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Poll: How many fingers do you use for typing? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Jan Truper 
Germany
Local time: 23:54
Member (2016)
English to German
all 10 fingers, voice regognition software and a foot pedal
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:54
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Mainly VR SW | Nov 16, 2017 |
Nowadays I use Dragon a lot. Off the top of my head, I couldn't say how many fingers I use when typing, but I'm looking at it right now as I type this, and it appears to be three, i.e. the index and middle of my right hand, and the left index. Back in the 80s, I tried learning to type formally, but found that I prefer to write more slowly and correctly, rather than quickly with mistakes. I got by with my three fingered shuffle until the twenty-first century... And the rest is history ... See more Nowadays I use Dragon a lot. Off the top of my head, I couldn't say how many fingers I use when typing, but I'm looking at it right now as I type this, and it appears to be three, i.e. the index and middle of my right hand, and the left index. Back in the 80s, I tried learning to type formally, but found that I prefer to write more slowly and correctly, rather than quickly with mistakes. I got by with my three fingered shuffle until the twenty-first century... And the rest is history ▲ Collapse
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Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 06:54
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
All 5 on the left hand and only 2 on my right hand as I severed the tendon of my right middle finger. But, I'm a much faster typist than 98% of the population, out of necessity, of course.
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Kay Denney
France
Local time: 23:54
French to English
all eight, and my two thumbs as well (this was my father's joke)
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Regi2006
Indonesia
Local time: 04:54
Member (2007)
English to Indonesian
+ ...
Oops ... I have always assumed that all professional translators type with their 10 fingers, otherwise they are not professional. Silly me
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and I rarely look at the keyboard while typing. Believe me, that saves a lot of energy.
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:54
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Ten tiny toes | Nov 16, 2017 |
Regi2006 wrote: Oops ... I have always assumed that all professional translators type with their 10 fingers, otherwise they are not professional. Silly me
Nope. You must be thinking of professional TYPISTS. Translators nowadays have access to other resources as well
[Edited at 2017-11-16 10:21 GMT]
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Regi2006
Indonesia
Local time: 04:54
Member (2007)
English to Indonesian
+ ...
neilmac wrote: Translators nowadays have access to other resources as well
Yep. If I may know, what is your normal daily capacity?
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Ventnai
Spain
Local time: 23:54
German to English
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Regi2006 wrote: Oops ... I have always assumed that all professional translators type with their 10 fingers, otherwise they are not professional. Silly me
I'd say other qualities are much more important than keyboard bashing. Some people were also brought up in a pre-digital world.
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| I would if I could... | Nov 16, 2017 |
Regi2006 wrote: Oops ... I have always assumed that all professional translators type with their 10 fingers, otherwise they are not professional. Silly me
As Neilmac mentioned, professional typists use all ten fingers.
Way back, when I tried to learn to use a typewriter, the instructor could see I was never going to make the grade. Luckily I was training as a Librarian, so she said:
'You can type well enough to fill in cards when you have to - you can't get up to speed on those fiddly things anyway! And luckily you can get a typist to do the rest while you do something else!'
More than forty years and MANY hours of practice later, I know she was right.
I have nice handwriting, though, and whenever one copy is enough, I can write faster and more legibly than most adults. I could write twice or three times as much as my fellow students when we took notes at lectures. These days, you can scan and photocopy them too!
I am left handed, and have poor coordination between the two hands. I use a Danish keyboard, with the extra letters in the Danish alphabet to the right of the P and the L. Just where I am supposed to use my absolutely weakest and stiffest little finger. It is physically impossible for me.
But never mind. I get by, and since the Trados short cut for the next sentence no longer requires moving my right hand 30 cm to the numeral keyboard... my typing has improved immensely!
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:54
Spanish to English
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| Hard to quantify | Nov 16, 2017 |
Regi2006 wrote: neilmac wrote: Translators nowadays have access to other resources as well Yep. If I may know, what is your normal daily capacity?
In addition to translating, I also provide revision/correction services. My output in terms of translation will vary depending on several factors, such as text content and subject area, formatting issues... And other factors, including unavoidable interruptions.
As a rule of thumb, I usually say I can do a couple of thousand words a day, although on occasion I've done 8 to 10,000 words when under pressure.
Right now, I've just received a translation of only 140 words... so, it's back to the grind...
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Regi2006
Indonesia
Local time: 04:54
Member (2007)
English to Indonesian
+ ...
ventnai wrote:
I'd say other qualities are much more important than keyboard bashing. Some people were also brought up in a pre-digital world.
Yes, I know. It's a silly thought. I know. Maybe it's because when I got my first translation job many many years ago, I already typed with 10 fingers. So, I imagined it would be frustrating for me to finish a job without using all of them.
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Regi2006 wrote: Oops ... I have always assumed that all professional translators type with their 10 fingers, otherwise they are not professional. Silly me
After 30 years translating full-time plus a few years part-time I’ve just discovered to my amazement and amusement that I’m not a professional…
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Regi2006
Indonesia
Local time: 04:54
Member (2007)
English to Indonesian
+ ...
neilmac wrote:
As a rule of thumb, I usually say I can do a couple of thousand words a day, although on occasion I've done 8 to 10,000 words when under pressure.
I see. Now I understand that the number of fingers that we use in typing does not necessarily dictate the level of our productivity. Thanks.
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