If, like me, you find yourself constantly juggling large documents, sending them back and forth to clients, you'll know that some files are just too big to send by email. You'll also know that with the speed at which we translators work these days, files need to be transferred instantly and burning the files to a CD and sending via snail mail is just not an option. You may, instead, have come across the term FTP at some point.

Now I have to admit, the first time a client said to me "upload it to our FTP site" I panicked. I had no idea what an FTP site was, where and how I could find it or how to use it. I was completely confused and tried anything I possibly could to avoid having to use it. As it turns out, no matter how much stripping out and zipping you do, some files are still just too big to send by email and using an FTP site really is the best option. But here's the thing: despite the fact that it sounds really technical and complicated, it's actually a really simple concept and surprisingly easy to use. As with most things, it's easy once you know how!

So, if you feel the same sense of panic and confusion when a client mentions downloading from or uploading to their FTP site, let me help make things a little clearer for you.

What does FTP stand for?

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. "But what does that mean?" I hear you ask. In simple terms, a File Transfer Protocol is a fast, efficient and secure method for transferring files from one server to another over the Internet (particularly those huge, gazillion-MB files that can't be sent by email because of their size).

If it's still not making much sense to you, try this: think of an FTP site as an online 'virtual filing cabinet'. The way it works is simple: you log on to the 'virtual filing cabinet' and, once logged on, you can upload or download files. As with a traditional filing cabinet, the person who does the filing decides how to organize the files and which files to keep locked and which can be made public. To access the files stored in a client's 'virtual filing cabinet' (FTP site) they'll need to give you a key so you can open it. The virtual 'key' comes in the form of a User name and Password. This will be unique for each person who is granted access.

So how do you log onto an FTP site then?

I use both a PC and Mac and the methods for logging onto an FTP site differ slightly for each. For both you'll need to know where the 'virtual filing cabinet' is located, i.e. you'll need the address (an FTP address looks much like a website address except it begins ftp:// rather than http://), plus you'll need the key (the User name and Password from the client). Once you have these, here are the steps you should follow:

Logging on from a PC

1. Open "My Computer" or "Windows Internet Explorer" on your computer (you'll find these on your desktop or in your start menu)
2. Type the FTP address into the address bar (e.g. ftp://ftp.example.com) and click "Enter"
3. A small screen will pop up prompting you to enter your User name and Password. Enter these and click "Log On"
4. You will now have access to the FTP site which will look just like any other folder on your computer. From here you can open files or copy and paste them to/from elsewhere on your computer.

Logging on from a Mac

1. From your Mac desktop hit Command+K to bring up the "Connect to Server" window
2. Enter the FTP address (e.g. ftp://ftp.example.com) and click "Connect"
3. Enter your User name and Password when prompted and click "Connect" again.
4. You will now have access to the FTP site. From here you can open files or copy and paste them to/from elsewhere on your computer.

Easy, right?

Using an FTP site really is a convenient method for transferring files and you will probably find that a number of your clients will have an FTP server set up and are therefore able to give you access to their FTP site for the purposes of sending or receiving large files. However, setting up an FTP server if you don't already have one is pretty tricky and requires some technical savvy. I personally wouldn't bother spending time doing this as these days there are plenty of free file transfer options available to you via the Internet. Two commonly-used free programs are Filezilla and YouSendIt. They are available for free download (here and here). When a client doesn't have an FTP site for me to access, I use YouSendIt and find it really simple to use.

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