| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | How much to pay an amateur Thread poster: EileenF
|
|---|
| Specialist area | May 1, 2017 |
ILAN RUBIN wrote: Sandra& Kenneth wrote: EileenF wrote:
My initial thought is that if you are using an amateur, you shouldn't be paying professional rates, and you should have the translation reviewed by a professional Hiring a high-school student for a website translation is a terrible idea. The checker will probably have to redo the whole thing and charge full rates anyway. Sandra How do you know in advance that the whole thing will have to be redone? Do you know the particular student and their abilities? I could translate lots of Russian texts when I was 18-19, and I wasn't even a native Russian speaker. I was just dedicated to learning and maybe this student is too.
With all due respect for your early prowess, Ilan, there is a strong chance that a high-school student (whose age we do not know) lacks the knowledge and experience necessary to do a decent job. Insurance is a specialist area.
As for the tax advantage, it is no doubt negligible, particularly as the professional will have to be paid anyway.
| | | |
Ricki Farn wrote:
They are paid in needlecraft patterns and loving assistance when their own thread and yarn are rebellious.
Brilliant!
| | | | jyuan_us 
United States
Local time: 00:39
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| I don't understand what the OP implied | May 2, 2017 |
What is an amateur translator? How is such a translator different to a part time translator? Is an amateur translator equal to an "apprentice translator"? Will the quality of the work of an amateur translator be necessarily poorer in quality?
| | | |
Hiring a high school kid (14 or 15, maybe 16) to translate an insurance website?
Apart from the linguistic side, it would have to be expected that a high school kid knows very little about insurance or insurance comparison sites or anything the like.
| | |
|
|
|
| I started as an amateur... Training and experience helps, but we've all been beginners once! | May 2, 2017 |
If this is a website intended for the general public, and the high-school kid is bright and thoughtful, (s)he might be able to do it well. It depends very much on the person.
If you think what some high-school kids have been capable of over the years, then you might get an excellent translation if you pick the right one. I usually say it's the job that counts. If it is fit for purpose - and a website like that has to be correct and readable, not just passable - then it should be pai... See more If this is a website intended for the general public, and the high-school kid is bright and thoughtful, (s)he might be able to do it well. It depends very much on the person.
If you think what some high-school kids have been capable of over the years, then you might get an excellent translation if you pick the right one. I usually say it's the job that counts. If it is fit for purpose - and a website like that has to be correct and readable, not just passable - then it should be paid for at a fair professional rate after tax, if any.
I don't like the idea that translation is a pocket-money job. It must be done properly, and then paid for at a viable rate, taking into account that some translations are more demanding than others, and adjusting payment accordingly. Just don't let the high-school kid loose on the serious insurance business beyond the website, until (s)he knows enough about insurance and translation to do that professionally too. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | How about a test translation? | May 2, 2017 |
I know test translations get a lot of flak on this forum, but this is one area where a test might actually be useful. How about this: tell your son to select a short passage (max 300 words) from the website, a difficult one with a lot of specialist terms. Or something tricky that requires an expert touch. Have the amateur translate it. Have the professional evaluate it. If the amateur does a pro-level job, pay him a pro-level rate. If it's usable but not especially good, reduce the rate accordin... See more I know test translations get a lot of flak on this forum, but this is one area where a test might actually be useful. How about this: tell your son to select a short passage (max 300 words) from the website, a difficult one with a lot of specialist terms. Or something tricky that requires an expert touch. Have the amateur translate it. Have the professional evaluate it. If the amateur does a pro-level job, pay him a pro-level rate. If it's usable but not especially good, reduce the rate accordingly. And if it's terrible, you've all saved yourselves a lot of time and money.
[Edited at 2017-05-02 15:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It's not about rates | May 2, 2017 |
EileenF wrote:
My son has a business that compares different insurance providers. He is hiring a high-school, native Spanish speaker, to translate the site into Spanish, and is wondering what would be a fair payment rate. My initial thought is that if you are using an amateur, you shouldn't be paying professional rates, and you should have the translation reviewed by a professional to ensure, well, that it is professional. Would much appreciate any other input my fellow translators might have.
Amateurs may get it right, but they also may get it wrong. This is playing with fire. Your son has one business. I presume it’s dear to him. I wouldn’t mess around with ‘amateurship’. I’d rather experiment with, say, cuisine, weekend, movies, etc. I would certainly get my main source of income done by a reputable subject matter expert. For editing, you can hire a pure linguist, just to smoothen the language.
| | | | EileenF
Local time: 00:39
Member (2008)
Norwegian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for (varied) input | May 7, 2017 |
My son is going to have a test piece translated and reviewed by a Spanish-language person working in his field. Enjoyed all the different points of view, but NOT that damned "Come on Eileen"! It has plagued me for years.
P.S. Wish Spanish were one of my own languages. 'T'would have been so much easier to do the job myself.
| | |
|
|
|
Inga Petkelyte
Portugal
Local time: 05:39
Lithuanian to Portuguese
+ ...
ILAN RUBIN wrote:
You pay the rate for the job, not the person
If it's perfect you pay the professional rate. Otherwise you pay that minus the cost of fixing it.
...
Yes, indeed - the rate is for the job, not the person.
Remember yourselves in the beginning of your careers - did you call yourselves amateurs or beginners?
It might be the case here.
And I wonder why an attentive amateur should be paid less than professionals, native speakers on top of that, who don't see the difference between "than" and "then".
I would trust a beginner where I understand the language myself.
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » How much to pay an amateur | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
| | TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
