While I never anticipated translating another article about pottery so soon, here I am. This article is about Akogi ware (阿漕焼 Akogi-yaki), a type of pottery near Mie, Japan. While not having as long of a history as my previous article on Akazu ware, the project was still very enjoyable to do.
More Knowledge on Pottery
As I touched on earlier, I was surprised at myself to choose another article relating to pottery, but due to its length and my previous recent experience translating the article on Akazu ware, I thought it was a logical step moving forward. I found this article easier to translate than the first, and I mainly chalk that up to my familiarity with various pottery-related terms that I learned in my other article. While I have stated I wish to specialize in electrical engineering and electronics, I do think it’s always a good idea to push yourself and do things you wouldn’t normally expect yourself to do.
Using a New CAT Software
Because I had recently purchased the premium package for ProZ, I was given access to a CAT tool called CafeTran Espresso for free. I decided to try it out, and from the limited experience I had using it to translate this article, I was pleased with the features it offered. While I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it, I do think that its interface and feature set is slightly more polished than OmegaT, and I intend to use it until I get my hands on a more holistic CAT tool such as Trados.
Thoughts Moving Forward
I’ve come to quite enjoy the translation process, and it’s extremely rewarding to see the fruit of my labor manifest before my eyes. It is especially satisfying to know that I have essentially “unlocked” a piece of knowledge largely inaccessible to those who cannot speak Japanese; the document can now be read in English. I intend to keep moving forward volunteer translating as well as start looking for paid work.