Typical ProZ interpreting ad
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| 用户 | 论题张贴者: Jonathan Sanders Typical ProZ interpreting ad |
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Jonathan Sanders 
西班牙
Local time: 01:30
 正式会员 (自2006)
Spanish西班牙语译成English英语
+ ...
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Job: Interpreting job in Barcelona
Posted: 4:21pm July 2 GMT
Job type: Interpreting Job
Languages: Spanish to English, English to Spanish
Job description:
We need a Barcelona-based, double-A (or English-A with a very active B) interpreter to work in an extremely technical, specific conference which will take place in two days (July 4). Must be a skilled interpreter with considerable simultaneous experience. Must be able to prepare very technical conference in two days. Must be willing to work long hours, with portable equipment in case the booths are not set up. Must be willing to work without a boothmate, for hours on end, if necessary. Passive Catalan an asset.
Candidates who request a contract stipulating even basic work conditions or cancelation clauses need not apply.
For more details, please contact us.
P.S. If price listed below is unacceptable, we will hire translators with no interpreting experience or training, and if that fails, some unemployed person who spent his or her vacation in the Costa del Sol. If interpretation is unsucessful, then the interpreter bears all responsability.
Volume and pricing:
Price: The market price -300 EUR
Payment method: Bank transfer
Payment : 60 days after date of invoice (if we feel like it. Good luck seeking redress from the Spanish courts if you try to sue us.)
Further payment details Bank transfer
Service provider targeting (specified by job poster):
Preferred expertise: Technical, specific subject of the conference
Quoting deadline: 11:59pm Jul 3, 2008
Additional requirements:
Wide experience in interpretation.
[Edited at 2008-07-03 18:46]
 
| | | | Marlene Curtis
美国
Local time: 19:30
正式会员 (自2007)
English英语译成Portuguese葡萄牙语
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| | Typical interpreting job | Jul 3, 2008 |
That is exactly what it is coming to, although it reads like a joke!
| | | | RichardDeegan
秘鲁
Local time: 19:30
正式会员 (自2007)
Spanish西班牙语译成English英语
| | Things are tough all over | Jul 3, 2008 |
Dear Sirs,
Could you send us proposals for translating around 800 words, from ES/PT to EN?
Thanks!
Best regards,
Source format: Microsoft Word
Delivery format: Microsoft Word
Volume and pricing:
900 words
Payment 60 days after date of invoice.
Quoting deadline: 11:00pm Jul 3, 2008
Delivery deadline: 9:00am Jul 4, 2008
Tell me, do you think it's worth losing sleep over?
| | | | Steffen Walter
德国
Local time: 01:30
 正式会员 (自2002)
English英语译成German德语
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版主 | | Typical? Not quite | Jul 3, 2008 |
Hi Jonathan,
That's no more than a bad joke, and far from being a "Typical ProZ.com interpreting ad". Deserves to be binned right away, not worth the hassle at all. To apply for this job would be tantamount to suicide.
Steffen
| | | | José Henrique Lamensdorf
巴西
Local time: 22:30
会员
English英语译成Portuguese葡萄牙语
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| | They totally forgot about Trados! | Jul 4, 2008 |
I often see such interpreting jobs, as well as some video or audio translation ones, where the job poster will not let any interpreters who don't have Trados apply.
I'm still trying to figure the rationale behind this.
| | | | Steffen Walter
德国
Local time: 01:30
正式会员 (自2002)
English英语译成German德语
+ ...
版主 | | Simple answer... | Jul 4, 2008 |
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
I often see such interpreting jobs, as well as some video or audio translation ones, where the job poster will not let any interpreters who don't have Trados apply.
I'm still trying to figure the rationale behind this. |
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That's dead simple - they can pay you less because of the repetitions analysed by Trados as you speak 
Steffen
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| Advertisement |
| Jonathan Sanders
西班牙
Local time: 01:30
正式会员 (自2006)
Spanish西班牙语译成English英语
+ ...
|
Steffen Walter wrote:
Hi Jonathan,
That's no more than a bad joke, and far from being a "Typical ProZ.com interpreting ad". Deserves to be binned right away, not worth the hassle at all. To apply for this job would be tantamount to suicide.
Steffen |
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Maybe I wasn't quite clear, but I was trying to make a very valid point through humor. I almost don't bother to open e-mail notifications about interpreting jobs anymore from ProZ.com. They are never what they should be. People who have no clue what you need to do interpreting, don't provide conditions to do so, don't want to fork over a proper wage, but want the interpreting to be done well. And if you say, "I'd be interested in the job, but I think I want a boothmate, will there be ISO-compliant booths, can you take just a 10% commission instead of 40%, etc.?", they just ignore you and take whoever will work at their ridiculously low offered price.
Once I responded to an ad from a bank, which was carrying out negotiations, who wanted really skilled people to work both ways in negociations that would happen in a week and a half. I was shortlisted by the recruiter, but then told that my offer, which was very reasonable (450€/day+ travel, lodging, per-diem), especially considering there were no interpreters even close to that level in the place where the negociations would be held, the recruter said the client said I was "too expensive" and that he himself was frustrated they would probably take someone without the skills who was local and cheaper. And this was a bank! In their negociations no less! So what, if I interpret not just for free, but at a loss, then I can get work from ProZ.com interpreting ads?
I personally am sick of this kind of exploitation. How can our professions survive if this becomes the norm? You're right that ProZ.com should ban these kinds of ads. Of course, they should ban ads for translation that only offer $.04 USD/words - repetitions (as if some agency should profit from your investment in TRADOS), but they don't. Perhaps you can tell me why, because I'm tapped.
| | | | Aymeric de Poyen Bellisle
英国
Local time: 00:30
English英语译成French法语
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José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
I often see such interpreting jobs, as well as some video or audio translation ones, where the job poster will not let any interpreters who don't have Trados apply.
I'm still trying to figure the rationale behind this. |
|
There are fake agencies out there which actually get commissions on the softwares they help sell (Trados and others), usually by promising an interesting assignment to the translator/interpreter but requiring them to buy the software before any contract is signed (and of course the contract never comes).
Obviously I don't think they manage to trick too many interpreters... translators are probably more vulnerable to this type of scams.
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