| Pages sur ce sujet: < [1 2 3 4] > | Close to 45 medical questions in 3 days?? Stricter Kudoz limits please! Auteur du fil: Nesrin
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Brian Young 
États-Unis
Local time: 04:41
danois vers anglais
| medical translation | May 4, 2010 |
That is probably the last subject area that an unqualified person should be involved in. I would not take on a translation of a medical text.
There seems to have been an implication that if we don't help someone who is in way over their heads then we would be partially responsible for the possibly disastrous results of a botched translation.
This has become a form of translation by proxy. Take on a job that you are totally incapable of doing, and then just ask dozens of questions. A... See more That is probably the last subject area that an unqualified person should be involved in. I would not take on a translation of a medical text.
There seems to have been an implication that if we don't help someone who is in way over their heads then we would be partially responsible for the possibly disastrous results of a botched translation.
This has become a form of translation by proxy. Take on a job that you are totally incapable of doing, and then just ask dozens of questions. As someone pointed out, these "askers" are probably not even qualified to choose the correct answer, and that is in fact something that I have seen happen.
The race to accumulate points is partly to blame for this.
My policy is to only answer a question if I know the answer "off the top of my head", as the saying goes. If I have to look up something, or Google it, then there is no reason that the asker can't do that on their own. I never add sources, or links to websites.
Also, I have simply stopped answering questions that have been posted by serial "askers".
It is true that we should help each other, and there can be cases where a very arcane or rare expression is posted, the type of thing that you may never find in a dictionary, or by Googling the internet. But many questions are about plain simple words that anyone should know. I am also surprised that some of these serial "askers" have profiles, or websites, that tout vast experience, and "college degrees", sometimes in numerous languages. It really makes me wonder.
But, I still can't see that the system necessarily needs to be changed. I am not sure it's worth the trouble. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nesrin
Royaume-Uni
Local time: 12:41
anglais vers arabe
+ ...
AUTEUR DU FIL | For what it's worth... | May 4, 2010 |
I know we're not talking about one individual case, but the colleague subject of the original post recently asked 74 medical questions in 8 consecutive days (that's the 60 allowed per week + 14 qs)...
Now you can tell me to adopt a "laissez-faire" attitude, ignore, flag, filter etc. but all I see is people taking your jobs (not mine personally cause I don't do medical) and gaining unmerited specialist status for a very cheap price of an ann... See more I know we're not talking about one individual case, but the colleague subject of the original post recently asked 74 medical questions in 8 consecutive days (that's the 60 allowed per week + 14 qs)...
Now you can tell me to adopt a "laissez-faire" attitude, ignore, flag, filter etc. but all I see is people taking your jobs (not mine personally cause I don't do medical) and gaining unmerited specialist status for a very cheap price of an annual Proz subscription...
Ah well, my rant here is over!
[Edited at 2010-05-04 08:15 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Krzysztof Kajetanowicz (X)
Pologne
Local time: 13:41
anglais vers polonais
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| Samuel Murray
Pays-Bas
Local time: 13:41
Membre (2006)
anglais vers afrikaans
+ ...
| How do you measure fairness? | May 4, 2010 |
Nesrin wrote:
If I am working on a LARGE translation and I encounter difficulties with 15 terms, that's perfectly acceptable, but I should never have to ask them within a 24-hour period!!
Your measure of fairness seems to be related to your opinion of how well a translator should know the subject matter. You seem to believe that KudoZ is not intended for term queries but for term emergencies. Am I right?
I'm thinking 5 questions per day for paying members and 2 for non-paying members is perfectly fair...
I think an unlimited number of questions would be fair. If you believe a user is abusing your kindness, can't you somehow block him?
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Claudio Porcellana (X)
Italie
| Close to 45 questions in 3 days? | May 4, 2010 |
I stopped eons ago to waste my time with kudoz race (carnival sometimes ;-D) as I noticed that, basically, translations were easy or veeery easy to find on main dictionaries, and even on non specialistic ones, too often !!
so, if I had a little more time/willingness to help, I would show only the source (e.g. dictionary X or link X) without dropping the translation:
may be this would be more instructive/useful for lazy peers, and note that I say it without an... See more I stopped eons ago to waste my time with kudoz race (carnival sometimes ;-D) as I noticed that, basically, translations were easy or veeery easy to find on main dictionaries, and even on non specialistic ones, too often !!
so, if I had a little more time/willingness to help, I would show only the source (e.g. dictionary X or link X) without dropping the translation:
may be this would be more instructive/useful for lazy peers, and note that I say it without any sarcasm, nor the intention of crossing swords with them
Claudio ▲ Collapse
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kudoZ to you Krzysztof 
| | | | | To poliglot45 | May 4, 2010 |
polyglot45 wrote:
With all due respect, I consider your argument totally specious. While I am prepared to admit (I was brought up to be fair and polite) that without the aid of peers, the end result might be even worse but a) as I said before, you need to know enough about your subject to choose the "right" response from among all the answers (often rubbish) that people give, always assuming someone has actually given the right answer; b) you need to be able to exploit this information knowledgeably. My point is this someone who needs to ask so many questions is unlikely to be able to field the answers properly either. And when you see how often the "asker" gets it so totally wrong in choosing an answer, well I rest my case.....
As translators we have responsibilities. I only handle quite technical material in my specialist field(s) and I am fully conscious that a mistake on my part could have disastrous consequences - I'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say that if I were stuck on a word, then I would prefer to ask the experts (technical) for an explanation, rather than hope that there might be a peer out there who might just know..... And if there were more such words than one, then I would probably have refused the job in the first place. My clients would respect me for it. They would know that I can be relied on to do a good job, if the text passes the acid test, namely if I feel competent to handle it.
Jack of all trades master of none - no thank you !
I perfectly agree with everything you said. Yes, even if this person asks all the terms he/she has trouble with, it won't solve the problem (he/she would probably make mistakes in selecting the right answer - if there is one), so it is likely that the end result will be rubbish anyway.
This is precisely why I said introducing further limits on the number of KudoZ questions would not solve the core problem, it would only introduce unnecessary burden to those that use the system in a legit way.
And this is why I don't understand those that think this person could be of any threat, "taking away your jobs", etc. Producing professional level, specialist translations is not about having the correct terminology, is it? The rubbish produced by such use of KudoZ will eventually be identified as such, by either the reviewer, or the end client. The translator will not be able to scoop up all the good medical translation jobs that are out there. (If such QA steps are missing, that is the problem with the agency or end client, and who wants to work for such clients anyway?)
So, what I am saying is I don't see a need for panicking, instead, everybody can decide whom to help when answering KudoZ questions. (Series of questions left unanswered sends a pretty good message. Just recently, in one of my language pairs somebody asked a series of questions that were clearly menu items for a restaurant. He got answers for the first two or three, the next 5 or so were left unanswered, and he stopped. So, just give this person the silent treatment, it will help.)
Katalin
| | | | | Are you still checking out the KudoZ section? | May 4, 2010 |
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| | Cedomir Pusica
Serbie
Local time: 13:41
Membre (2009)
anglais vers serbe
+ ...
| No more limits, please! | May 4, 2010 |
I don't agree with any restrictions being imposed here any more. If you don't want to answer, just don't.
There are many counter-effects achieved through limitations. If I feel like asking you 1000 questions, why would it be wrong? Maybe I got a 1m word document and identified 1000 unknown expressions after skimming through.
If, in fact, you think that the person stole a job from you by underbidding and is trying to get away with it, don't help him/her. You can go a s... See more I don't agree with any restrictions being imposed here any more. If you don't want to answer, just don't.
There are many counter-effects achieved through limitations. If I feel like asking you 1000 questions, why would it be wrong? Maybe I got a 1m word document and identified 1000 unknown expressions after skimming through.
If, in fact, you think that the person stole a job from you by underbidding and is trying to get away with it, don't help him/her. You can go a step further by sending nasty emails to that person, or posting "how dare you" discussion entries, but please, do not resort to "ban this" petitions every time something or somebody drives you mad. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Cedomir Pusica
Serbie
Local time: 13:41
Membre (2009)
anglais vers serbe
+ ...
| And yes, kudoz to Krzysztof :D | May 4, 2010 |
An applause.
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Cedomir Pusica wrote:
You can go a step further by sending nasty emails to that person, or posting "how dare you" discussion entries ...
Please note that this would be out of line with site rules.
Regards,
Enrique
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Dejan Škrebić
Bosnie-Herzegovine
Local time: 13:41
anglais vers serbe
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | What's the purpose of Kudoz system? | May 4, 2010 |
I don't agree with imposting any limits either.
I see Kudoz system as a collegiate help. If I am translating a text and don't know a word who am I to ask first for help? I choose fellow translators, and award them points for that. Why should one spend precious time researching and ending with uncertain translation when several fellow translators can offer both proposals from their experience and quality references for research, and get points for that (whatever their purpose)?
... See more I don't agree with imposting any limits either.
I see Kudoz system as a collegiate help. If I am translating a text and don't know a word who am I to ask first for help? I choose fellow translators, and award them points for that. Why should one spend precious time researching and ending with uncertain translation when several fellow translators can offer both proposals from their experience and quality references for research, and get points for that (whatever their purpose)?
Also, I understand that sometimes it is not case that translators don't know the right translation but that they just want a second opinion. Haven't you ever experienced fatigue so hard that you become unsure what a common word means (let alone a professional expression), with the everpresent curse of translators: close deadline?
Very often I am online late between 22:00 and 02:00 (CET). If translators post kudoz questions at that time I guess it is very precious for them to have any help as soon as possible. I try to help.
And, please, don't judge me too soon — I have answered far too more questions than I have asked (and I am not trying to hunt for points, but to help).
Do not ask for limits, those people need help and you have the choice to give it or to withold it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Before I read all given comments on that | May 4, 2010 |
Hello everybody,
as a sort of brainstorming, I still did not read the answers to the main question.
First of all, I think a person who asks that much, specially in such a forum like this, shows himself/herself how good he really is. I just rely on the fact, that outsourcers check kudoz-activities of a member before trusting him a project.
Second: You are never obligated to answer kudoz questions. So if you feel tired of somebody's questions, just ignore them! As p... See more Hello everybody,
as a sort of brainstorming, I still did not read the answers to the main question.
First of all, I think a person who asks that much, specially in such a forum like this, shows himself/herself how good he really is. I just rely on the fact, that outsourcers check kudoz-activities of a member before trusting him a project.
Second: You are never obligated to answer kudoz questions. So if you feel tired of somebody's questions, just ignore them! As per me, I have already filtered two people so far. And I do not get their questions anymore.
Third: In my opinion it is wrong to put a limit (for paying members) on the quantity of kudoz-questions. Please think of the fact, that many people use the given answers for their own translations!
Fourth: If I am not wrong, when somebody aks that much, the number of answers given are geting less and less. I realized that a person who asks five questions within a day, gets usually plenty of answers. But the more he/she asks (within 24 hours), the less number of answers he gets.
Well this are my thoughts about it. I hope I didn't repeat what somebody else has already said!
HTH!
Regards,
Helena ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ronald van der Linden (X)
Mexique
Local time: 05:41
allemand vers néerlandais
+ ...
| there can't be too many questions! | May 5, 2010 |
Has anyone realized that Proz.com and Kudoz is part of the internet?
Imagine a person (potential client!) looking up a word or phrase online and encounters a link to a question asked by a heavy user of Kudoz.
Imagine he or she likes Proz.com and looks for another translation.
Imagine he or she understands that he or she doesn't really understand the document in his or her hands, and requires a good translation.
And, as he or she likes Proz.com, imagine he or she st... See more Has anyone realized that Proz.com and Kudoz is part of the internet?
Imagine a person (potential client!) looking up a word or phrase online and encounters a link to a question asked by a heavy user of Kudoz.
Imagine he or she likes Proz.com and looks for another translation.
Imagine he or she understands that he or she doesn't really understand the document in his or her hands, and requires a good translation.
And, as he or she likes Proz.com, imagine he or she starts looking for translators.
Who will be the one who this particular person will select? Of course, the official, professional translator with a zillion points to be in the top 10 of his or her list.
Now, imagine this person is the secretary of some multinational director.
Would you then still agree to outcast the non-professionals? Because, that is the underlying discussion of this particular forum.
To be honest, in my opinion, having too many questions on Kudoz, easy or difficult should be welcomed, and certainly not restricted, in order to compete with "google translations".
And, in the case of 75 questions. If you notice that these questions are very easy to be solved by looking into a dictionary, why not simply write the asker and point out this information? And, at the same time offer your editing services to help out. Who knows, maybe the future client of the professional translator is exactly the non-professional translator?
(edited to solve a Spanglish issue
[Edited at 2010-05-05 07:28 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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