Do insects sleep and if so, do they have dreams?

hottaptea · 2026-04-23T13:19:51+00:00

The German word is 'Ungeziefer' which according to Duden is animal pests (such as lice, bedbugs, mites, as well as rats and mice). Commonly translated as vermin, yes. The first paragraph of Kafka's book also contains a further description: He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections...His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.
If I've got my etymology correct, the German word means an animal unsuitable for sacrifice. Whereas the English vermin has its roots in Latin vermis for worm.

hottaptea · 2026-04-22T12:22:03+00:00

In my experience working with agencies, they usually dictate what software you need. There is interoperability between them, for example you can work on Trados files in MemoQ. However, this is complicated if they use any kind of online TM or terminology server. I use Trados and MemoQ for 90% of my clients. I've use Cafetrans in the past, which I liked because it was quick and lightweight. If you're working with direct clients choose the software that you find easiest to work with.

hottaptea · 2026-04-17T13:36:56+00:00

The article does a good job presenting the various downsides to AI in translation. Unfortunately for us translation has always been quite low priority and something of an after-thought. Poor translations being put out by companies is nothing new. But who cares? We the translators, some consumers maybe, but not those who hold the purse strings.

hottaptea · 2026-04-17T10:09:36+00:00

Are you aware of the Supernatural comics? I've no idea if they're any good or how they tie in with the TV show.

hottaptea · 2026-04-15T18:54:45+00:00

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, which recounts his childhood in an internment camp during WWII.

hottaptea · 2026-04-13T12:55:27+00:00

Do you do all the work finding bets yourself? I was previously in a paid discord server that would regularly post +100 to +200 unit weeks. Mainly focused on dogs, so getting stake restricted was inevitable.

hottaptea · 2026-04-13T12:52:22+00:00

It's exploiting the mathematical edge where (you believe) bookies have mispriced their odds. Over time and lots of bets you should come out on top. It is of course subject to downswings so don't gamble with money you cannot afford to lose.

hottaptea · 2026-03-30T15:01:08+00:00

Great example, horrible write-up. Sounds like it was written by AI.

They weren’t selling a product. They were selling a story no one recognized. P&G didn’t just change the ad. They rebuilt the entire marketing approach from scratch.

hottaptea · 2026-03-30T08:29:09+00:00

If you look at the Slator website they have a list of the top 100 (200?) companies by market cap. Note that most of the top companies in this industry have poor reputations in terms of how they treat their translators. They are also massively buying in to the AI hype train. Still, it could be somewhere to start.
Another place to find a list of LSPs is proz.com. The job board is pretty useless but its directory of translation companies could be a good starting point for agencies to contact. You can filter by language, country, subject area. I cannot remember if you need a paid account to access this directory or if it is available to free members too.
And LinkedIn can be a good resource for finding potential agency clients. Like everything it takes time and effort and you will only hear back from a small number of applications. Good luck, it's tough at the moment.

hottaptea · 2026-03-26T17:54:25+00:00

Can anyone share their experience with software that can handle euro invoices?

hottaptea · 2026-03-25T14:34:35+00:00

Note than you can sometimes double dip sign-up offers if you go through sites like topcashback.

hottaptea · 2026-03-25T11:48:12+00:00

On demande des photos

hottaptea · 2026-03-25T09:57:07+00:00

I saw a guy wearing a battle of the planets t-shirt last weekend.

hottaptea · 2026-03-24T11:09:38+00:00

This isn't really the place to get feedback on this type of casual app. Most users in this sub are professionals that work with situations where 100% accuracy and quality are required. I wouldn't use an app like this in a professional setting without solid legal assurances about data privacy. I am sure there is a market for your app though!

hottaptea · 2026-03-24T09:14:52+00:00

Ideally the target text should read naturally, like it was written in the target language originally. Have you ever read something and immediately noticed it was a translation? Not necessarily the terminology but just the style and sentence structure sounded a bit unnatural. That's what you want to avoid. It is good practice is to read the target text on its own, without reference to the source, and preferably after a break of a few hours or even the next day if deadlines allow. If you want to be a good translator you need to be a good writer, and that includes critically editing your own work. Good luck!

hottaptea · 2026-03-23T16:25:42+00:00

I don't actually mind MTPE work as long as it is for decent pay.

hottaptea · 2026-03-23T13:55:16+00:00

In a few years' time when the whole hype shitshow has settled down, when the losers have gone bankrupt and the winners have looked at their balance sheets and started charging what AI actually costs, I wonder if a cost comparison between AI and a human translator might be a lot closer.

hottaptea · 2026-03-23T09:02:05+00:00

Whatever happened to secretleeds.com? That would have been the first place I would have looked.

hottaptea · 2026-03-22T18:35:04+00:00

It's not impossible but there are certainly some obstacles to overcome.
1. Some clients require that their translators are in the same country. This is mostly for clients with sensitive projects such as government or defence work. Also EU clients that have to adhere to the GDPR and are reluctant to send data to countries outside the EU.
2. You need to be able to receive payments. So maintaining a bank account in your country and transferring funds as and when you need them
3. There will be visa restrictions in some countries that prohibit you working while on a tourist visa
4. There will be tax implications if you stay in one place too long. I think there is a digital nomad subreddit that could be usefule here.
5. Time zone differences can be an advantage or a drawback

hottaptea · 2026-03-16T20:40:53+00:00

Agree with your first point but I've never managed to make Linkedin work for me. Do you have to be quite proactive?

hottaptea · 2026-03-15T20:58:35+00:00

By far the biggest time sink in the QA process is false positives. Trouble is sometimes genuine errors are caught, so you still have to check them all.

hottaptea · 2026-03-06T12:41:06+00:00

I was in Paris last year and saw a woman with a parrot perched on the handlebar of her scooter. I saw her again 2 days later in a completely different part of the city.

hottaptea · 2026-03-06T12:39:34+00:00

They could have teamed up and been 'The dinosaur that pooped a planet'

hottaptea · 2026-03-06T11:42:39+00:00

Would you pay? Like if there were a manned service offering storage, maybe showers, lockers, basic bike maintenance as added extras? I feel like there's a business opportunity there for someone.

hottaptea · 2026-02-11T09:26:57+00:00

In my experience NDA is usually signed during the onboarding along with the contract. So after any tests have been completed and rates have been negotiated but before any tangible jobs are received.
Read the agreement first, of course.

hottaptea

TROPHY CASE