anisco Germany Local time: 21:52 English to German + ...
I fully second that!
Mar 15, 2009
Adrian Boyle wrote:
I think if we want to be treated as professionals, we have to act as professionals. As Milos points out, no self-respecting professional would ever undertake a "free trial" to prove their worth. Such an indignity might be understandable for a translator of limited experience. But for those of us with more than a decade under our belt, it's quite insulting to be asked to work for free. In my many years as a translator I have gone through phases of doing trials, refusing to do trials, asking to submit samples instead of trials.... you name it. I have also asked a few clients to submit trials to me by asking them to provide a sample of work they had previously received from a translator, edited and submitted to the end client. You'd be surprised how turning the tables on these jokers shows their true colors. At least here in the Tokyo market, I have found that clients asking for trials are not good leads for work (to say the least). I very much appreciated Viktoria Gimbe's idea of asking for payment for the trial, and then deducting it from the first job.
Thanks, Adrian!
Best,
Aniello
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Tomás Cano Binder, CT Spain Local time: 21:52 Member (2005) English to Spanish + ...
350 words an hour - Quite a normal speed... even for a test
Mar 16, 2009
Gianni Pastore wrote:
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
Samuel Murray wrote:
My mistake. Make it half an hour. And draw the line at 350 words.
Still too short. I think a test of that size in an area you know very well can easily take over an hour... if you want to deliver a good test.
For a test in an area you are supposed to know very well and therefore needs virtually no research? Frankly, such speed doesn't ring the "hi-confi" bell in my ears
Gianni, we are talking about a test, not a translation. In a test, you are bound to encounter expressions or terms you don't usually see for your other customers in the area, or maybe the document has legal implications (references to regulations or official language) you want to confirm. And after all, 350 words per hour is supposedly what a translator does in a normal hour, or so they say.
So please... don't say you would not trust a translator who would not do a 350-word test in 30 minutes. Personally, if someone returned a test to me in 30 minutes... I would be most suspicious!
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No test can prove dependability / Translator can't test client
Mar 16, 2009
I find that what most clients want above all is a trustworthy, honest person they can count on. No test can show that.
The last 2 times a client called and asked me to do a test, I refused. Both times, they accepted my refusal and we went ahead with the job anyway. The last time, I said if the first text was not up to their standards, that I wouldn't charge them. I thought they were serious enough at this point that I could take that risk.
Let's not forget either that as translators, we have no way of testing clients, so we are also taking a risk here.
If you want a plumber for a big job, call him in for a small job first.
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I don't do free test translations anymore. That is, I don't reply to such emails that " we all get each week".
I will gladly provide the client with samples of my previous translation work, signed with my name, and with references given by my ex supervisors who are professional referees. That will suffice. However, if they want to test me, they will have to pay for it, because it's my work, time and expertise. And I refuse to give them away for free.
I agree with Milos. I would also like to test a cook, a baker, a plumber, etc, before paying them for their services. But I can't do it. Therefore, no one will do that to me, either.
Also, if they want to test me for free, I also want to test them back. How can they prove they are a serious agency, with a serious budget, that will provide me with a large- volume work that they are promising with each free test translation proposition ? Is there a test for that ?
With Samuel Murray's attitude I'm not surprised translators
are continually "taken for a ride" and exploited.
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Charlie Bavington United Kingdom Local time: 20:52 French to English
Disagreement and suchlike
Mar 17, 2009
Eleftherios Kritikakis wrote:
The original point of the person who started this thread, was to note that translators are not treated as fairly as other professionals. Most of the people who replied, tried to find ways to discredit this statement. I guess you people like to argue and disagree...
It would be a pretty dull thread if all the comments were "Absolutely agree, old chap, it's scandalous that we are not treated like plumbers". A veritable yawn-fest.
In my case, it really is not a question of "trying to find ways to discredit the statement". I thought the whole thing was patent nonsense from the first syllable to the last. No effort required.
This thread provides plenty of valid reasons why free tests may be considered by some people to be both needed and feasible without constituting a crime against humanity.
Those in the other camp have equally valid viewpoints, although I personally find the constant comparison to other professions tiresome in the extreme - if you don't want to work for free, just say so; it's not such a radical viewpoint that it needs support by listing all the jobs in yellow pages that also do not offer free work.
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Laura Tridico United States Member (2006) French to English + ...
I couldn't agree more Charlie...
Mar 17, 2009
We all have different marketing approaches. If someone agrees to take a 250 word translation test, this will not result in the collapse of the translation market. Likewise, many translators have a policy of declining tests, which is equally legitimate. Whatever works.
We're all independent professionals with many ways to approach our business. There are countless paths to success - some may even include test translations. I'm happy to debate the pros and cons of any issue and I respect other viewpoints. However, I find it tiresome when opinions are expressed such that dissent becomes a (subjective) indicator of unprofessionalism.
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