31 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 17: Spellings Part 13 – Some that might trip you up

Spellings Part 13 – Some that might trip you up

Today we look at another ten spellings, based on the New Oxford Style Manual, which can cause some confusion. Sometimes people add hyphens when they’re not necessary, and other times they leave them out and write the term as two words when it should really be hyphenated. I hope today’s post will confirm what you already know and/or prove useful. All of today’s spellings can be found in the New Oxford Spelling Dictionary, and most also appear in the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors, which occasionally provides a brief comment on the spelling rule.

31 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Help! Everyone’s at a conference except me (or how to still get a dose of CPD)

Don’t fret. While it might feel like that sometimes judging by your social media feeds, it’s far from the truth. And however tempting it might be to jet off to enjoy quality time with your colleagues, perhaps you could spend the considerable sum involved in attending a conference more wisely. Not only are there plenty of things you can be getting on with to ensure you get your dose of CPD (continuing professional development), they will probably also be better for you in the long-term and look far more impressive on your CV.

31 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

La última tendencia en la industria de la traducción: PEMT

¿Han escuchado hablar sobre la última tendencia en la industria de la traducción? Se la conoce como PEMT, significa traducción automática con revisión posterior (post-editing machine translation, PEMT*). Hace referencia a cuando los clientes usan un programa para traducir un texto antes de enviárselo a un traductor para que este haga la revisión final. Algunos clientes usan herramientas de traducción automática (TA) más sofisticadas que las que se ofrecen en línea. Sin embargo, según mi experiencia, el Traductor de Google es la herramienta de traducción más popular y, por ese motivo, la que los clientes usan con más frecuencia para obtener una traducción por el precio de una revisión, en general, alrededor de un 50 % menos del costo.

31 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 16: Times

Times

This is a stylistic minefield and the most important aspect to remember is to be consistent throughout your document and in all the documents for a particular client. If you are ever asked to use a specific style guide, then this is an area you’ll definitely need to look up because there are so many variations. This post is going to focus on the recommendations in the New Oxford Style Manual and compare them with those found in The Chicago Manual of Style, so essentially the difference between UK and US usage.

30 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

The Latest Trend in the Translation Industry: PEMT

Have you heard of the latest trend in the translation industry? It’s called PEMT* and it stands for post-editing machine translation. This is when clients use a program to translate their text before sending it to a translator for the final edit. Some clients use more sophisticated MT (machine translation) than online offerings, but in my experience Google Translate is the most popular translation tool, and, therefore, the one clients use more often than not to get a translation for the price of a revision, usually around 50% of the cost.

30 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

The A to Z of Freelance Translation

**A review of Nicole Y. Adam’s course The A to Z of Freelance Translation by Sylvia Lass**

Please note that Nicole Y. Adams no longer offers this course.

As the title suggests, the online course The A to Z of Freelance Translation by Nicole Y. Adams is mainly aimed at freelance translators in their first year of self-employment, or translators who are planning to become self-employed in the near future.

There are 15 lessons in total, dealing with various topics related to launching a freelance career. After registering, participants get lifetime access to the entire course contents and can work through them in any order they like and at their own pace. The course setup is very flexible, so you can interrupt at any time or jump back and forth between the different lessons. Even after completing the course, you continue to have access to all the materials (including any updates or newly added content).

29 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Treadmill Desks for Freelancers

If you haven’t heard that sitting is the new smoking, then you must read fewer newspapers and magazines than I do. It’s entirely logical when you stop to think about it. We were never meant as a species to spend so much time on our backsides. Yet now we move from one screen for work to another for entertainment, from our office chairs to our favourite comfy armchair or sofa. And if you’re a freelancer working at home, then I’ll bet it doesn’t take very many steps to get from one to the other. We don’t even have an opportunity to benefit from some movement during a commute.

Be honest with yourself, when was the last time you even ventured outside? I know, it’s winter, it’s warm and cosy with the central heating on and you do have that pressing deadline, which is a marvellous excuse to stay in, wrap up and keep sitting.

29 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 15: Spellings Part 12 – Pesky Hyphens

Spellings Part 12 – Pesky Hyphens

Pesky = annoying, disagreeable, hateful. I guess that does just about sum up how I feel sometimes when trying to grapple with the use of hyphens in the English language. Some of today’s words may surprise or even exasperate you, but I can assure you that I’m only trying to be helpful with these posts. Honest.

29 May 20151 May 2026 Nikki Graham - Translation and Proof-editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 14: Spellings Part 11 – Fighting the Spellcheckers

Spellings Part 11 – Fighting the Spellcheckers

Today I’m going to put my warpaint on (and that’s one word too) and help you fight the spellcheckers, because the annoying things don’t always know what they’re talking about. Please bear in mind that, as far as possible, I base the spellings on The New Oxford Style Manual and the OED.