Optimizing your Time with Keyboard Shortcuts
How many words can you translate in a day? This is not an easy question to answer because there are many variables involved that can affect your daily output. One of the key variables affecting daily output is effective use of time. Usually you won’t be given as much time as you’d like in order to carry out a project, but one thing is certain: if you can produce more in less time you will make more money. By learning to use keyboard shortcuts rather than reaching for your mouse, you will be amazed at the time you can save. This point was driven home to me in a workshop on resource optimization for freelance translators given by Xosé Castro after a Proz.com translation conference in Montevideo, Uruguay. During the presentation the desktop of a portable computer was projected onto a large screen for the audience to see. I was randomly chosen from the audience and agreed to get up in front of them to perform a simple daily task. I was to open Word, type out a short phrase an