Translation of a child vaccination card
Thread poster: Andi Liberty
Andi Liberty
Andi Liberty
Local time: 07:23
English to Portuguese
Jan 3, 2017

Dear Colleagues,


I recently graduated with a BA in Translation. I am trying to establish myself as a Translator and recently I was asked to translate a child's vaccination card. I was wondering if any of you could give me some tips on how I go about translating this. What kind of format I should use, or if I can just make some sort of Excel spreadsheet and enter all the relevant info, such as the type of vaccine, year taken, etc.

I would appreciate very much you
... See more
Dear Colleagues,


I recently graduated with a BA in Translation. I am trying to establish myself as a Translator and recently I was asked to translate a child's vaccination card. I was wondering if any of you could give me some tips on how I go about translating this. What kind of format I should use, or if I can just make some sort of Excel spreadsheet and enter all the relevant info, such as the type of vaccine, year taken, etc.

I would appreciate very much your advice.

I look forward to receiving your input in regard to my query.

Best wishes,

Andi
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Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 08:23
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Is it a PDF file or you have an actual physical card/copy with you? Jan 3, 2017

If PDF, you can convert it to Word then translate in there using the same layout.

Also a CAT tool can be used, which I suppose you don't have at the moment.

In addition, you may use a bilingual Excel spreadsheet or table.

It seems you were given freedom to choose your own file format, so pick any you find suitable as long as it clearly conveys all details.


 
Andi Liberty
Andi Liberty
Local time: 07:23
English to Portuguese
TOPIC STARTER
Tranlation of a child vaccination card Jan 4, 2017

I do have the physical card with me.

You are right, in fact at the moment I can't afford to buy any CAT tool available in the market. Maybe in the future.

Thank you so much for your reply.

Best wishes.

Andi.


 
Elif Baykara Narbay
Elif Baykara Narbay  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 10:23
German to Turkish
+ ...
I would avoid excel :) Jan 4, 2017

While translating, you can use any program you like. I assume that the delivery format is not specified.
I would avoid an excel file as the delivery format because it is a difficult program to work with.
Actually, word is a quite handy program. You may use features like tables to recreate the vaccine card and you will have a template for your future assignments
Elif


 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 02:23
German to English
+ ...
practicality and purpose Jan 4, 2017

The purpose of the translation is that some official or doctor wants to look at it and quickly see what vaccinations has had, and when. He or she wants to be able to glance back and forth, so you want the formatting to be similar - but it doesn't have to be a work of art. I use Microsoft Word's "table" function because you can create cells and make lines of cells visible or invisible. it may take a bit of time to set it up, but if you ever get such a vaccination card again, it will be all se... See more
The purpose of the translation is that some official or doctor wants to look at it and quickly see what vaccinations has had, and when. He or she wants to be able to glance back and forth, so you want the formatting to be similar - but it doesn't have to be a work of art. I use Microsoft Word's "table" function because you can create cells and make lines of cells visible or invisible. it may take a bit of time to set it up, but if you ever get such a vaccination card again, it will be all set up for you.Collapse


 
Clarisa Moraña
Clarisa Moraña  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 02:23
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Who will used the vaccination card? Jan 4, 2017

I'm thinking as a mother of three kids: I can read the vaccination card of them, because it was me who took the kids to the vaccination center. The only person who has asked me to check their vaccination card has been their pediatrician, and school staff members. If I were to travel to another country, it is possible that the authorities of that foreign country will ask me my kids vaccination card, as well as the new pediatrician, and school staff members. The format should be something clear, s... See more
I'm thinking as a mother of three kids: I can read the vaccination card of them, because it was me who took the kids to the vaccination center. The only person who has asked me to check their vaccination card has been their pediatrician, and school staff members. If I were to travel to another country, it is possible that the authorities of that foreign country will ask me my kids vaccination card, as well as the new pediatrician, and school staff members. The format should be something clear, something that can be clearly understood by the person in charge of the health of my children, or their education, and even the local authorities. Use whatever software you feel comfortable with.

Kind regards

Clarisa
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Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 08:23
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
It is worth setting up templates Jan 4, 2017

As others have mentioned, once you have a template, keep it, and collect templates of official forms systematically.

The word Table function is good for this. One template I use again and again is the Danish baptism certificate, which corresponds to a birth certificate in other countries - it is the registration of the child's name and who the parents are (whether the child was actually baptised or not!).

Translations of personal documents are often needed by private in
... See more
As others have mentioned, once you have a template, keep it, and collect templates of official forms systematically.

The word Table function is good for this. One template I use again and again is the Danish baptism certificate, which corresponds to a birth certificate in other countries - it is the registration of the child's name and who the parents are (whether the child was actually baptised or not!).

Translations of personal documents are often needed by private individuals who cannot afford to pay big fees, especially if the translations have to be certified afterwards.
Agencies try to get away with basic word rates, which may or may not take formatting into account.

So save yourself routine work and keep the charges reasonable where you can!

I hope this is not too far off topic, but I would recommend saving up for a CAT tool as a first priority - the sooner you start using it, the sooner it will pay for itself, and that includes time saved on formatting and layout... So you can concentrate on translating. The less expensive CATs are often good at the basic features that a beginner needs. The important thing is to find one you are comfortable with.

Best of luck!
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Translation of a child vaccination card







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