For the self-employed MT, time quite literally is money.  So it makes sense to make use of as many time-saving programs as you can get your hands on, to increase your efficiency and output.

In the past, smart typists made good use of things such as macros, autotext and autocorrect functions in Word.  I still use these functions extensively when I work on-site for clients.

These days, we have even more options available in the form of things such as text expanders.

A text expander is a program that you add codes or shortcuts to, to enable you to type more quickly and efficiently.  One of the best little investments I ever made for my business was to purchase a licence for a text expander program called Shorthand for Windows.  It's not the most sophisticated program but it more than does the job and I can't praise it highly enough.  I have used it for more than five years now and have something close to 2000 shortcuts and codes in it.  The program runs in the background once you turn it on, and it works in whatever you're typing.  It doesn't have to be a Word document, it will work in an email program, on a forum, on Twitter, Facebook - anywhere! I think I paid something like $AUD100 for a lifetime licence (it was years ago so I can't remember the exact cost but it wasn't much) and I can confidently say it's paid for itself several times over.

It is almost to the point where I do type in a form of shorthand; my codes are so embedded in my head and if I ever find myself on another computer somewhere and start typing, I automatically start typing in code, which of course doesn't work on another computer and it ends up looking quite strange! And you quickly realise the benefit of it when you find yourself back to typing everything out in full again.

Text expander programs are absolutely invaluable to the busy MT.  I mean, why type something like bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy out in full each time when you can type a simple code? For the example shown here, my code is bsalp.  Five keystrokes as opposed to 30! I use codes for everything from complex medical terms, to standard greetings such as "It was a pleasure to see" (code = iwapts).  I have found that for recurrent phrases, using the first letter of each word is the best way to go, however sometimes you get several phrases with the same first letter combination.  In this case, I put them all in the one code, separated by a forward slash and then just delete the one I don't want.  Here is an example.  If I type the code wba, I get "will be arranged/would be appropriate/would be available".  Similarly, if I type iha I get "I have arranged/advised" and simply delete the word I don't want.

There are plenty of other text expander programs out there, including ones which can hold entire standard letters.  I haven't used them but I have heard good reports about them.

Using a text expander program will not only save you time and allow you to earn more, it also saves your poor, hardworking little fingers.  Make the investment.  You'll never regret it.