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Super short deadlines
Thread poster: Aleksandra Kloc Raspini
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 18:20
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Manufacturing assembly line principles in translation... May 31, 2021

Imo, it’s not possible to automate mental processes to resemble assembly line production. And this is exactely what MT is trying to do.

I assume that people who claim super human abilities probably run that entire text through GT or some similar tool and then perform some kind of superficial editing or proofreading. Fine, if that’s your specialty of the house and the agency is OK with it, then go ahead...Bon appétit!

[Edited at 2021-05-31 21:01 GMT]

Daryo
Laurent Di Raimondo
Adieu
P.L.F. Persio
 
Anton Konashenok
Anton Konashenok  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 18:20
French to English
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Assumptions are a risky business May 31, 2021

Lingua 5B wrote:
I assume that people who claim super human abilities probably run that entire text through GT or some similar tool and then perform some kind of superficial editing or proofreading.


Making assumptions without sufficient knowledge to back them up is one of the most frequent causes of errors in translation and elsewhere. While some people may indeed use MT, I can vouch for myself that I don't. Translating 10k words properly within 24 hours relies upon specific conditions and skills:
- Professional or semi-professional (e.g. training, volunteering, etc.) background in the general subject field
- Experience with the specific narrow subject
- Clear writing style of the source text
- Source text consisting of reasonably standard building blocks - e.g. in medical documentation, every text is unique yet mostly consists of standard expressions
- Good knowledge of standard terminology and phraseology
- Excellent typing and computer skills - specifically, the ability to invoke most functions of your software from the keyboard without using the mouse
- Experience in simultaneous interpreting does help a lot in finding the right expression quickly
- Willingness to work long hours with full concentration

[Edited at 2021-05-31 21:25 GMT]

Jorge Payan
Adieu
Mervyn Henderson (X)
P.L.F. Persio
Multiverse Solutions s.r.o. (X)
 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 12:20
Spanish to English
+ ...
The importance of not shooting yourself in the foot Jun 1, 2021

Ice Scream wrote:
{...}
OP:
I would never say how much I could do in those 24 or 48 hours (I don’t like splitting jobs). Instead I would tell them when I could do the full 10,000 words for.

I have one client that always asks for stuff tomorrow but almost always agrees to delivery next week.


This point bears repeating, especially in these very trying times.

You go bragging about how productive and efficient you are in this climate, and you risk painting yourself into a very tight corner.

I even think it legitimate to not necessarily deliver a completed project the moment you finish it.

Quote a fee, agree upon a deadline, and deliver prior to the deadline. Period.

[Edited at 2021-06-01 18:52 GMT]

Christopher Schröder
Jorge Payan
Daryo
Jan Truper
P.L.F. Persio
 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 12:20
Spanish to English
+ ...
Addendum to previous Jun 2, 2021

And if you should decide to accept a job that entails tremendous inconvenience or discomfort to you personally (e.g., staying up very late or all night, working through the weekend, changing personal plans, etc.), then make sure you receive a fee that makes it all worth your while (which will in turn make it clear to the PM you are dealing with that there is a premium attached to providing services under such conditions).

Christopher Schröder
Anton Konashenok
Jan Truper
Adieu
P.L.F. Persio
Daryo
mughwI
 
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