Two phases of editing after quoting for translation? 投稿者: Dimitrios Papantoniou
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Hi,
I have been asked from an agency to make a quote for a translation project. After that they sent me a PO stating that after translation, they would review the document internally, they would send me back their suggested changes, i would have to handle back the file, they would convert to pdf and send to the end client, who would perform a second editing of the file, and then i would have to implement the client's changes to the original word file and the TM and return both.
... See more Hi,
I have been asked from an agency to make a quote for a translation project. After that they sent me a PO stating that after translation, they would review the document internally, they would send me back their suggested changes, i would have to handle back the file, they would convert to pdf and send to the end client, who would perform a second editing of the file, and then i would have to implement the client's changes to the original word file and the TM and return both.
When quoting, my quote referred to the original translation. Though sometimes i have agreed to finalize the changes suggested in the first stage of editing for other clients (and this client accepted a fair price, so i could do so in this case) i have never so far been asked for a second stage of editing, as the one suggested above.
Before emailing back my concerns to the client, i would like to make sure that i would be right not to accept this phase and/or charge extra. What do you think? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | State your case | Nov 6, 2007 |
I'd write a simple polite letter (email) saying that your original estimate was only for translation and that you'll have to charge more for the additional work. Then it's up to the agency to take or leave your proposal.
I always offer to make any changes that may be needed to work I've done as a simple matter of offering a quality product, but they're asking you for a lot more than a simple translation and possible correction. They should be willing to pay for it.
| | | | Margreet Logmans (X) 
オランダ
Local time: 22:06
英語 から オランダ語
+ ...
It seems a little bit too much.
I've done one round of editing after translation many times, no problem. Never been asked to do a second one.
This does sound a little overdone.
I think you might try to negotiate payment (per hour?) for the second round, that seems reasonable to me.
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Thanks for the advice. i emailed him back in order to politely explain that my quote did not include two stages of editing.
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| A rather messy (or silly?) approach | Nov 6, 2007 |
I wonder why the agency's internal staff should proofread the translation before it is proofread again by the end client.
One of the most organized agencies I work for always hires one translator (T) and one proofreader (P) for each job. They use a T-P-T-P sequence. I've played both roles already, sometimes in different roles with the same partner, who is as much a of translator as myself. We are expected to and do deliver a final job.
Sometimes, when I work for an end ... See more I wonder why the agency's internal staff should proofread the translation before it is proofread again by the end client.
One of the most organized agencies I work for always hires one translator (T) and one proofreader (P) for each job. They use a T-P-T-P sequence. I've played both roles already, sometimes in different roles with the same partner, who is as much a of translator as myself. We are expected to and do deliver a final job.
Sometimes, when I work for an end client directly, they want to proofread it internally, and then ask me for some changes in view of their own preferred choice of words, to keep consistency with other texts of theirs that I've never seen.
In your case, there is some likelihood to the end client requesting changes made by the agency to be reversed to what was once your original translation (which end client never saw). This would be useless multiplication - no longer dupiication - of efforts! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Dissenting opinion | Nov 7, 2007 |
I don't think this sounds overdone at all. If it's a text for publication - marketing material perhaps? - this would be a normal course of action. The typesetting/DTP phase could be tricky if the text is Greek and the printers are not used to handling different scripts. Even with German/English, I like to look over the typeset English, because German printers will do funny things, like apply German hyphenation to an English text.
That said, I would charge for at least the second rou... See more I don't think this sounds overdone at all. If it's a text for publication - marketing material perhaps? - this would be a normal course of action. The typesetting/DTP phase could be tricky if the text is Greek and the printers are not used to handling different scripts. Even with German/English, I like to look over the typeset English, because German printers will do funny things, like apply German hyphenation to an English text.
That said, I would charge for at least the second round of changes/proofreading because it's additional work on top of the original translation. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Daina has said it! | Nov 7, 2007 |
Daina Jauntirans wrote:
I don't think this sounds overdone at all. If it's a text for publication - marketing material perhaps? - this would be a normal course of action. The typesetting/DTP phase could be tricky if the text is Greek and the printers are not used to handling different scripts. Even with German/English, I like to look over the typeset English, because German printers will do funny things, like apply German hyphenation to an English text.
That said, I would charge for at least the second round of changes/proofreading because it's additional work on top of the original translation.
After-DTP proofreading is a wholly different game, and should definitely be charged extra, possibly at a higher price, since it involves hyphenation and text placement as well. Furthermore, it's the very last chance to spare a ream of paper from typos or worse mistakes.
Quite honestly, I don't know how people dare to do it, but I reckon that in some places there might be no other option. I simply won't do DTP in any language I am unable to read and understand!
To make it crystal clear, I translate between EN-PT. As I have reasonable fluency in IT-FR-ES, I'll do DTP for translations in any pair among these five languages, but I won't touch anything else. Though I can babble some phrases in very bad PL, barely enough to save my life, I won't take it.
And while doing DTP-only, I warn my clients that even if it involves my translation pair, I won't change anything (unless specifically hired to check and correct as well). First, it might be a missing period at the end of a paragraph. Then I might find a typo. Later, some grammar flaw. Finally, some poor style writing. It would be utterly impossible to draw a sharp line exactly where I should stop. So I assume that everything has been thoroughly proofread.
So, as a DTP operator - not as a translator - when these glitches on the translated text are eventually spotted on my final DTP'd artwork, it would be fair to pay me to fix them (unless this has been negotiated in advance). On the same token, it would be fair to pay the translator for proofreading an already-proofread text.
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Thanks to all for your comments. In my case, rather than DTP, it was more, as far as the agency explained, a matter of the end client reviewing the document internally for terminology consistency with their other projects.
As far as they want it this way, it's none of my business. My only concern was whether i would be right to apply an extra charge, which i did after reading your replies. They accepted a per hour charge for the final stage, and everyone is happy ... See more Thanks to all for your comments. In my case, rather than DTP, it was more, as far as the agency explained, a matter of the end client reviewing the document internally for terminology consistency with their other projects.
As far as they want it this way, it's none of my business. My only concern was whether i would be right to apply an extra charge, which i did after reading your replies. They accepted a per hour charge for the final stage, and everyone is happy ▲ Collapse
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