What do you say to agencies when they try to pass off MTPE as 'proofing' Thread poster: David Jones
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David Jones 
Taiwan
Local time: 23:32
Chinese to English
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Hi folks, I'd love to know how common this is across the industry as a whole. Basically I've had a few times now where I've been asked to 'proof' or 'check' a translation by a non native speaker. In my limited experience these works normally look like they've been fed into Google and had the slightest of editing by a non native English speaker.
A few months back, when I was even wetter behind the ears than I am now I accepted a few of these jobs. Anyway it was just weird. I've no pr... See more Hi folks, I'd love to know how common this is across the industry as a whole. Basically I've had a few times now where I've been asked to 'proof' or 'check' a translation by a non native speaker. In my limited experience these works normally look like they've been fed into Google and had the slightest of editing by a non native English speaker.
A few months back, when I was even wetter behind the ears than I am now I accepted a few of these jobs. Anyway it was just weird. I've no problem with working with MTPE, but what I don't get is why these agencies don't just tell the truth? Why say that something has been translated when it clearly hasn't?
Is this practice as common in other languages? Or is this particular to Chinese?
How do you reply to agencies in these circumstances? ▲ Collapse
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Not that it’s ever happened to me.
| | | | | Although ... | May 28, 2021 |
David Jones wrote:
Why say that something has been translated when it clearly hasn't?
Is this practice as common in other languages? Or is this particular to Chinese?
How do you reply to agencies in these circumstances?
... I offer neither proofreading nor MTPE, I would politely ask, whether they have mistaken the above tasks with each other, and to be more polite, I would ask, whether their client has mistaken these tasks with each other. Deliver proof for your assumption and either reject the task or take it for your price you invoice for MTPE, as you don't seem to reject MTPE at all.
| | | | | Just tell the truth ... | May 28, 2021 |
... is probably the simplest solution
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| Thanks, but I am not interested | May 28, 2021 |
Rachel Waddington wrote:
Just tell the truth
... is probably the simplest solution
In my case the truth is that I only take on 'proofing' from clients I know, who produce high quality work.
| | | | | That your MTPE rate is at least double your rate for proofreading | May 28, 2021 |
Ideally, your MTPE rate should be the same as your translation rate and, ideally, your translation rate should be more than double your proofreading rate, but what you absolutely mustn't do is translate for the price of proofreading.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 17:32
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| I just tell the client | May 28, 2021 |
David Jones wrote:
Basically I've had a few times now where I've been asked to 'proof' or 'check' a translation by a non native speaker. ... look like they've been fed into Google and had the slightest of editing by a non native English speaker.
When I accept an editing task and it turns out that the translation is obviously a machine translation (either unedited or only very slightly edited), I tell the client about it and offer to re-translate the file at my usual or a discounted translation rate. Editing assumes that the translator is human.
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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| Do you think this is policy? | May 29, 2021 |
Or are they getting scammed by cheap freelance "translators" unwilling or unable to do the job?
With clients where quality tends to vary greatly between translators, especially in situations where you can tell who did it badly, I start taking notes.
I tend to forgive a couple times and then start commenting that a particular translator is unreliable, dishonest, or incompetent.
Although my bigger current peeve is revision jobs where the translator role is we... See more Or are they getting scammed by cheap freelance "translators" unwilling or unable to do the job?
With clients where quality tends to vary greatly between translators, especially in situations where you can tell who did it badly, I start taking notes.
I tend to forgive a couple times and then start commenting that a particular translator is unreliable, dishonest, or incompetent.
Although my bigger current peeve is revision jobs where the translator role is well-known for being chronically late... those I always complain about. ▲ Collapse
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Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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There's an exception though: locked segments.
Some sneaky clients lock most segments in their MTPE jobs, farm them out super cheap, and then unlock the whole thing for the revision/proofing role.
[Edited at 2021-05-29 06:20 GMT]
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 11:32
Spanish to English
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| Easy two-step solution | Jun 1, 2021 |
1.
[Most important]: Decide if you want to take on the project, either at the fee offered, or for a higher fee.
2.
Let the project manager/agency owner know that you are aware that the file(s) sent you for "proofreading" instead represent machine output.
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I think that the persons who offer such work are almost always well aware that the project involves MTPE and not "proofing." (Come now! How could the offering party not know whether or not a human be... See more 1.
[Most important]: Decide if you want to take on the project, either at the fee offered, or for a higher fee.
2.
Let the project manager/agency owner know that you are aware that the file(s) sent you for "proofreading" instead represent machine output.
*******
I think that the persons who offer such work are almost always well aware that the project involves MTPE and not "proofing." (Come now! How could the offering party not know whether or not a human being translated the material needing "proofing"?) Such offers are fundamental misrepresentations.
This has happened to me more than once. The last time it occurred (just a couple of weeks ago) the output was so defective that I would not have been able to accept the project at any price.
[Edited at 2021-06-01 12:15 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tony Keily
Local time: 17:32
Italian to English
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https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:17100:ed-1:v1:en
By definition you can't "check" a translation someone else has done (but only your own work) and you can't "proof" a translation that hasn't already been subject to "revision" (i.e.: "bilingual examination of target language content against source language content for its suitability for the agreed purpose"). An... See more https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:17100:ed-1:v1:en
By definition you can't "check" a translation someone else has done (but only your own work) and you can't "proof" a translation that hasn't already been subject to "revision" (i.e.: "bilingual examination of target language content against source language content for its suitability for the agreed purpose"). And "MT output" is not "translation". Oh, and the only thing you can do with MT output (apart from binning it) is to "post-edit" it (i.e.: "edit and correct machine translation output").
[Edited at 2021-06-02 11:53 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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