Tips for hiring a translator
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| | susan rose (X) 
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 18:48
Deutsch > Englisch
| good article, one correction | Jun 8, 2011 |
A good article. I particularly liked your succinct description of the difference between bilingual and translator. I'd like to add, though, that a lot of freelancers also have translation software (like Trados or Wordfast). I'd also like to add one more 'beware': Beware of single translators who offer a half a dozen or more word pairs! Chances are, none of them are very professional.
| | | | Angie Garbarino
Local time: 03:48
Mitglied (2003)
Französisch > Italienisch
+ ...
Beware of single translators who offer a half a dozen or more word pairs! Chances are, none of them are very professional.
whether you have a serious reason for saying the above? Can you kindly explain?
Thanks a lot!
[Edited at 2011-06-08 19:37 GMT]
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: Empty post | | Too philosophical IMHO | Jun 9, 2011 |
I thought I'd find some possible improvements to my strictly practical article, but I found it rather noncommittal instead, mostly stating the obvious, plus some advertising for Transperfect and ATA.
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apk12
Deutschland
Local time: 03:48
Englisch > Deutsch
+ ...
| Or none of them will be done by a professional, by a native, by a human being.... | Jun 9, 2011 |
Having a certain different view regarding this here:
susan rose wrote:
... translation software (like Trados or ...).
(Quite different...) - I don't want to comment further on this, but I definitely second the following:
susan rose wrote:
Beware of single translators who offer a half a dozen or more word pairs! Chances are, none of them are very professional.
Especially when coming with "extremely competitive" prices. Chances are that after the 7th outsourcing step your translation will have travelled around the globe (e.g. from Cologne to Dresden to around Cracow, from there to around Prague, from there to China, from there to India, from there on to the Philippines). After this interesting travel, your project might well end on some dubious job boards and will be finally taken - since no professional paying target language country rents, telephone, electricity prices... so, since naturally, no target professional will be interested in your project after its travel, it may quite probably of course at the end be taken by some clever google-user and cut-and-paste-expert. Poor, poor end-client.
And yyyes! Choosing a direct cooperation with a translation professional can indeed help to prevent such surprises.
[Edited at 2011-06-09 02:22 GMT]
| | | | Nicole Schnell
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 18:48
Englisch > Deutsch
+ ...
In stillem Gedenken
susan rose wrote:
I'd like to add, though, that a lot of freelancers also have translation software (like Trados or Wordfast).
I don't see any reason why anyone should advertise such products without being paid for advertising services by their manufacturers, promote and support the nasty habit of demanding discounts and creating the weird and deceptive image that only translators with CAT tools are true professionals.
| | | | Neil Coffey
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 02:48
Französisch > Englisch
+ ...
| Suspiciously like an advertorial (?) but... | Jun 9, 2011 |
Although this article seems to have some kind of agenda, I wonder if we should leave comments to set the record straight on some of the more misleading information?
| | | | | There is no guarantee that TM software reduces errors - it may propagate them instead... | Jun 9, 2011 |
"Although TM software is intended to reduce the workload of the translator and the time needed to complete the project, it also reduces the number of errors."
-- but only if the correct version of the text is saved in the TM. This should be done automatically when the text is 'cleaned up', but a TM propagates any errors that are saved in it.
I know this from my own endless personal struggle with typos.
I have routines to ensure that only the final, proofread and corrected version of the text is saved in the TM, but I am a hopeless typist, and inevitably, a few typos slip through.
If that applies to typos, then it also applies to any other kind of error.
I use the glossary function to avoid typos, and I correct my own errors as soon as I find them, so my own TMs do reduce errors when properly maintained and updated, but if the errors are there, they will be propagated every time the segment is matched.
They can and should be corrected instantly, whenever found.
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LEXpert
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 20:48
Mitglied (2008)
Kroatisch > Englisch
+ ...
| Multiple translators = reduced errors? | Jun 10, 2011 |
"This system typically involves the use of multiple translators for a single project to reduce the likelihood of typos and errors."
Is this code for "No matter how large/urgent, we'll accede to your ridiculous deadline expectations by splitting your 50k-word file up among 20 translators tonight and pasting it back together tomorrow [for a generous rush fee, of which the translators see nary a cent]"?
Not sure how that reduces typos and errors, though. Unless they meant... See more "This system typically involves the use of multiple translators for a single project to reduce the likelihood of typos and errors."
Is this code for "No matter how large/urgent, we'll accede to your ridiculous deadline expectations by splitting your 50k-word file up among 20 translators tonight and pasting it back together tomorrow [for a generous rush fee, of which the translators see nary a cent]"?
Not sure how that reduces typos and errors, though. Unless they meant to say "use additional translators as proofreaders", in which case they could have just said so. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Susanna Garcia
Local time: 02:48
Italienisch > Englisch
+ ...
In stillem Gedenken
Prof. Angie G. wrote: Beware of single translators who offer a half a dozen or more word pairs! Chances are, none of them are very professional. whether you have a serious reason for saying the above? Can you kindly explain? Thanks a lot! [Edited at 2011-06-08 19:37 GMT]
Although clearly this doesn't apply to everyone, a look at Kudoz can confirm that there are translators claiming to be proficient in multiple pairs then posting questions which serve to show they aren't.
| | | | Angie Garbarino
Local time: 03:48
Mitglied (2003)
Französisch > Italienisch
+ ...
| Right Susanna | Jun 10, 2011 |
Susanna Garcia wrote: Prof. Angie G. wrote: Beware of single translators who offer a half a dozen or more word pairs! Chances are, none of them are very professional. whether you have a serious reason for saying the above? Can you kindly explain? Thanks a lot! Although clearly this doesn't apply to everyone, a look at Kudoz can confirm that there are translators claiming to be proficient in multiple pairs then posting questions which serve to show they aren't.
But let me stress that this cannot be generalized.
| | | | apk12
Deutschland
Local time: 03:48
Englisch > Deutsch
+ ...
| Exactly. TM is no way to assure correctness. | Jun 10, 2011 |
Christine Andersen wrote: "Although TM software is intended to reduce the workload of the translator and the time needed to complete the project, it also reduces the number of errors." -- but only if the correct version of the text is saved in the TM.
And I definitely second this question:
Rudolf Vedo CT wrote:
"This system typically involves the use of multiple translators for a single project to reduce the likelihood of typos and errors."
Is this code for "No matter how large/urgent, we'll accede to your ridiculous deadline expectations by splitting your 50k-word file up among 20 translators tonight and pasting it back together tomorrow (...) ?
Not sure how that reduces typos and errors, though. ...
Exactly. Let me remind some black humor regarding this question. Not fiction, by the way.
[Edited at 2011-06-10 15:39 GMT]
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