Busy schedules and tight deadlines are nothing unusual for translators and interpreters. Their typical workday can be quite intense. If you add the lack of productivity that some translators face, the pressure can be quite high. This is why every translator should work on improving their productivity skills and getting more things done efficiently.
Luckily, there are apps and tools you can use to make your life as a translator so much better. Using these apps will improve your productivity and help you remove some pressure you might be feeling. We’ve put together a list of the 7 best ones, so let’s take a closer look together.
1. Slack
As a translator, you have to keep in touch with your colleagues, clients, superiors, or team members. Whether you’re working on a project alone or in a team, it’s important to keep the communication going to increase your productivity.
Slack is an app that has the features you need to make every day highly productive:
- instant messaging for better communication
- file sharing
- screen sharing
- video calls
Slack allows you to organize your assignments and conversations to keep things in order. So, if you’re working on multiple translations at once, you’ll have all the information you need to be stored in Slack.
2. Grammarly
As a translator, you have to ensure that everything you write in your translation is accurate and polished to perfection.
You can’t allow yourself to have any mistakes in your official translations. This is why you have to proofread everything.
But, proofreading manually can be quite a demanding task. Plus, your brain isn’t able to detect every single mistake that you may have made.
Luckily, there are proofreading apps such as Grammarly that will:
- proofread your entire translation
- detect mistakes and suggest corrections
- offer better solutions
This app will do the hard work for you and help you speed up the whole process. As a result, you’ll have more time to focus on other tasks and boost your productivity.
3. TMX Editor
The next application you should check out for your future translation work is this desktop app called TMX Editor.
This app is designed for editing TMX (Translation Memory eXchange) files on macOS, Linux, or Microsoft Windows.
You can use this tool, regardless of the languages you’re working with, and manage the content of all your translations. The tool will allow you to:
- combine any languages
- edit files
- remove mistakes
- merge and split TMX files
- validate TMX files
- remove duplicate files
The app is multilingual and multifunctional. You’ll be able to improve your work quality and be more productive every day.
4. Trello
Productivity and organization go hand in hand. If you’re not good at organizing your workday or week, you won’t be able to boost your productivity very much.
Trello is an app that can help translators organize their time and get things done without pressure and stress.
With Trello, you’ll be able to organize your projects into:
- boards
- lists
- cards
You can set deadlines, mark when things are done, and keep track of your schedule in advance.
Also, it’s perfect for managing team projects and collaborating with several people, even when you’re working from home.
You’ll be able to keep everything in one place and prioritize tasks as needed. Your productivity will skyrocket with all the help you’ll be getting from this app.
5. PDFescape
As a translator, you need to handle different types of files and file formats. While you can dig right into clients’ Word documents, PDFs can give you some trouble.
That’s why you need a PDF editor that has all the essential features.
PDFescape is a tool translators use to:
- convert PDFs to editable files
- edit PDFs
- insert images and new pages
- create a security password on the file
- share PDFs online
- add notes and comments
The tool will make it easier for you to handle PDF files.
So, instead of spending hours working on transferring clients’ PDF files to your text editor, you’ll be able to get to work immediately.
This will result in a significant productivity boost.
6. Todoist
If you’re mostly handling your projects individually, Todoist is another organization app to check out. It can help you reorganize your workday and achieve better results with the same amount of effort.
Todoist is simple to use and:
- keeps different translation projects separate
- makes day-to-day schedules
- marks due dates
- prioritizes tasks
You can use this app to create different sections and mark your progress. You’ll have everything in one place and start each day ready and in control.
This will boost your productivity significantly, and allow you to jump-start your work as soon as you sit at your office desk.
7. Xbench
Now, this tool is specifically designed for translators and interpreters who wish to improve their workflow.
Xbench is a tool that provides Quality Assurance and Terminology Management. This will help you polish your translations and edit them to perfection. Its main features include:
- loading your bilingual references
- adding terminology sources
- generating translation reports for better editing
- creating personal checklists
- checking consistency and accuracy
In case you need additional help with editing or proofreading, you can check out these online learning sites for students.
Xbench will also provide automation for those redundant tasks you’d otherwise have to do manually. This will significantly speed you up and make you far more productive.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, boosting your productivity is just an app away. All you have to do is see what’s slowing you down and choose the apps that can help you with your specific case.
Use the list above to choose the right apps and boost your productivity. You’ll be amazed by the improvement you’ll make using these apps.
Daniela McVicker is a contributor to Essayguard. She has a master’s degree in English Literature, and she is truly passionate about learning foreign languages and teaching. Daniela works with the students helping them to reveal their writing talent and find one true calling.