| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Client thinks I worked too fast - What would you do? Thread poster: Elke Fehling
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| new strategy :-) | Jun 19, 2009 |
Elke Fehling wrote: Actually, that was my strategy in the past. However, it didn't change a thing, so I need a new strategy 
Fair enough- - if that did not work, try this:
Next time, instead of reacting to her accusations/criticisms and going on the defensive, acknowledge her concerns. Then ask her to clarify the issue for you and have her explain what she perceives to be the underlying nature of the problem. Ask her to suggest remedies. Put her (even more) in charge. Offer your assistance.
Example:
PM: “The short time in which you completed this assignment makes it very unlikely that your translation is of the quality it should be. ”
You: “Thank you, I appreciate your input. In fact, you are right, without the aid of my TM I would have needed much more time to finish this, more in the neighbourhood of 1 hour (whatever). But because I was able to rely on my fabulous TM, I was able to finish this in record time! I understand that you worry about my quality control measures, so please let me explain what steps I normally take {….}.”
PM: “Are you sure that this is enough? I seem to remember a few issues in the past…”
You: “Thanks for pointing that out. Yes, and I do remember you provided me with a checklist the last time we spoke. That was really helpful, and I have now incorporated these measures into my standard QA process. Especially points 1,4 and 5! It’s a great additional tool to have. Is there anything else you could recommend? “
PM: “Hmm. There are some issues with the terminology you use. I think some of the words are really incorrect and you should definitely take better care to use the appropriate terms. This type of issue creates a lot of extra work on my end.”
You: “Thanks, I remember there were some instances when we were not in agreement about the term chosen by me. Let me explain how this type of problem usually arises. You see, it has to do with proper glossary maintenance. In my experience, the glossaries are frequently offering more than one term for each unit/word. I wonder if you would be in a position to suggest to ( the management… whatever) a good overhaul of the entire glossary? A reliable glossary would make everyone’s job– your’s and mine-- so much easier . What do you think? I would be happy to help you!”
PM: Grumble grumble. “Ok I’ll see what I can do…”
You: YESSS!
Courage, my love
johanna
| | | | Nicole Schnell 
United States
Local time: 22:45
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | My thoughts: The new PM is simply insecure and afraid to make any mistakes | Jun 20, 2009 |
Johanna Timm, PhD wrote: Elke Fehling wrote: Actually, that was my strategy in the past. However, it didn't change a thing, so I need a new strategy Fair enough- - if that did not work, try this: Next time, instead of reacting to her accusations/criticisms and going on the defensive, acknowledge her concerns. Then ask her to clarify the issue for you and have her explain what she perceives to be the underlying nature of the problem. Ask her to suggest remedies. Put her (even more) in charge. Offer your assistance. Example: PM: “The short time in which you completed this assignment makes it very unlikely that your translation is of the quality it should be. ” You: “Thank you, I appreciate your input. In fact, you are right, without the aid of my TM I would have needed much more time to finish this, more in the neighbourhood of 1 hour (whatever). But because I was able to rely on my fabulous TM, I was able to finish this in record time! I understand that you worry about my quality control measures, so please let me explain what steps I normally take {….}.” PM: “Are you sure that this is enough? I seem to remember a few issues in the past…” You: “Thanks for pointing that out. Yes, and I do remember you provided me with a checklist the last time we spoke. That was really helpful, and I have now incorporated these measures into my standard QA process. Especially points 1,4 and 5! It’s a great additional tool to have. Is there anything else you could recommend? “ PM: “Hmm. There are some issues with the terminology you use. I think some of the words are really incorrect and you should definitely take better care to use the appropriate terms. This type of issue creates a lot of extra work on my end.” You: “Thanks, I remember there were some instances when we were not in agreement about the term chosen by me. Let me explain how this type of problem usually arises. You see, it has to do with proper glossary maintenance. In my experience, the glossaries are frequently offering more than one term for each unit/word. I wonder if you would be in a position to suggest to ( the management… whatever) a good overhaul of the entire glossary? A reliable glossary would make everyone’s job– your’s and mine-- so much easier . What do you think? I would be happy to help you!” PM: Grumble grumble. “Ok I’ll see what I can do…” You: YESSS!
http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/soundfx/applause_sounds/applause3au.shtml
| | | | Rod Walters
Japan
Local time: 14:45
Japanese to English
| A common situation | Jun 20, 2009 |
Hi Elke,
Most of my IT clients don't understand that translation quality starts with the original document, and that uncertain or incorrect GUI equivalents will have cascading knock-on effects throughout the documentation.
As one recent example from the manual of image processing software for a high-end scientific microscope, the eyedropper tool was named the "spoilt". This was a mistransliteration of "supoito" (which I think might originally be a German or Dutch word?)... See more Hi Elke,
Most of my IT clients don't understand that translation quality starts with the original document, and that uncertain or incorrect GUI equivalents will have cascading knock-on effects throughout the documentation.
As one recent example from the manual of image processing software for a high-end scientific microscope, the eyedropper tool was named the "spoilt". This was a mistransliteration of "supoito" (which I think might originally be a German or Dutch word?) Since I was asked to follow the glossary I was given, I was required to embed this ridiculous word in all sorts of sentences, with the most absurd results. This was only the most egregious example, but there were many others. For example, "open" as in opening a file was mistranslated as "write". And since I was told that consistency was very very important to the client, I was expected to use the wrong verb in all relevant sentences. Doing so would have resulted in gibberish, thus rendering useless what was part of a rather costly product.
So I spent a lot of time going backwards and forwards with the agency, filling out their QA/Q&A sheet, explaining with examples from other image processing documentation, why this was intolerable. (Fortunately, my CAT tool allowed me to blitz the repetitive parts of the manual, giving me time to fool about explaining the basics of localization and still make a tidy profit.) Quite how the agency fudged the issue with the client in the end, I don't know. I guess the agency had been providing the same lousy translations all along without alerting the client to the problem, so they would have been in a quandary about raising the issue.
So you have my full sympathy and understanding. This is indeed a problem. Also, I'm quite sure you know how much time is required to process TM output without being lectured about QA. But the question remains, what to do with your annoying PM. Maybe I'd phone her and try to explain the problem again. Who knows, she might just be a real eager beaver who is ready to try to sort out the problem at its source. Or she might just be a useless busybody and you'd be well to talk to her boss. Otherwise, you could invite her to look elsewhere for timely translations that are as accurate as possible within the flawed parameters set. This sort of hint may lose you the job in some cases, but often it helps to focus the brain of the PM. "Oh no, I'll have to educate a fresh translator entirely from scratch! Maybe I should relax my righteous zeal a bit?" ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I know how you feel | Jun 20, 2009 |
I get the same comments sometimes. They want you to be fast but not that fast because then you didn't do it properly. Sometimes you feel you can't win. Take a break (like me this weekend - actually why am I back on the computer??) and things might look different next week, when I have to "edit my mistakes" that include
Changing "as an alternative" to "alternatively"
error -> mistake
function -> feature
campaign costs used -> used campaign costs
etc etc etc etc
... See more I get the same comments sometimes. They want you to be fast but not that fast because then you didn't do it properly. Sometimes you feel you can't win. Take a break (like me this weekend - actually why am I back on the computer??) and things might look different next week, when I have to "edit my mistakes" that include
Changing "as an alternative" to "alternatively"
error -> mistake
function -> feature
campaign costs used -> used campaign costs
etc etc etc etc
And all because a source language speaker decides what is "correct".
Have good weekend
Gillian ▲ Collapse
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Oleg Rudavin
Ukraine
Local time: 08:45
Member (2003)
English to Ukrainian
+ ...
| Another suggestion of a strategy | Jun 20, 2009 |
Hi Elke,
Make the PM work:
Dear XXX,
Thank you a lot for your input. As I'm always willing to grow professionally, can you please tell me:
- How much time should I generally spend on translation in terms of words per hour?
- How does the productivity change with TM used - please explain the correlation between exact matches/fuzzies and turnaround time in detail
- Can you please prepare a list of mistakes you found in my translation pro... See more Hi Elke,
Make the PM work:
Dear XXX,
Thank you a lot for your input. As I'm always willing to grow professionally, can you please tell me:
- How much time should I generally spend on translation in terms of words per hour?
- How does the productivity change with TM used - please explain the correlation between exact matches/fuzzies and turnaround time in detail
- Can you please prepare a list of mistakes you found in my translation providing correct translation and explaining why I was wrong?
- ......etc.
Psychologically, in this situation you can either make the PM happy by flattery/empathy as suggested by Johanna Timm (didn't work); shut the PM up by bluntly telling her she's fault-finding (counterproductive and risky, considering that she works for the client); or make her busy untill she's tired. I like Johanna's dialogue, and the only correction I would add would be to write messages to the PM in a way that would make her work, explore, explain, research, prove, find and give reference... (There's also a high chance that while doing it the PM might see she's not always right!)
Cheers,
Oleg ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Have you been training black ops? | Jun 20, 2009 |
Johanna Timm, PhD wrote:
...
You: “Thanks, I remember there were some instances when we were not in agreement about the term chosen by me. Let me explain how this type of problem usually arises. You see, it has to do with proper glossary maintenance. In my experience, the glossaries are frequently offering more than one term for each unit/word. I wonder if you would be in a position to suggest to ( the management… whatever) a good overhaul of the entire glossary? A reliable glossary would make everyone’s job– your’s and mine-- so much easier . What do you think? I would be happy to help you!”
PM: Grumble grumble. “Ok I’ll see what I can do…”
You: YESSS!
Brilliant stuff.
Remind me not to end up on the wrong side of a bright light and some sodium pentothal when Johanna's around!
Cheers from rainy Berlin,
Steven
| | | | Elke Fehling
Local time: 07:45
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Oleg Rudavin wrote:
Hi Elke,
Make the PM work:
Dear XXX,
Thank you a lot for your input. As I'm always willing to grow professionally, can you please tell me:
- How much time should I generally spend on translation in terms of words per hour?
- How does the productivity change with TM used - please explain the correlation between exact matches/fuzzies and turnaround time in detail
- Can you please prepare a list of mistakes you found in my translation providing correct translation and explaining why I was wrong?
- ......etc.
Psychologically, in this situation you can either make the PM happy by flattery/empathy as suggested by Johanna Timm (didn't work); shut the PM up by bluntly telling her she's fault-finding (counterproductive and risky, considering that she works for the client); or make her busy untill she's tired. I like Johanna's dialogue, and the only correction I would add would be to write messages to the PM in a way that would make her work, explore, explain, research, prove, find and give reference... (There's also a high chance that while doing it the PM might see she's not always right!)
Cheers,
Oleg
Thank you, that is a good idea. Instead of letting me accuse of making this or that mistake I will make her work before the mistake arises. I just have to be careful so she doesn't feel I am making fun of her
Elke
| | | | Elke Fehling
Local time: 07:45
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Johanna Timm, PhD wrote:
You: “Thanks, I remember there were some instances when we were not in agreement about the term chosen by me. Let me explain how this type of problem usually arises. You see, it has to do with proper glossary maintenance. In my experience, the glossaries are frequently offering more than one term for each unit/word. I wonder if you would be in a position to suggest to ( the management… whatever) a good overhaul of the entire glossary? A reliable glossary would make everyone’s job– your’s and mine-- so much easier . What do you think? I would be happy to help you!”
You know, I have had these conversations a million times. In the beginning, when I started doing theses kinds of translations for this agency. I talked to them about all the glossary problems, by email and on the phone, we tried to find a remedy together. I remember that for one big job they even sent me screen captures of the localized German software, for every term I wasn't sure about I had to go through the images and see if there was a translation... I proposed to help them overhaul the glossaries, I proposed to go and talk to their client, I proposed to do trainings... I "complained" about my translation problems every time they arose, I put a lot of work in creating lists of problematic terms, but after 3 or 4 years without results I got tired of it. Nothing changed, the problem only got worse, and I think I had said everything there was to say.
I now realize that I always had these conversations with her superior or other people who have long since left the company. She started working in the company when I had already given up. So she really doesn't know about all the efforts I put into translating these texts, maybe she doesn't even understand why the company sticks with me even though I make so many "mistakes".
I think I need to explain that to her the next time a problem arises. When several people work in one company that doesn't necessarily mean that they share the same knowledge about their vendors...
Thank you for your input, Johanna. It helped a lot!
Elke
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| Really understand your point | Jun 20, 2009 |
and I would feel just like you do.
Is she a professional, qualified translator herself ?
Maybe you should just explain her that YOU are the professional, experienced translator, and that it's absolutely normal to translate more rapidly than a secretary does (well, obviously you should say it in a friendly way). Why not explain her that the average day input of a translator is XXX words for a text of that kind/ in that precise field/ with this difficulty level ?
... See more and I would feel just like you do.
Is she a professional, qualified translator herself ?
Maybe you should just explain her that YOU are the professional, experienced translator, and that it's absolutely normal to translate more rapidly than a secretary does (well, obviously you should say it in a friendly way). Why not explain her that the average day input of a translator is XXX words for a text of that kind/ in that precise field/ with this difficulty level ?
She seems to be really aggressive, so there's no reason why you shouldn't defend yourself, answer back in a proper and professional way, and explain her that YOU are the PROFESSIONAL.
Wish you goog luck.. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Textklick
Local time: 06:45
German to English
+ ...
In memoriam | How important are they? | Jun 20, 2009 |
lai an wrote:
Hello Elke
Contact her superior. Say you find her patronising to the point where you are becoming stressed and unhappy, and ask to be re-assigned to another reviewer if possible. Would that work?
It is possible that the agency would appreciate the feedback, you never know ...
Lesley
Hi Elke,
Could be tricky, depending how well you know them.
Last year I was working on a multilingual magazine project together with several peers who had I had resourced for the client - an advertising agency.
The first issue ran very smoothly with a brilliant and charming young project manager who was also under great pressure (moving house to the agency location etc.). She juggled it as perfectly as the Adobe Acrobat man.
The subsequent issue of the magazine was handled by a new 'Senior Account Director' that the agency had taken on and things started to go haywire in a big way. There was of course much discussion between ourselves - the translators - and in between an odd chat took place with the junior lady, who expressed sympathy and explained that she was being ordered around big time.
We continued in confusion until the senior lady got fired and the junior one picked up the pieces (not without difficulty) but incredibly efficently.
At Christmas, I visited this important client (albeit for the first time) and over dinner, the M.D. asked how his people were to work with. I honestly explained "Brilliant - except for xx and thank God she went. We could all see it coming way up front."
His response: "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"
My response: "Well, I would sooner not get involved in internal matters like that.
His response: "You are as good as 'internal' in my eyes. Any issues in future and I want to know!"
Good that we had that dinner...
So there you go. Better to be sure, but if you feel you know the superior well enough, then go for it. Also ask yourself how important they are to you?
I had another agency that I used to work with a lot, although business tailed off a bit and I had plenty to do anyway. Shame in a way, because they were great people to work with. Last year, I was approached about a new project and the new project manager amazed me with his staggering rudeness and arrogance concerning simple matters that he clearly did not fully understand. I showed my wife some of the mails and she almost fell over in shock. Upon conclusion of the project, I asked to be removed from their database.
Recently, I was mailed a copy of their new "Guideline for translators" and explained the situation to the lady who had mailed it. She told me that this guy had long since gone, so we are back in business.
The joy of being a freelancer is being able to choose and nurture your business relationships. IMO, life is too short to "cast pearls before a**holes".
Good luck with it.
Chris
| | | | | Minor comment about speed | Jun 20, 2009 |
400 words in 30 minutes is more than possible, even without Trados.
My personal best is about 900 new words translated and proofread within 1 hour. With Trados it could be a lot more, although the equivalent words and, hence, the total cost, may not be higher.
Despite this, I don't consider myself a fast translator. A few of my colleagues can power through a very difficult text as fast or even faster than I can process an easy or medium difficulty one. I seem to remembe... See more 400 words in 30 minutes is more than possible, even without Trados.
My personal best is about 900 new words translated and proofread within 1 hour. With Trados it could be a lot more, although the equivalent words and, hence, the total cost, may not be higher.
Despite this, I don't consider myself a fast translator. A few of my colleagues can power through a very difficult text as fast or even faster than I can process an easy or medium difficulty one. I seem to remember speeds of up to 1,500 words/hour being mentioned. This is all top quality, mind you. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Elke Fehling
Local time: 07:45
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Mikhail Kropotov wrote:
400 words in 30 minutes is more than possible, even without Trados.
My personal best is about 900 new words translated and proofread within 1 hour. With Trados it could be a lot more, although the equivalent words and, hence, the total cost, may not be higher.
Despite this, I don't consider myself a fast translator. A few of my colleagues can power through a very difficult text as fast or even faster than I can process an easy or medium difficulty one. I seem to remember speeds of up to 1,500 words/hour being mentioned. This is all top quality, mind you.
Thank you. I was really relaxed when I translated this text, I really took my time to check and double check...
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Jessica Noyes
United States
Local time: 01:45
Member
Spanish to English
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| Be "too busy" when her name is in the "From" field | Jun 20, 2009 |
If some of the other great, but time-and-patience consuming ideas mentioned here seem to you like too much effort, and if there are a fair number of PMs from that agency who assign work to you regularly, a quick fix would be to stop being available for her, and only her, projects.
| | | | NMR (X)
France
Local time: 07:45
French to Dutch
+ ...
Whatever your translation speed might be, don't deliver too fast, this gives arguments to your client.
I have a tendency to send back small texts the same day, but two of my clients don't appreciate that. The first one - an agency - isn't prepared and organized to handle this the same day: if she wants it the next day and if I deliver the same day, my mail will be lost.
The other one (big multinational, direct client since 16 years) will be convinced that the text is not good ... See more Whatever your translation speed might be, don't deliver too fast, this gives arguments to your client.
I have a tendency to send back small texts the same day, but two of my clients don't appreciate that. The first one - an agency - isn't prepared and organized to handle this the same day: if she wants it the next day and if I deliver the same day, my mail will be lost.
The other one (big multinational, direct client since 16 years) will be convinced that the text is not good because I didn't think about it. This person (also a translator) is convinced that someone should have a fresh view at his own text the next morning, after having slept on it and three cups of coffee. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Elke Fehling
Local time: 07:45
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I learned something | Jun 21, 2009 |
NMR wrote:
Whatever your translation speed might be, don't deliver too fast, this gives arguments to your client.
I have a tendency to send back small texts the same day, but two of my clients don't appreciate that. The first one - an agency - isn't prepared and organized to handle this the same day: if she wants it the next day and if I deliver the same day, my mail will be lost.
The other one (big multinational, direct client since 16 years) will be convinced that the text is not good because I didn't think about it. This person (also a translator) is convinced that someone should have a fresh view at his own text the next morning, after having slept on it and three cups of coffee.
Yes, I have seen that with my clients, too. I am usual too fast with my translations. When I have a big translation and finsih - let's say - 2 days in advance, I usually don't send it right after it's finished but only on the day it is due. That works great most of the time. For smaller translations it doesn't work as good, however: If I just spend 20 minutes on a translation I tend to forget about it if I don't return it right away.
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