| Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4] > | An example of the kind of ridiculous job offers I am getting. Thread poster: Ragnar Egilsson
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Ragnar Egilsson 
Iceland
Local time: 00:09
Member (2008)
English to Icelandic
+ ...
I just had to share this because it is so ridiculous.
I was recently contacted through Smartcat by a person claiming to represent an Austrian University.
This job entailed the proofreading of a transcript of 800 minutes of conference footage. So, very dense speech and, from the sound of it, the transcript had been computer-generated.
For this they wished to pay €0.3 per program minute.
[Edited at 2022-02-12 07:15 GMT]
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 02:09
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Ragnar Egilsson wrote:
I essentially spent the rest of the thread trying to get her to understand what that actually means in terms of an hourly wage.
Good. Client education is part of our professional duty.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:09
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Ragnar Egilsson wrote:
I just had to share this because it is so ridiculous.
I was recently contacted through Smartcat (my fourth job offer through that service in as many years) by a person claiming to represent an Austrian University.
This job entailed the proofreading of a transcript of 800 minutes of conference footage. So, very dense speech and, from the sound of it, the transcript had been computer-generated.
A low estimate would be 120 thousand words.
For this they wished to pay €0.3 per program minute.
That is 240 EUR.
For something that can't possibly take less than 7 full workdays.
I essentially spent the rest of the thread trying to get her to understand what that actually means in terms of an hourly wage.
P.S.
I am based in Iceland which is one of the top 5 most expensive places to live by any measure, so a salary like that is lightyears away from the norm in most countries, let alone here.
[Edited at 2022-02-11 14:50 GMT]
Just politely say no - with the excuse that you're already very busy with other work. Keep your emotions to yourself and move on. Let some other sucker take on this job.
[Edited at 2022-02-11 14:56 GMT]
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 02:09
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| As a freelancer... | Feb 11, 2022 |
...it is your prerogative to set both the rates your customers would have to pay for your service, as well to refuse unrealistic job offers, either in regards to the required time to complete the task, or regarding the offered rate.
I know how expensive Iceland is, so yes, an income of 240 euros a week barely let's you survive for a couple of days only.
If your prospective customer doesn't offer a good rate, preferably agreeing to yours, then just say, thank you and mov... See more ...it is your prerogative to set both the rates your customers would have to pay for your service, as well to refuse unrealistic job offers, either in regards to the required time to complete the task, or regarding the offered rate.
I know how expensive Iceland is, so yes, an income of 240 euros a week barely let's you survive for a couple of days only.
If your prospective customer doesn't offer a good rate, preferably agreeing to yours, then just say, thank you and move on. ▲ Collapse
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Ragnar Egilsson
Iceland
Local time: 00:09
Member (2008)
English to Icelandic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | RE: Politeness | Feb 11, 2022 |
I believe it is the height of rudeness to undervalue my work, and the work of my profession, to such an extent.
I usually don't respond to these offers but, every now and then, I will take the fight out of professional pride. I'm sure a housepainter would feel the same way if he was offered 1 GBP/hour or saw the work being handed to people who had no experience of painting houses.
Conflict-aversion and fatalism is for conservatives.
I believe in ensuring a fair wage for... See more I believe it is the height of rudeness to undervalue my work, and the work of my profession, to such an extent.
I usually don't respond to these offers but, every now and then, I will take the fight out of professional pride. I'm sure a housepainter would feel the same way if he was offered 1 GBP/hour or saw the work being handed to people who had no experience of painting houses.
Conflict-aversion and fatalism is for conservatives.
I believe in ensuring a fair wage for everyone - starting with myself
[Edited at 2022-02-11 15:10 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | ATIL KAYHAN
Türkiye
Local time: 03:09
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
+ ...
I tend to think that there will not be any ridiculous job offers left any more if at least 90 % of all translators reject any offer which is anything below their rates.
I get such ridiculous offers all the time. Sometimes they are half my regular rate. I simply say NO. I do not hear from them again. Case dismissed.
| | | | Joakim Braun
Sweden
Local time: 02:09
German to Swedish
+ ...
| Glorious future | Feb 11, 2022 |
Offer a long-term collaboration with very competitive rates later on!
Or say that you'll take this project on as a tryout - if the agency is satisfactory, you're virtually certain to lower your rates for subsequent projects.
| | | | | I Received one and I tried to negotiate | Feb 12, 2022 |
Once a person, with an email from Russia (I'm Brazilian) contacted me with the email title "Re: Quoting for Proz Job" but I couldn't notice any responding mail, and the ones I sent with this title have nothing to do with the offer. Hence, he offered me USD0.01 for European Portuguese.
I asked if he found me here, what was his agency, renegotiated the rate for one that wasn't even competive, but better, and said I write only in the Brazilian Portuguese. He vanished. Maybe he was a S... See more Once a person, with an email from Russia (I'm Brazilian) contacted me with the email title "Re: Quoting for Proz Job" but I couldn't notice any responding mail, and the ones I sent with this title have nothing to do with the offer. Hence, he offered me USD0.01 for European Portuguese.
I asked if he found me here, what was his agency, renegotiated the rate for one that wasn't even competive, but better, and said I write only in the Brazilian Portuguese. He vanished. Maybe he was a Scam and I would ask to pay half or it all first. We won't know. But USD 0.01 is ridiculous, also. ▲ Collapse
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Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 20:09
Japanese to English
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| Ridiculous job offer | Feb 12, 2022 |
For small jobs, I respond as follows: "I don't take jobs this small but I know someone in India who might be willing to take the job. I can contact them if you like. I'm sure the job would buy a few chapatis".
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Example of ridiculous job posted on proz.com: Bids are solicited for TEN LINES OF JAPANESE. Over 20 people responded.
| | | | | I refer them | Feb 12, 2022 |
to the chimpanzee house at their local zoo.
There's nothing wrong with small jobs, though. Just badly paid ones.
[Edited at 2022-02-12 05:15 GMT]
| | | | | Such a racist remark! | Feb 12, 2022 |
Michael Newton wrote:
For small jobs, I respond as follows: "I don't take jobs this small but I know someone in India who might be willing to take the job. I can contact them if you like. I'm sure the job would buy a few chapatis".
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 03:09
Member
English to Turkish
| What's wrong with this picture? | Feb 12, 2022 |
Help me understand. Isn't Icelandic supposed to be a rare and therefore valuable language (as compared to, say, Spanish)? I just looked up the population of Iceland, it's about 370,000.
How many English to Icelandic translators must be living there?
Have the housewives, retirees, students in Iceland taken an interest in English to Icelandic translation all of a sudden?
That 'ridiculous' job offer should be a one-off thing, I'm sure you don't get those as often as those workin... See more Help me understand. Isn't Icelandic supposed to be a rare and therefore valuable language (as compared to, say, Spanish)? I just looked up the population of Iceland, it's about 370,000.
How many English to Icelandic translators must be living there?
Have the housewives, retirees, students in Iceland taken an interest in English to Icelandic translation all of a sudden?
That 'ridiculous' job offer should be a one-off thing, I'm sure you don't get those as often as those working in oversaturated language pairs do. I wouldn't throw my toys out of the pram. ▲ Collapse
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Barbara Carrara
Italy
Local time: 02:09
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
| If you are not a monkey, stop working for peanuts! | Feb 12, 2022 |
philgoddard wrote:
(I refer them) to the chimpanzee house at their local zoo.
Which reminds me,
https://nopeanuts.wordpress.com/
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
My own experience working with faster-paced transcripts of chatty focus groups back in the day suggests more like 6k words/hour
Academics are NOT known for high proficiency and endurance at fast-paced public speaking.
6k times 13 hours... let's round to 80k words.
240 euros for 80k words monolingual(?) proofreading(?) ?
Yeah it's cheap-ish.
But perhaps they just mean to pay you to play the recording (probably at 1.5x) and check th... See more My own experience working with faster-paced transcripts of chatty focus groups back in the day suggests more like 6k words/hour
Academics are NOT known for high proficiency and endurance at fast-paced public speaking.
6k times 13 hours... let's round to 80k words.
240 euros for 80k words monolingual(?) proofreading(?) ?
Yeah it's cheap-ish.
But perhaps they just mean to pay you to play the recording (probably at 1.5x) and check the text for glaring errors because they are too lazy to drop 13 hours on final QC verification?
[Edited at 2022-02-12 10:16 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-02-12 10:19 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-02-12 10:22 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:09
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| What Wilsonn Perez Reyes said | Feb 12, 2022 |
Racist indeed, and I like chapatis very much.
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