| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] |
| User | Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff Poll: Do you accept to translate handwritten documents? |
|---|
Chun Un 
Macau
Local time: 06:38
  Member (2007)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| | Yes, all the time... | Feb 7 |
mostly handwritten medical reports/records/notes
| | | |
Anthony Green
Italy
Local time: 00:38
Member (2008)
Italian to English
+ ...
| | what about transcription services? | Feb 7 |
Can I turn this discussion on its head a moment?
I wonder how many of us use a secretarial or transcription service for handwritten documents. One of the advantages is that it allows us to concentrate on what we are good at, which is the translating part (well, I hope!), and if this were a more widespread practice would enable the seriously underemployed and over-educated youth of my part of Europe to specialise in a new skill and begin to earn a living.
This poll discussion has highlighted the fact that one of the reasons for refusing handwritten job lies in the frustration of doing what is an occasional task that we are not trained to do, but if we handed it over to a service then we would keep our customer (and usually ourselves and the transcriber) a lot happier. Sounds like a win-win situation to me
| | | |
Melanie Wittwer
New Zealand
Local time: 10:38
Member (2008)
English to German
+ ...
| | One of my specialities ... | Feb 7 |
... is old German handwritten letters. Time consuming, but quite rewarding. Not financially, though. But then, I'm not in it for the money .
| | | |
humbird
United States
Local time: 15:38
Member (2004)
English to Japanese
+ ...
|
They are mostly medical in subject ... author quite often medical doctors and health specilists.
However, "all the time" doesn't make the job any easier. I have to rack my brain all the time.
| | | |
Suzanne Owen
United States
Local time: 18:38
Member (2009)
German to English
+ ...
| | Yes, if they're in my fields (med/pharm) | Feb 8 |
I get handwritten medical documents all the time, mainly hospital reports -- patient progress notes, surgical progress notes filled out by nurses and doctors. I've also had to translate lab notes.
I don't mind these at all, since I'm used to the terminology and abbreviations. I do charge extra for dealing with handwriting, though, since it's obviously much slower than typewritten text.
| | | |
Yvonne Becker
Venezuela
Local time: 18:08
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
|
Jenny Forbes wrote:
Yes, occasionally, but I don't like doing it.
...
I'd normally refuse illegible jobs, but this was for a good client who urgently needed the job done between Christmas and New Year when I wasn't too busy.
Jenny |
|
It depends on the client. I don't like to translate handwritten documents as I have come across some nasty handwriting, but if it is for a good client I can make an exception.
| | | |
| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] |
The translation workplace 
