Will probably get a 1 on the BB
Thread poster: Yolande Haneder (X)
Yolande Haneder (X)
Yolande Haneder (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:13
German to French
+ ...
Apr 24, 2006

I will probably not have much to do in the near future with ProZ but I will keep my line for the sake of the client.

I had a translation returned that contained so many mistranslations that I spent 3 hours listing them all an writing in my own words what it meant to let the translator know it was actually a mistranslation and he should improve it.
The translator refused to make the changes saying my comments are crap.
I am sending the translation for editing from another
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I will probably not have much to do in the near future with ProZ but I will keep my line for the sake of the client.

I had a translation returned that contained so many mistranslations that I spent 3 hours listing them all an writing in my own words what it meant to let the translator know it was actually a mistranslation and he should improve it.
The translator refused to make the changes saying my comments are crap.
I am sending the translation for editing from another translator and if as it is likely the changes will be done, it will probably end up in a argument with the first translator.
I am not so bad in itself but in my opinion this cases gets a bit too far with the translator even refusing to change its copy the way I asked it and have let me the translation checked by another one to have it done.

So I say bye bye for now, quite sad about it but will probably get a 1 - and probably not find anymore the good translators I am always seeking.
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Ralf Lemster
Ralf Lemster  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 03:13
English to German
+ ...
Why don't you contact a Jobs/BB moderator? Apr 24, 2006

Hi Yolande,
Please note that, provided that you substantiated your criticism (which you appear to have done), no BB entry is permitted, as clearly set out in the BB FAQ.

Please contact a Jobs/BB moderator, quoting t
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Hi Yolande,
Please note that, provided that you substantiated your criticism (which you appear to have done), no BB entry is permitted, as clearly set out in the BB FAQ.

Please contact a Jobs/BB moderator, quoting the relevant details.

Best regards,
Ralf
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Yolande Haneder (X)
Yolande Haneder (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:13
German to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
substancial criticism? Apr 24, 2006

Ralf Lemster wrote:

Hi Yolande,
Please note that, provided that you substantiated your criticism (which you appear to have done), no BB entry is permitted, as clearly set out in the BB FAQ.

Please contact a Jobs/BB moderator, quoting the relevant details.

Best regards,
Ralf


Dear Ralf,

Thank you. I am waiting for the comment of a proofreader known and trusted from my side. I am expecting him wanting to rewrite the whole translation.

When the times come, should sending you the translation amounts to a substancial criticizm? (it is in your language pair)

Yolande


 
Balasubramaniam L.
Balasubramaniam L.  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 07:43
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
I think you misunderstood Ralf, Yolande Apr 24, 2006

Hi Yolande,

I think you have misunderstood Ralf, he didn't say substantial (in the meaning of "quite a lot") but substantiate (in the meaning of "prove"), and also added the qualifier "(which you appear to have done)", thus conceding you the benefit of doubt.

If this is so, you owe Ralf an apology.

As far as the whole issue is concerned, don't worry too much about the "1" in the blue-board, which probably job moderators would be able to rectify if you provi
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Hi Yolande,

I think you have misunderstood Ralf, he didn't say substantial (in the meaning of "quite a lot") but substantiate (in the meaning of "prove"), and also added the qualifier "(which you appear to have done)", thus conceding you the benefit of doubt.

If this is so, you owe Ralf an apology.

As far as the whole issue is concerned, don't worry too much about the "1" in the blue-board, which probably job moderators would be able to rectify if you provide them sufficent documentary proof. Over a period of time, other translators will correct the error if they have a more pleasant experience working with you. If there are a string of "5" on the blue-board, and one stray "1", translators will certainly not give you the go by. They will make a holistic assessment of the blue board entries, and properly interpret the "1" as a stray case, not to be generalized.

These things happen with everyone and one should not be too high-strung as to be thrown off balance by these little incidents. If you are, you will have a hard time surviving in this highly demanding industry.

Hope I don't sound like a Sunday preacher.
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Yolande Haneder (X)
Yolande Haneder (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:13
German to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Appoplogies to Ralf Apr 24, 2006

If I were rude to ralf I appologize. My point was that every person with an intermediate knowledge of the german-english pair would notice that the translation had problems. I could prove it very easily that my changes were needed - I just got the anwer to that as why I wasn't doing it myself as if it were some kind of futility.

I just wanted to show it that I was not afraid of proving it

Maybe I must appologize to the translator: some of the changes had been done but s
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If I were rude to ralf I appologize. My point was that every person with an intermediate knowledge of the german-english pair would notice that the translation had problems. I could prove it very easily that my changes were needed - I just got the anwer to that as why I wasn't doing it myself as if it were some kind of futility.

I just wanted to show it that I was not afraid of proving it

Maybe I must appologize to the translator: some of the changes had been done but some were not and there is still an awful lot of work to do on the translation.

I guess the way of the translator of accusing me because I wanted the changes was not appropriate either.
What did upset me furthermore is that I had to beg for the changes and they had been put 1 to 1 into the translation and not being rewritten, making a non native language in some parts of the translation.

If I wanted a non native language, I would have written the translation myself. I only gave the sentence as example and expected him to write them correctly.

[Edited at 2006-04-24 08:05]

[Edited at 2006-04-24 08:05]
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Charlie Bavington
Charlie Bavington  Identity Verified
Local time: 02:13
French to English
Just one '1' Apr 24, 2006

Yolande Haneder wrote:

So I say bye bye for now, quite sad about it but will probably get a 1 - and probably not find anymore the good translators I am always seeking.


I have to say that when I see an isolated 1 in a sea of 4s and 5s (and you appear to have four ratings of 5 so far), I tend to think that it was the probably the translator who was at "fault" and not the agency. By "fault" I mean either just did a rubbish translation & refuses to accept the criticism, or failed to understand some other part of job e.g. the payment terms, deadline. So speaking as a freelancer, if I saw your BB as it is now, with the addition of a single '1', I'd still work with you If that's any consolation....!


 
Yolande Haneder (X)
Yolande Haneder (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:13
German to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Apr 24, 2006

Charlie Bavington wrote:

I have to say that when I see an isolated 1 in a sea of 4s and 5s (and you appear to have four ratings of 5 so far), I tend to think that it was the probably the translator who was at "fault" and not the agency. By "fault" I mean either just did a rubbish translation & refuses to accept the criticism, or failed to understand some other part of job e.g. the payment terms, deadline. So speaking as a freelancer, if I saw your BB as it is now, with the addition of a single '1', I'd still work with you If that's any consolation....!


Thank you. As the things goes on, I need more and more translators to trust and the last thing I would want would be a bad note preventing me from contacting the ones who usually are not in need of jobs.


 
Harry Bornemann
Harry Bornemann  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 20:13
English to German
+ ...
consolation Apr 24, 2006

... I'd still work with you If that's any consolation....!

I would like to add: After playing with the calculator on your website, an uncommented 1 could make me assume that you might be somewhat demanding, but this would be no problem; it only means that I would have to insist on a reasonable deadline and rate.


 
Yolande Haneder (X)
Yolande Haneder (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:13
German to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
My calculator Apr 24, 2006

My calculator online is made to adapt myself to the needs of the translators, it is not always the price I am demanding.

There are no fixed price on it (just the agency's margin and discounts on the margin for large projects). If the majority of the translators for one pair think they should be cheap, the price will be cheap.
For expensive translators it is expensive.

It is also depending on me selecting translators I can trust from the ones I can't trust.
<
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My calculator online is made to adapt myself to the needs of the translators, it is not always the price I am demanding.

There are no fixed price on it (just the agency's margin and discounts on the margin for large projects). If the majority of the translators for one pair think they should be cheap, the price will be cheap.
For expensive translators it is expensive.

It is also depending on me selecting translators I can trust from the ones I can't trust.

The best example for it is the language pair italian to german vs german to italian or german to hungarian vs hungarian to german.

In fast all pairs are the translations into german much more expensive than from german because translators in Austria (i.e german natives) have more confidence in asking higher prices.

Let's say, I have one cheap translator on the database and many expensive. The day the cheap one will be removed from the database, the prices are going to jump from sometimes 10 % depending on the amount of translators because only the expensive ones are remaining.

This way, I always have a basis for negociation when looking for new translators. Check the price for quite demanded pairs in a couple of months and you may see huges changes. The russian pair had increased itself from 20 cent a line in the last 5 months. There is more confidence here or I managed to convince better translators.
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Katherine Mérignac
Katherine Mérignac  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 03:13
Member (2004)
One bad rating would not put me off Apr 24, 2006

Hi Yolande,

I agree, if an agency has one bad rating, this would not put me off. I have had to outsource work in the past to translators I have no previous experience of, and have also been disappointed.

Your posting has actually drawn my attention to your agency, and I would also be more than happy to work for someone that takes the profession so seriously.

All the best,

Katherine

(By the way, there's no '1' yet - it may never h
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Hi Yolande,

I agree, if an agency has one bad rating, this would not put me off. I have had to outsource work in the past to translators I have no previous experience of, and have also been disappointed.

Your posting has actually drawn my attention to your agency, and I would also be more than happy to work for someone that takes the profession so seriously.

All the best,

Katherine

(By the way, there's no '1' yet - it may never happen!)
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Nina Khmielnitzky
Nina Khmielnitzky  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 22:13
Member (2004)
English to French
I would not be put off either Apr 24, 2006

Katherine Mérignac wrote:

Hi Yolande,

I agree, if an agency has one bad rating, this would not put me off.


What would put me off is comments to put down a translator. I have worked for an agency once, that had a sea of 4 and 5's and I had a bad experience with them. I entered my comment and was put down by the agency, which I suppose was an attempt to destroy my reputation. The owner said my work was not "up to her standards", but she never called nor wrote to me to have my translation changed not corrected, which I would have been happy to do. So...

Nina


 
Yolande Haneder (X)
Yolande Haneder (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:13
German to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Bad comments Apr 25, 2006

Nina Khmielnitzky wrote:

[What would put me off is comments to put down a translator. I have worked for an agency once, that had a sea of 4 and 5's and I had a bad experience with them. I entered my comment and was put down by the agency, which I suppose was an attempt to destroy my reputation. The owner said my work was not "up to her standards", but she never called nor wrote to me to have my translation changed not corrected, which I would have been happy to do. So...

Nina


The editor spent yesterday 4 1/2 hours to correct a 2100 words job, even after I asked the translator to improve his copy.

The editor may refuse again to do this job because he said it is the worst translation he had ever seen.

Getting a 1 would only be part of the story and if I say it was bad, in the end the translators will stand on the side of translators and it was my fault to take him (partially it is my fault, OK).
I will have to be even more careful next time and I will tend to ask more time for the job to take one of my regular translator/ or waiting that he has time for the translation than going for that again.

If he is giving me a 1 - I will not comment then. I will leave the world contacting him and telling how unfair I am.


 


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Will probably get a 1 on the BB







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