Poll: What kind of translation project do you most prefer? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What kind of translation project do you most prefer?".
This poll was originally submitted by Monika Coulson
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more informat... See more This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What kind of translation project do you most prefer?".
This poll was originally submitted by Monika Coulson
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: http://proz.com/topic/33629 ▲ Collapse | | | Another option would be good | Jan 7, 2006 |
I prefer long projects with short ones in between to ensure I have a 'diversion'. I always reach saturation point when involved in a very large project (approx. 100,000 words) half-way through and tend to do something else (either a short project, a walk or talking to my cat (no comments please!)). | | | long projects can be a nightmare | Jan 7, 2006 |
After a month of non-stop work on the same thing I find it quite difficult to find the energy to get up in the morning! Daily/weekly projects get my vote. | | | Rajan Chopra India Local time: 18:30 Member (2008) English to Hindi + ... I like15000 words in a week | Jan 7, 2006 |
because if I am unable to work on a day due to certain unavoidable and genuine reasons, I can clear the backlog by working for some more time on the next day. We don't get such relaxation if we have to deliver the job on the same day. | |
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Steffen Pollex (X) Local time: 14:00 English to German + ... Sometimes this happens even after 10 days | Jan 7, 2006 |
No big fun in working when there seems to be no end in sight and the moment for presenting the bill seems so far away. Konstantin Kisin wrote: After a month of non-stop work on the same thing I find it quite difficult to find the energy to get up in the morning! | | | Kirill Semenov Ukraine Local time: 15:00 Member (2004) English to Russian + ... Pros and Contras | Jan 7, 2006 |
I voted for "Weekly" option as `the golden mean' between the two extremities. I'm not interested in very short jobs, less than 2000, unless these are regular. But, as was noted before, one-two day jobs provide the necessary feeling of diversity which means avoiding a monotonous work leading to some `information hunger'. From the other hand, switching too often from one subject to another may also cause some stress and a lack of concetration. The obvious benefit of a large/huge job i... See more I voted for "Weekly" option as `the golden mean' between the two extremities. I'm not interested in very short jobs, less than 2000, unless these are regular. But, as was noted before, one-two day jobs provide the necessary feeling of diversity which means avoiding a monotonous work leading to some `information hunger'. From the other hand, switching too often from one subject to another may also cause some stress and a lack of concetration. The obvious benefit of a large/huge job is a guaranteed workload and income. It's not that bad when the deadline is loose enough. I used to translate books with no strict deadlines, and it was perfectly OK, even if a book took me more than two months to complete. Yet, another drawback of large project is that it's difficult to estimate deadline for them, especially if you have a gauranteed workload from other regular clients. My own experience shows that, in most cases, 3 or 4 weeks is, probably, the threshold when I lost my interest and it became difficult to focus on a project. So, a 1-2 week job seems to be the happy medium for a productive and comfortable work with the same subject - and quite a sensible workload to feel secure about your monthly income.
[Edited at 2006-01-07 19:07]
[Edited at 2006-01-07 19:08] ▲ Collapse | | | Long projects and huge turkeys | Jan 7, 2006 |
I voted for long-term projects, though I agree that it's nice to have short "refreshers" in between. I invariably find, however, that the first sentence, the first paragraph, the first page, or the Introduction (if it's a book) is the hardest part of every translation. I don't yet know the subject matter, the style, the register, the author...and no matter how many times I read the text before beginning to translate (as my professors taught me to do), I don't *really* know the text until I've be... See more I voted for long-term projects, though I agree that it's nice to have short "refreshers" in between. I invariably find, however, that the first sentence, the first paragraph, the first page, or the Introduction (if it's a book) is the hardest part of every translation. I don't yet know the subject matter, the style, the register, the author...and no matter how many times I read the text before beginning to translate (as my professors taught me to do), I don't *really* know the text until I've been translating a while. If I do just short projects, then unless they are repetitive, I'll always be doing the hardest part of the translation! Every job I've ever done, from half a page to over 150,000 words, has gotten progressively easier. So I like long projects for the same reason I buy very large turkeys--better meat-to-bone ratio! ▲ Collapse | | | Dyran Altenburg (X) United States Local time: 09:00 English to Spanish + ... No need to wait that long | Jan 7, 2006 |
Steffen Pollex wrote: No big fun in working when there seems to be no end in sight and the moment for presenting the bill seems so far away. I often work with large projects (100,000 words or more) and one of the reasons I like them is that I get a check every two weeks or so. I would think that getting partial payments at least once month shouldn't be a problem, in general. Plus, big jobs usually have very reasonable deadlines, which lets me accept smaller assignments on weekends, for example. -- Dyran | |
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Daniel Bird United Kingdom Local time: 13:00 German to English An interesting topic... | Jan 8, 2006 |
...especially as I'm about halfway through what seems like an ever-expanding job, where the whole extent was unknown at the beginning but regular additions have come along, and the job has become nearly a month's worth instead of about a week and a half. If you find yourself in a similar situation, don't forget to get a PO with an open deadline (I have). That way you'll know that you're dealing with a reasonable client and some of the pressure comes off. Personally though, I prefer the wee... See more ...especially as I'm about halfway through what seems like an ever-expanding job, where the whole extent was unknown at the beginning but regular additions have come along, and the job has become nearly a month's worth instead of about a week and a half. If you find yourself in a similar situation, don't forget to get a PO with an open deadline (I have). That way you'll know that you're dealing with a reasonable client and some of the pressure comes off. Personally though, I prefer the weekly chunk. ▲ Collapse | | | Vito Smolej Germany Local time: 14:00 Member (2004) English to Slovenian + ... SITE LOCALIZER The best I have had so far are... | Jan 11, 2006 |
daily projects of the one and the same kind (I guess I haven gotten to app 60.000 by 1500 at one time): flyers. Ônce you have the TM, they (pun is no pun) fly. smo | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: What kind of translation project do you most prefer? CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
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