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Poll: What do you do when a casual acquaintance tells you they can translate and wants to work with you?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 18:16
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Perhaps... Feb 3, 2021

... I would assist for a while as a mentor, to teach (and perhaps also to learn), how to deal with certain projects and CATs and to get in touch with other tools they may learn today at University, but I would never share any jobs or customers with someone, who just starts her/his career. Sometimes I miss having colleagues around to share ideas and a good laugh, but I never made a positive experience with agency managed projects, where several translators of the same language combinations were i... See more
... I would assist for a while as a mentor, to teach (and perhaps also to learn), how to deal with certain projects and CATs and to get in touch with other tools they may learn today at University, but I would never share any jobs or customers with someone, who just starts her/his career. Sometimes I miss having colleagues around to share ideas and a good laugh, but I never made a positive experience with agency managed projects, where several translators of the same language combinations were involved in online. But sometimes I think, some changes in my/our workaround could have a positive effect on the self-centredness associated with freelancing when sitting or standing all the day alone in front of your projects. A co-working office would be no option to change it. Therefore it will keep going on as it always did in the last 14 years, I'm afraid.Collapse


Christopher Schröder
expressisverbis
Rachel Waddington
Mervyn Henderson (X)
 
Gibril Koroma
Gibril Koroma  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 13:16
French to English
+ ...
Resume Feb 5, 2021

I would ask for their resume. She might be a nuclear physicist with lots of training and experience as a translator. But she would not say 'I can translate", but would say "I am a translator," right? Red flag.

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 13:16
Spanish to English
+ ...
The helper's initial attitude might be the first red flag... Feb 5, 2021

Jennifer Lemck wrote:

"I can translate" is always a suspicious phrase and in my experience, it is usually uttered by bilingual people who have no previous experience or academic studies. Professional translators usually say "I'm a translator," because we know it is a profession and not just a way to make money quickly.

However, it could be an unfortunate turn of phrase. I think I would ask them if they have previous experience or studies to give them a chance to prove my assumption wrong.


Well said.

An appropriate attitude on the part of a person making such a request might be expressed along the lines of: "I'd like to give it a try. Maybe you can give me a short assignment to do that you can critique. If you like what I've done, then maybe we can talk about bigger assignments later."

Such an approach would give the offering freelancer full freedom to decide on whether or not to pursue further collaboration - without fear of creating unwarranted expectations or wounding the wannabe's vanity.

But when the initial attitude is more like, "Hey I can do it, sure; no problem; piece of cake!"...and then they deliver shoddy work....well, that's a problem.

It is an even bigger problem when, having produced the shoddy work, such "helpers" show no real interest in learning from their mistakes, insist their own errors are correct, and proceed to persistently request more work.

There is no value whatsoever in such a collaboration.


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Paul Lambert
ana claudia jorge
 
Ayoub Hassan
Ayoub Hassan  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 22:46
English to Hindi
+ ...
#AskForResume Feb 11, 2021

Why would anyone give a flat out no?! I'd give them a document to translate from a probably already completed Translation job, and once they're done, I'd give them a copy of the Translated version and ask them to evaluate themselves. I mean who better to judge them than themselves?! Also might look polite!

ana claudia jorge
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 18:16
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Some acquaintances asked me about the process. Feb 11, 2021

I directed them regarding resources, associations, translation portals, etc. to the best of my ability. It was not too extensive or detailed as that would take up much of my time and would qualify as business consultation. Some of them tried and took it up, and none of them stayed in it more than 1 year, most just several months. Dropping faster than entering. Not dropping, running away.

As somebody nicely put earlier in the thread, they see just the glamorous side, no boss, flexib
... See more
I directed them regarding resources, associations, translation portals, etc. to the best of my ability. It was not too extensive or detailed as that would take up much of my time and would qualify as business consultation. Some of them tried and took it up, and none of them stayed in it more than 1 year, most just several months. Dropping faster than entering. Not dropping, running away.

As somebody nicely put earlier in the thread, they see just the glamorous side, no boss, flexible schedule etc, but have no idea what's in the backend and what the process entails.

[Edited at 2021-02-11 11:33 GMT]
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ana claudia jorge
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:16
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Has a record been broken? Feb 13, 2021

20 consecutive days with the same poll question! No new ones? Then, why not recycle an old one? A good weekend to you all! Stay safe.

Quick_Poll


P.L.F. Persio
Michael Harris
writeaway
R. Alex Jenkins
 
Edward Potter
Edward Potter  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 18:16
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Not on the list Feb 13, 2021

What I would do is not on the list. What's wrong with the guy who made up this question?

Anyway, what I normally do is tell them I probably won't have much work for them but I'll take their resume. Once in a while I actually end up giving them work.

I often have an interesting conversation with the person since I am passionate about my work. I always tell them to check out Proz and spend some significant time learning from others.

Congrats to the question
... See more
What I would do is not on the list. What's wrong with the guy who made up this question?

Anyway, what I normally do is tell them I probably won't have much work for them but I'll take their resume. Once in a while I actually end up giving them work.

I often have an interesting conversation with the person since I am passionate about my work. I always tell them to check out Proz and spend some significant time learning from others.

Congrats to the question asker. It seems that he has broken the record for longest time a question has been left up.

Cheers.



[Edited at 2021-02-13 14:58 GMT]

[Edited at 2021-02-13 16:48 GMT]
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
P.L.F. Persio
Christopher Schröder
Zibow Retailleau
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:16
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Self-congratulations? Feb 13, 2021

Edward Potter wrote:
Congrats to the question asker. It seems that he has broken the record for longest time a question has been left up.

Cheers.



[Edited at 2021-02-13 14:58 GMT]

[Edited at 2021-02-13 14:58 GMT]


This poll was originally submitted by Edward Potter.


Michael Harris
 
ana claudia jorge
ana claudia jorge  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:16
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Advise them to study translation. If they at least consider it, we know they're taking it seriously. Feb 16, 2021

I can't throw stones. I did start as a Biochemistry graduate who knew languages and got lucky. I've worked part-time for 5 years until I've decided to take a leap and go full-time (I had to wait 7 months to get paid in the laboratory I was working in, so it couldn't get any worse). The first thing I did was to enroll in a post-graduation in translation. That's when I became a translator. Rather than looking at the technical side of texts, I've learned to look at the text itself and try and figur... See more
I can't throw stones. I did start as a Biochemistry graduate who knew languages and got lucky. I've worked part-time for 5 years until I've decided to take a leap and go full-time (I had to wait 7 months to get paid in the laboratory I was working in, so it couldn't get any worse). The first thing I did was to enroll in a post-graduation in translation. That's when I became a translator. Rather than looking at the technical side of texts, I've learned to look at the text itself and try and figure out how to tackle it - and why. That's when we get serious. So, to put it simply: if they're willing to learn, who knows, maybe we can work together in the future!Collapse


 
ana claudia jorge
ana claudia jorge  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:16
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Same here, but... Feb 16, 2021

Lingua 5B wrote:

I directed them regarding resources, associations, translation portals, etc. to the best of my ability. It was not too extensive or detailed as that would take up much of my time and would qualify as business consultation. Some of them tried and took it up, and none of them stayed in it more than 1 year, most just several months. Dropping faster than entering. Not dropping, running away.

As somebody nicely put earlier in the thread, they see just the glamorous side, no boss, flexible schedule etc, but have no idea what's in the backend and what the process entails.

[Edited at 2021-02-11 11:33 GMT]


I did exactly the same, but fortunately with a difference: some people I've advised are now happy, accomplished translators! Some 10% took the advice and didn't drop out or run. They stayed, and they worked their way up. That makes me happy, too!


 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 18:16
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Yes but... Feb 16, 2021

ana claudia jorge wrote:

Lingua 5B wrote:

I directed them regarding resources, associations, translation portals, etc. to the best of my ability. It was not too extensive or detailed as that would take up much of my time and would qualify as business consultation. Some of them tried and took it up, and none of them stayed in it more than 1 year, most just several months. Dropping faster than entering. Not dropping, running away.

As somebody nicely put earlier in the thread, they see just the glamorous side, no boss, flexible schedule etc, but have no idea what's in the backend and what the process entails.

[Edited at 2021-02-11 11:33 GMT]


I did exactly the same, but fortunately with a difference: some people I've advised are now happy, accomplished translators! Some 10% took the advice and didn't drop out or run. They stayed, and they worked their way up. That makes me happy, too!


Not many people asked me about this, just a few. They all had full time jobs more or less and obviously enjoyed them more than freelance translation or had their own reasons for that preference (maybe they wanted predictable, anticipatable schedule or something else). Same thing when my clients ask me, if I’m not available, to recommend someone to them. People I know who I would recommend and who proved to produce quality work have full time jobs and would not have the time for projects, especially with tight deadlines.


 
PRAKASH SHARMA
PRAKASH SHARMA  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 22:46
English to Hindi
+ ...
Cannot leave a needy person, hopeless Feb 20, 2021

I don't want even my enemy to die out of hunger and if someone is interested in entering the translation industry as a freelance translator, I ask him/her about school and college subjects and his/her likes. If the person speaks the required language/s like an expert, I expect that I can mentor such a person. In such a case, I just request him/her to wait for a sample from my end, which he/she has to translate.

Also, I don't forget to let the person know what is the average transla
... See more
I don't want even my enemy to die out of hunger and if someone is interested in entering the translation industry as a freelance translator, I ask him/her about school and college subjects and his/her likes. If the person speaks the required language/s like an expert, I expect that I can mentor such a person. In such a case, I just request him/her to wait for a sample from my end, which he/she has to translate.

Also, I don't forget to let the person know what is the average translation speed I have seen and how much one can earn as a freelance translator in India. In such a case, if he/she has a chance of earning more in some other field, he/she moves to that field. Then, I think, I did my job well.

Frankly speaking, I don't easily trust others' translation skills and commitment.

For me, my work is like my worship. Recently, I started getting jobs for translation of a renowned brand for its games. Those games are based on the movies/comics published by the same. I purchased an OTT platform one-year subscription and watched around 15 movies in English/Hindi, only to get accustomed to the characters, which I hadn't ever seen earlier. I want anyone, who wants to associate with me, to have such a passion for his/her role.


Excellent language-cum-translation skills + passion/commitment = Possibility of a becoming a good translator
Collapse


 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 18:16
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Always a frank answer Feb 20, 2021

I always tell them that I very rarely outsource (which is true), and ask them to send me their CV in case a need arises in the future (which very rarely happens).

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
writeaway
writeaway  Identity Verified
French to English
+ ...
No- no self-attaboy yet Feb 20, 2021

Edward Potter wrote:


Congrats to the question asker. It seems that he has broken the record for longest time a question has been left up.

Cheers.



[Edited at 2021-02-13 14:58 GMT]

[Edited at 2021-02-13 16:48 GMT]


You still have some way to go. This one started in May 2020 and continued to September 2020.

If you weren't a translator / interpreter, what would you like to be?

https://www.proz.com/forum/poll_discussion/343792-if_you_werent_a_translator_interpreter_what_would_you_like_to_be.html


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 18:16
Member (2006)
German to English
Now coming on to 30 days Feb 24, 2021

Teresa Borges wrote:

20 consecutive days with the same poll question! No new ones? Then, why not recycle an old one? A good weekend to you all! Stay safe.

Quick_Poll


By the time the use my poll that I suggested at the end of January, the pandemic will be over.

Are the staff at ProZ on holiday?


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
texjax DDS PhD
R. Alex Jenkins
 
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Poll: What do you do when a casual acquaintance tells you they can translate and wants to work with you?






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