Zack Kaplan

Freelance translator based in Niigata, Japan. 工芸・美術翻訳、クリエイティブなど。新潟市在住。 Sake→Kirinzan

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

Every time I use ChatGPT for a rough translation I’m so impressed. And then I sit down and rewrite most the grammar and replace the words.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

勇者リンク、工芸の敵。あらゆる陶器を躊躇なく割る。木箱とて容赦しない。

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@tiger And different ones on every device!

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@howtojapanese Loool

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@takayadaigo Yeah, I only give it the translated paragraph. I haven’t found it too helpful when it comes to translation—I end up rewriting it all.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

A couple of months in now, I can say with confidence that working from a ChatGPT translation (at least for art-related content) is neither faster nor conducive to better results. However, the software has totally changed my editing process.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@takayadaigo Asking the machine to rephrase something feels like bouncing ideas off another person. It can be surprisingly stimulating.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@takayadaigo Whenever I’m unhappy with a sentence, I’ll feed it the whole paragraph and ask it to recommend improvements or to edit for clarity and flow. You can also ask it summarize content. I frequently take an idea or two from what it recommends when I’m stuck.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@howtojapanese I started over the weekend and have been really impressed with how they reworked things.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@howtojapanese Mine arrived just as I was like, “I don’t think I can focus anymore today.”

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@FincherAlison @ericdmargolis @lme5081 The trend away from hyphenation is strong 💪

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@howtojapanese Interesting to hear! I thought 1Q84 was one of his most solid, although not my favorite. Haven’t started on the new one yet.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@howtojapanese And they will pass by, the warding words “ノーイングリッシュ!” drifting behind them on the wind

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@kojinmanus You’ve been on such a good kick. So many books I want to read.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@benbeechphoto But what about the vested interests! Who will look out for those?

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@interrowhimper @idr_labs Interesting. I had third-sector for Hygiene but everything else was very low.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@howtojapanese Hmmm, I wonder if they’ll have it out at the bookstores here today.

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@ericdmargolis “You make such excellent content, if only the translations were of better quality!” Lol ;)
(The serious answer is pitch what your translation service brings to the table by way of unrealized opportunities. No need to tear down the old translation)

[Zack Kaplan @Zackkaplan]

@bmychui I’ve been holding off, but each post like this is making it harder.