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New trend? Send out machine translations not to be post edited, but to be translated as is?
Thread poster: Channa Montijn
Alexandra Hirsch (X)
Alexandra Hirsch (X)  Identity Verified
Austria
Local time: 12:00
English to German
+ ...
Some clients Oct 28, 2019

Individual clients tend to be grateful to you for pointing out how and why a source text isn't up to scratch -- because it means they get more bang for their buck. Agencies are different, I know. You're presented with a (bad) translation and left to fend for yourself.

If you're keen on continuing the relationship you've built, why not add an editing service to your portfolio? Ask someone knowledgeable on the subject matter to review the source text, let them point out the unintellig
... See more
Individual clients tend to be grateful to you for pointing out how and why a source text isn't up to scratch -- because it means they get more bang for their buck. Agencies are different, I know. You're presented with a (bad) translation and left to fend for yourself.

If you're keen on continuing the relationship you've built, why not add an editing service to your portfolio? Ask someone knowledgeable on the subject matter to review the source text, let them point out the unintelligible bits and add the cost for their services to your quote. Alternatively, you could ask for the Chinese original and have it translated properly. Could be hard to sell but definitely better than trying to translate gibberish.

Good Luck!
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Viktoriia Horiachko
 
Harry Bornemann
Harry Bornemann  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 05:00
English to German
+ ...
Really strange Oct 28, 2019

Fiona Grace Peterson wrote:
... taking the juiciest three or four lines and translating them by way of example ...

I received a reviewing task for an Excel file from an agency with an excellent and even impressive Blue Board record.

The surprise began when I noticed that the words in CamelCase were translated in CamelCase, although they are usually untranslatable variable names.
Most of the rest was just a literal word by word translation.
When I reached the most juicy line Ignore Missing Children I noticed that even this thick-skinned translator had not dared to translate it.
I turned it down and advised the client to restart this project in a professional way.

[Edited at 2019-10-28 23:24 GMT]


 
Baran Keki
Baran Keki  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 14:00
Member
English to Turkish
@Fiona Oct 29, 2019

Thanks for the inspiring insight especially as regards the payment terms. But I wonder how you manage to reduce them from 120 days to 30 days. Normally your point of contact should be a PM or the owner the agency (if it's a small translation agency or an individual LSP), what can a PM do to reduce the payment term to 30 days? The way I see it, it's the corporation-like big translation agencies using Plunet or other 'impersonal' management systems that push for longer payment terms. If it's a set... See more
Thanks for the inspiring insight especially as regards the payment terms. But I wonder how you manage to reduce them from 120 days to 30 days. Normally your point of contact should be a PM or the owner the agency (if it's a small translation agency or an individual LSP), what can a PM do to reduce the payment term to 30 days? The way I see it, it's the corporation-like big translation agencies using Plunet or other 'impersonal' management systems that push for longer payment terms. If it's a set company policy how do you persuade them to make exceptions for you? By refusing to sign their NDA?Collapse


 
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 12:00
Italian to English
No magic wand Oct 29, 2019

Baran Keki wrote:

But I wonder how you manage to reduce them from 120 days to 30 days.


Baran, I am no Harry Potter, and have no magic wand. I guess it partly depends how much a certain translation agency needs my services - I am an experienced IT>EN medical translator, and they may not have many others like me at their disposal. I don't work with any huge translation agencies - as you rightly point out, negotiation becomes a lot harder with the bigger companies.

Recently I refused to sign an NDA and the company wasn't willing to meet my terms, so we parted ways gracefully. You win some, you lose some.


 
Wilsonn Perez Reyes
Wilsonn Perez Reyes  Identity Verified
El Salvador
Local time: 05:00
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
question Oct 30, 2019

Fiona Grace Peterson wrote:

Baran Keki wrote:

But I wonder how you manage to reduce them from 120 days to 30 days.


Baran, I am no Harry Potter, and have no magic wand. I guess it partly depends how much a certain translation agency needs my services - I am an experienced IT>EN medical translator, and they may not have many others like me at their disposal. I don't work with any huge translation agencies - as you rightly point out, negotiation becomes a lot harder with the bigger companies.

Recently I refused to sign an NDA and the company wasn't willing to meet my terms, so we parted ways gracefully. You win some, you lose some.


Out of curiosity, Fiona, why would you normally NOT sign an NDA?


 
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New trend? Send out machine translations not to be post edited, but to be translated as is?







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