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| User | Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff Poll: Does the request for a test translation deter you from proceeding with a potential job? |
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ProZ.com Staff 
United States
Local time: 15:06
 Member (2011)
SITE STAFF |
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Does the request for a test translation deter you from proceeding with a potential job?".
This poll was originally submitted by Amanda Jane Lowles. View the poll results »
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Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 07:06
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
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... for potential new clients. However, I stop in my tracks if the trial translation is excessively long. Nothing longer than a page and a half, please.
I'm surprised at all the Yes's so far. A test translation is an excellent chance to demonstrate your skills and prove your capabilities and worth to a potential new client. You can also gage what their quality requirements are, too. 
Happy translating!
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Mamande
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:06
Member (2010)
English to French
| | Why should I be deterred ? | Jan 6 |
How would you ascertain the quality of a translator you have never worked with ?
Personally I see no harm in passing a small test, particularly with new clients, it seems to be a reasonable due diligence if I might say so )
Of course it depends on the length of the test (no more than 300-500 words max).
Like Julian I'm a bit surprised by the number of yes.
I am aware that some professionals might divide a text and send it to various translator as a test so to have a free translation at the end. But I think it is possible to identify those.
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Teresa Borges
Belgium
Local time: 00:06
Member (2007)
German to Portuguese
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... for potential new clients (within reason: 500 words max., no deadline)!
As Julian says: "A test translation is an excellent chance to demonstrate your skills and prove your capabilities and worth to a potential new client."
Like Julian and Mamande I am surprised by the number of yes!
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Mary Worby
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:06
 Member
German to English
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I'm happy to complete short test translations, either on a general basis or for a specific job. Obviously, I'd rather be paid for these and in a lot of cases I am, but if they are free I will not accept specific deadlines, I will do them in my own time.
I have had very lucrative relationships come out of completing test translations.
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Taner Göde
Turkey
Local time: 01:06
English to Turkish
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I don't do "test translations" at all.
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Nikki Scott-Despaigne
France
Local time: 00:06
French to English
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In agreement with the previous postings although the length of the document must really be limited.
A couple of experiences though where a test returned by a potential new client with an extremely fixed idea of what specific word should be used in a particular instance. One example of "voies publiques" which in the context of roadworks was "public highway" or something similar relating to roads. The would-be client rejected me as they wanted "path" in spite of the fact that this was a major road into a major city. The person accrediting the would-be new translator was French mother tongue and had a very dated dictionary for word for word checking. In fact, not really the type of client I would want to work with anyway!
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 00:06
Member (2007)
Spanish to English
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Unless for a promising-looking direct client, and not just on spec for some agency I may or may not have heard of.
I had one negative experience where an agency with a good Blue Board rating asked me for a sample translation they said they needed for a potential telecom tender. I did a good job on the rather long text sample, then agreed to do another part, which they agreed to pay for whether they eventually were awarded the tender or not. However, I think they failed to get the job and subsequently disputed the wordcount, so rather than waste time arguing over small potatoes I just decided not to pursue it and to bin any similar requests in future.
I must add that I have been translating for quite a while now, so have become cynical and recalcitrant in these matters, whereas a younger or less experienced person more eager to embrace new "opportunities" might be more open to providing sample translations. In their case, I'd recommend not doing anything too long, usually not more than 500-600 words max.
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Interlangue
Belgium
Local time: 00:06
English to French
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Depends on who is asking: some agencies I work with sometimes request a test so the final customer can chose a "preferred translator", sometimes even to try and get a new customer. They tell me though, and those tests are always paid.
One agency I had never worked with asked me 3 test translations at once, no deadline (no pay either). Before doing them, I started inquiring and checking about the reputation of that agency. They came back after a month, wondering why I had not sent the translations. I simply replied I would not work with black listed agencies.
Happy translating and Buona Befana!
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David Wright
Austria
Local time: 00:06
Member (2007)
German to English
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I simply don't have the time to do test translations. I can see their point, but at least for the moment I can choose to work for clients for whom my experience is suffcient proof of my abilities.
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Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 00:06
Member (2006)
German to English
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JulianHolmes wrote:
... for potential new clients. However, I stop in my tracks if the trial translation is excessively long. Nothing longer than a page and a half, please.
I'm surprised at all the Yes's so far. A test translation is an excellent chance to demonstrate your skills and prove your capabilities and worth to a potential new client. You can also gage what their quality requirements are, too.
Happy translating!
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But I limit it to 300 words though as I do not have time to do long test translations
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Giles Watson
Italy
Local time: 00:06
Member
Italian to English
| | It's been ages since anyone asked | Jan 6 |
New clients tend to get in touch because they have either seen my published work or have been recommended by existing customers. I charge fairly ambitious rates so enquirers who are just looking for "a translator" will always be able to find cheaper options.
In any case, I don't accept jobs outwith my fairly restricted sectors of specialisation.
Giles
PS Yes, I pass on enquiries I'm not interested in to colleagues, many of them Prozians 
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Tatty
Spain
Local time: 00:06
Spanish to English
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| | No text translations for me | Jan 6 |
I simply don't have time to do text translations either. Not only that, if there is no payment, I am not at all motivated to do the translation, however short, and I am in a bad mood from start to finish. I also hold it against the agency in question forever. As a result I don't do test translations.
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José Henrique Lamensdorf
Brazil
Local time: 19:06
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
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| | Other deterrents shoot it down first | Jan 6 |
There are many other deterrents that will make me give up on the offer before considering if it's worth taking their required test, for instance:
- Low rates, especially asking for my best rate.
- Long payment terms, anything beyond 30 calendar days from delivery (one outsourcer specified 30 business days in their fine print).
- Unmitigating demand for references' contact info, which I don't give. Poaching seems to be their marketing strategy.
- Scanned files from my documents required.
- Leonine vendor agreements, often disguised as NDAs.
- Overly large, complex, and often buggy Excel spreadsheets to fill in with tons of irrelevant details for registering with them.
- Trados - and no other - being an absolute must (even for audio/video recordings, handwritten docs, or very small files).
- No web site other than a recent personal profile on Proz.
- Google cannot find them.
Any of the above will stop me before I consider whether I should take their test. In any case, 97% of my web site is bilingual, so they can have a hopefully interesting sample of my writing in both languages, if that's really what they want.
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Nikki Graham
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:06
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
| | In theory no, in practice yes | Jan 6 |
If I am busy, then the test translation goes to the end of the queue, and often by the time I can get round to it too much time has gone by, so I just don't bother.
But I also agree with José's list. I am not a great fan of filling out extensive forms for agencies I have never worked with, as this has not led to work in the past, or attaching my signature on the end of an agreement I don't see eye to eye with.
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