Today we present several online storage tools that are very useful for any type of project. Because, let’s face it, any of the following could happen to you:
- You’re working from a PC, the power goes out, and you haven’t hit save in the last ten minutes, which, coincidentally, had been very productive.
- Your computer has suddenly stopped working, and your deadline is getting dangerously close.
- You forgot your laptop, or you had to go somewhere else without it and forgot to save your file on a flash drive.
- A virus has infected your computer, and you’ve lost all your work.
- You closed the document without saving it first (this is a crime).
So, we propose two ways of working:
I. (For translators/reviewers) Work with online translation/revision tools that are reliable (i.e. they don’t crash every two minutes, are fast and, if possible, have assisted translation tools).
II. Save documents in the cloud. This point may be of particular interest not only to translators but also to anyone who works with documents (i.e. most employees, whether they are in-house or freelance). And so, we present the most commonly used tools:
- DROPBOX: It was one of the first tools to work in the cloud concept and has 300 million users and, like many, is available on mobile devices. This service is the most widely used cloud storage tool. It offers 2 GB of free storage, which you can increase to up to 18 GB by inviting friends. It has also acquired Mailbox, a fast and efficient e-mail management application. It also has a service for companies that offers unlimited space.
- BOX: This tool is more focused on professional use -although its personal use is also good- and offers 10 GB of free storage, allowing you to send large files by e-mail (like WeTransfer).
- GOOGLE DRIVE: It is a service that not only allows the storage but also the editing of documents through Google Docs, and ready to create spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, forms, documents, etc. It also offers some templates you might find useful. The free storage offers 15 GB that can be expanded up to 10 TB (for a fee).
- COPY: It is a tool that offers 15 GB of free storage to start with, increased by 5 GB each time a friend signs up. There is no file upload limit, and you can share your account with several people, but storage is also shared (10 GB shared between two people means each person gets 5 GB). However, some sites warn that it does not encrypt files, so security is very low.
- ONEDRIVE: It is a tool that comes installed in Windows 10 but also works on other operating systems. Although it used to offer 15 GB of free storage, it has now dropped to 5 GB. It also offers the possibility to edit files if you have Internet access with Office Online. With this service, Word, PowerPoint and Excel files can be created. Unlike the previous tool, the file upload size limit is 15 GB.
- MEGA: It is a tool that offers 50 GB for starters, which can be increased to 4 TB for 8.33 euros per month, and up to 96 TB. It also offers a file encryption service, e-mail and chat between users.
These are our suggestions. At blarlo, we work with all documents online to ensure that no file falls by the wayside and that our team of translators can work on them from the far corners of the globe.
