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One source of information that is often overlooked by translators is manufacturers' catalogs. These sources can often provide just what is needed, especially when the translation problem hinges on the name of a product, or requires that the translator know what the product looks like.

A good example of a useful catalog is the Newark Electronics general catalog. This company is a supplier of electronic components to industrial customers. My latest version has 1200+ pages, including literally thousands of drawings of electronic parts. The catalog can be ordered online from the Newark Electronics website located at <http://www.newark.com/>. The latest catalog as of this writing is No. 115. This website might also provide telephone and fax numbers for Newark Electronics (the ones listed previously seem to have gone stale), but the author has yet to find them.

Naturally, this catalog is just one example, but it is one that has been cited on the honyaku mailing list at least a dozen times in response to colleagues asking about the names or shapes of electronic components.

Obtaining Other Catalogs

Getting catalogs written in real home-grown English is not that difficult. Here are some suggestions. (Note that in all cases it would be better to make your approach sound like you are a company--very few firms will check this out.)

• Read Trade magazines and fill out "bingo cards"
  Bingo cards are those postcards inserted into magazines with a matrix of numbers that you circles or check to request catalogs. Many times you will only get a catalog of a particular product, but sometimes you can strike paydirt with a catalogzilla like the Newark book.
• Attend Trade Shows
  Aside from providing you a view of the industry, attending a trade show is a good way to collect catalogs. This applies to people in Japan as well, who should prowl the shows looking for booths of foreign manufacturers. They will probably be happy to give you a catalog, and might even be willing to have you shipped a general catalog. Word of advice: Dress like a businessperson; these people develop a sense for who is and is not real. Colleagues based in Japan might want to hit up some Japanese firms for work while they are at the show. And those who are confused by this suggestion might want to check out monograph on serving the Japanese technical translation market.

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