| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Is it possible to search translator C.V.'s for keywords Thread poster: John Moran
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Okay, Lisa. I don't think membership of a professional organisation alone is enough to select a translator. However, it does provide an indication, so we can add it to the mix.
Cheers,
Hans
| | | | John Moran 
Ireland
Local time: 22:55
German to English
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TOPIC STARTER | The C.V. is just one data point | Aug 19, 2015 |
First off, because we have been in business for a long time looking for new translators is not really a frequent task. Nonetheless, in certain phases (like the one we are in) it can be.
We don't have a fixed workflow for recruiting new translators but here is one I have used:
1) Post a job on proz.
2) Read the C.V.'s of the translators who bid. If it is into English, aside from education etc. I am looking for typos or evidence of poor linguistic competence.... See more First off, because we have been in business for a long time looking for new translators is not really a frequent task. Nonetheless, in certain phases (like the one we are in) it can be.
We don't have a fixed workflow for recruiting new translators but here is one I have used:
1) Post a job on proz.
2) Read the C.V.'s of the translators who bid. If it is into English, aside from education etc. I am looking for typos or evidence of poor linguistic competence. Even in the proz profile text you find issues.
3) Ring / Skype the number on the C.V. and talk to the translator in English and (if it is de>en or en>de work in German). It is just a short call to establish they are not a scammer and build some kind of rapport so problems can be more easily solved down the line.
4) Send out a 1000-2000 word job paid at the bid price. Review or re-translate as required. Pay irrespective of quality.
As we expand into new language pairs we have found the posting jobs on proz can be a waste of time. We also send direct messages from proz from time to time but we never do that without quoting rates. We get a decent response rate as our rates are not off-the-charts low (y'know for an agency). We also go through translator organizations but, frankly, the engineering know-how can be lacking there and we do quite a bit of engineering work. The qualified engineers who have an ATA or similarly difficult exam behind them are often out of our price range, which is as good an advertisement for the ATA as I can think of.
Regarding the information on the C.V.'s my feeling is that most people don't lie and even if they did it would come out during in-house review. ▲ Collapse
| | | | XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:55
Portuguese to English
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| Professional associations | Aug 19, 2015 |
Meta Arkadia wrote:
I don't trust "professional associations," especially not if I have no idea who they are. MCIL? MITI? Let alone one in Southern India - to stick to Tamil. That's John's problem (maybe).
Don't get me wrong, professional associations are certainly not perfect, some are more imperfect than others but they would still be my first port of call, along with word of mouth/recommendations. I'm sorry to say that Proz is almost the last place I would look.
As for agencies, the problem is that they have got themselves into the situation where, as John himself says, one agency subcontracts to another and those chains are getting ever longer. It means that the original budget for that A1, ATA-certified, qualified engineer he refers to, who might be your best chance of a top-quality translation, has simply been reduced to peanuts.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 23:55
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Some do mention end-clients | Aug 19, 2015 |
Sheila Wilson wrote:
1. The vast majority of us choose not to list our clients\' names.
Meta Arkadia wrote:
5. We translators therefore often mention fields rather than end-clients
That may be true of some, but I have seen many translator CVs/résumés that do mention end-client names. This is particularly true of specialised translators (i.e. just one field), to indicate what types of client styles they can manage.
There is no harm in mentioning end-client names if the name is well-known in the industry and it is no secret that that company commonly uses translations into your target language. For example, despite all the NDAs that I've signed, I can safely tell you that I've done translations for the Microsoft Corporation (my client is probably the client of a client of a client of a client of one of the departments of one of the divisions of Microsoft).
As for the original poster's question, unfortunately Google does not index the CVs/résumés linked to in ProZ.com profile pages, so the only option is to visit hundreds of profile pages, download the CVs, and search them on your own computer.
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XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:55
Portuguese to English
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| How do you know who the end client is? | Aug 20, 2015 |
Unless you are explicitly told, it can be impossible to guess who the end client is. A document mentioning Microsoft could be being translated by a competitor, a firm of lawyers or any number of other parties. This is why it is so wrong to make assumptions and claim you have completed translations for X end client when it has come through one or more agencies. There is every chance Microsoft didn't even commission it in the first place.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 23:55
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Lisa Simpson, MCIL MITI wrote:
Unless you are explicitly told, it can be impossible to guess who the end client is.
I agree. The term "end-client" is actually a misnomer, because those at the end of the translation chain are not our "clients" in any legal sense, or in fact any sense that matters. Still, "end-client" is infinitely more understandable than "translation chain origin" on a CV/résumé.
A document mentioning Microsoft could be being translated by a competitor, a firm of lawyers or any number of other parties.
That is true. But sometimes there is no doubt.
| | | | John Moran
Ireland
Local time: 22:55
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
I agree with Samuel here and please note that I did write that most translators list these end-clients (agreed a misnomer!) in a way that it is clear they were not the address on the invoice. Also, if you are translating a manual for MS Office, it is pretty likely the end-client is Microsoft.
Lisa - it is easy to by cynical about the supply chain. Every company and translator wants to shorten that chain and technology is pulling things in that direction. However, there is no way our... See more I agree with Samuel here and please note that I did write that most translators list these end-clients (agreed a misnomer!) in a way that it is clear they were not the address on the invoice. Also, if you are translating a manual for MS Office, it is pretty likely the end-client is Microsoft.
Lisa - it is easy to by cynical about the supply chain. Every company and translator wants to shorten that chain and technology is pulling things in that direction. However, there is no way our small agency could handle the complications of dealing with audio, DTP, huge volume spikes, poor volume projections, file engineering, admin etc. that companies like Microsoft require from their large vendors. Similarly, we provide a very specialized training and QA service to the companies that companies like Microsoft hire. Sure those MLV's (large Multi-Language Vendors) could do it themselves but they only need us at peak times and you can't always document everything when it comes to language (though a few corporate style guide authors on the OCD spectrum seem to make the mistake that you can and should).
[Edited at 2015-08-20 12:16 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Moran
Ireland
Local time: 22:55
German to English
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TOPIC STARTER | On a side note | Aug 20, 2015 |
A few years ago I spoke to a vendor manager in a mid-size MLV here in Ireland. I know the company well.
Having chatted to me about this and that for a few minutes she started to ask me about the end-client accounts I had worked on (stable regular accounts).
I've been at this game for longer than that company exists so for fun I mentioned a few accounts I worked on ten years prior. I was aware that the intermediate MLV's had lost the accounts and maybe that company had p... See more A few years ago I spoke to a vendor manager in a mid-size MLV here in Ireland. I know the company well.
Having chatted to me about this and that for a few minutes she started to ask me about the end-client accounts I had worked on (stable regular accounts).
I've been at this game for longer than that company exists so for fun I mentioned a few accounts I worked on ten years prior. I was aware that the intermediate MLV's had lost the accounts and maybe that company had picked them up. I was speaking a bit fast and she asked me to slow down so she could write down this business intelligence. Clearly vendor management in this company was feeding sales lead generation. The price they were offering wasn't very interesting so I just called her out on that and asked her how she would feel if another company was doing that to their translators. I felt like I had to take a bath after the call. ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 23:55
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
John Moran wrote:
Also, if you are translating a manual for MS Office, it is pretty likely the end-client is Microsoft.
Allow me to split hairs (-: if you're translating a manual for MS Office, it's more likely that the end-client is an independent publishing house, not Microsoft, but even then I would expect to see "Microsoft" on that translator's list of so-called "end-clients".
| | | | | Is referring to end clients unethical? | Aug 20, 2015 |
I don't refer to the clients of agencies that I worked for (and don't name the agencies either) on my CV, for the reasons Lisa has mentioned. It instinctively feels wrong to me (and in many cases seems to be excluded by the NDA).
I just wonder whether disclosing such details might cause the agency that receives the CV to have doubts about whether you will keep their information confidential.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 23:55
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Jacqueline White wrote:
I just wonder whether disclosing such details might cause the agency that receives the CV to have doubts about whether you will keep their information confidential.
There is no harm in mentioning end-client names if the name is well-known in the industry and it is no secret that that company commonly uses translations into your target language.
| | | | John Moran
Ireland
Local time: 22:55
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Something that I have only become aware from attending translation industry conferences (actually another misnomer, they call themselves conferences but they are trade shows) over the past years is that large end buyers often co-present with large suppliers or suppliers are given permission to discuss the account publicly.
I realize this sounds odd to translators who work with legal firms and other smaller buyers of translation but companies with multi-million dollar translation bud... See more Something that I have only become aware from attending translation industry conferences (actually another misnomer, they call themselves conferences but they are trade shows) over the past years is that large end buyers often co-present with large suppliers or suppliers are given permission to discuss the account publicly.
I realize this sounds odd to translators who work with legal firms and other smaller buyers of translation but companies with multi-million dollar translation budgets and large translation departments often like to exchange ideas with similar companies in public venues. Senior staff get visibility which can help their career and dealing with large translation volume is not as easy as some people seem to think.
It is still a tough market but there is more cooperation going on behind the scenes than you would imagine. Frankly, I think an option on proz to list a small number of end clients would be useful for an agency like my own. Some translators might lie but that is easy to test (e.g. by checking translations on a few abbreviations that can't easily be Googled or Lingueed).
What I mean by that is that large buyers talk about their translation needs in public so if translators write the name of their company on a C.V. they are not likely to care very much (except that it is good for them that nomadic experts can roam from MLV to MLV).
[Edited at 2015-08-20 18:46 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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