Freelance Translators from Scratch

I have had some great comments and answers to questions that I am putting out there and I would like to start off by saying ‘Thanks’, ‘Danke’, ‘Merci’, ‘ありがとう’ to those who have been so kind (if I didn’t thank you in your mother tongue, please forgive me, but I don’t operate in every language, heh! ;o) )

And now, on with the seemingly never-ending process of asking further questions…

Computers. I am currently using a Toshiba Dynabook notebook computer with Vista, Japanese OS. I think another computer would be useful, perhaps necessary. So… Can I get a computer with an OS localized for German? Sounds like a simple thing, but I’d like to see if anyone knows what the options are. I imagine there are Windows versions. And what if I went Mac or Linux? Or multilingual OS?

Anyone want to recommend Mac or Linux as an alternative OS to complement a notebook with Vista ? If so, what arguments would you make for Mac or Linux (or another OS?) and against Vista (or Windows in general)? To be honest, I’ve been wanting to crack into Linux for a few years but just haven’t made the plunge. I do use quite a bit of Open Source software, though.

What about monitors? Since a freelance translator works from his/her home office, sitting in front of a computer screen for hours on end, the monitor seems to be an important component of the home office. Can anyone recommend a good companion monitor to hook up with a notebook for a second screen. As Corinne McKay mentions in her book (see my other posts on that), one can use a second screen to have glossaries or dictionaries open, or to split source and target documents. So, any suggestions for a nice brother or sister monitor?

Also, since we must always be available to our clients, and given that such a great deal of client-translator communication takes place via email, what are your recommended top email clients? Which client has the most reliable auto-responder for when you are unreachable for a short time? I have used Thunderbird in the past but had difficulties when I started using Vista (maybe the problem has been fixed now?). Currently, I am using Foxmail and am quite satisfied with it, but I am always open to new and greater things.

Accounting. I use Gnucash for my personal accounting and it’s quite a nifty program. Any other recommendations for keeping track of all business expenses and revenues, etc.? And, on a similar note, are there any good programs around for invoicing clients? Or, does anyone have some good templates to show me?

I will also want to be getting a website up in the near future. I am, as I have said before, in Japan. Does anyone know of good quality webhosting services in Japan, or, to keep the question open to a broader audience, do you know of some excellent international/global webhosting companies?

So many questions; what to do, what to do? I can’t help myself.

I know it’s like opening up a can of worms, but just to briefly touch on the TM/CAT Tools debate… favourite/recommended TM software? SDL Trados, OmegaT, Déjà Vu, Wordfast, Wordfisher, across, Heartsome… anyone using Heartsome? Sounds pretty cool. Anyway, are you using TM software? If so, which program(s)? I’ve been playing around with OmegaT and it seems okay but I’d have to learn a bit more to make good use of it.

Of course, I’ve learned from various sources and surveys that a good majority of people use Trados, which naturally leads others to want to use the software that is most common in the industry, especially given the fact that many agencies will want translators to use Trados. But I like to focus on the best quality, not the most popular. Granted, they can be the same thing from time to time, but the alternative is often the case.

Lastly… localization software? What if I want to do some website localization work or - if I became so ‘ballsy’ - software localization. Can anyone recommend some good tools for that kind of project.

Bon. C’est assez. Das reicht. Ich hör damit auf.

Thanks to all who offer their 2 yen :o)