| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Is there an accepted length for samples to translate? Thread poster: Alexandre Chetrite
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Diana Obermeyer 
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:22
Member (2013)
German to English
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| Very fair point | Apr 25, 2014 |
Peter Linton wrote: Alexandre Chetrite wrote:
I have a potential customer who is asking me to translate 2 documents, each about 600 words long. Should I accept? I feel that translating 4 full pages of text is a little excessive as a sample.
How can I negotiate with this customer please? I am constantly amazed that translators presume to dictate to a potential customer how long a test translation should be. What matters is how much you want this business and whether you are prepared to invest the time and effort to get it. Remember you are not just a translator – you are also a business person and lneed to ook at this situation from a business perspective, not a translator's often unbusinesslike approach. By all means get in touch with the customer to negotiate and point out that 300 words are normally regarded as sufficient. Then it is up to you to decide whether to translate 1,200 words. Bear in mind that that quantity of words will give your customer a better view of your skills, and that the people who advise you to limit the length are your competitors as well as your colleagues. Do what is best for you, not for them.
Though I don't really consider it presumptious.
It's better to spend time doing tests than to do nothing and if the current workload is low, then you're a step closer to getting work.
I have a lower volume in my head because a lengthy test invariably means foregoing a paid assignment. I can fit in a short test and it doesn't really disrupt my workflow. I only need to see a reasonable chance of that leading to paid work and a relevant test to indicate that the outsourcer has at least given some consideration to my subject areas.
A lengthy test costs me money in real terms. I have to turn down paid assignments. That is only worth my while with a view to a particular assignment that is both interesting and well-paid and the pool of applicant has already been limited sufficiently to allow the outsourcer to address me personally. There must be a view to IMPROVING my situation, not just maintaining it. I most certainly can't justify it for a mere addition to a database.
Sadly, most tests issued are exactly for that purpose and it's not very motivating.
One recent slightly longer test came from a person that made a real effort to explain the reasoning for the test format, he sought to add 1 person to a small team for a particular client. He informed everyone of the number of applicants, the number of translators asked to test, the number of translators who submitted the test and then put in the effort to return a very thoughtful feedback form with grades for style, accuracy and completeness and comments.
I am well aware of the fact that this cannot be expected as standard. But the person realised that he was asking for more than the standard and consequently offered the same.
You are very correct with your statement. The OP didn't state the circumstances. I assumed. I hear test - I think agency -> database -> whatever.
I have invested a lot of time for some of my direct clients and I guess one could equally expect a longer test for a book translation or similar.
[Edited at 2014-04-25 05:26 GMT]
| | | | Lincoln Hui
Hong Kong
Local time: 20:22
Member
Chinese to English
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| Everything is case by case | Apr 25, 2014 |
I've done a test for an end client (gaming) for about 500 words worth of translation and 1000 words of proofreading, to be completed within 1 hour without using any dictionaries. I accepted the test because it was formatted in a way that the translation could not practicably be used in production (or it would cost so much effort that they would have been better off just playing straight). 300k words later they are still my biggest client.
For me it's not about the time put in; I rar... See more I've done a test for an end client (gaming) for about 500 words worth of translation and 1000 words of proofreading, to be completed within 1 hour without using any dictionaries. I accepted the test because it was formatted in a way that the translation could not practicably be used in production (or it would cost so much effort that they would have been better off just playing straight). 300k words later they are still my biggest client.
For me it's not about the time put in; I rarely have to spend more than an hour on these and I never try to pack my schedule to the brim so I do these in my spare time after I'm done working for the day. It's about whether I feel that I'm being taken for a sucker and there's no hard&fast standard for that. ▲ Collapse
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Suggest translating a random part (eg, 200 words) of a document as a sample of the quality you are capable of.
If the customer is satisfied, translate the rest of the document and send an invoice.
If the customer is not satisfied, forget the whole thing.
However, the real problem is that many 'translation agencies' seem to have little or no idea regarding quality.
| | | | | Case by case | Apr 25, 2014 |
I generally think twice about tests that take up more than an hour of my time with no remuneration.
That said, for regular clients or interesting projects I'll think twice about thinking twice.
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| Translating without a dictionary? | Apr 25, 2014 |
Lincoln Hui wrote:
I've done a test for an end client (gaming) for about 500 words worth of translation and 1000 words of proofreading, to be completed within 1 hour without using any dictionaries.
Did you really manage to translate 500 words and proofread another 1,000 in an hour?
Depending on the subject, it often takes me 15 minutes just to prepare a translation and I don't think I could work without using a dictionary.
[Edited at 2014-04-25 18:01 GMT]
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