Is it just me or some LSPs are getting worse? Thread poster: Susana González Tuya
|
|---|
In the last few moths I have noticed an increase in ridiculous and spooky offers. But last week it reached a new dimension.
First, I received a message asking for my availability to carry out a proofreading job for a promotional text that will be part of a company’s website. Fine! We agreed on the terms and they sent me the files but I had to point out that the files had been machine translated. In addition, the bad quality of the result meant that even post-editing was not an op... See more In the last few moths I have noticed an increase in ridiculous and spooky offers. But last week it reached a new dimension.
First, I received a message asking for my availability to carry out a proofreading job for a promotional text that will be part of a company’s website. Fine! We agreed on the terms and they sent me the files but I had to point out that the files had been machine translated. In addition, the bad quality of the result meant that even post-editing was not an option, particularly for a promotional text. According to the agency the client could not pay anymore and therefore they could not increase my rate. I though, well tough, but I am not translating a text for the price of proofreading it. So I never heard from them again.
Second, I received an email through Proz inviting me to register and take a test for certain subtitling company. Since the test was not long I went ahead. Only to find out that they are offering me to be part of their team as a conformer (never hear of this before, if anyone can explain it will be appreciated) and apparently working with my source language. On top of this they are asking me to sign a very suspicious agreement. I emailed them back with some queries and I am still waiting.
And the best one so far! An agency posted a job here and I bid on it. A few days later they send me an email asking me to register in their online platform (don’t even get me started on these). Only to find out that when you reach to the end of the process this wonderful agency offers you 2 options:
- the possibility to receive email notifications of available jobs for FREE once a day so you can send your bid (???)
OR
- if can not wait until the end of the day, you can choose to pay them 7 Euros a month and received the email instantly so you can bid instantly on the job.
Seriously, does my profile picture make me look stupid?
[Edited at 2012-08-30 09:30 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Shai Navé 
Israel
Local time: 19:20
English to Hebrew
+ ...
| Bad agencies and entites were always there, the internet just makes you more exposed | Aug 30, 2012 |
Hello Susana,
I'm sorry to read about your troubles, but I'm sure that many have encountered similar events (I know that I have). There are many unprofessional agencies out there (and just to be fair, also unprofessional translators) but there are good ones as well.
Although some may have different opinions and experiences, here is mine for what it is worth:
1) Never agree on terms before you received the content and all the instructions. When is comes to proofreading an... See more Hello Susana,
I'm sorry to read about your troubles, but I'm sure that many have encountered similar events (I know that I have). There are many unprofessional agencies out there (and just to be fair, also unprofessional translators) but there are good ones as well.
Although some may have different opinions and experiences, here is mine for what it is worth:
1) Never agree on terms before you received the content and all the instructions. When is comes to proofreading and editing, never accept a project before being able to assess the quality of translation, unless you are familiar with the translator or know that the agency usually provides good quality translations, and even then just tentatively negotiate the terms with the final confirmation delivered only after receiving and assessing the content and work.
2) Don't bother with bids. From my experience I would say that on average only 1 of 10 jobs posted on Proz has some merit and even then it's usually does not materialize into something substantial for various reasons. This is not aimed solely at Proz but to all bidding platforms in general. The bidding platforms usually attract the less professional players in the industry who cast a big net hoping to pick up something quickly and on the cheap. A translator should be chosen for their specific skill sets and experience and not because they are the cheapest or replied the fastest. That approach only contributes to the accommodation of our profession.
A serious and professional agency will usually take the time in advance to review their profiles and pick one or few suitable candidates to be contacted with the relevant details.
This is also true for mass emails about a potential project or invitation to register with agencies that are "expending their database due to inflow of new work"...etc, it is, in general a waste of time that you can otherwise use to target clients (agencies or directs) that share more professional values with you. ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Ana Myriam Garro (X)
Local time: 13:20
English to Spanish
+ ...
The same happened to me. I am sure that we are talking about the same agency. I received two emails. In the first one I was referred to a form in their webpage where I was asked very little information about me, except for my name, email address and language pair, but nothing about my experience, fields of expertise or similar information. But curiously, one of the requirements was to recommend 5 clients/persons to whom they might offer their services (Yeahh, sure!). I didn't fill out the form... See more The same happened to me. I am sure that we are talking about the same agency. I received two emails. In the first one I was referred to a form in their webpage where I was asked very little information about me, except for my name, email address and language pair, but nothing about my experience, fields of expertise or similar information. But curiously, one of the requirements was to recommend 5 clients/persons to whom they might offer their services (Yeahh, sure!). I didn't fill out the form and a few days later I received another email reminding me that they would only work with translators registered in their database and informing me that their new method consited of two kinds of subscriptions, one free and the other paid, just like you metioned in your post. ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule |
|
|
Shai Nave wrote:
2) Don't bother with bids. From my experience I would say that on average only 1 of 10 jobs posted on Proz has some merit and even then it's usually does not materialize into something substantial for various reasons. This is not aimed solely at Proz but to all bidding platforms in general. The bidding platforms usually attract the less professional players in the industry who cast a big net hoping to pick up something quickly and on the cheap. A translator should be chosen for their specific skill sets and experience and not because they are the cheapest or replied the fastest.
| | | |
I believe we are talking about the same situation.
I wonder if they offer the same to their clients.
| | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
