Doubting about installing a proprietary software from agency which requires remote installation
Thread poster: Rakel R.
Rakel R.
Rakel R.
Local time: 17:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
May 14, 2016

Hi everyone,

Although I am not new in the translation business, I am pretty new in the subtitling business and I am having some doubts about working with a subtitling and captioning company which contacted me online. After getting their rates (quite low, by the way) and passing a proficiency test, they ask me to install their software to further process with the training. What happens is that the software needs to be installed remotely and they need to remote log into my PC to insta
... See more
Hi everyone,

Although I am not new in the translation business, I am pretty new in the subtitling business and I am having some doubts about working with a subtitling and captioning company which contacted me online. After getting their rates (quite low, by the way) and passing a proficiency test, they ask me to install their software to further process with the training. What happens is that the software needs to be installed remotely and they need to remote log into my PC to install the programs. Probably this is not so uncommon, but to me it looks a bit weird and I am not so happy about allowing someone to take control of my PC to install anything...and the installation is supposed to take up to two hours!
I have seen the company is included in the Blue Board here in Proz, but I am still quite reluctant to give that access. Can anyone give me any advice about this? Is this common when installing a company software to translate subtitles for them?

Thanks so much in advance!
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Max Deryagin
Max Deryagin  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 21:11
Member (2013)
English to Russian
- May 14, 2016

raquelr wrote:

Hi everyone,

Although I am not new in the translation business, I am pretty new in the subtitling business and I am having some doubts about working with a subtitling and captioning company which contacted me online. After getting their rates (quite low, by the way) and passing a proficiency test, they ask me to install their software to further process with the training. What happens is that the software needs to be installed remotely and they need to remote log into my PC to install the programs. Probably this is not so uncommon, but to me it looks a bit weird and I am not so happy about allowing someone to take control of my PC to install anything...and the installation is supposed to take up to two hours!
I have seen the company is included in the Blue Board here in Proz, but I am still quite reluctant to give that access. Can anyone give me any advice about this? Is this common when installing a company software to translate subtitles for them?

Thanks so much in advance!


This is absolutely not common and is almost 100% a scam scheme to steal your identity/personal info.


 
Monica Paolillo
Monica Paolillo
Italy
Local time: 17:11
English to Italian
+ ...
My IT system administrator would tell me to stay away May 14, 2016

Hi, I can confirm Max is right, THIS IS NOT COMMON AT ALL and you should absolutely not even consider granting access to your computer to anyone. Whatever their intentions, this request is totally unacceptable. So, it's a big no no, stay away by all means.

Ciao.

[Edited at 2016-05-14 08:18 GMT]


 
Rakel R.
Rakel R.
Local time: 17:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you for your advice May 14, 2016

Thanks a lot to both of you!

I was doubting because seems to be a "trusted" company, at least that is what I have found researching the internet about them. It seems that many translators are using their software and working with them, even if the rates are not too good. I found one post here in the forum about that par
... See more
Thanks a lot to both of you!

I was doubting because seems to be a "trusted" company, at least that is what I have found researching the internet about them. It seems that many translators are using their software and working with them, even if the rates are not too good. I found one post here in the forum about that particular software:
http://www.proz.com/forum/subtitling/129256-softitler_snl_client_not_working_with_vista_64_bit.html

One thing is to download a software and install it in a computer and another one, to allow remote access to someone you don´t know...
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Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:11
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Weird May 14, 2016

raquelr wrote:

What happens is that the software needs to be installed remotely and they need to remote log into my PC to install the programs. Probably this is not so uncommon, but to me it looks a bit weird and I am not so happy about allowing someone to take control of my PC to install anything...and the installation is supposed to take up to two hours!


Nobody needs direct access to your PC other than you yourself!

Demanding to have such access in order to install their software on your PC is shear nonsense. I'm sure they won't allow you to run a virus scan before they install it on your PC. Needing 2 hours to install a software is anything but professional. Seems like they just want to "spy out" your system and everything stored/installed there.

Even if they have a Blue Board record, this doesn't mean that the person who's contacted you is indeed working with that agency and acting on their behalf. Stay clear.

[Edited at 2016-05-14 09:09 GMT]


 
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei  Identity Verified
Ghana
Local time: 16:11
Japanese to English
Unless you have a PC just for this client May 14, 2016

If you're not working exclusively for this client then you have all kinds of files from other jobs and clients on your computer. Do you really want to let a complete stranger and a competitor at that (in a sense) rummage through your files? Unless you're absolutely desperate for work or you have a PC that you will only use for that one client, I would turn their kind, considerate offer down.

[Edited at 2016-05-14 11:30 GMT]


 
Mirko Mainardi
Mirko Mainardi  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 17:11
Member
English to Italian
An idea... May 14, 2016

TransAfrique wrote:

Unless you have a PC just for this client


That got me thinking... If you REALLY wish to work with them, but don't want to give them access to your PC (and I totally agree with you), why don't you create a virtual machine with an OS installation specifically for this client and see what happens? I think that VM software like Oracle Virtualbox should be able to support something like that...


 
jbjb
jbjb  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 18:11
Estonian to English
+ ...
softitler May 14, 2016

Softitler has been around for decades but after some recent takeovers the name they always use should be Deluxe.
Yes, they have proprietary software but I have never heard of them (or anyone) asking for this type of remote access.
Who were you contacted by? A company calling itself Softitler? Or by Deluxe?
If they used Softitler's name, it might be a rather complicated scam or long con. If it's a request by Deluxe... Just very weird but there would be dozens of subtitlers here
... See more
Softitler has been around for decades but after some recent takeovers the name they always use should be Deluxe.
Yes, they have proprietary software but I have never heard of them (or anyone) asking for this type of remote access.
Who were you contacted by? A company calling itself Softitler? Or by Deluxe?
If they used Softitler's name, it might be a rather complicated scam or long con. If it's a request by Deluxe... Just very weird but there would be dozens of subtitlers here who work for them and are able to say if they have heard something like this.
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José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 13:11
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
It really looks like a scam May 14, 2016

raquelr wrote:

... they ask me to install their software to further process with the training. What happens is that the software needs to be installed remotely and they need to remote log into my PC to install the programs. Probably this is not so uncommon, but to me it looks a bit weird and I am not so happy about allowing someone to take control of my PC to install anything...and the installation is supposed to take up to two hours!


jbjb wrote:

Softitler has been around for decades but after some recent takeovers the name they always use should be Deluxe.
Yes, they have proprietary software but I have never heard of them (or anyone) asking for this type of remote access.
Who were you contacted by? A company calling itself Softitler? Or by Deluxe?
If they used Softitler's name, it might be a rather complicated scam or long con. If it's a request by Deluxe... Just very weird but there would be dozens of subtitlers here who work for them and are able to say if they have heard something like this.


I wonder what large subtitling company would have the staff available to spend two hours installing software on each vendor's computer. If the process is automated, the translator could self-serve, like countless - if not all - online software is installed.

This looks like merely "authorized hacking", granting unrestricted access to your computer by a complete stranger, with an unknown agenda.


 
Rakel R.
Rakel R.
Local time: 17:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you :-) May 14, 2016

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

raquelr wrote:

... they ask me to install their software to further process with the training. What happens is that the software needs to be installed remotely and they need to remote log into my PC to install the programs. Probably this is not so uncommon, but to me it looks a bit weird and I am not so happy about allowing someone to take control of my PC to install anything...and the installation is supposed to take up to two hours!


jbjb wrote:

Softitler has been around for decades but after some recent takeovers the name they always use should be Deluxe.
Yes, they have proprietary software but I have never heard of them (or anyone) asking for this type of remote access.
Who were you contacted by? A company calling itself Softitler? Or by Deluxe?
If they used Softitler's name, it might be a rather complicated scam or long con. If it's a request by Deluxe... Just very weird but there would be dozens of subtitlers here who work for them and are able to say if they have heard something like this.


I wonder what large subtitling company would have the staff available to spend two hours installing software on each vendor's computer. If the process is automated, the translator could self-serve, like countless - if not all - online software is installed.

This looks like merely "authorized hacking", granting unrestricted access to your computer by a complete stranger, with an unknown agenda.


I wrote them and gave me the option to install the program by myself. I asked here in the forum because the main option they gave me was to use the remote login procedure logging remotely into my PC and installing the required programs, and they needed two hours of my time! Very weird, to say the least.

As jbjb said, it is "reputed" company which seems to have many translators working for them. I don´t believe it is a scam but it is definitely a very strange way of asking to install their software. I thought of posting it here in case someone had got a similar offer. The emails they sent me seem to be genuine, perfect English, different documents for rates and so on, but obviously the "remote login" option worried me a lot


 
jbjb
jbjb  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 18:11
Estonian to English
+ ...
deluxe May 15, 2016

Yes, Deluxe is one of the TOP 3 global subtitling companies (SDI and BTI being the other two - at least I suppose that Deluxe should be up there).
Sofitler is the old name of Deluxe and a subtitling company called Softitler does not exist anymore but I suppose the name can still appear occasionally - either in some regions where the transfer to Deluxe has not taken place yet or in some e-mails that have not been changed yet etc


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:11
Member (2008)
Italian to English
It definitely is a scam May 16, 2016

raquelr wrote:

......the main option they gave me was to use the remote login procedure logging remotely into my PC and installing the required programs......they needed two hours of my time! ...... I don´t believe it is a scam ....


It definitely is a scam, and all the other posters here have advised you to stay away from it.

Stay away from it and cease all communication with these people.


 
Maija Cirule
Maija Cirule  Identity Verified
Latvia
Local time: 18:11
German to English
+ ...
it sounds like a scam May 16, 2016

raquelr wrote:

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

raquelr wrote:

... they ask me to install their software to further process with the training. What happens is that the software needs to be installed remotely and they need to remote log into my PC to install the programs. Probably this is not so uncommon, but to me it looks a bit weird and I am not so happy about allowing someone to take control of my PC to install anything...and the installation is supposed to take up to two hours!


jbjb wrote:

Softitler has been around for decades but after some recent takeovers the name they always use should be Deluxe.
Yes, they have proprietary software but I have never heard of them (or anyone) asking for this type of remote access.
Who were you contacted by? A company calling itself Softitler? Or by Deluxe?
If they used Softitler's name, it might be a rather complicated scam or long con. If it's a request by Deluxe... Just very weird but there would be dozens of subtitlers here who work for them and are able to say if they have heard something like this.


I wonder what large subtitling company would have the staff available to spend two hours installing software on each vendor's computer. If the process is automated, the translator could self-serve, like countless - if not all - online software is installed.

This looks like merely "authorized hacking", granting unrestricted access to your computer by a complete stranger, with an unknown agenda.


I wrote them and gave me the option to install the program by myself. I asked here in the forum because the main option they gave me was to use the remote login procedure logging remotely into my PC and installing the required programs, and they needed two hours of my time! Very weird, to say the least.

As jbjb said, it is "reputed" company which seems to have many translators working for them. I don´t believe it is a scam but it is definitely a very strange way of asking to install their software. I thought of posting it here in case someone had got a similar offer. The emails they sent me seem to be genuine, perfect English, different documents for rates and so on, but obviously the "remote login" option worried me a lot


During my 20+ years of experience in translation business, no company or individual has ever asked for remote access to my PC. My advice: don't touch them with a barge pole.

[Edited at 2016-05-16 08:42 GMT]


 


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