A big client of mine seems to be moving to MTPE...
Thread poster: Adieu
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
Jan 29, 2021

Went from 0% MTPE before to 75% MTPE this week.

Frankly.... they're not ready. Their translation memory is still coughing up rando dates, including in places that had NO DATES TO BEGIN WITH.

As in:

Russian: Something something December 12, 2014
English MT: Something something 12 August 2020

Russian: Blah blah blah blah
English MT: Blah blah 12 January 2012 blah blah

Also, their MT of choice doesn't seem to be bothered b
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Went from 0% MTPE before to 75% MTPE this week.

Frankly.... they're not ready. Their translation memory is still coughing up rando dates, including in places that had NO DATES TO BEGIN WITH.

As in:

Russian: Something something December 12, 2014
English MT: Something something 12 August 2020

Russian: Blah blah blah blah
English MT: Blah blah 12 January 2012 blah blah

Also, their MT of choice doesn't seem to be bothered by the conventions of spelling. British OU's and AE's and ISE's abound in texts set to US English and American spellings are everywhere in texts set to British.

It is a mess.

How does one go about discouraging this? Complain? Lower quality standards and share the joy with the reviewer? Or what?
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Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 18:01
French to English
Two points Jan 29, 2021

First point, communicate your concern. Is the client aware of this? What measures can they take, if any, to correct these new problems? Is it up to the translator to adapt with the situation as it is? If so, for the extra work, what can you negotiate in terms of rate or extra money for the extra time?

Second point, think what are you going to do if the solutions offered are unsuitable to you.


 
Sadek_A
Sadek_A  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:01
English to Arabic
+ ...
..... Jan 29, 2021

By not accepting the project at all!

They keep pushing, because some of us keep surrendering.

How many CATs are there now? How many clients pay the translator for the time spent learning each particular CAT? How many clients provide the licensed CAT? And, more importantly, how many of those CATs are perfect and worth adopting?

The answer to that last question is NONE. They keep developing half-baked tools, with the only aim of keeping a revenue coming from
... See more
By not accepting the project at all!

They keep pushing, because some of us keep surrendering.

How many CATs are there now? How many clients pay the translator for the time spent learning each particular CAT? How many clients provide the licensed CAT? And, more importantly, how many of those CATs are perfect and worth adopting?

The answer to that last question is NONE. They keep developing half-baked tools, with the only aim of keeping a revenue coming from the "foolish" individuals who think it's their responsibility to own each and every tool the client requests. Frankly, I never knew a client asking a carpenter to use THIS hammer or THAT saw (unless they wanted to end up with that tool shagging their heads); it's always up to the sole discretion of the carpenter to deliver by whatever tool he/she deems fit.

The same plague is being deployed in the case of MTPE. They are forcing us (the ones who surrender, to be specific) to change according to their whims.

Are we translators or MTPErs/PEMTers?

They will keep it going as long as some of us are keeping it accepted!

No means no, and when every translator says no to MTPE/PEMT, they will go away, but not before then.
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Yaotl Altan
Daryo
 
Philip Lees
Philip Lees  Identity Verified
Greece
Local time: 19:01
Greek to English
Don't do it Jan 30, 2021

Adieu wrote:

It is a mess.

How does one go about discouraging this? Complain? Lower quality standards and share the joy with the reviewer? Or what?


If it was me, I would just tell them I couldn't work with that material because the quality was too poor and there were too many errors, so please don't send me any more of these jobs.

If enough of their translators respond in the same way, maybe they'll get the message. In any case, it won't be your problem.


Elena Feriani
Peter Shortall
Jessica Noyes
ahartje
Daryo
 
Katrin Braams
Katrin Braams  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 18:01
Member (2018)
English to German
+ ...
Educate, charge accordingly Jan 31, 2021

Firstly,try to educate the client. Send them a list of examples and point out the problems.

Secondly, charge by the hour. This will help to attenuate your pain.

Thirdly, run, if they are not willing to consider your concerns/pay by the hour.


ahartje
Daryo
 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Oddly enough Jan 31, 2021

Those couple jobs ended up going a lot faster than expected, making real hourly pay about 50% higher than on the average translation for this client.

Maybe I am just wary and prejudiced.

Or... maybe their method of determining which jobs get MT'd + PE'd instead of translated involves something rational and sanity-friendly, like a very high % of very close matches and repeats.


 


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A big client of mine seems to be moving to MTPE...







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