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Poll: Which is your greatest hindrance while translating?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
Silvina Matheu
Silvina Matheu  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 09:23
Member
English to Spanish
+ ...
Very good, indeed! Feb 18, 2007

Jack Doughty wrote:

To Tomas Carlo Binder and anyone else interested: one possible technique is suggested here.
http://www.howtoprankatelemarketer.ytmnd.com/


 
Silvina Matheu
Silvina Matheu  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 09:23
Member
English to Spanish
+ ...
Now my vote: other Feb 18, 2007

- Deadlines when they are almost impossible to meet

- Family and others interrupting just because I'm at home

Have a good Sunday!

Silvina


 
Dinny
Dinny  Identity Verified
Greece
Local time: 14:23
Italian to Danish
+ ...
Bad internet connection and lack of dictionaries Feb 18, 2007

Like Jane, the worst time loss is due to my (modem) internet connection, everything takes FOREVER. While customers would send me pdf-files of 6-8 MB just as reference material which takes an hour just to save from the mail to my PC!
I have just heard that the local telephone company has just made twenty (20!!) ADSL connections available and I simply MUST be first in line at the OTE office Monday morning to subscribe!

Dictionaries! Why hasn't anybody ever made a good, reliable
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Like Jane, the worst time loss is due to my (modem) internet connection, everything takes FOREVER. While customers would send me pdf-files of 6-8 MB just as reference material which takes an hour just to save from the mail to my PC!
I have just heard that the local telephone company has just made twenty (20!!) ADSL connections available and I simply MUST be first in line at the OTE office Monday morning to subscribe!

Dictionaries! Why hasn't anybody ever made a good, reliable technical Italian/Danish dictionary? Whenever bumping into a term which I am not certain about how to translate correctly I have to check Eurodicautom, then go through the Italian/English dictionary, then the English/Danish dictionary and, finally, spend forever to check in google that whatever translation I find is actually the correct term in the given circumstances.

Still, I wouldn't change my job for anything else in the world.
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Textklick
Textklick  Identity Verified
Local time: 12:23
German to English
+ ...
In memoriam
FAQs Feb 18, 2007

Jack Doughty wrote:

To Tomas Carlo Binder and anyone else interested: one possible technique is suggested here.
http://www.howtoprankatelemarketer.ytmnd.com/


Thanks, Jack. ROTFLMAO!

Seriously, the best line IME is "Did you know that this is a business number? Wins almost always and very quickly. It might even mean that your number is scratched from the lists that these companies trade.

Less seriously - an amusing way of enjoying light relief at such times:

"Hello is that Mr. Binder/Doughty/whoever?"

Grunt to the caller in an affirmative way and listen politely to the next question.

Answer ths question by slowly reading out the source text which is displayed on your screen. The conversation is likely to end with a "Fastklick".

In the unlikely event of their understanding, you could always say "I was going to translate that as XXX. What do you think?"

Or - if it sounds like a call centre in another country, switch to hands- free mode, which immediately changes the volume and timbre. Cut in with an odd accent and hysterical voice, explaining that there is a bomb scare, and that all staff must evacuate the building immediately.

Cheers
Chris


 
Amy Duncan (X)
Amy Duncan (X)  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 09:23
Portuguese to English
+ ...
I can relate! Feb 18, 2007

Sarah Downing wrote:

Sorry if this makes me sound like a grumpy bitch - when it comes to what I am about to say, I basically am;-). It is important to me to deliver a translation that reads well and is correct, but over the years it has become almost matter-of-course in my language combination that someone (be it an incompetent non-native proofreader, an arrogant manager or another end customer) basically fiddle around with my translations and **** them up! This just happens way too often, and is both depressing and demoralising.

Sarah

[Edited at 2007-02-17 01:20]


Wow, Sarah, I can really relate to so much of what you said, especially the part about people looking at you askance because you might want to get up late or take a shower in the afternoon, or whatever. Actually, after reading your post, I feel pretty lucky, because the company I do most of my work for at the moment is quite flexible, and they never revise my work (I don't think they even check it, to tell you the truth). For awhile they got into the habit of calling me at 9 a.m. or even earlier, but I put the kabosh on that, and told them I didn't answer my phone or turn on my computer until 10 a.m. Now I'm thinking about making that even more flexible, because I don't like to be chained to my desk, no no! I'm a musician, and do translations to support myself, not because it's my dream career. I enjoy it for the most part, but as a musician, I just can't keep regular schedules, unless a deadline is involved, of course.

As for the excessive "editing," I ran into more of this when I was a journalist, which was actually worse, because it was an international publication and my name was on the articles. Fortunately, it was only during the rather brief reign of one editor, who had assigned a totally incompetent person to check (read: rewrite) my articles, but it was really awful.

In understanding compassion,
Amy


 
Amy Duncan (X)
Amy Duncan (X)  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 09:23
Portuguese to English
+ ...
How to get rid of salespeople forever! Feb 18, 2007

Tomás Cano Binder wrote:


P.S.: Has anybody found a good strategy against the salespeople calling several times a day? We have implemented one recently, and hope it works in the long run: we simply say that we don't discuss any purchases over the phone and that they are free to write us a letter. They sound discouraged when we say so... We'll see if at least that stops the frequent callers (sometimes it's the same company time and time again under a different name)!


OK, when it comes to unsolicited sales calls (or any kind of unwanted, unsolicited calls) I really am a bitch, but try to be a nice one. I say, in a friendly voice, "I know this is just your job and it's not your fault, but I don't take this type of phone call because I consider it an invasion of privacy." I haven't had any of this type of call in a couple of years!

Amy


 
Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:23
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Unwanted telemarketers - National Do Not Call Registry Feb 18, 2007

For those of us do not wish to entertain telemarketing calls, there is a simple solution, the National Do Not Call Registry. You can register your home phone and cellphone numbers, and it will be on the no-call list for 5 years.
Telemarketers are required by law to comply with the list, if they don't, you can file a complaint and they can be fined for I think 10,000 USD per violation.

Here is the link to register your number:<
... See more
For those of us do not wish to entertain telemarketing calls, there is a simple solution, the National Do Not Call Registry. You can register your home phone and cellphone numbers, and it will be on the no-call list for 5 years.
Telemarketers are required by law to comply with the list, if they don't, you can file a complaint and they can be fined for I think 10,000 USD per violation.

Here is the link to register your number:

https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx
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Sarah Downing
Sarah Downing  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:23
German to English
+ ...
Great to know I'm not alone;-) Feb 18, 2007

Thanks Patricia, Tomás and Amy for your support - it's great to know I'm not alone, and sometimes it just does you good to have a moan and get it out of your system;-)

Have a great week!

Sarah


 
Viktoria Gimbe
Viktoria Gimbe  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 08:23
English to French
+ ...
Phone calls Feb 19, 2007

I have stopped using Messenger a long time ago - totally unproductive! I only use it when a client writes me an e-mail asking me to log on.

What keeps me distracted way too much is phone calls from people who think that just because I'm at home, that necessarily means I am free and just relaxing. My mom calls me all the time, and I keep telling her I have a deadline. I can't tell how many times we"ve been through that conversation - but every day, I have to go through it agai
... See more
I have stopped using Messenger a long time ago - totally unproductive! I only use it when a client writes me an e-mail asking me to log on.

What keeps me distracted way too much is phone calls from people who think that just because I'm at home, that necessarily means I am free and just relaxing. My mom calls me all the time, and I keep telling her I have a deadline. I can't tell how many times we"ve been through that conversation - but every day, I have to go through it again... My cat also keeps distracting me. He is on a diet - which seems to be working quite well, by the way - and he is constantly nagging me to feed him, so I often take the time to play with him a bit to distract him from his constant hunger. Then I get back to work and... where was I?

I now have two separate phone numbers and the one reserved for clients has a different ringtone. When I am busy, I only answer to the funky ringtone. Nonetheless, people who know I don't answer my calls on some days have a tendency to pull the blocked caller ID trick on me - for instance, my mom!

There are lots more, but those are very easy to handle. Well, maybe my boyfriend is an exception
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Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 13:23
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Might the way to go! Feb 19, 2007

Amy Duncan wrote:
OK, when it comes to unsolicited sales calls (or any kind of unwanted, unsolicited calls) I really am a bitch, but try to be a nice one. I say, in a friendly voice, "I know this is just your job and it's not your fault, but I don't take this type of phone call because I consider it an invasion of privacy." I haven't had any of this type of call in a couple of years!
Amy


I'm impressed! Never thought of that, but it might really work! I'll try it next time.


 
Marie-Hélène Hayles
Marie-Hélène Hayles  Identity Verified
Local time: 13:23
Italian to English
+ ...
other Feb 19, 2007

My cat.

My cat likes sleeping curled up on the desk beside me as I work. I like it too - a quick stroke when I'm stuck on a phrase is great. BUT he always manages to put at least one bit of himself over a) my work, b) the keyboard or c) the mouse - the last is especially irritating as he gets REALLY huffy if I dare to move it! So it always ends in tears.

Wouldn't have it any other way though

... See more
My cat.

My cat likes sleeping curled up on the desk beside me as I work. I like it too - a quick stroke when I'm stuck on a phrase is great. BUT he always manages to put at least one bit of himself over a) my work, b) the keyboard or c) the mouse - the last is especially irritating as he gets REALLY huffy if I dare to move it! So it always ends in tears.

Wouldn't have it any other way though

Edit: Love the link, Jack!



[Edited at 2007-02-19 12:27]
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Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 13:23
Spanish to English
+ ...
Phone calls Feb 19, 2007

and I've also learned this.

Textklick wrote:

"Did you know that this is a business number?"


If that doesn't work (when it's about phone and ADSL services, they may insist):

-- Do you offer the same Service Level Agreement as your competitor?
-- What's that?
-- We've signed an SLA indemnifying us 800 euro/day for every terminal connected to this line after the first 24 hours of service breakdown. (No discount supplier offers that).

Grunt to the caller in an affirmative way and listen politely to the next question.

Answer ths question by slowly reading out the source text which is displayed on your screen.


I've answered in French and German, too (I can code-switch fast enough to drive 'em crazy).

Seriously, it's the phone calls and administrative business imposed by people who think they should be keeping you busy NOT translating to earn their wages.


 
Ritu Bhanot
Ritu Bhanot  Identity Verified
France
French to Hindi
+ ...
Politeness does the trick Feb 22, 2007

I was not going to write anything... but something happened a little while ago and I am still smiling... so I guess I'll end up writing.

I've registered for most organisations because in India we don't have a national registry but you can register with separate institutions etc. so there's a possibility of getting one call in a long time...

Well, all I do is tell them that I don't need it and thank them for calling. Takes 10 seconds. But at least I'm not forcing them
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I was not going to write anything... but something happened a little while ago and I am still smiling... so I guess I'll end up writing.

I've registered for most organisations because in India we don't have a national registry but you can register with separate institutions etc. so there's a possibility of getting one call in a long time...

Well, all I do is tell them that I don't need it and thank them for calling. Takes 10 seconds. But at least I'm not forcing them in a vicious circle...

I know these call centres employ very young people and the work environment is not the best. They are really exploited there. I've heard quite a few of them so... I simply thank them and well, that's the end of it.

I did just that about 5 secs ago... and this girl was so happy... I could hear the smile in her voice when she said "Thanks madam, bye, take care."

I'm glad that I've brought a smile... by such a small act. And I'm smiling too.
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Anita Cassidy (X)
Anita Cassidy (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
English to German
agree completely - glad I'm not alone Feb 23, 2007

I agree with everything on your list, Sarah, especially the phenomenon that so many Germans think they are better linguists than ourselves, what with them not JUST knowing another language, but also being qualified in a "proper" discipline (such as law or engineering). AAAAAAaaaargh. In my case, this (more and more frequently) results in me having to translate English (or rather, "Genglish") documents written by German natives bac... See more
I agree with everything on your list, Sarah, especially the phenomenon that so many Germans think they are better linguists than ourselves, what with them not JUST knowing another language, but also being qualified in a "proper" discipline (such as law or engineering). AAAAAAaaaargh. In my case, this (more and more frequently) results in me having to translate English (or rather, "Genglish") documents written by German natives back into German.
Apart from that, my greatest hindrance is probably lack of time, but I certainly wouldn't go back to working in an office.
Viele Grüße, Anita
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Poll: Which is your greatest hindrance while translating?






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