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| User | Thread poster: Martin Damiano Alcorta Did I do the right thing? |
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Martin Damiano Alcorta 
Argentina
Local time: 17:15
 Partial member (Jan 2012)
English to Spanish
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Hi everybody
I've recently been contacted by an outsoucer, who I applied for several months ago. She seemed interested in my services and kindly asked me to do a test. First of all I Let her know my specializations, and then I received the file. When I read it, I found that it was about some other fields, so I decided that it'd be best not to translate it and to request a second test in the fields I excel on. This is what she wrote to me after I asked her for a second test:
"Unfortunately we barely translate in the areas you’ve mentioned.
Good luck in your translator career."
So, I lost the job assignment, but I safeguarded my reputation by not delivering a poor translation... Do you think that I did the right thing?
Cheers,
Martín
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Mikhail Kropotov
Russian Federation
Local time: 00:15
 Member (2005)
English to Russian
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You did the right thing and I think you know it. Period.
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Alexander Onishko
Ukraine
Local time: 23:15
Member (2007)
Russian to English
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Martin Damiano Alcorta wrote:
Hi everybody
I've recently been contacted by an outsoucer, who I applied for several months ago. She seemed interested in my services and kindly asked me to do a test. First of all I Let her know my specializations, and then I received the file. When I read it, I found that it was about some other fields, so I decided that it'd be best not to translate it and to request a second test in the fields I excel on. This is what she wrote to me after I asked her for a second test:
"Unfortunately we barely translate in the areas you’ve mentioned.
Good luck in your translator career."
So, I lost the job assignment, but I safeguarded my reputation by not delivering a poor translation... Do you think that I did the right thing?
Cheers,
Martín |
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That's tricky. If you do not wish to translate their subjects then you are right.
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Martin Damiano Alcorta
Argentina
Local time: 17:15
Partial member (Jan 2012)
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER |
I feel that I did the right thing, but sometimes I don't because it's been like 20 days without an assignment... and I wanted to know what my colleagues think about this, thanks!
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Alexander Onishko
Ukraine
Local time: 23:15
Member (2007)
Russian to English
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Martin Damiano Alcorta wrote:
I feel that I did the right thing, but sometimes I don't because it's been like 20 days without an assignment... and I wanted to know what my colleagues think about this, thanks! |
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Really - you have 2 options - translate their subjects or not translate their subjects. Whichever you think is better for you is correct descision.
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Annett Hieber
Germany
Local time: 22:15
Member (2008)
English to German
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you did the right thing! If they generally don't have jobs in your area and you would translate this material, you only would destroy your reputation. Steer clear of this agency and put more emphasis on finding new clients in your area.
Annett
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Martin Damiano Alcorta
Argentina
Local time: 17:15
Partial member (Jan 2012)
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER |
Thank you very much Annett! I really appreciate your advice!
Martín
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Tomás Cano Binder, CT
Spain
Local time: 22:15
 Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
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Yes, you definitely did the right thing. The agency was wrong and clumsy trying to lure you into fields you are not acquainted with.
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Phil Hand
China
Local time: 04:15
Member (2011)
Chinese to English
| | Do you want to expand the areas you work in? | Jan 20 |
Lots of translators are generalists, who accept pretty much any kind of text. If you're worried about a lack of work, expanding the subject areas you work in can be helpful. With the internet, you can find models for pretty much all text types, and emulate them. It's a discipline, but if you want to expand, the resources are there.
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Giles Watson
Italy
Local time: 22:15
Member
Italian to English
| | To expand or not to expand | Jan 20 |
Phil Hand wrote:
Lots of translators are generalists, who accept pretty much any kind of text. If you're worried about a lack of work, expanding the subject areas you work in can be helpful. With the internet, you can find models for pretty much all text types, and emulate them. It's a discipline, but if you want to expand, the resources are there.
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It's one thing to "emulate" the style of a text but if you don't have a knowledge of the subject area, you will probably be unable to identify all the key notions, assumptions and style expectations it contains and reformulate them convincingly in the target language. At the very least, you are likely to be unaware of the range of translation options you have available.
By all means explore lucrative new fields but remember that they are lucrative for a reason 
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Vladimír Hoffman
Slovakia
Local time: 22:15
Member (2009)
English to Slovak
+ ...
| | There is always some new | Jan 20 |
knowledge, even if a translator is specialized in certain field. Many texts are interdisciplinary (tenders being the most notable example) and a translator needs to cope with broad range of terms from various areas.
As generalist I has been often offered translations related to topics, about which I have no idea and only way how to cope with the task was to acquire required knowledge during the translation. Although such learning is stressful and painful, it can result in broader range of services offered to clients (moreover, it is amazing challenge).
Of course, I can not say if the asker made mistake. It depends on the fields in question and on the his willingness (or need) to engage in new area. Actually, there are some highly specialised fields (such as medicine), in which I do not longer want to engage. But, generally speaking, there is noting wrong with exploring new areas.
Giles Watson wrote:
It's one thing to "emulate" the style of a text but if you don't have a knowledge of the subject area, you will probably be unable to identify all the key notions, assumptions and style expectations it contains and reformulate them convincingly in the target language. |
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Christine Andersen
Denmark
Local time: 22:15
Member (2003)
Danish to English
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I don't know your language pairs or your subject fields - they are the kind of work I drop at once and recommend the client to a colleague. They do call for a specialist.
But there are many texts that do not go deeper than the level of a newspaper article. By this I mean they call for an intelligent reader, but not an expert in the subject field, and these are fair game for any translator.
Information to the general public on this and that... Expertise in the field may be an advantage, but you can find support on the Internet for that kind of thing and earn a little while waiting for the specialist jobs.
Best of luck!
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Lisa Simpson, MCIL
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:15
Member (2010)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| | Just done it myself | Jan 20 |
Turned down 38,000 words on the subject of electricity generators because it is just not my area. I turn down work I am not qualified to do 3 or 4 times a week. Apart from it being unprofessional, I couldn't live with the headache of trying to grapple with a subject I knew nothing about and then the hassle of problems with payment because the client was (understandably) not happy with the result. You've saved yourself a lot of potential stress.
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:15
Member (2007)
Spanish to English
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Phil Hand wrote:
Lots of translators are generalists, who accept pretty much any kind of text. If you're worried about a lack of work, expanding the subject areas you work in can be helpful. With the internet, you can find models for pretty much all text types, and emulate them. It's a discipline, but if you want to expand, the resources are there. |
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My case exactly. Everyone is different and some people prefer to stick to their comfort zone, while others are perhaps more... adventurous, if not reckless.
I accept pretty much any kind of text that I think I can do a reasonably good job of, if the format, deadline and price are right. Otherwise I'd be stuck doing the same kind of stuff all the time and would likely get bored. Sometimes it is an effort to "change chip" and switch from one field to another but you get used to it after a while.
Yesterday, for example I worked in fruit+veg and security systems for my own clients and helped out a colleague with a railway construction text, as well as managing/passing on translations into Italian and Spanish (on Education and waste disposal, respectively) for 2 colleagues.
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Martin Damiano Alcorta
Argentina
Local time: 17:15
Partial member (Jan 2012)
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER |
I've read all the posts and they got me thinking, maybe I'll try to do a research in another field, but I'll do it at my own pace, because when someone gives you a heavy technical text it can be really stressful to cope with and to try to learn all the new terms that constantly come up... Many thanks to all of you! You've been most hepful!
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