| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Which part of the computer is more important to you regarding your work as a translator? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Which part of the computer is more important to you regarding your work as a translator?".
This poll was originally submitted by Ahmad Hosseinzadeh. View the poll results »
| | | | Igor Moshkin
Russian Federation
Local time: 01:18
English to Russian
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| Which part of your body... | Sep 11, 2016 |
...is more important: right elbow or left heel?
| | | | Michael Harris 
Germany
Local time: 20:18
Member (2006)
German to English
All of them!
What is the point of having a super high resolution screen if the CPU, RAM and everything else are a load of crp?
It is the same as buying a Macstation and installing Windows on it - no go!!
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Also, I think that a keyboard is very important.
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All of them and please do not forget my good friend: the keyboard!
| | | | Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 03:18
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| Ditto, Michael | Sep 11, 2016 |
With this poll question, you can't choose one without all of the others - they are all closely dependent on each other.
I would choose the following option if it were available:
"Hardware capable of running all the software I need to open at the same time without any speed or performance problems and with extra room to spare for OS and software upgrades in the coming 2 or 3 years"
Now, if only computers had a "Serve chilled champagne" feature, I migh... See more With this poll question, you can't choose one without all of the others - they are all closely dependent on each other.
I would choose the following option if it were available:
"Hardware capable of running all the software I need to open at the same time without any speed or performance problems and with extra room to spare for OS and software upgrades in the coming 2 or 3 years"
Now, if only computers had a "Serve chilled champagne" feature, I might opt for this, too.
Small edit
Added a smiley. After all, it is the weekend and time for some fun! 
[Edited at 2016-09-11 09:45 GMT]
[Edited at 2016-09-11 13:21 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Châu Nguyễn
Vietnam
Local time: 01:18
Member (2012)
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
| My setup for translation PC | Sep 11, 2016 |
Dual monitor @1080p
CPU: Core i7 @ 2.6GHz
RAM: 8~16GB
HDD: 1TB + Removable HDD 1TB
Expected time before PC upgrade:
3-4 years
Dual monitor:
- Cause using alt+tab is such an inconvenience and disruption of workflow.
- Using 2 monitors force you to turn your head or move your eyes, thus give them some exercise
CPU:
- Some might say core i7 is overkill b... See more Dual monitor @1080p
CPU: Core i7 @ 2.6GHz
RAM: 8~16GB
HDD: 1TB + Removable HDD 1TB
Expected time before PC upgrade:
3-4 years
Dual monitor:
- Cause using alt+tab is such an inconvenience and disruption of workflow.
- Using 2 monitors force you to turn your head or move your eyes, thus give them some exercise
CPU:
- Some might say core i7 is overkill but look for the long-term, new software is made to consume your processing power anyway.
RAM:
- If you use Chrome you will know the pain of insufficient RAM.
- It is yet a common habit for everyone to close unnecessary programs
- It took a long time before you need to upgrade your RAM so it is best to invest now and be assured for a long time.
HDD:
- Programs are getting better and bigger for sure. Invest in some space for future use.
- The data stored on HDD is invaluable. Invest in a removable HDD and keep your valuable data in a safe place. Just in case. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Katrin Bosse (X)
Germany
Local time: 20:18
Dutch to German
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Teresa Borges wrote:
All of them and please do not forget my good friend: the keyboard!
Seconded.
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Katrin Bosse wrote: Teresa Borges wrote:
All of them and please do not forget my good friend: the keyboard! Seconded.
I wonder, why didn't they offer "all the above" option, it's so obvious here.
By the way, I am reflecting to change my 5 years old laptop, which is good, but a bit heavy and short of storage space.
| | | | | Golden medal for silliest poll question! | Sep 11, 2016 |
Which part of your body is more important:
a) heart
b) lungs
c) brain
d) stomach
e) genitalia
f) other
[Edited at 2016-09-11 10:48 GMT]
| | | | | Not silly at all | Sep 11, 2016 |
The question is which part is more important. Sure they're all important, but some are more than others. For instance, for us translators, audio and video cards are of little importance (whereas they're of great importance for other types of users). Except maybe if you're a subtitler. I don't care too much for hard disk space either, because modern computers always offer more than I can use and there are plenty of possibilities for external storag... See more The question is which part is more important. Sure they're all important, but some are more than others. For instance, for us translators, audio and video cards are of little importance (whereas they're of great importance for other types of users). Except maybe if you're a subtitler. I don't care too much for hard disk space either, because modern computers always offer more than I can use and there are plenty of possibilities for external storage. The most important to my eyes is CPU and RAM, to keep my computer fast despite all programms. That's the reason why I change my PC from time to time, but I've not changed my monitor, keyborad and mouse for ages. As long as they work, they'll do the job.
PS: same about your comparison, José, there are definitely body parts more important than others. Although I would not be happy to lose a limb, you can definitely live without a leg or an arm, or even without one lung out of two, but you can't live without a heart or a brain. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | More vs. most | Sep 11, 2016 |
Sophie Dzhygir wrote:
The question is which part is more important. Sure they're all important, but some are more than others. For instance, for us translators, audio and video cards are of little importance (whereas they're of great importance for other types of users). Except maybe if you're a subtitler. I don't care too much for hard disk space either, because modern computers always offer more than I can use and there are plenty of possibilities for external storage. The most important to my eyes is CPU and RAM, to keep my computer fast despite all programms. That's the reason why I change my PC from time to time, but I've not changed my monitor, keyborad and mouse for ages. As long as they work, they'll do the job.
PS: same about your comparison, José, there are definitely body parts more important than others. Although I would not be happy to lose a limb, you can definitely live without a leg or an arm, or even without one lung out of two, but you can't live without a heart or a brain.
The question asks for 'more' not 'most', perhaps mincing words. A computer cannot "live", viz. will be useless without any of the options given. IMHO a more useful question would be something to the tune of "As a translator, what part of the computer is it worth to be really picky about?"
A fast typist would be picky about the keyboard. I use disposable keyboards that cost less than $10 each, usually have a spare one around, will scrap a malfunctioning one without a wince. I know some colleagues that use keyboards that cost at least 10x that much, because their typing speed and endurance are worth that.
Depending on the CAT tool used, oodles of memory may be required in some cases, while most of it will remain vacant with others. Such memory-gobbling CAT tools will usually require more processing power too.
The OS will have its impact too, not only for translators. There is some agreement between hardware and software manufacturers to continuously raise the bar, in order to keep consumers buying. I use an old dual-core Pentium, 2x 2.8 GHz processor, running under Windows XP. I tried all later versions of Windows in different machines, and though there are some software compatibility constraints (visibly caused by that "agreement"), my computer is generally faster to do any ONE kind of WORK than, say, an i5 running under Windows 10 with much more memory.
Some translators use two or three monitors, one for using a non-WYSIWIG CAT tool, another to check the original in PDF format, and possibly a third for research. I use just one.
Audio and video boards are important for translators working with dubbing or subtitling, but this rule is not general. I was subtitling all right when I noticed that WordFast Classic was getting slower and slower. Troubleshooting led me to two blown capacitors on my 512 MB nVidia board. I replaced it with a 2 GB Radeon video board, which fixed and sped up WFC considerably (MS Word macros - such as WFC - demand A LOT of video board muscle). Video processing speed also had some gain, but not as much.
It's not on the list, but scanners give me a good example. Most scanners nowadays are built into multifunctional printers, and S-L-O-W. I have a speed-demon scanner, however its last driver was devised for Windows 98. One day I was assigned to translate a 400-page book... provided in hard copy. It would take forever to scan it for OCR. So I quickly assembled a Pentium MMX with 'junk' I had here, installed Win 98, and put that old scanner to work. Including the computer assembly and setup, it took me three hours to convert that book into an OCR-able PDF.
Bottom line is that each part of the computer will become more or less important, depending on the job at hand. So the answer will vary erratically, except for those translators who do just one type of work all the time. For all others, it will be a mater of finding the ideal compromise, so that their hardware will deliver more than acceptable performance in at least 80% of their work.
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Ana Vozone
Local time: 19:18
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Hard disk & flash drive | Sep 11, 2016 |
where (I think/hope) all my work (and an important part of my "life"...) is stored. The rest can be easily replaced. I regularly send a zip file with my translation memories to one of two pen drives permanently "attached" to my computer, where I also keep the file I am currently working on.
| | | | | I agree with José | Sep 11, 2016 |
[quote]José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Which part of your body is more important:
a) heart
b) lungs
c) brain
d) stomach
e) genitalia
f) other
How silly can the poll questions get?
[Edited at 2016-09-11 14:16 GMT]
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 15:18
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| This one hit all the records | Sep 11, 2016 |
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Golden medal for silliest poll question!
This one is unbelievable. Are these questions selected randomly by a computer program? I can't believe someone actually selected this.
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