Pages in topic:   < [1 2]
New trend: Clients using MT and paying for "proofreading"
Thread poster: Hannele Marttila
Didi18
Didi18
United States
Local time: 02:28
English to Spanish
+ ...
Speaking of fish ... Aug 14, 2020

Anthony Keily wrote:

Hannele Marttila wrote:

containing a lot of translations like "Loans between breeding butter" for "Credit batch run errors".



I love it!

Years ago, when the EU institutions were trying out MT, I got a French European Parliament text on fishing quotas rendered as mish-mash English, which was full of references to "sinners and sinner's families", "professional sinners", " a traditional sinners' village", "small sinners" and "young and aspiring sinners".



Did they have any recipes for fish or only for poison?


 
Philippe SALMON
Philippe SALMON
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:28
English to French
+ ...
Charge by the hour, but warn early on Aug 15, 2020

We only take on this sort of work by the hour. Everyone has had the experience of being asked to "check" or "proofread" a document that needs major work which if you're paid by the word is financially disastrous. On the other hand, we do a lot of work in aeronautics, where a mistake could have disastrous consequences.
We tell clients our rate, emphasising that with 30 years' experience, we work pretty fast, BUT that we will warn them early on if the translation is so poor it will need subs
... See more
We only take on this sort of work by the hour. Everyone has had the experience of being asked to "check" or "proofread" a document that needs major work which if you're paid by the word is financially disastrous. On the other hand, we do a lot of work in aeronautics, where a mistake could have disastrous consequences.
We tell clients our rate, emphasising that with 30 years' experience, we work pretty fast, BUT that we will warn them early on if the translation is so poor it will need substantial revision or a complete re-translation. This seem to work well.
Collapse


Didi18
 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 10:28
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
Old trend,.... Aug 15, 2020

.... but in a new jacket. Used to be the 0.01/0.02 € translators, now it is MT (which by the way is an approvement in many cases).

Work is work, so charge your hourly rate, that will teach them.


Philippe SALMON
 
Felipe Tomasi
Felipe Tomasi  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 06:28
Member
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I would say 'no' Aug 17, 2020

Simple as that. Time is also a valuable asset.

Philippe SALMON
 
Arthur Livingstone
Arthur Livingstone
Israel
Local time: 12:28
Member (2009)
Hebrew to English
Dealing with enquiries for post-editing Jan 19, 2021

Let's not fool ourselves, PE is here to stay, and as far as I can see, demand for it will continue to grow.

I was recently asked to provide an estimate for PE. I suggested they send me a sample so that I could judge what would be necessary and how much it would cost. I was told that the client only wanted to know the "gist" since they were smart enough to work out from that what was intended. A variation on the frequently heard "I don't want a translation, I just want to know what i
... See more
Let's not fool ourselves, PE is here to stay, and as far as I can see, demand for it will continue to grow.

I was recently asked to provide an estimate for PE. I suggested they send me a sample so that I could judge what would be necessary and how much it would cost. I was told that the client only wanted to know the "gist" since they were smart enough to work out from that what was intended. A variation on the frequently heard "I don't want a translation, I just want to know what it says."

As expected, the "translation" of the sample was dreadful, and I came to the conclusion that the only satisfactory way to deal with it was to translate it from scratch.

I returned my human translation along with their MT and asked them (or their client) to edit the MT in such a way that it would give the client the "gist". They applauded my initiative, and since they had my translation, probably believed it would not be a difficult task.

I am expecting their "translation" some time this week and I hope that they will understand that in order to give the client the "gist", you first have to translate the source, compare your translation with the MT and then edit the MT to obtain the "gist". This obviously takes longer than translating from scratch.

I intend to reply in similar fashion to any and all requests I get for PE and would recommend it as a more constructive approach than saying "not interested" or consigning such inquiries to the trash.
Collapse


Mr. Satan (X)
 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
There's one HUGE problem with MT Jan 20, 2021

The counterintuitive thing with MT is that, to train your translation memories to work well, you need to invest in BETTER, more consistent, and thus more expensive translators than the ones you would have been perfectly OK using if you instead BANNED all MT and CAT tools and made em do it freehand.

If you do use high end translators, a good standardized style guide, and serious reviewers who polish everything to perfect consistency, then eventually your CAT tool will provide pretty
... See more
The counterintuitive thing with MT is that, to train your translation memories to work well, you need to invest in BETTER, more consistent, and thus more expensive translators than the ones you would have been perfectly OK using if you instead BANNED all MT and CAT tools and made em do it freehand.

If you do use high end translators, a good standardized style guide, and serious reviewers who polish everything to perfect consistency, then eventually your CAT tool will provide pretty solid results for any fairly standard product of your company's everyday workflow.

HOWEVER, that's usually not where the cost cutters are going with this when they implement MT...

[Edited at 2021-01-20 22:17 GMT]
Collapse


 
Angelique Todesco
Angelique Todesco  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:28
Spanish to English
+ ...
It is killing my job Jan 20, 2021

I think a combination of Covid and MT has absolutely decimated my workload. A company I have worked for, for about 12 years, started using MT saying if anything it would increase my earnings. I disputed this strongly and repeatedly saying it would end up taking away so many people's jobs. Anyway, for the first time in over 15 years of translation, my earnings are down by 3/4 and the amount of work I am getting has plummeted. It is really quite concerning as a whole business sector is being casua... See more
I think a combination of Covid and MT has absolutely decimated my workload. A company I have worked for, for about 12 years, started using MT saying if anything it would increase my earnings. I disputed this strongly and repeatedly saying it would end up taking away so many people's jobs. Anyway, for the first time in over 15 years of translation, my earnings are down by 3/4 and the amount of work I am getting has plummeted. It is really quite concerning as a whole business sector is being casually killed off.
Feeling quite despondent about it all.
Collapse


mughwI
Adieu
 
Pages in topic:   < [1 2]


There is no moderator assigned specifically to this forum.
To report site rules violations or get help, please contact site staff »


New trend: Clients using MT and paying for "proofreading"







Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »