| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Is there a KudoZ question limit? (Staff: 'not site-wide, but mod guidelines exist') Thread poster: Jonathan Widell
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Jonathan Widell 
Canada
Local time: 23:29
Member (2003)
English to Finnish
+ ...
I asked ten KudoZ questions yesterday. The questions were from English into Finnish.
One of the "answers" has been bugging me the whole day. The poster, an American Finn, complained that he had received ten questions from me in his inbox and suggested that I should limit my questions to two or three a day. He also said that if I don't know any English, I shouldn't translate from English into Finnish. If I still have questions, I should consult dictionaries instead of KudoZ.
<... See more I asked ten KudoZ questions yesterday. The questions were from English into Finnish.
One of the "answers" has been bugging me the whole day. The poster, an American Finn, complained that he had received ten questions from me in his inbox and suggested that I should limit my questions to two or three a day. He also said that if I don't know any English, I shouldn't translate from English into Finnish. If I still have questions, I should consult dictionaries instead of KudoZ.
Is this acceptable behavior? I squashed the question immediately, but I think that if guys like that don't have the presence of mind to remove themselves from this forum or at least from the list of email notifications, there should be some other mechanism to treat their major malfunction than just me limiting my daily allowance of KudoZ questions to two or three. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | We do not have a site-wide limit on questions (but mods can set local limits) | Dec 12, 2003 |
Limiting the number of questions a member may ask over a given period has been discussed, but as of now, for various reasons, there is no limit.
So please use your judgement, it is left to you (and no one else) to decide how many questions is too many.
Note added 12/12: Though there is no site-wide limit on number of questions per day, ProZ.com staff know that every language-pair subcommunity is different, and even within subcommunitities, judgement is required to de... See more Limiting the number of questions a member may ask over a given period has been discussed, but as of now, for various reasons, there is no limit.
So please use your judgement, it is left to you (and no one else) to decide how many questions is too many.
Note added 12/12: Though there is no site-wide limit on number of questions per day, ProZ.com staff know that every language-pair subcommunity is different, and even within subcommunitities, judgement is required to determine how many questions is "too many". Moderators have therefore been given discretion in setting guidelines for "local" limits.
This level of guidance by the moderators is important to the site running smoothly. So if it is a moderator suggesting that you cut back on asking, please be mindful that the moderator is speaking on behalf of the subcommunity (and has the authority to do so.)
My apologies to those who have been misled by my brief posting above, and to the moderators who have been inconvenienced by it! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Asker or answerer, please think before posting anything | Dec 12, 2003 |
One asker was so irritated by dictionary answers and went to the extent of asking for banning such answers. Now we have this answerer cited in this thread, who seems to have written without any serious thought. Same kinds of behaviour are seen in forums too. An ordinary posting in French dealing with the World AIDS day made one person write venomous postings and in the course of the heated exchanges, this person withdrew from the Proz membership.
We are all serious professionals and we sho... See more One asker was so irritated by dictionary answers and went to the extent of asking for banning such answers. Now we have this answerer cited in this thread, who seems to have written without any serious thought. Same kinds of behaviour are seen in forums too. An ordinary posting in French dealing with the World AIDS day made one person write venomous postings and in the course of the heated exchanges, this person withdrew from the Proz membership.
We are all serious professionals and we should maintain civility. Even when one is angry, one should take care and write with moderation. In fact the anger is seen with that much more effect and is taken note of in a positive manner.
Regards,
N.Raghavan ▲ Collapse
| | | | cologne
Germany
Local time: 05:29
German to Swedish
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| ask as many questions as you like | Dec 12, 2003 |
Surely, there must be a way to deactivate the mail function and not to receive any mail if questions are asked.
Some people get upset about just anything, I suggest you ignore this person and ask as many questions as you like
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PB Trans
Local time: 04:29
French to English
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| 10-word limit? | Dec 12, 2003 |
I once asked a KudoZ question because I needed to clarify if the sentence was translated correctly in English. I received a response from a member asking me to post the translated sentence because if I did not, I was over the 10-word limit per question.
I posted the sentence because I did not want it to look like I was trying to get a free translation out of it or look like I wanted others to do my work. The reason I did not post the translated sentence was because I wanted to get o... See more I once asked a KudoZ question because I needed to clarify if the sentence was translated correctly in English. I received a response from a member asking me to post the translated sentence because if I did not, I was over the 10-word limit per question.
I posted the sentence because I did not want it to look like I was trying to get a free translation out of it or look like I wanted others to do my work. The reason I did not post the translated sentence was because I wanted to get objective answers.
I then checked the FAQS and could not find anything about a 10-word limit. In fact, I have seen many questions that ask for longer sentences to be translated.
I would like to know if there really is a 10-word limit per question/sentence. I find KudoZ very useful and I wouldn't want to abuse it.
Thanks. ▲ Collapse
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A while ago I had my KudoZ preferences set up to receive KudoZ questions in my inbox and removed it because I was overwhelmed by the many questions I received every day in my combinations.
I think that this is what the person could possibly have done instead of writing you the note. Perhaps the harsh tone in the note was not intentional but this person got overwhelmed by receiving many questions in one day.
I certainly hope that they will not limit the number of qu... See more A while ago I had my KudoZ preferences set up to receive KudoZ questions in my inbox and removed it because I was overwhelmed by the many questions I received every day in my combinations.
I think that this is what the person could possibly have done instead of writing you the note. Perhaps the harsh tone in the note was not intentional but this person got overwhelmed by receiving many questions in one day.
I certainly hope that they will not limit the number of questions that you can ask- what if you are working on a huge translation, are stumped and need clarification on several things. And what if you are then limited to how many you may ask.
Narasimhan is right; we should think before responding so harshly. We are all professinals with a common goal - to deliver first-rate translations to clients. I for one am happy if I can help and hope that someone will be so kind to help me when I need assistance.
Jari, hang in there and do not stop asking if you need help!
Lucinda. ▲ Collapse
| | | | PB Trans
Local time: 04:29
French to English
+ ...
| 10 is not too many | Dec 12, 2003 |
Jari,
Only moderators should decide if too many questions constitute site abuse. If the answerer had a problem with the number of questions you were asking, he should have sent an email to the moderator. Contacting you directly and expressing his opinion about your translating skills is unacceptable behaviour. Receiving questions by email does not obligate anyone to answer them.
Ten questions is not too many, especially if you are working on a very long document. I assu... See more Jari,
Only moderators should decide if too many questions constitute site abuse. If the answerer had a problem with the number of questions you were asking, he should have sent an email to the moderator. Contacting you directly and expressing his opinion about your translating skills is unacceptable behaviour. Receiving questions by email does not obligate anyone to answer them.
Ten questions is not too many, especially if you are working on a very long document. I assume these questions were not for entire sentences, one after the other.
Please do not let angry, judgemental people deter you from using KudoZ. And do not let one person's opinion discourage you.
When I feel discouraged, I try to remember this: A highly-critical person makes a good translator, but an overly-critical one does not make a nice person! Everyone should be treated with kindness and respect. And feedback should be "constructive" and not "insulting".
Just shrug it off. Life is too short to dwell on negativity. That's my motto.
Cheers! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nikki Graham
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:29
Spanish to English
| 10-word limit in FAQs | Dec 12, 2003 |
Pina Nunes wrote:
I then checked the FAQS and could not find anything about a 10-word limit. In fact, I have seen many questions that ask for longer sentences to be translated.
I would like to know if there really is a 10-word limit per question/sentence. I find KudoZ very useful and I wouldn't want to abuse it.
What constitutes a 'proper' KudoZ question?
Each KudoZ question should include a single term, phrase or sentence of up to 10 words. Context must be included--the more the better! In cases where there is no immediate context, decription of the nature of the overall document or situation should be given.
Beyond that, askers should exercise good judgement. Since a single KudoZ question may be sent to as many as 1000 professionals, it is considered polite to consult dictionaries, the ProZ.com glossaries, etc., before asking a question.
http://www.proz.com/?sp=k
Alos included in list of reasons for squashing a question
Reason for making question invisible:
Offensive (sexist, racist, etc.)
Adult nature and/or profane
Unprofessional; lacks literary/technical merit
Nonsense
Repetition
Text to be translated is longer than ten words
Includes more than one term question
Not a KudoZ question
Incomplete question
Asker and answerer the same
Other:
[Edited at 2003-12-12 15:42]
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Kirill Semenov
Ukraine
Local time: 06:29
Member (2004)
English to Russian
+ ...
| Give-and-take basis? | Dec 12, 2003 |
Henry wrote:
Limiting the number of questions a member may ask over a given period has been discussed, but as of now, for various reasons, there is no limit.
Dear Henry,
What do you think about limiting the number of questions not by a period of time but by a number of [won] answers given by the member? I mean kudoZ may be treated as a _mutual_ help system, so it seems logical that if a person gives good answers he or she has `a right' to ask for more help. "Give-and-take": give a good answer and take the right to ask two (or three or four or ten) questions!
[Edited at 2003-12-12 15:47]
| | | | Jonathan Widell
Canada
Local time: 23:29
Member (2003)
English to Finnish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Language pairs | Dec 12, 2003 |
Just a couple of points. All language pairs are not the same. When we are talking about English - Finnish, we should not overestimate the number of questions "flooding" somebody's email even with the most liberal email preferences. I guess that the English - Spanish combination, for instance, deals with as many questions in one day as EN - FI does in one month. Even if I would post two or three questions a day, the total volume of questions in this language pair would actually RISE to something ... See more Just a couple of points. All language pairs are not the same. When we are talking about English - Finnish, we should not overestimate the number of questions "flooding" somebody's email even with the most liberal email preferences. I guess that the English - Spanish combination, for instance, deals with as many questions in one day as EN - FI does in one month. Even if I would post two or three questions a day, the total volume of questions in this language pair would actually RISE to something like three to four a day.
This shows the attitude of the poster in question. Also, the questions I asked consisted of single words, I provided adequate context, and obviously all questions cannot be found in ANY dictionary on this planet, because a few questions are still open.
Secondly, all language pairs do not have a moderator. I am not aware that Finnish has a moderator in any language combination. That is why we have to put up with this kind of vigilantes. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Edward Vreeburg
Netherlands
Local time: 05:29
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
| on the other hand... | Dec 12, 2003 |
If you need to ask 10 questions about 1 text, you probably should not have taken the job in the first place...
Now, I´m not saying that you cannot be surprised by a small piece of very complicated text in the middle of your work, but 10 does seem to me like an awfull lot.
You can either pack them all in one question if they are related, or consider looking them up in a library or via a webglossary somewhere else. Maybe contacting a professional in the field or even you... See more If you need to ask 10 questions about 1 text, you probably should not have taken the job in the first place...
Now, I´m not saying that you cannot be surprised by a small piece of very complicated text in the middle of your work, but 10 does seem to me like an awfull lot.
You can either pack them all in one question if they are related, or consider looking them up in a library or via a webglossary somewhere else. Maybe contacting a professional in the field or even your client can help...
Hey, I love the KudoZ system, but if I miss out on a job and 2 hours later there is somebody asking questions about the same text
I start to wonder...
No need for personal abuse though!
We can all get KudoZ points by answering these questions...
Ed ▲ Collapse
| | | | PB Trans
Local time: 04:29
French to English
+ ...
| To Nikki and Ed | Dec 12, 2003 |
Nikki Graham wrote:
Each KudoZ question should include a single term, phrase or sentence of up to 10 words.
Nikki,
Thank you very much for clarifying that for me.
Ed Vreeburg wrote:
You can either pack them all in one question if they are related...
Ed, it wouldn't be a good idea to pack all the terms into one question. The rules are one question per term or 10-word sentence. It makes it impossible to get accurate/complete replies if all the terms are packed into one question. And then entering the answers in the glossary would be really complicated. I know, because I inadvertently asked for three terms in one question (because they all followed one another in the sentence). The question was quashed, but rightly so. And the person who quashed it sent me a nice email explaining her reasons for doing so. That's what I call constructive criticism. I reposted the questions separately and got all the answers I needed.
Cheers!
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Kirill Semenov
Ukraine
Local time: 06:29
Member (2004)
English to Russian
+ ...
Ed Vreeburg wrote:
If you need to ask 10 questions about 1 text, you probably should not have taken the job in the first place...
No need for personal abuse though!
We can all get KudoZ points by answering these questions...
Ed
The problem is that there are people who just abuse kudoZ by a lot of questions. They get a job, then they put the main burden of the job onto their kudoZ colleagues. Moreover, in most cases they do not care even to say simple human "thank you" to people who helped them, and even points do not give the gratitude everyone of us should probably feel when giving a good answer.
My opinion is that a person who asks a lot of questions should provide at least a half of that help to others. Want to ask a couple question? Give at least one good answer! That's how it should be among _professional translators_.
As for many non-members (non-professionals) I think there must be not "easy" but "non-professional" questions area -- and without kudoZ points for answers -- however revolutionary it may sound (I'm aware it may be a shock for many of us, but -- yes! no kudoZ points!).
[Edited at 2003-12-12 18:42]
| | | | Jonathan Widell
Canada
Local time: 23:29
Member (2003)
English to Finnish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Well, I don't know, Kirill. Askers don't always give you points for the right answers as it is, and I don't find that very encouraging, to be honest.
But I think that abuse is the biggest problem here, no matter how splendid ProZ may be in other respects. And even if abuse may be most common in the language pairs that don't have a moderator, I have seen it even in some language pairs that do, and in fact it has been directed at the moderator himself at least once! It is primarily be... See more Well, I don't know, Kirill. Askers don't always give you points for the right answers as it is, and I don't find that very encouraging, to be honest.
But I think that abuse is the biggest problem here, no matter how splendid ProZ may be in other respects. And even if abuse may be most common in the language pairs that don't have a moderator, I have seen it even in some language pairs that do, and in fact it has been directed at the moderator himself at least once! It is primarily because of this sort of abuse that I stopped visiting ProZ for a few months, and I am sorry to encounter it again within a few hours after my "comeback".
Ed, I get your point, but even if somone might ask questions in the "professional" category, that does not necessarily mean that he is actually getting paid for the job or that he had much choice in accepting the job. Besides, as was mentioned earlier, sometimes you don't ask KudoZ questions because you have no clue what the answer is but because you like to doublecheck your choices with somebody else. Not to mention the fact that some texts are tricky enough to merit easily the 10 questions I was talking about. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | 10 words is not so much | Dec 12, 2003 |
When you are emitting a judgment on the asker, saying that 10 questions tend to prove that the asker does not know sufficiently the language or the subject, you never know the length of the translated text. I am quite often working on huge jobs more than 100.000 words. When I do not find the right translation for a word, I always hope to find it later on during the translation. So I keep it on hold. When everything is finished and that I still wonder how to translate 5, 8 or 10 particular words ... See more
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