Same question into 20 different language pairs
Thread poster: Mihai Badea (X)
Mihai Badea (X)
Mihai Badea (X)  Identity Verified
Luxembourg
English to Romanian
+ ...
Jun 24, 2005

Hi!

I’d like to discuss a situation that happened last night. A member asked the same (very simple) question into 20 different language pairs. Ms. Natalie (EN-RU moderator) was so kind to answer me that the respective member had broken no rule and she was right. There is currently no rule against posting the same question into several different language pairs.

However, I think that allowing this may stimulate some people to have small jobs (slogans or other such thing
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Hi!

I’d like to discuss a situation that happened last night. A member asked the same (very simple) question into 20 different language pairs. Ms. Natalie (EN-RU moderator) was so kind to answer me that the respective member had broken no rule and she was right. There is currently no rule against posting the same question into several different language pairs.

However, I think that allowing this may stimulate some people to have small jobs (slogans or other such things) done for free. This is not OK. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Edited at 2005-06-24 08:32]
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Michael Deliso
Michael Deliso  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:00
Italian to English
+ ...
I doubt it Jun 24, 2005

Hi Mihai; although I am not a moderator or else,In commenting your quest, my opinion is that, I doubt vey much someone can have his/her translation done through Proz by posting the same question in 20 different languages.. can you explain how this can happen?

 
Mats Wiman
Mats Wiman  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 17:00
Member (2000)
German to Swedish
+ ...
In memoriam
You do not have to answer questions Jun 24, 2005

Hi,

I belong to the minority of professionals that are not bothered by questions being too many or two simple.

First I have turned non-pro questions completely off and I am thus not disturbed if someone wants to get 'Thanks very much!' translated into 20 languages. Consequently I am against setting limits, squashing questions becuase they lack merit etc
I think that even full-time professionals can benefit from so-called 'simple questions' once they stop feeling
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Hi,

I belong to the minority of professionals that are not bothered by questions being too many or two simple.

First I have turned non-pro questions completely off and I am thus not disturbed if someone wants to get 'Thanks very much!' translated into 20 languages. Consequently I am against setting limits, squashing questions becuase they lack merit etc
I think that even full-time professionals can benefit from so-called 'simple questions' once they stop feeling so elevated that they feel unable to lower themselves down to the level of the so-called 'non-professionals'.

Secondly, if I were to look into the non-pro questions, I would simply fly over the uninteresting ones.

Best

Mats Wiman
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Mihai Badea (X)
Mihai Badea (X)  Identity Verified
Luxembourg
English to Romanian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
The asker may be an agency Jun 24, 2005

Michael Deliso wrote:

Hi Mihai; although I am not a moderator or else,In commenting your quest, my opinion is that, I doubt vey much someone can have his/her translation done through Proz by posting the same question in 20 different languages.. can you explain how this can happen?


By some people I meant some agencies. This is not indeed a common situation, however it can happen. It actually happened last night. I understood that this specific asker acted in good faith and he initially tried to have it done as a job, but he was advised to post it in Kudoz section because the question was very simple.


 
mstkwasa
mstkwasa
Local time: 16:00
English to Japanese
+ ...
It's a bit odd Jun 24, 2005

Many thanks Mihai for raising this issue. I think I know whom you are referring to as this particular individual or agency has made an appearance in the EN > JP forum.

As I am one of the do not answer if you do not want to brigade, I did not answer it. Though I had some spare time so I clicked on the profile to find out that this person was asking translations for a simple word in 19 language pairs - the total may have increased since I checked.

I somehow doubt
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Many thanks Mihai for raising this issue. I think I know whom you are referring to as this particular individual or agency has made an appearance in the EN > JP forum.

As I am one of the do not answer if you do not want to brigade, I did not answer it. Though I had some spare time so I clicked on the profile to find out that this person was asking translations for a simple word in 19 language pairs - the total may have increased since I checked.

I somehow doubt that this is a way to translate slogans. The asker said that he/she/it was looking for new translators and it surely is inadequate to see whether one is a good translator or not from just one word.

It is all a bit odd and rather baffling in the strange KudoZ ways...
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Mihai Badea (X)
Mihai Badea (X)  Identity Verified
Luxembourg
English to Romanian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Kudoz – helping fellow translators or agencies? Jun 24, 2005

Mats Wiman wrote:

Hi,

I belong to the minority of professionals that are not bothered by questions being too many or two simple.

First I have turned non-pro questions completely off and I am thus not disturbed if someone wants to get 'Thanks very much!' translated into 20 languages. Consequently I am against setting limits, squashing questions becuase they lack merit etc
I think that even full-time professionals can benefit from so-called 'simple questions' once they stop feeling so elevated that they feel unable to lower themselves down to the level of the so-called 'non-professionals'.

Secondly, if I were to look into the non-pro questions, I would simply fly over the uninteresting ones.

Best

Mats Wiman


Hi,

Thank you very much for your answer.

As far as I am concerned, I’m not too bothered by the simple questions, I skip them. But I do not think Kudoz is the right place to ask the same term into 20 language pairs. I thought Kudoz was basically about helping colleagues to have their own terminological problems solved. When somebody asks a term (which may also be a slogan, an advertisement etc.) into 20 languages, I would rather think it is an agency trying to have a small job done for free.

I know that most agencies are honest and would not try to do such a thing. But, I can tell from my own experience that there are also dishonest agencies and they would probably not refuse this opportunity to have some small jobs done for free.

What I meant through my posting is that, in my opinion, posting the same question into 20 languages should not be allowed. But, it’s just an opinion.


[Edited at 2005-06-24 10:53]


 
Claudia Iglesias
Claudia Iglesias  Identity Verified
Chile
Local time: 13:00
Member (2002)
Spanish to French
+ ...
I agree with you Mihai Jun 24, 2005

Henry has always said that rules can be reviewed, you could suggest this in the Suggestions forum (you'd need more support, though).

The first time I saw this (long ago), not into 20 languages but into 3 or 4, I asked my fellow moderators what should I do, as it's not forbidden by the rules but it made me feel like you do "it's not normal and it should not be allowed". It is obviously a job done thanks to KudoZ, which means that one or more translators don't get that job.
One
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Henry has always said that rules can be reviewed, you could suggest this in the Suggestions forum (you'd need more support, though).

The first time I saw this (long ago), not into 20 languages but into 3 or 4, I asked my fellow moderators what should I do, as it's not forbidden by the rules but it made me feel like you do "it's not normal and it should not be allowed". It is obviously a job done thanks to KudoZ, which means that one or more translators don't get that job.
One of my fellow moderators told me that I could "drop a line". Hard to drop a line as a moderator when you don't have the rules to support you. So I dropped a line as a fellow translator. And at least it stopped that guy.

Another time I saw a question that could be "large bowl", I answered, then I saw the "medium bowl" and the "small bowl" following. I checked the profile and this was being translated into 6 or 7 languages.

This is why I agree with you, these are jobs done thanks to KudoZ and it shouldn't be allowed.

Claudia

[Edited at 2005-06-24 11:38]
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Mihai Badea (X)
Mihai Badea (X)  Identity Verified
Luxembourg
English to Romanian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
19 language pairs Jun 24, 2005

mstkwasa wrote:

As I am one of the do not answer if you do not want to brigade, I did not answer it. Though I had some spare time so I clicked on the profile to find out that this person was asking translations for a simple word in 19 language pairs - the total may have increased since I checked.



You count better than I do. The question was indeed asked in 19 language pairs.

Claudia Iglesias wrote:


This is why I agree with you, these are jobs done thanks to KudoZ and it shouldn't be allowed.



Thanks for your support, Claudia.


 
Balasubramaniam L.
Balasubramaniam L.  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 21:30
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
In the Eng-Hindi and Eng-Urdu forums too Jun 24, 2005

The question you mention appeared in the Eng-Hindi and Eng-Urdu forums too. There was note along with the question that it was needed for a tattoo and would the answers reply in the original script of the above two languages?

I suspect he/she is collecting symbols in different languages for that particular word so that these can be converted into stamps for tattooing.

The person was kind enough, though, to sent me a thank you note via my profile page for answering his q
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The question you mention appeared in the Eng-Hindi and Eng-Urdu forums too. There was note along with the question that it was needed for a tattoo and would the answers reply in the original script of the above two languages?

I suspect he/she is collecting symbols in different languages for that particular word so that these can be converted into stamps for tattooing.

The person was kind enough, though, to sent me a thank you note via my profile page for answering his question !
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Same question into 20 different language pairs






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