be... See more Being in business for over 40 years, I have used a typewriter for translating, but I have always been the world's worst typist and correcting mistakes could often mean retyping an entire page. Therefore most of the time I would write my translations out in pencil on legal pads and that would go to an expert typist who could more efficiently produce the final version.
I still remain the world's worst typist, but at least the computer is totally forgiving. I love it. I wish I could become a better typist, but if that were in my future, it would already be here. Still, my productivity is quite high. ▲ Collapse
| | | | R. Alex Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 02:16
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
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...but I keep a full stock of quills just in case. Lol.
| | | | | Definitely showing our age! | Sep 23, 2011 |
Claire Cox wrote:
I can remember modem-to-modem transmission in the mid 90's, which was such a novelty - and a boon for me in those early days of working for clients abroad.
I remember my customer telling me that I was the only translator who was so cutting edge
And then agreeing on a time to connect. Seems like light-years ago!
Catherine
PS: I remember typing the translation of my first book – I was pregnant with my daughter, who was born in May 1987 – and leaving long blanks on the typed page because I had to go look up the quotations in the library and insert them by hand. And then retype the whole book ...
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christenino
Austria
Local time: 07:16
English to German
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| Yep, using Olivetti | Sep 23, 2011 |
with a display showing approx.20 words - it was a big deal then and the good old "Radex" or lacquer-work was not longer needed. This model was a golf-ball typewriter, therefore work was not that noisy compared to the models used before. Don't want to go back;-)
Gudrun Wolfrath wrote:
In the 80s.
Sometimes typing took longer than the translation itself.
I remember that.
| | | | Denise DeVries
United States
Local time: 01:16
Spanish to English
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| I wish I still had my first typewriter | Sep 23, 2011 |
Alexandra Speirs wrote: Gilla Evans wrote:
But not for a long, long time. When I started transating in the late 70s/early 80s I used to write my first draft by hand, then type it up (very carefully!!) and put it in the post. Then came the fax machine, then early computers (which were a bit of a nightmare and always going wrong), then modem to modem transmission (!), then the internet. I lived the history in one short life... (though I don't quite go back as far as the quill pen).
[Edited at 2011-09-23 08:38 GMT] That sounds VERY familiar ... First the manual typewriter: I bought it with my 21st birthday money when still at Uni, before I had any idea I'd end up a translator. Then the electric model which even had the possibility of erasing the last 2 or 3 letters in case of typos.
My mom bought me a manual typewriter complete with accents and umlauts for my final college papers in 1977... I wish I had kept it, at least as a souvenir.
Later I had an Olivetti with a one-sentence memory that worked for about two weeks.
And then white-out was invented!
Progress is really wonderful.
| | | | Nora Escoms
Argentina
Local time: 02:16
English to Spanish
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| Another prehistoric translator here :D | Sep 23, 2011 |
When I started out back in the '80s, I translated many books on my dad's manual Remington. Boy, were those keys hard! And corrections were a pain indeed. I remember I had to use the publisher's special sheets, with numbered lines, so I often had to retype a paragraph or section on a blank page (making line numbers match), then cut out that section and paste it on the original page. Later I got an electronic Olivetti, and that was easier in many ways, but still nothing compared to what I use now.... See more When I started out back in the '80s, I translated many books on my dad's manual Remington. Boy, were those keys hard! And corrections were a pain indeed. I remember I had to use the publisher's special sheets, with numbered lines, so I often had to retype a paragraph or section on a blank page (making line numbers match), then cut out that section and paste it on the original page. Later I got an electronic Olivetti, and that was easier in many ways, but still nothing compared to what I use now. I also used to spend many afternoons in the library, doing vocabulary research. Thank God for the Internet! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Steven Capsuto
United States
Local time: 01:16
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
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| In the 1980s | Sep 23, 2011 |
It was a pain because if you discovered you'd left out a phrase in the middle of a page, you had to retype the whole page. If you skipped a whole sentence or paragraph, you sometimes had to retype several pages.
Usually I would hand-write or type the first draft, and then make revisions with different colored pens (blue for first round of revisions, green for the second, etc.), with arrows and crossouts and proofreaders' marks everywhere. And then I would retype the whole thing when... See more It was a pain because if you discovered you'd left out a phrase in the middle of a page, you had to retype the whole page. If you skipped a whole sentence or paragraph, you sometimes had to retype several pages.
Usually I would hand-write or type the first draft, and then make revisions with different colored pens (blue for first round of revisions, green for the second, etc.), with arrows and crossouts and proofreaders' marks everywhere. And then I would retype the whole thing when I'd finished revising.
I was thrilled the first time I used a word processor and realized how much time it was going to save me!
[Edited at 2011-09-23 20:22 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| still got mine | Sep 23, 2011 |
Denise DeVries wrote:
My mom bought me a manual typewriter complete with accents and umlauts for my final college papers in 1977... I wish I had kept it, at least as a souvenir.
Later I had an Olivetti with a one-sentence memory that worked for about two weeks.
And then white-out was invented!
Progress is really wonderful.
Mine is down in the garage, it probably still works but the ribbon will have dried up. Unfortunately mine had no accents, I had to add them all by hand!
The electric typewriter, on the other hand, went to the recycling centre.
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But I remember my mother using one for work... and I loved that 'tap tap' sound and the bell ding...
| | | | Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 01:16
Member (2011)
English to German
| Don’t beat around the bush! | Sep 24, 2011 |
I was born in 1963!
This seems to be what you are really interested in…
I remember very well, when I first started writing job applications after finishing the commercial college. My electric typewriter took offense at every mistake. It had a correction tape, but who would want to dispatch his application for a secretary position with such a blunder?
So you would have to insert a fresh white page and type the whole mess again…
Oh, we are so... See more I was born in 1963!
This seems to be what you are really interested in…
I remember very well, when I first started writing job applications after finishing the commercial college. My electric typewriter took offense at every mistake. It had a correction tape, but who would want to dispatch his application for a secretary position with such a blunder?
So you would have to insert a fresh white page and type the whole mess again…
Oh, we are so fortunate nowadays!
Sincerely,
Marina ▲ Collapse
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