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Post by CaptainSeery on Jun 30, 2017 10:04:13 GMT 9
Okay, so I am looking to buy a new laptop for grad school. I know there was talk about gaming computers recently but my requirements are a little different.... I will be using CAT software a lot, which I hear takes a lot of RAM. The school recommends at least 8GB of RAM. Beyond that, I don't really know what I need. I feel like I want a right-side number pad, but that requires a large laptop, which makes for worse portability.
Biggest question, I guess: if you're doing translations, do you tend to prefer Japanese or English keyboards? I'm used to using a Japanese keyboard because I do most of my translation at work, and the key below ESC makes it nice and easy to switch languages. I don't know how it would be to type extensively on an English keyboard but I suspect it would be annoying. But I do get annoyed by some of the other aspects of Japanese keyboard like the placement of quotes.
...As I type that all out I suspect I should be getting a Japanese keyboard but I kind of feel resistant to that idea for reasons I don't understand.... I suppose I could always just buy a second USB keyboard.
Does anyone here translate on an English keyboard, and what is it like? Also, I know this is unlikely, but does anyone have any suggestions for good laptops for doing translation?
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vkasahara
Tried natto; not a fan
Posts: 51
CIR Experience: 1st year
Location: that place with the Lake and NOTHING ELSE
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Post by vkasahara on Jun 30, 2017 10:27:33 GMT 9
I type sooooo much slower on a Japanese keyboard because the SPACE BAR is smaller and shifted to the side a bit from where my hands expect it to be. I hate translating on my Japanese laptop because of this. The quotation marks and other 'special characters' I can deal with since I don't use them THAT much, but spaces come between every single word in English!! It drives me nuts.
I am a huge PC person but I think that Mac keyboards are western-style even on computers sold in Japan. Macs also seem to have more RAM built in as a default feature than windows computers. I have been using a Mac (desktop) at work for 3 months now and it's fast and reliable but I hate the layout and there are a ton of small things that drive me nuts, like the toolbars and keyboard shortcuts, etc. But it might work well for what you're trying to do, if you're willing to pay more for a Mac.
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Post by CaptainSeery on Jun 30, 2017 10:36:27 GMT 9
Yeah, that is an issue with laptops. At work I have a full keyboard and the space bar is a little longer, so it's right where I expect it to be. Makes me forget that it can be an issue with laptops. Good point.
I am very much a PC person. And the vast majority of CAT software (and certainly the software we'll be using at grad school, like Trados) are only on Windows. It is possible to install Windows on Mac, of course, and use Trados that way, but it doesn't seem worth it to me. Glad to hear that even after three years Macs drive you nuts, cause I'm sure that would be the case for me too, haha. So I'm looking for PCs.
Ideally I think I'd like a desktop dual-monitor setup, but.... as a student who will be needing to bring her computer to school regularly, that's not feasible. And my laptop now is a Chromebook so it's not powerful enough for what I'll need there, although it's great for how I usually use it nowadays.
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Post by Hokuto on Jul 4, 2017 9:30:55 GMT 9
hi so i have done a lot of translating from my home laptop (Acer) and i've never found it to be annoying to switch to typing in Japanese (shift+caps lock) and tbh i feel like i'm slightly faster on my home laptop than my work computer?
the space bar thing is actually a huge thing for me hahaha so maybe that's why
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Post by CaptainSeery on Jul 4, 2017 13:57:13 GMT 9
Update: I think I'm gonna get a Dell XPS 13.
I know, you all care so much.
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