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| User | Thread poster: SamuelVisscher What to do when you can't find any mistakes? |
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SamuelVisscher 
Netherlands
Local time: 22:56
 Member (2011)
English to Dutch
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So.. I am proofreading for a client, and the text I am reading is literally flawless. I have read it three times now, and even though I do not agree on his style sometimes, it is really good. However, I agreed on a price per word, so I am kinda worried that my client will think I was just lazy. What do you usually do in these situations?
Right now I have read about 10,000 words, and all I could find was a space behind a dot, at the end of a paragraph.
Edit: One more question; Did this ever happen to you/is this common?
[Edited at 2011-08-14 18:27 GMT]
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Alexander Onishko
Ukraine
Local time: 23:56
Member (2007)
Russian to English
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SamuelVisscher wrote:
So.. I am proofreading for a client, and the text I am reading is literally flawless. I have read it three times now, and even though I do not agree on his style sometimes, it is really good. However, I agreed on a price per word, so I am kinda worried that my client will think I was just lazy. What do you usually do in these situations?
Right now I have read about 10,000 words, and all I could find was a space behind a dot, at the end of a paragraph.
Edit: One more question; Did this ever happen to you/is this common?
[Edited at 2011-08-14 18:27 GMT] |
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is it translation or what? maybe it makes sense to compare against the original text to search for some meaning mistakes, eh?
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SamuelVisscher
Netherlands
Local time: 22:56
Member (2011)
English to Dutch
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TOPIC STARTER |
I am comparing the source document with the translation, since that is part of the job.
Edit: Just to be clear, I am doing proofreading and I am proofreading a translation.
[Edited at 2011-08-14 18:32 GMT]
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Adam Łobatiuk
Poland
Local time: 22:56
 Member (2009)
English to Polish
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Your job is to ensure the text is as good as possible, and finding mistakes is just a means to an end. The goal is achieved. You can mention the space to show you've read the text and congratulate the client on having such a great translator.
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Susanna Garcia
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:56
Member (2008)
Italian to English
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| | Change to hourly rate | Aug 14, 2011 |
Hi Samuel,
The fairest thing would be to agree an hourly rate with the client and praise their choice of translator.
And no, it's not something I come across often, particularly at that volume.
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missdutch
Netherlands
Local time: 22:56
Member (2010)
English to Italian
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| | I sing Händel's Hallelujah | Aug 14, 2011 |
Yes, be thankful and rejoice!
Seriously, the client is paying you per word, not per error or typo; there's no reason why he should think you're lazy.
Whenever that happens to me, I write to the client that the translation was excellent, and please, congratulate the translator from me.
Clients are usually happy to have a flawless job by a very good translator, plus the "blessing" by a very good proofreader. It's a win-win situation.
Do not worry, and good luck with your further proofreading endeavours!
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 13:56
 Member
English to German
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Walter Landesman
Uruguay
Local time: 17:56
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
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| | If there is nothing worng, there is nothing wrong. | Aug 14, 2011 |
missdutch wrote:
Yes, be thankful and rejoice!
Seriously, the client is paying you per word, not per error or typo; there's no reason why he should think you're lazy.
Whenever that happens to me, I write to the client that the translation was excellent, and please, congratulate the translator from me.
Clients are usually happy to have a flawless job by a very good translator, plus the "blessing" by a very good proofreader. It's a win-win situation.
Do not worry, and good luck with your further proofreading endeavours! |
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Agree!
Nicole Schnell wrote:
You simply say the translation is of excellent quality, that it is flawless, that the translator did a great job and that is was a pleasure to work on this project.
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Agree!
Adam Łobatiuk wrote:
Your job is to ensure the text is as good as possible, and finding mistakes is just a means to an end. The goal is achieved. You can mention the space to show you've read the text and congratulate the client on having such a great translator. |
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Ditto.
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SamuelVisscher
Netherlands
Local time: 22:56
Member (2011)
English to Dutch
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TOPIC STARTER |
Thank you all for the quick reactions!
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Nicolas Coyer
Colombia
Local time: 15:56
Spanish to French
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| | This is what you're paid for | Aug 14, 2011 |
You're paid to check the text (and makes changes if required).
Just imagine for a second if, let's say, a car maker stopped paying its quality assurance personnel because its car were flawless...
It's almost like an insurance for your client. They pay to cover themselves against the risk of mispellings and other mistakes, whether they materialize or not.
[Edited at 2011-08-14 19:31 GMT]
[Edited at 2011-08-14 19:33 GMT]
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Krzysztof Kajetanowicz
Poland
Local time: 22:56
English to Polish
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| | answered your own question? | Aug 14, 2011 |
SamuelVisscher wrote:
I have read it three times now, and even though I do not agree on his style sometimes, it is really good. |
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I'd change the style I don't agree with. Of course I'd tell the client the translation was really good, too.
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Elzbieta Petlicka
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:56
Member
Danish to Polish
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| | Proofreading or Editing? | Aug 14, 2011 |
If you are comparing the translation with the original, isn't that editing and not proofreading?
I'm asking just from curiosity - I just heard several times that some agencies abuse the fact that people don't differentiate between these two and order an editing job at proofreading rates - but maybe I'm wrong.
And I would definitely inform the client that the translation was flawless - 10k without a typo doesn't happen often  and the client should know about it.
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 13:56
Member
English to German
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Krzysztof Kajetanowicz wrote:
I'd change the style I don't agree with. Of course I'd tell the client the translation was really good, too. |
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This is exactly what the proofreader is not supposed to do. The proofreader is paid to fix errors, nothing else. Changing the style based on personal preferences is a no-no. Who is to decide which style is "better"?
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SamuelVisscher
Netherlands
Local time: 22:56
Member (2011)
English to Dutch
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TOPIC STARTER | | Proofreading | Aug 14, 2011 |
Elzbieta, to be honest I wouldn't know. I do not like to base everything on the "official" definition of a word so I always ask for a more specific description. In this case I have to check for spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes. I am only allowed to bother with translation if I see big mistakes.
And yes, I agree with Nicole. I wouldn't like -or think it's fair- if another translator was telling my client that my translation is worse because of his personal preferences.
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Rebelo Júnior
Brazil
Local time: 17:56
Member (2011)
English to Portuguese
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| | Agree with Nicole | Aug 14, 2011 |
Nicole Schnell wrote:
Krzysztof Kajetanowicz wrote:
I'd change the style I don't agree with. Of course I'd tell the client the translation was really good, too. |
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This is exactly what the proofreader is not supposed to do. The proofreader is paid to fix errors, nothing else. Changing the style based on personal preferences is a no-no. Who is to decide which style is "better"? |
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If you find a very good job done by a fellow translator, you DO NOT reinvent the wheel.
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