| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: How do you feel when the client finds a major error in your translation? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
Jack Doughty 
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:08
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam | There but for the grace of God go I | Sep 16, 2008 |
I am amazed that 6.7% of respondents can state categorically that it couldn't possibly happen to them. A little more humility would be in order. "Errare humanum est..."
| | | |
It has happened to me, once. I translate a lot of documents which are very similar in substance but differ in the details - and I didn't pick up on one of the differences between the segment my CAT offered me and the source language. Neither did the reviser or the agency's in-house proofreader and so it went out to the end client like that - and the client did notice, and complained.
Of course, I was sorry that I made the mistake, apologised to the agency, applied a substantial discount t... See more It has happened to me, once. I translate a lot of documents which are very similar in substance but differ in the details - and I didn't pick up on one of the differences between the segment my CAT offered me and the source language. Neither did the reviser or the agency's in-house proofreader and so it went out to the end client like that - and the client did notice, and complained.
Of course, I was sorry that I made the mistake, apologised to the agency, applied a substantial discount to that job and resolved to try to be more careful. But to say I was mortified would be exaggerating. In the literally hundreds if not thousands of files I've translated (and continue to translate) for that one client, one major mistake in five years is (IMO) an acceptable track record. I was more concerned about damage limitation than beating myself up about it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Xanthippe
France
Local time: 17:08
Member (2008)
Italian to French
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | I'will be mortified | Sep 16, 2008 |
but, I don't konw how it could be possible because when I have a big problem whit a term I ask my client some explanations.
I hope never make a big mistake, it would make me very hill.
| | | | anna purna
France
Local time: 17:08
French to English
+ ...
| I was mortified... | Sep 16, 2008 |
[quote]Robert Forstag wrote:
Given the apparently public nature of this poll, I think most translators will be reluctant to revisit such episodes (except, of course, for those practitioners of our craft who can claim never to have made a major mistake in their careers).
I actually think that it's a good idea to share stories about errors in form (forgetting paragraphs, etc.), if not of content (i.e lexical mistakes in the translation itself), as we can help other people not to make the same mistakes.
I was mortified when I recently agreed to translate an urgent powerpoint presentation. The agency told me how many words were involved, but because I was in a hurry to meet the tight deadline, I didn't count them myself (something I generally only do if I suspect that the number of words has been underestimated!). Anyway, I translated all the slides for the 6pm, Friday evening deadline, waited for a confirmation mail that everything was OK, and then switched off my computer and went off for the week end.
On Monday morning, I discovered that the agency had been frantically trying to call me all Friday evening, as there had been "comments" attached to the slides which I had not translated. I didn't even know this "comments" option existed in Powerpoint and I certainly didn't think to look to see if there were any. The agency was seriously miffed and I felt terrible.
But you live and learn... mistakes are part of the learning curve...we learn from our errors (and other sayings that make you cringe)...
| | |
|
|
|
| I'm with you | Sep 16, 2008 |
Jack Doughty wrote:
A little more humility would be in order. "Errare humanum est..."
To say nothing of that thing about pride and falling.
But a poll like this is an excellent opportunity for those who admit to no known flaws to vaunt the fact in public without appearing to have done so gratuitously. It must be very gratifying for them.
| | | | Nesrin
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:08
English to Arabic
+ ...
| Mea culpa, perhaps | Sep 16, 2008 |
The poll was actually proposed by me, but as I always seem to suggest polls that put me in a bad light (the last one was "have you ever forgotten to start working on a translation? " ), I prefer not to be credited for them, until I've told my side of the story!
I could swear that I worded the poll "How would you feel if...", but really I'm not sure I did. If I did indeed word it as "How do you feel when..." then I fee... See more The poll was actually proposed by me, but as I always seem to suggest polls that put me in a bad light (the last one was "have you ever forgotten to start working on a translation? " ), I prefer not to be credited for them, until I've told my side of the story!
I could swear that I worded the poll "How would you feel if...", but really I'm not sure I did. If I did indeed word it as "How do you feel when..." then I feel really stupid and apologies for that!
[Edited at 2008-09-16 22:19] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | How I understood the question | Sep 16, 2008 |
Nesrin wrote:
I could swear that I worded the poll "How would you feel if...", but really I'm not sure I did. If I did indeed word it as "How do you feel when..." then I feel really stupid and apologies for that!
[Edited at 2008-09-16 11:47]
Although I haven't made any major bloopers (not to my knowledge - as Jack says, none of us are immune to error) I answered "mortified" because that's how I would feel. So no worries Nesrin, I answered your question as you inteded it!
| | | | Sam Berner
Australia
Local time: 01:08
Member (2003)
English to Arabic
+ ...
| What would you do if it did happen.. | Sep 16, 2008 |
..would be a poll as enlightening as finding out how one would feel if it did happen..
To err is human. I actually teach this in my courses to freelancers. You work to your "best care and ability". But when the whatever hits the fan.. what do you do then?
Any takers?
| | |
|
|
|
Jon O (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:08
Dutch to English
+ ...
Charlie Bavington wrote: Jack Doughty wrote:
A little more humility would be in order. "Errare humanum est..." To say nothing of that thing about pride and falling. But a poll like this is an excellent opportunity for those who admit to no known flaws to vaunt the fact in public without appearing to have done so gratuitously. It must be very gratifying for them.
I think there is enough immodest showing off done on ProZ as it is. Let's not give these people any more encouragment (as if they needed it anyway).
| | | | Williamson
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:08
Flemish to English
+ ...
| The mote in one's brother's eye..... | Sep 16, 2008 |
Some see the mote in one's brother's eye but not see the beam in one's own.
O Lord, make me aware of my own faults and do not judge my brother.
I have made every possible mistake in the book: "faux amis, spelling mistakes, omissions, false interpretation"....
Naturally mistakes are pretexts for translation agencies to point out what a lousy translator you are and to increase their profits/delay payment.
Mistakes are the first thing they are looking with a fine tooth-com... See more Some see the mote in one's brother's eye but not see the beam in one's own.
O Lord, make me aware of my own faults and do not judge my brother.
I have made every possible mistake in the book: "faux amis, spelling mistakes, omissions, false interpretation"....
Naturally mistakes are pretexts for translation agencies to point out what a lousy translator you are and to increase their profits/delay payment.
Mistakes are the first thing they are looking with a fine tooth-comb for as the pretext to reduce the cost of the translation and still charge the full price to the end-customer.
But it is when you fall deepest that you learn the most. So, you say "damn", learn from it and life goes on.
[Edited at 2008-09-16 14:57] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 17:08
English to French
+ ...
Shit happens or can happen to anyone!
Nobody is perfect... not the translator, nor the customer.
How does a customer feel when I point out a gross error? I call it working together...
| | | | | Major errors come from gross negligence or loss of control | Sep 16, 2008 |
Sam Berner wrote:
You work to your "best care and ability".
That is an important point. We postulate that every professional works to the best of his ability. The superlative of "best" may be pursued as hard as one desires, yet at some point one just has to let go. And there will always be little things in texts that eluded us when we deliver. But what this poll was about is a "major error". Errors on a really large scale can, according to my experience, only come from two sources.
The first is gross negligence and the second is due to the loss of control of the workflow. Gross negligence will not be commited by individuals who work to their "best care and ability", so I can understand the translators who postulate they have never made a "major error". What they are saying is that they have never been grossly negligent.
Supposing we work to the best of our care and ability I would venture a guess that major errors only happen when we are prescribed what and how to go about our translation process, are forced to work within an environment or software we are not absolutely familiar with and as a result lose control of one or more aspects and steps of the translation process. In these cases I have no remorse about "major errors" and tell clients that if they want a high quality product they should not interfere with the translator's workflow in any way and then judge him by the quality of his final product.
| | |
|
|
|
| I've been enormously grateful to proofreaders once or twice! | Sep 17, 2008 |
I have learnt NEVER to send off a job when I know I have a migraine on the way, or am still ´under the influence´ of the medication - I often feel fine, but my work suffers, and I can´t find the typos myself.
I have sometimes asked a colleague to proofread for me, if a deadline is looming and the job is almost done. They have have saved me before the client saw my work.
Sometimes a technically minor error (like omitting the word ´not´ in a long sentence...) constit... See more I have learnt NEVER to send off a job when I know I have a migraine on the way, or am still ´under the influence´ of the medication - I often feel fine, but my work suffers, and I can´t find the typos myself.
I have sometimes asked a colleague to proofread for me, if a deadline is looming and the job is almost done. They have have saved me before the client saw my work.
Sometimes a technically minor error (like omitting the word ´not´ in a long sentence...) constitutes a major error in practice.
Or forgetting to change the decimal commas to English decimal points...
I have been known to check and double check - and then convert all the decimals back to Danish again! I have serious problems with figures on a bad day, and I occasionally ask the agency to check again before sending the job to the client! Luckily the PMs all know enough English to do that for me.
Knowing your weak points is one thing. The real danger lies in the ones you don't know about!
But we are all human, so we all have some somewhere. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | that's why god invented proofreaders... | Sep 17, 2008 |
like moi...
I forgot one major goof- sending in the WRONG FILE which was laden with errors...i'd send the wrong saved version. Totally humiliating! it was a huge project i'd worked on for days...i'd been having weird computer issues. However, i found the right one and sent it in...but it was really mortifying when he saw the kind of mistakes i made, like BEFORE AND AFTER. It was really a Lucy moment...
| | | | Erzsébet Czopyk
Hungary
Local time: 17:08
Member (2006)
Russian to Hungarian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | with Mr. Doughty | Sep 19, 2008 |
Jack Doughty wrote:
I am amazed that 6.7% of respondents can state categorically that it couldn't possibly happen to them. A little more humility would be in order. "Errare humanum est..."
Could not agree more. Humility deficiency syndrome ;-((((
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: How do you feel when the client finds a major error in your translation? | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
