Poll: What's the maximum number of words you have translated for a given job?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jul 5, 2007

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What's the maximum number of words you have translated for a given job?".

This poll was originally submitted by Timothy Barton

View the poll here

A forum topic will appear each time a new poll
... See more
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What's the maximum number of words you have translated for a given job?".

This poll was originally submitted by Timothy Barton

View the poll here

A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: http://proz.com/topic/33629
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Yaotl Altan
Yaotl Altan  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 23:59
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
60K Jul 5, 2007

60,000 words: I translated a manual about a French TV channel web interface.

 
Deborah do Carmo
Deborah do Carmo  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 06:59
Dutch to English
+ ...
Just under 450,000 Jul 5, 2007

Subject: banking law, completed last month (and already paid)

With significant repetitions I might add and spread over more than 200 files - but still one job nonetheless.



[Edited at 2007-07-05 14:57]


 
Fernando D. Walker
Fernando D. Walker  Identity Verified

Local time: 02:59
English to Spanish
+ ...
30K Jul 5, 2007

I have translated a manual that contained 30,000 words approximately.

 
Timothy Barton
Timothy Barton
Local time: 07:59
French to English
+ ...
Numbering Jul 5, 2007

Not quite sure why they've changed the figures on my poll. I did 0-25K, 25-50K, etc. I know that if someone had exactly 25,000 words it fitted in two categories, but the chances of that are pretty slim. Now there is a gap of 1000 between each category.
Mine was 90,000 words. A book entitled "Els nens perduts del franquisme" (The Lost Children of Francoism).

Tim

[Edited at 2007-07-05 14:56]


 
Timothy Barton
Timothy Barton
Local time: 07:59
French to English
+ ...
101,000-250,000 Jul 5, 2007

I suppose this bracket includes a lot of literary translations. Most novels must be about that length.

 
RominaZ
RominaZ  Identity Verified
Argentina
English to Spanish
+ ...
Solved Jul 5, 2007

Dear Timothy,

The poll shows now the figures you suggested first.

Thanks.

Romina


 
Deschant
Deschant
Local time: 06:59
140,000 Jul 5, 2007

Indeed, the only novel I've translated so far (I'm still revising it) is 140,000 words in length, which makes it also the biggest project I've ever undertaken.

My second longest work was "only" 40,000 words - the acts of a congress about music and emigration in Argentina. It was also one of my first projects ever.


 
Fernando Tognis
Fernando Tognis  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 02:59
Member (2006)
Spanish to English
+ ...
280K words Jul 5, 2007

Last year, I translated the guides of a course on Oncology. It contained 280,000 words distributed in 130 Word documents. The project also included subtitles of a DVD.
The whole project took me six months. Fortunately, the client sent me the assignment with anticipation so I could meet the deadline.
It was an enjoyable but exhausting experience.


 
Helena Genel
Helena Genel
United States
Local time: 22:59
English to Spanish
+ ...
Close to 500K Jul 5, 2007

Large, large proyect involving the translation of educational materials.

It took me almost 4 months to complete it.

[Edited at 2007-07-05 17:32]


 
Claudia Aguero
Claudia Aguero  Identity Verified
Costa Rica
Local time: 23:59
Spanish to English
+ ...
Close to 100K Jul 5, 2007

By myself I translated a series of lab tests for different medical products. I only had 6 weeks to do it.

With other colleagues, I've had other huge projects. In fact, I'm waiting for a very technical assignment, which seems to be "the winner" regarding its size.


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 07:59
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
I'd go nuts working on one big project! Jul 6, 2007

But luckily there's room for all types in translation!

In the last month I have done about 40 jobs, the largest swinging up over 4500 weighted words, (three) and several over 2000.

A proof/revision took two days... and I started with no less than five deadlines today! That's about one per coffee break

Many of my jobs are monthly, weekly or quarterly sections of ongoing projects or periodica
... See more
But luckily there's room for all types in translation!

In the last month I have done about 40 jobs, the largest swinging up over 4500 weighted words, (three) and several over 2000.

A proof/revision took two days... and I started with no less than five deadlines today! That's about one per coffee break

Many of my jobs are monthly, weekly or quarterly sections of ongoing projects or periodicals, so there is a lot of continuity, but if I spend a week or more on the same job, I really feel I don't care what comes in next, I just want to see something different....

I think the largest job I have ever done was around 30K - part of a government report that I shared with a colleague because neither of us had time to do it all. (He did about 20K if I remember rightly).

I've shared coffee breaks at an agency with people who talked of millions of words and took months over group projects - and reckoned they would burn out with stress doing my kind of job. (I would burn out if I had to deal with their clients, but there you go!)

OK, time to think about the next deadline!

Happy translating!
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Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:59
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
200 000 Jul 6, 2007

The original job was for 650 000, but shortly after I started, the client thought that two could do it quicker than one, and split up the job between me and another translator.

 
Marie-Hélène Hayles
Marie-Hélène Hayles  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:59
Italian to English
+ ...
about 95000 Jul 6, 2007

A hideous translation of the writings of a semi-literate religious woman, near the beginning of my translation career (I'd never accept such a job now). I loathed every badly-paid second of it.

 


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Poll: What's the maximum number of words you have translated for a given job?






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