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Test translation for an agency is three pages. I don't know how I should respond to this agency. Thread poster: Trinh Do
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Trinh Do 
Australia
Member (2007)
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
Recently, I posted a bid for medical translation, and this agency sent me 3 A4 pages to translate. I think this is too much. I can prove myself by 3/4 or at most 1 page.
I have the feeling that I am being exploited. The blue board shows the agency has a rating of 5; however, I don't even trust such ratings.
I don't know how I should respond to this agency.
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2009-05-17 05:40 GMT]
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Igor Galiouk (X)
Local time: 08:11
English to Russian
Trinh Do wrote:
Recently, I posted a bid for medical translation, and this agency sent me 3 A4 pages to translate. I think this is too much. I can prove myself by 3/4 or at most 1 page.
I have the feeling that I am being exploited. The blue board shows the agency has a rating of 5; however, I don't even trust such ratings.
I don't know how I should respond to this agency.
A bit strange situation – usually translation agencies would not ask a test translation more than 250-300 words (from my experience). For 3 A4 pages I’d ask a minimum charge at least & some kind of guarantees I get the job in case the test translation is successful.
[Edited at 2009-05-16 11:47 GMT]
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You can tell them that with regards to your standards you can provide max. one page, or you would like to have it paid (you may add "in case of success").
Or you could also check wit some "raters" on BB how was it in their case.
Up to you...
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| It's up to you. | May 16, 2009 |
It's up to you, that's your own decision. If you feel exploited, don't do it! I also think that a test translation for free should not be longer than half a page, that's common standard. Sometimes one might think that an agency wants to get a whole translation for free and so splits its text to several "test translators". If you have got this impression, stay away from it. But if you think that doing this test translation is a chance for you to get interesting jobs in the future, well paid and o... See more It's up to you, that's your own decision. If you feel exploited, don't do it! I also think that a test translation for free should not be longer than half a page, that's common standard. Sometimes one might think that an agency wants to get a whole translation for free and so splits its text to several "test translators". If you have got this impression, stay away from it. But if you think that doing this test translation is a chance for you to get interesting jobs in the future, well paid and on a regular basis, then you should think it over. ▲ Collapse
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Anne Carnot
France
Local time: 07:11
Member (2009)
English to French
3 pages sounds like a lot to me. Are they paying you for this test? I think most people here will tell you that a test shouldn't be more than 200-300 words. That's my limit anyway. Maybe you can offer to do the first page only? I don't know much about medical translation, but that should be enough to show your worth.
Good luck either way, and enjoy the weekend
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Trinh Do
Australia
Member (2007)
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I will do only 1 free translation | May 17, 2009 |
Dear Tomas and AC Translation,
Thank you for your opinions, which are very helpful. I think the best way to approach this is to provide an one-page translation and be paid for the rest. If I am successful, I'd like to have all three paid.
It is a lot of work, and given the specialised nature of the work, there's no such thing as free 3 pages.
Thank you again.
Trinh.
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Chris Lee
South Korea
Local time: 14:11
Korean to English
| I think you made a good conclusion. | May 17, 2009 |
Sometimes, translation agencies are asking for too much. In such cases, I usually tell them that I can only provide 2/3 or half page of a A4.
[Edited at 2009-05-17 07:10 GMT]
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Fran Cesca
Italy
Local time: 07:11
English to Italian
+ ...
| Test translations | May 17, 2009 |
As I already mentioned in some other Italian forums,I stopped to do tests translations in those situations.
I often felt there was something unclear and not honest.
In general I prefer to offer a smart price for the first project rather than doing long tests and when I am asked to do that I reply cldearly explaining that half a page is enough for me for a test and I offer the alternative to do a 'cheap' trial if they really want that. In the same way I prefer not to do ... See more As I already mentioned in some other Italian forums,I stopped to do tests translations in those situations.
I often felt there was something unclear and not honest.
In general I prefer to offer a smart price for the first project rather than doing long tests and when I am asked to do that I reply cldearly explaining that half a page is enough for me for a test and I offer the alternative to do a 'cheap' trial if they really want that. In the same way I prefer not to do trials for promotional campaigns as I was asked few time ago after I posted a bid, I do not translate any more slogans/ headlines/ taglines and short paragraphs for ad concepts if I m not paid... ▲ Collapse
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Carla Guerreiro
France
Local time: 07:11
Member (2006)
French to Portuguese
+ ...
| Translation agencies can only ask for a 300 words test. | May 17, 2009 |
They cannot ask you to do a bigger test. I learned this when I attended a meeting by the French translators association.
If you have doubts, just call your country's translators association or union.
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Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 06:11
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Who says so? | May 17, 2009 |
Carla Guerreiro wrote:
They cannot ask you to do a bigger test. I learned this when I attended a meeting by the French translators association.
If you have doubts, just call your country's translators association or union.
The French translators' association may well limit its members to a certain test size, as one of the rules of membership, but no-one can say what an independent profit-making company can or can't do, unless there's some law that I've missed. It's up to us not to go along with abusive practices, and to report those companies who are fond of using them.
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 07:11
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| What is the name...? | May 17, 2009 |
Carla Guerreiro wrote:
I learned this when I attended a meeting by the French translators association.
What is the name of this translators' association, Carla?
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jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 01:11
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| Do it or give it up | May 17, 2009 |
AC Translation wrote:
Maybe you can offer to do the first page only?
If they approve you to do the first page only, just do the first page. But I doubt they would approve it.
If I face such a situation, I would do the whole test or just give it up. To me, there wouldn't be any room for negotiation in between. They usually send out a test to many potential candidates and the PM woudn't bother to negotiate with you back and forth.
It is not quite feasible to ask for a pay for the test sample, or for a guarantee that you will get the job if your test sample is a success. I evaluate Chinese test samples for an agency on a regular basis and sometimes 10 translators were found successful on the same test. If everybody asks for a payment or for a guarantee, how will the agency accomodate such requests?
[Edited at 2009-05-17 16:17 GMT]
[Edited at 2009-05-17 16:33 GMT]
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PRen (X)
Canada
Local time: 02:11
French to English
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Trinh Do wrote:
Recently, I posted a bid for medical translation, and this agency sent me 3 A4 pages to translate. I think this is too much. I can prove myself by 3/4 or at most 1 page.
I have the feeling that I am being exploited. The blue board shows the agency has a rating of 5; however, I don't even trust such ratings.
I don't know how I should respond to this agency.
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2009-05-17 05:40 GMT]
Ask them, "are you nuts?" That should put a stop to it. Kind of reverse verbal abuse.
http://www.proz.com/forum/business_issues/134875-verbal_abuse_coming_from_clients_ways_of_dealing_with_it.html
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Carla Guerreiro
France
Local time: 07:11
Member (2006)
French to Portuguese
+ ...
Hello Samuel,
This association's name is SFT - Societé Française des Traducteurs.
Check if there's a translators association in your country.
Samuel Murray wrote: Carla Guerreiro wrote:
I learned this when I attended a meeting by the French translators association. What is the name of this translators' association, Carla?
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Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 02:11
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Ask them, "are you nuts?" That should put a stop to it.
Couldn't agree more...that's not a test, it's a JOB.
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