Where are all the volunteer translations? Thread poster: traductorchile
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I have been a volunteer translator (theoretically) for TSF or TWB for about a year now, and month after month I have a bug inside me that is sort of confused. I would like to hear the experience of other TWB volunteers so as to correct or support my doubts.
Just after I registered I got two jobs, they were performed with satisfaction for the client. Some time went by and the same client asked me for another job. Although, I believe, I was fast in answering, someone got their befo... See more I have been a volunteer translator (theoretically) for TSF or TWB for about a year now, and month after month I have a bug inside me that is sort of confused. I would like to hear the experience of other TWB volunteers so as to correct or support my doubts.
Just after I registered I got two jobs, they were performed with satisfaction for the client. Some time went by and the same client asked me for another job. Although, I believe, I was fast in answering, someone got their before me. Good for TWB: there are enough volunteers to cover needs in a timely fashion!
Meanwhile I was cooperating in the screening of translation samples of volunteer applicants. If there is lots of needs in TWB, the more volunteers the better. But months have gone by and no translation work comes my way, no calls for translators, only for screening would be volunteers.
Now I don't want to be the devil's advocate, but when one starts having doubts one should state them clearly to get clear answers.
According to some information last year a total of 2.5 millions words were translated to humanitarian NGOs through Translators without Borders. How come I was never offered any? What I got was all there was in the English to Spanish pair? Someone has programed the system so I only get screening work, although I was never asked to stop receiving translation work, and I am a better translator than reviewer? Latin American translators aren't needed? Why does TWB need to screen more volunteers in this language pair when the amount of translating needs are so low? Who am I really screening for: TWB, Proz.com or Lionbridge? The TWB badge is very pretty and prestigious, but is it real? Or is it just another marketing tool? Is volunteer work (and the prestige involved) only given to certain translators that have adapted to the big shark-predator agencies or for some other reason?
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not crying out for volunteer work (although I wouldn't reject any if TWB was in need), because my main issue is finding work for survival, in fact last year I have scarecely got any paid work through proz.com.
Has anyone else got the same experience and feelings, or am I so very wrong? ▲ Collapse
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traductorchile wrote:
The TWB badge is very pretty and prestigious, but is it real?
I can assure you and swear on the bible if you want, the number of words indicated in my profile (just as an example) is very real... believe me.
All the best!
Angie
[Edited at 2012-01-12 17:12 GMT]
| | | | | Language pairs | Jan 12, 2012 |
Hi
I can reply to you on the point of the volume of work - it's obvisouly largely dependant on language pairs. I volunteer in the English to French pair and believe me, the flow of translations needed via the TWB translation center is huge, let's say I get an average of 2 to 3 notifications per week in that language pair.
I am also a TWB in German to French - since I've been a volunteer there was only one tiny project for MSF Switzerland. And in my third pair Spanish to... See more Hi
I can reply to you on the point of the volume of work - it's obvisouly largely dependant on language pairs. I volunteer in the English to French pair and believe me, the flow of translations needed via the TWB translation center is huge, let's say I get an average of 2 to 3 notifications per week in that language pair.
I am also a TWB in German to French - since I've been a volunteer there was only one tiny project for MSF Switzerland. And in my third pair Spanish to French I never received any notification for that language pair.
In the NGOs world, there are language pairs more typical than others - that is target languages of the countries where NGOs are needed the most - apart from local African dialects, French is a/the mothertongue in many of these countries (some African countries, Haiti...).
I don't know about English to Spanish, but I'd guess the low number of needs via TWB for that pair is very likely and simply due to the fact that the current NGOs working with TWB have more limited needs into Spanish.
Hope that explains a bit.
Prof. Angie G. wrote: traductorchile wrote:
The TWB badge is very pretty and prestigious, but is it real? I can assure you and swear on the bible if you want, the number of words indicated in my profile (just as an example) is very real... believe me. All the best! Angie
Seconded
Cheers,
Anne
[Edited at 2012-01-12 17:17 GMT]
[Edited at 2012-01-12 17:18 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Anne Diamantidis wrote:
it's obvisouly largely dependant on language pairs. I volunteer in the English to French pair and believe me, the flow of translations needed via the TWB translation center is huge, let's say I get an average of 2 to 3 notifications per week in that language pair.
I am also a TWB in German to French - since I've been a volunteer there was only one tiny project for MSF Switzerland. And in my third pair Spanish to French I never received any notification for that language pair.
There is a huge amount of work in Eng FR but I never received a single call for my TWB pairs involving Italian.
Best again!
[Edited at 2012-01-12 17:22 GMT]
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B D Finch 
France
Local time: 07:45
French to English
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| I don't know but | Jan 12, 2012 |
I am concerned that the promised forum for TWB reviewers has not materialised. I am happy to screen prospective translators in my language pair, particularly as I note that some of the reviewers of candidates are themselves not native speakers of English (the target language) and that some very poor quality applicants have been approved. Perhaps I can contribute more to maintaining a reasonable standard by screening applicants. However, it would be very useful to have a forum for exchange of vi... See more I am concerned that the promised forum for TWB reviewers has not materialised. I am happy to screen prospective translators in my language pair, particularly as I note that some of the reviewers of candidates are themselves not native speakers of English (the target language) and that some very poor quality applicants have been approved. Perhaps I can contribute more to maintaining a reasonable standard by screening applicants. However, it would be very useful to have a forum for exchange of views and experience and to ensure we are working to a common standard.
It does seem odd that you have not been allocated any translation work if they consider your skills good enough to allow you to screen applicants. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | This is a consequence of fast growth and unbalanced demand | Jan 12, 2012 |
Hello traductorchile,
You are an appreciated and valuable part of the Translators without Borders team.
This humanitarian organization was born in Paris and probably as a consequence the demand is strongest in the pairs English to French and French to English.
Last year was a period of enormous growth, moving from a historical level of one million words per year to 2.5 millions in 2011, and from these two central pairs to 60 language pairs, including severa... See more Hello traductorchile,
You are an appreciated and valuable part of the Translators without Borders team.
This humanitarian organization was born in Paris and probably as a consequence the demand is strongest in the pairs English to French and French to English.
Last year was a period of enormous growth, moving from a historical level of one million words per year to 2.5 millions in 2011, and from these two central pairs to 60 language pairs, including several African and Asian languages.
Intense growth is naturally unbalanced, and for instance in the English to Spanish language pair we got a lot of generous volunteers but the demand for this pair is still below 7% of the total operation (170K words out of 2.5M words in 2011).
Of course this availability of volunteers enables us to offer volunteer translation in English to Spanish (and other pairs). There is so much need of humanitarian translation in the world that we offer today is a drop of help in an ocean of need.
Regarding the way the jobs are assigned, the system is very transparent. The system will first determine the available pool (for instance all the volunteers working in the English to Spanish pair, currently 135). Then the volunteers are sorted in a random order and notifications are sent out in batches of 5 separated 15 minutes.
As soon as the job is taken by any of the notified volunteers it is closed to others, and no additional notifications are sent out (to minimize the spamming effect on the community). This means that if notified translators are quick to accept a job very few will be notified, and it is likely that some translator in particular may fail to receive notifications for a long time.
Translators without Borders will keep growing based on a very effective translation center powered by ProZ.com, and we look forward to tens of millions of words per year. The need is there and the passion of the volunteers is also widely evident.
The fact that you feel unhappy because Translators without Borders fail to give you enough opportunities is a clear demonstration of your passion and generosity, and I thank you for both. Your contributions in the screening center are particularly valuable and I hope that in the near future Translators without Border will be able to reach humanitarian NGOs with translation needs in the language pairs were we currently have spare capacity.
Best regards,
Enrique Cavalitto
Translators without Borders
Translations coordinator ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Forums and quality | Jan 12, 2012 |
B D Finch wrote:
I am concerned that the promised forum for TWB reviewers has not materialised. I am happy to screen prospective translators in my language pair, particularly as I note that some of the reviewers of candidates are themselves not native speakers of English (the target language) and that some very poor quality applicants have been approved. Perhaps I can contribute more to maintaining a reasonable standard by screening applicants. However, it would be very useful to have a forum for exchange of views and experience and to ensure we are working to a common standard.
A forum for editors was created in February 2010 when the screening center was created to help Translators without Borders cope with the Haiti earthquake, and it was abandoned later that same year for lack of activity. A very positive outcome of these discussions were the instructions for reviewers currently posted in the screening center.
No screening system is perfect, and when a quality problem is reported it receives a lot of attention. An additional feature of edition will, in the near future, improve the quality of the translations delivered and help further qualify the translators in the volunteers pool.
Regards,
Enrique
| | | | Russell Jones
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:45
Italian to English
I understand your wish to air the issue traductorchile.
I have received no jobs or job offers at all, no doubt due to limited traffic in my pairs, as Enrique and Angie have explained.
Although I certainly didn't volunteer for the "kudos" or any marketing benefit (and have other volunteer work on my CV), the lack of any work at all means that I am not even able to use the badge or logo, which is a shame.
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Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:45
Hebrew to English
| Language provision | Jan 12, 2012 |
At least with the major languages there is at least some provision.
I tried volunteering with TWB before and was simply told that because of my language pair, there was "no provision" for Hebrew (-English).
Perhaps this is something that will change with the intense growth that Enrique is talking about?
| | | | traductorchile
Chile
Local time: 01:45
English to Spanish
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TOPIC STARTER
Prof. Angie G. wrote:
I can assure you and swear on the bible if you want, the number of words indicated in my profile (just as an example) is very real... believe me.
All the best!
Angie
[Edited at 2012-01-12 17:12 GMT]
I believe you Angie. You don't have to swear.
What I meant by real (not that someone did or didn't do the numbers) is the asymetry between amount of work needed and the amount of volunteers screened (BTW I'm not instigating an elite just stating a fact). When I'm screening I feel that I'm selling tickets at a railway station where no trains go by, and all those translators are sitting there with their tickets in their hands, and scarcely a train in the horizon.
| | | | B D Finch
France
Local time: 07:45
French to English
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| Thanks Enrique | Jan 12, 2012 |
Enrique wrote:
A forum for editors was created in February 2010 when the screening center was created to help Translators without Borders cope with the Haiti earthquake, and it was abandoned later that same year for lack of activity. A very positive outcome of these discussions were the instructions for reviewers currently posted in the screening center.
No screening system is perfect, and when a quality problem is reported it receives a lot of attention. An additional feature of edition will, in the near future, improve the quality of the translations delivered and help further qualify the translators in the volunteers pool.
Regards,
Enrique
That solves the mystery, but why not remove the mention of a forum from the website so that people don't waste their time looking for it?
As previously mentioned to you outside this forum, I do think the system would be improved by making clients for translations into English aware from the outset that they should indicate whether they want to specify a particular version of English (e.g. US or UK) or a particular spelling. It would also be a good idea to prepare a brief client's information sheet, translated into their own language, explaining that there are differences of vocabulary, grammar and spelling. Also, the US is almost alone in still using non-metric weights and measures.
Clients are specialists in overseas aid, medical services etc., not languages. As you know, a recent job involving a number of different translators on one TWB project resulted in a jumble of US and UK English versions being delivered to the client, who was then expected to sort it out. The grateful client might well not yet have realised that there is a problem.
A recent study by the Chartered Institute of Linguists showed that the common perception that US English is the most widely used version is incorrect and that UK English is still more widely used and understood. However that varies between different countries and even different professional environments, and the situation is fluid. If information is available about specific countries, that could be included in table form. I'd assume US English is more commonly taught in Latin America and UK English more commonly taught in "anglophone" African countries, but that could be wrong in the case of a particular country. Nonetheless, if there is a choice of a specialist translator being available in the "wrong" version or a non-specialist in the "right" version, the specialist should be preferred if it is a technical text. We should aim to ensure translations are appropriate to the situation in which they are being used.
[Edited at 2012-01-12 23:09 GMT]
[Edited at 2012-01-12 23:10 GMT]
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