Typing Tips for Translators : Keyboards
Is an external keyboard always superior to an integrated notebook keyboard?
Laptop keyboards usually come with low-profile keys, making your typing experience quite comfortable for short sessions. But an external keyboard means you can raise the laptop monitor up and position it further away from you, to avoid looking down and straining your neck and to improve your wrist posture. Watch out for small laptops and notebooks that don’t have full-sized keycaps.
Are mechanical keyboards more durable than membrane ones? I must say I like to hit mine hard when I’m in a hurry.
Mechanical keyboards have a much longer lifespan and they’re less sensitive to hard handling. But you’ll get more out of a mechanical keyboard in terms of speed and comfort if you type lightly and don’t come crashing down on the keys.
Which keyboard do you use yourself?
I use a Filco Majestouch-2 brown switch mechanical keyboard. When I bought it, the choice was limited because I was looking for a Spanish language layout.
Cherry MX brown switches give you tactile feedback when the keys actuate, which means you feel a slight bump when the keypress is registered. Typing is fairly quiet and quite light (the actuation force needed is about 45 cN).