| Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4] > | Professionals are hard to find Thread poster: Juno Bos
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Juno Bos 
Zambia
Local time: 16:28
Member (2011)
German to Dutch
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This might be a very unpopular topic, but I am bringing it up anyway, because it's frustrating.
Once and a while I am in need for translators out of my pair. I normally use this site for such, both posting a job and mailing translators. Please note, I pay well and fast (I think). The strange thing is, I hardly ever get a response or even a proper quote, unless from a massive agency from a certain country not qualified for the job at hand or speaking the native language requested.... See more This might be a very unpopular topic, but I am bringing it up anyway, because it's frustrating.
Once and a while I am in need for translators out of my pair. I normally use this site for such, both posting a job and mailing translators. Please note, I pay well and fast (I think). The strange thing is, I hardly ever get a response or even a proper quote, unless from a massive agency from a certain country not qualified for the job at hand or speaking the native language requested.
I have read a lot of posts in the many years I have been here about the profession being dead, but I got issues finding serious professionals wanting to work for a decent price per source word. I am no agency. Just a freelancer with extra services. But some of the pairs requested (outside my language pairs) through my direct clients can still make a good year income. Unfortunately when I email a good bunch of translators, I might be happy to get an answer in 4 - 8 weeks.
We can keep complaining how bad and sad and Terminator style this industry has become, but when an answer to an email takes many weeks, are you being a translator or practicing a hobby? I refuse to use agencies, but I know they will answer, fast.
Do translators not trust other translators? Do you need to be an agency to refer work to a colleague? Or am I doing everyting wrong?
(English not being my first language, sorry for the errors). ▲ Collapse
| | | | Morano El-Kholy
Egypt
Local time: 17:28
Member (2011)
English to Arabic
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| I am happy to collaborate with you. | Sep 24, 2023 |
If you are in need of an English< >Arabic freelance translator, I am happy to collaborate with you.
| | | | Juno Bos
Zambia
Local time: 16:28
Member (2011)
German to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | That's not my point | Sep 24, 2023 |
Morano El-Kholy wrote:
If you are in need of an English< >Arabic freelance translator, I am happy to collaborate with you.
I appreciate a lot, but that's not the point of my topic.
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That’s not my experience at all. I’ve been collaborating with a small group of translators for ages and I’ve found them all on Proz (but one)…
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Juno Bos
Zambia
Local time: 16:28
Member (2011)
German to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Maybe I am stuck with the wrong pairs? 10 years ago, I could find great colleagues with ease, but some have retired and now I am looking for new translators, but these days I just got no luck in even a response.
Don't get me wrong, I am seriously trying to find out what I do wrong from my side as well.
[Edited at 2023-09-24 21:44 GMT]
| | | | | I know what you mean | Sep 24, 2023 |
As an engineer by education, you probably understand that in order to produce high-quality technical translations, one should first and foremost be a professional (or at least a semi-professional) in the subject field, and only then a linguist. It's sad, but I've seen over and over how a fundamental education in linguistics or other humanities imparts the wrong kind of intuition for technical translation work. For example, I know a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience here on P... See more As an engineer by education, you probably understand that in order to produce high-quality technical translations, one should first and foremost be a professional (or at least a semi-professional) in the subject field, and only then a linguist. It's sad, but I've seen over and over how a fundamental education in linguistics or other humanities imparts the wrong kind of intuition for technical translation work. For example, I know a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience here on ProZ, who generally gives excellent answers to KudoZ questions as long as they are non-technical. However, his answers in technical fields are often totally off the wall, betraying not just the lack of knowledge, but a conceptually wrong reasoning. So maybe instead of coming here and shouting: "Hey folks, which one of you understands electronic engineering?", you ought to go to an electronic engineers' forum and ask: "Dear colleagues, which one of you is bilingual in French and English?" ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ali Sharifi
United States
Local time: 10:28
English to Persian (Farsi)
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| Message not clear | Sep 24, 2023 |
Your message is not clear.
You do not say what you are looking for.
| | | | Juno Bos
Zambia
Local time: 16:28
Member (2011)
German to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Anton Konashenok wrote: As an engineer by education, you probably understand that in order to produce high-quality technical translations, one should first and foremost be a professional (or at least a semi-professional) in the subject field, and only then a linguist. It's sad, but I've seen over and over how a fundamental education in linguistics or other humanities imparts the wrong kind of intuition for technical translation work. For example, I know a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experien@Antonce here on ProZ, who generally gives excellent answers to KudoZ questions as long as they are non-technical. However, his answers in technical fields are often totally off the wall, betraying not just the lack of knowledge, but a conceptually wrong reasoning. So maybe instead of coming here and shouting: "Hey folks, which one of you understands electronic engineering?", you ought to go to an electronic engineers' forum and ask: "Dear colleagues, which one of you is bilingual in French and English?"
Thanks for explaining it from a different angle, which hits the point in a certain way for sure. I will keep this in mind on my next search (though Kudoz points is never even a consideration to me, but I get what you are saying).
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Juno Bos
Zambia
Local time: 16:28
Member (2011)
German to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Ok my communication sucks then. | Sep 24, 2023 |
Ali Sharifi wrote:
Your message is not clear.
You do not say what you are looking for.
What I am saying is, when small translators like me are looking for colleagues in a different language pair, it's hard to even get a quote or a reaction to an email, though paying better than an agency. But when a big agency posts a job, the number of quotes goes way above 100. I don't get it. As I said maybe I am doing something wrong.
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This is just a guess from me. But maybe, it lies in the nature of our industry. Translation is not a highly regulated profession, unlike some industries like engineering, pharma, aviation, etc.
High regulation demands that all industry actors complies to standards. Hence, there are many standards born in the above industries. And with strict standards and rigorous practices held, they become norms in the industry.
I am in no position to offer any solutions to the transl... See more This is just a guess from me. But maybe, it lies in the nature of our industry. Translation is not a highly regulated profession, unlike some industries like engineering, pharma, aviation, etc.
High regulation demands that all industry actors complies to standards. Hence, there are many standards born in the above industries. And with strict standards and rigorous practices held, they become norms in the industry.
I am in no position to offer any solutions to the translation industry. But I believe that if we want to be a respected industry, we must learn how to regulate ourselves. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 10:28
German to English
| My experience as well | Sep 25, 2023 |
A number of years ago when my daughter was attending university in Montréal, she needed to have some documents translated into French and certified (by my estimate, a 2-3 hour job). Rather than go through an agency I decided to contact OTTIAQ-certified translators individually. I sent several email queries and left voicemail messages on answering machines, offering a good rate, cash on delivery with a reasonable deadline. I identified myself as a fellow translator, hoping that professional cour... See more A number of years ago when my daughter was attending university in Montréal, she needed to have some documents translated into French and certified (by my estimate, a 2-3 hour job). Rather than go through an agency I decided to contact OTTIAQ-certified translators individually. I sent several email queries and left voicemail messages on answering machines, offering a good rate, cash on delivery with a reasonable deadline. I identified myself as a fellow translator, hoping that professional courtesy would at least elicit an acknowledgement, if not an acceptance. I was kidding myself. Eventually I found someone, but it was an unnerving experience even dealing with the person who eventually accepted the job. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jessica Noyes
United States
Local time: 10:28
Member
Spanish to English
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| Need more info | Sep 25, 2023 |
Like you, I find it difficult to fathom that other translators don't take a few minutes sent a quick response (whether positive or negative) to your inquiries, ideally along with a quick explanation.
However, without seeing the type of communications you send, or having a look at some of your job postings, it's really impossible to give you any sort of useful feedback.
I have one small thought though. I wonder if, when you are conducting a search, along with the other ... See more Like you, I find it difficult to fathom that other translators don't take a few minutes sent a quick response (whether positive or negative) to your inquiries, ideally along with a quick explanation.
However, without seeing the type of communications you send, or having a look at some of your job postings, it's really impossible to give you any sort of useful feedback.
I have one small thought though. I wonder if, when you are conducting a search, along with the other requirements, you tick the "available now" box. I am often surprised to get emails from people offering "urgent" projects, when my calendar clearly shows that I am unavailable for a week or more. ▲ Collapse
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| Way of contact | Sep 25, 2023 |
Juno Bos wrote:
Once and a while I am in need for translators out of my pair. I normally use this site for such, both posting a job and mailing translators.
When you say you "use this site", what exactly do you mean?
If you're contacting translators individually about specific jobs, based on their profiles and activity on the site, then I agree you should expect a prompt and courteous response.
If, on the other hand, you're just posting jobs using the ProZ job broadcasting system, then you should be aware that a lot of the more experienced translators using the site routinely ignore such mass job postings because they so rarely lead to anything useful.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 16:28
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| Too much work / enough clients ? | Sep 25, 2023 |
It might be a little impolite, but I for example am not specifically looking for new clients and I feel free to ignore new client job requests if I'm not specifically attracted by the proposal and/or language service provider. As a translator you get all sorts of e-mails all day long and ignoring the least relevant is just a way of saving time / staying focused on your work at hand. I wouldn't immediately conclude that there's something wrong with the professional attitude of translators. I ofte... See more It might be a little impolite, but I for example am not specifically looking for new clients and I feel free to ignore new client job requests if I'm not specifically attracted by the proposal and/or language service provider. As a translator you get all sorts of e-mails all day long and ignoring the least relevant is just a way of saving time / staying focused on your work at hand. I wouldn't immediately conclude that there's something wrong with the professional attitude of translators. I often don't respond, but save the e-mail if I think the provider could be interesting in the future.
Finding new clients is fine if you are in need of them, but otherwise they are also a hassle ('onboarding' procedures, sending and signing documents, translation tests, worrying if they will pay on time or pay at all...). So I think a lot of translators will only respond if they have an immediate interest in doing so.
[Edited at 2023-09-25 06:06 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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I don't know how you contact translators but do you send mass emails starting hello, or hello Dear or just Dear..?
I never reply to some such email. It's not really because I do not trust the translator who sends such an email but because I think the translator sending the email will choose the first translator who replies, at least that's what I find. Or it's a translator who is just contacting other translators to find their rate or their CV, etc. But I generally do reply when someone se... See more I don't know how you contact translators but do you send mass emails starting hello, or hello Dear or just Dear..?
I never reply to some such email. It's not really because I do not trust the translator who sends such an email but because I think the translator sending the email will choose the first translator who replies, at least that's what I find. Or it's a translator who is just contacting other translators to find their rate or their CV, etc. But I generally do reply when someone sends me a request or an email with my name as it means they specifically searched for me or found me so i bother too, to at least reply. ▲ Collapse
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