Translate the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Problems with LEC Translate or Power Translator

A window appears saying there are "problems connecting to the local server" or "could not find any language pairs on local machine".

There are two causes of this situation: either the LEC Translation Server is not running or, more commonly, some other software is blocking communications between the LEC Translation Server and other programs. When you first encounter this problem, make sure that the translation server is running properly. To do that, take the following steps:

  • Open the control panel "Services" found under "Administrative Tools"
  • Right mouse click on the service named "LEC TranslateDotNet Server", and choose "Properties" from the menu
  • Make sure the 'Startup type' is set to "Automatic"
  • If the 'Service status' field reads 'Stopped', press the 'Start' button

If the service was stopped, this should solve the problem. Rerun LogoTrans to confirm that it performs properly.


If your translation service was running normally, then the source of this problem is security and firewall software, such as Norton Internet Security. Such software can interfere with our program's functioning, even though our programs are not contacting the internet.


To determine if your security software is blocking LEC software, temporarily disable your security software and then run LogoTrans. If LogoTrans runs fine, configure your security software to not block LEC software (contact your security software provider if you are unaware of how to do this).


Older versions of LEC software may encounter problems when installing for a limited user. If you are installing for a limited user and are encountering problems, please upgrade your LEC software to the latest version.

When I tried to translate, I got the message "Translation Error = user failed authentication"

If you are using LEC Translate or Power Translator, this message will not appear. Please run LogoTrans. Click on the icon in the lower left and make sure it says "Use local machine for translation".


If you are using Translate DotNet, you need to check your server settings. Run LogoTrans DotNet. Choose "Options" from the Tools menu and click on the Network tab. Set the radio button to "Authenticate for this user". Make sure that the User setting is your email address, and that it is the address you entered when installing LEC Translate DotNet. Make sure the password is correct.


This problem may also be caused by selecting a language pair for which you do not have an active subscription. You should purchase a subscription for the additional language pair(s) you wish to use.

When I run Word, I get a message saying the macros certificate has expired

Digital Certificates are a security measure to protect users from malicious software. A software company that wants to distribute software buys a "certificate" from a security company who investigates the software company to make sure they are legitimate.

This model works well to protect users when downloading software from the internet, which was its original purpose. Unfortunately, Microsoft adopted it for their Office add-ins as well. The problem is that software developers may produce their add-in a long time before the customer purchases it. Also, customers want to use the software for many years, but to keep digital certificates from being abused, issuing companies only issue them for short durations (2 years for the kind we require).

There is a program to patch your addins to have current certificates. You can get a copy here. Quit running all Office applications before running this patch program.

LEC Translate menu does not appear in Word (or Excel).

This is usually due to your Word security settings. If you set the security settings high enough, and don't specifically "bless" our add-in when the security warning dialog comes up, it will not be allowed to run.

To see if this is the case, run Word and go to Tools\Macro\Security. If the setting is currently high, try lowering it to Medium or Low and rerunning Word. If the LEC addin appears, it means that it is not considered a "trusted source" (you can verify that by going back to Tools\Macro\Security and clicking on the "Trusted Sources" tab. After this, if you reset the security to high, it will either keep working or bring up a dialog asking whether you should trust software from "Language Engineering Company", to which you should answer "yes/enable".

If you are using Outlook as your email editor, you may need to open Word first, then start Outlook. If you start Outlook before starting Word, then all add-ins in Word, including ours, will not run.

You may also open your Word or Excel program, then select Add-Ins or Template & Add-Ins from the Tools menu, and make sure the "LEC Translate.dot" file is checked.

I have the Vista/WIndows 7 operating system, and I have problems running your software.

Earlier version of LEC Translate and Power Translator have problems under Vista and Windows 7. We recommend upgrading to the most recent versions.


LEC Translate menu does not not appear in my Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Please open your IE or Firefox browser, go to View in the menu bar, and select Toolbars. Make sure that LEC is checked.
I am using your translation software and when I translate, the translation contains questions marks or gibberish.
If you are trying to translate to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian or Ukrainian, you may need to enable Windows to display additional languages. Please see the section Setting Up Windows for Additional Languages
I cannot translate a Word file with FileTrans.
If you purchased a CD product, your FileTrans application can translate files in text, RTF, PDF, HTML, XML, or DOC (Word) format

If you have a Translate DotNet Premium subscription, and are using FileTrans DotNet, you can translate files in RTF, PDF, HTML, XML and DOC formats.

If you have a non-Premium subscription to Translate DotNet, your FileTrans DotNet can only translate files in text or html format.
I can not translate a PDF file with FileTrans.
FileTrans and FileTrans DotNet can not translate the Image-Only type of PDF documents because the text in these PDF files is actually a surface picture without underlying characters. FileTrans also may have problems translating the Searchable-Image type of PDF documents, depending on the OCR process used when creating the PDF document.

You may check the following information if you are not sure which type of PDF document you have.

1. Image-Only PDF
An image-only PDF contains a photographic image representing each page, and virtually no textual characters or vector graphics. Although text may appear on a page, the text is actually a surface picture without underlying characters.

2. Searchable Image PDF
A Searchable-image PDF also contains an image for each page, but this type includes a text layer as well. The textual characters are produced from an OCR process, which analyzes each image for what appear to be characters. When characters are recognized in the image, the software draws a layer of text under them. An observer of the page sees the surface image only, as with image-only PDF.

3. Formatted Text and Graphics PDF
A Formatted Text and Graphics PDF minimizes the use of photographic images in favor of textual characters and vector graphics. No image layer rests on top of a text layer. Instead, textual characters and vector graphics are drawn wherever they can represent the content of a page. Photographic images are used only when pictures cannot be generated from building blocks of textual characters and vector graphics. This type of PDF usually results from conversion of another electronic file format, such as Microsoft Word. This type is the most compact (often 10% of an image-only file with the same content). Since this type is built from structured components, it may be used more flexibly for other purposes. For example, this type might be converted to HTML for display as web pages, or converted to Word for editing.
Words appear garbled when I translate an e-mail.

Most such problems are with your e-mail software, and not with LEC's software. To test this, run LogoTrans and translate some text.

If LogoTrans cannot properly display the text, then the problem is that your operating system is not set up to display the language you have chosen. We discuss this issue in our FAQ here.

If our software correctly displays the characters but your e-mail system does not, then the problem is with your e-mail program (older versions of Outlook Express have this problem, for example). You need to upgrade your email software to resolve this problem.

I get the following error message: "A required security module cannot be activated. This program cannot be executed."
This message is a Sony SecuROM error message and appears when the user is running software that interferes with the copy protection. SecuROM noticed the offending software and reported the error. To install, you must deactivate (not necessarily uninstall) the software that is causing the problem.

Problems with Translate DotNet or Translate2Go

I purchased your software, but now it is complaining that my subscription has expired.

With most LEC software, you get a free trial subscription to our Translate DotNet service along with the product you purchased. This subscription is a free supplement, and is not required to translate. Your purchased product includes translation software that operates without need for a subscription (although it may be more limited in the available language pairs and in the available applications). If you look in your Start menu, you will find both Translate DotNet, and the product you purchased, as separate applications.

If you wish to continue to receive the many attractive features of Translate DotNet (such as free product updates, a large number of available language pairs, and no restriction on the number of machines you may install the software), then you need to purchase a subscription. Otherwise, use the software that does not include the word "DotNet" in its title.

I am not able to use my subscription service
If you purchased a subscription to the Translate DotNet service, go to Start / All Programs / LEC Translate DotNet, and use any of the included translation applications.
If you purchased a Translate2Go subscription, log onto our website at http://www.lec.com/browser-translation.asp to use the functions of your subscription.

Problems with an electronic download.

How do I purchase your software by electronic distribution?
Electronic software distribution allows you to download your copy of an LEC product. You to get the software immediately, and eliminate any shipping and handling charges.
LEC installers are larger than 500 megabytes, so it is very helpful to have a fast, stable internet connection. Downloading with a dial-up connection is possible, but it will take 4 hours or more. Dial-up connections also tend to drop some data, resulting in corrupted files. If you have a dial-up connection, you may want to purchase a CD version instead.
Copy the downloaded installer to the installation machine. You cannot put the installer on a CD (you can always download a new copy of the installer if you need to). After the installer is fully downloaded, run it by double clicking on it or clicking the right mouse button on it and chosing "Open". It is important that when you run the installer that your computer is connected to the internet, and that your firewall does not stop the installer from contacting the LEC website.
The installer will ask for a twelve character access code (displayed on the screen at the end of the purchase process and sent to you in an email). Type the code exactly as it is written (it is case sensitive). After the installer verifies your access code on the LEC website, installation begins.
The download link does not work.
Most email programs and web browsers will correctly support the download link. If you have a problem, copy the link into your web browser with the following steps:
  • Press the left mouse button at the beginning of the web link.
  • Drag the mouse, holding the left button down until the whole link is highlighted.
  • Release the left mouse button, and press down the right mouse button. Choose "Copy" from the menu that appears.
  • Open your web browser. Click the right mouse button into the address bar at the top of the window and select "Paste" from the menu that appears.
  • Press the enter key and the download process will start.
I wish to install Translate or Power Translator on another computer.
Your LEC license is for a single computer. If you wish to install on more than one computer at the same time, you must purchase a license for each computer (each additional license is discounted 50%).

If you simply wish to move your software to another computer, you must first uninstall it from the original computer. You must be connected to the internet when you uninstall and install on the new machine.

I purchased Power Translator in Europe

I purchased Power Translator in Europe, and I need support.
Our partner in Europe for Power Translator is Avanquest, and they provide hotline support for Power Translator. Please direct your inquiry to the contacts below:
Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Tel: +49 0900 1101 299 (1.50 EUR/min)
E-mail: kundendienst@avanquest.com / avanquest@funmarkt.de
Spain:
Tel: +33 1 41 8344 17
(de las 9.30 hasta las 12.30 por la maAñana y de la 1.30 a las 5.30 por la tarde)
Web: www.bvrp.com/spanish_support.htm
E-Mail: anvanquest.ib@technicity.fr
Italy:
support_italia@avanquest.it
France:
Web: www.bvrp.com/pagemail.htm
www.avanquest.fr/pagemail.htm

Tips for improving translations

How do I get better translations?


Machine translation is very difficult, but you can improve the accuracy by following a few rules. See Translation Tips on how to get good translation quality. Use the "Translate Back" feature in LogoTrans to monitor translations when you adjust the source text to improve translations.

Most importantly, create a user dictionary with the Dictionary application found in the Pro and Euro versions.

How do I enter accented characters?
Using the numeric keypad (make sure NUM LOCK is on), hold down ALT, and then, type:
  • Grave
    • 0192 for À 0224 for à
    • 0200 for È 0232 for è
    • 0204 for Ì 0236 for ì
    • 0210 for Ò 0242 for ò
    • 0217 for Ù 0249 for ù
  • Acute
    • 0193 for Á 0225 for á
    • 0201 for É 0233 for é
    • 0205 for Í 0237 for í
    • 0211 for Ó 0243 for ó
    • 0218 for Ú 0250 for ú
    • 0221 for Ý 0253 for ý
  • Circumflex
    • 0194 for  0226 for â
    • 0202 for Ê 0234 for ê
    • 0206 for Î 0238 for î
    • 0212 for Ô 0244 for ô
    • 0219 for Û 0251 for û
  • Tilde
    • 0195 for à 0277 for ã
    • 0209 for Ñ 0241 for ñ
    • 0213 for Õ 0238 0245 õ
  • Umlaut
    • 0196 for Ä 0228 for ä
    • 0203 for Ë 0235 for ë
    • 0207 for Ï 0239 for ï
    • 0214 for Ö 0246 for ö
    • 0220 for Ü 0252 for ü
    • 0159 for Ÿ 00255 for ÿ
  • Other Characters
    • 0199 for Ç 0231 for ç
    • 0140 for Œ 0156 for œ
    • 0223 for ß
    • 0161 for ¡
    • 0191 for ¿
Setting up Windows for additional languages.
Adding support for additional languages within your Windows settings may be required to display and enter text in some languages. Language support is pre-installed in many systems or it may have been added when you installed LEC Translate or Power Translator. Follow the instructions below if you have trouble displaying or entering text in a particular language.

Note that Microsoft has stopped supporting older operating systems, such as Windows 98 and Windows ME. If the instructions below do not work, contact Microsoft for further assistance.

To set up Windows XP for additional languages.
Support for most languages is pre-installed. Follow the steps below to install additional languages, including Asian languages, right to left languages, and languages with complex scripts. You may need your Windows XP CD to load additional languages on your computer.
  1. Open the Windows Control Panel from the Start menu.
  2. Under 'Pick a Category', click the Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options icon.
  3. In the area under 'or pick a Control Panel icon', click the Regional and Languages Options icon. The Regional and Languages Options dialog box appears.
  4. Select the Languages tab and under 'Text services and input languages', click the Details button. The 'Text services and input languages' dialog box appears. The languages already installed are shown.
  5. Click Add to open the 'Add input language' dialog box.
  6. Select the desired language from the pull-down menu and then click OK. Repeat steps 5 and 6 if you want to add additional languages.
  7. Click Apply in the 'Text services and input languages dialog' to save your new settings and then click OK.
  8. If you want to install support for Asian languages, right to left languages, or languages requiring complex script, go to the 'Regional and Language Options' dialog box, select the appropriate check box(es) in the 'Supplemental languages' area of the dialog box, and then click Apply.
    You may be prompted to insert your Windows XP CD so the new languages can be downloaded.
    When installation is complete, click OK to close the Regional and Language Options dialog, and then close the Control Panel.


  • If you do NOT have Microsoft Office XP installed on your computer, install Global IME 5.02:
    1. Go to this link
    2. Choose the support for the desired language WITH the Language Pack, if available.
    3. Proceed with the download and follow instructions to install, and reboot.
  • If you have Microsoft Office XP installed on your computer, install IMEs for Office XP:
    1. Go to this link
    2. Choose the language you want to add.
    3. Proceed with the download and follow the instructions that appear.

    • Translation Tips - Preparing for translation.
    • Computers do not have the linguistic capabilities of people. To obtain the best results from machine translation, documents should be written using simple, clear, and concise grammar. Producing good text for machine translation is similar to producing text that people can read easily. Following are tips to generate more accurate results from machine-translated documents.
      1. Avoid idiomatic expressions.
        If you are not sure whether a phrase is an idiom, consider the literal meaning of the words. If the literal sense is not clear, try to express the same idea in a different way.
        Suggested: It rarely happens.
        Not Suggested: It happens once in a blue moon.


      2. Use proper grammar.
        Use a pronoun before a verb, even if it can be implied and the sentence is understandable without it.
        Suggested: I studied history, but I did not learn much.
        Not Suggested: I studied history, but did not learn much.


      3. Do not omit words.
        Do not omit words like "that, which, who, and whom". Use them liberally. These words are often implied in English, but may be required in other languages.
        Suggested: I know that Bob works on Monday.
        Not Suggested: I know Bob works on Monday.


      4. Use 's only for possessives, not to contract is or has.
        Suggested: Mary is singing at the church tonight.
        Not Suggested: Mary's singing at the church tonight.


      5. Keep your sentence structure clear, simple, and direct.
        Break up long sentences with many ideas into short sentences expressing one main idea.
        Suggested: The local government completed projects such as the construction of a new bridge. The bridge allows travel between our city and Springfield. It has increased commerce in both communities.
        Not Suggested: The local government completed projects such as the construction of a new bridge, which allows travel between our city and Springfield and has increased commerce in both communities.


      6. Do not split separable English verbs, such as "pick up" and "look up."
        Suggested: I have to look up the information in our database.
        Not Suggested: I have to look the information up in our database.


      7. Write your documents in standard, formal English.
        In formal English, grammatical connections are clearly expressed: subjects agree with predicates, modifiers relate to what they modify. Unnecessary words are kept to a minimum. Clear, formal writing, which is easiest for your reader to understand, will result in the most comprehensible translations possible. Informal English is marked by loose grammatical style that is typical of a conversation. This may be perfectly appropriate for conversation, but may present problems for translation.


      8. Add the appropriate accents.
        Enter text with the correct diacritical marks. Some accent marks look very similar (i.e., é and è); be sure to enter the proper one.


      9. When entering text unfamiliar to you, be sure to type it accurately.
        Pay particular attention to spelling and punctuation.


      10. Write explicitly.
        Computers cannot make inferences. They only translate what is explicit, not what the author might have intended. Do not omit important words (like relative clause pronouns) or phrases. Write clear and complete sentences.


      11. Use proper grammar.
        Create well-organized, well-constructed sentences with proper spelling. Set punctuation and spacing properly, e.g. use question marks for questions, otherwise the computer may not find correct sentence boundaries.


      12. Write clearly.
        The more direct the information in the sentence, the better the translation will be. If a sentence contains three thoughts, break it into three different sentences. Avoid ambiguity. Avoid unclear references. Refer only to things which are clearly identifiable. Avoid slang.


      13. Be Concise.
        Limit sentences to 20 words or less. Avoid wordiness and complicated sentences with subordinate clauses. Do not omit necessary grammatical elements.


      14. Avoid pidgin writing.
        Pidgin writing is characterized by the omission of articles, explicit verb forms, and other grammar elements. Be explicit and grammatically correct.


      15. Be consistent.
        Name objects consistently. Inconsistent naming creates confusion.


      16. Update the dictionary.
        Computers only translate words that are in their dictionaries. An unknown word can lead to a misinterpretation of the complete sentence. Identify "unknown" words and update the dictionary before translating the document to increase the accuracy of the translation.


      17. Check the layout of the document.
        Allow text to wrap naturally, as carriage returns are interpreted as line breaks, implying the end of a sentence. Make heading information explicit as headings often contain different spelling conventions than normal text. If there are numbered or bulleted lists, ensure each bullet is grammatically well formed.


      18. Who, Whom, Which
        Include words such as that, which, who, and whom. These words are often implied in English. However, they may be required in other languages.
    .
    .