先日全く知らない会社 ＝ 光洋商事株式会社
から「問い合わせ」が来た。
「件名：和文独訳の件
お世話様です。
和文独訳の入札案件があります。
チェックの単価を教えてください。
また、履歴書、実績書の提出をお願い致します。
光洋商事株式会社」
そのメール見た瞬間に先ずこの会社と取引すべきではないのは第一印象だった。
自己紹介もなしでいきなり「○○提出」とはなんだろう？？
電話すれば***通常の礼儀***では先ず自分は誰だと名乗るのは普通でしょう。
光洋商事に以下の通り返信した：
Good evening
メールありがとうございます。
しかし・・・私は貴社と何らかの取引ありませんので、貴社が私に何かを伺いし
たいようであれば、外国人としてそんな事を言うのも妙でしょうが、先ず自己紹介と問い合わせと趣旨を名乗る必要があるように思います。電話と同様に ・・・
取りあえずお答えします。
* 和独訳は25年間をしていますが、専門分野とそうでないものあります。
* 和独訳：日本の翻訳会社は私に凡そ160ワード/3500円、又は原文一文字/10円
を払って下さる。
* 「チェック」（日本人はその意味を時々勘違える）なら凡そ200ワード/1500円。
* CVを添付します
どうぞご検討下さい。
***無論***何の返事も来ない。
だが、
１）今日は、「○○提出」
２）「○○提出」した。
３）提出したものは気に入るかどうかは関係なしで、相手は求められたものを提出したことにたいして少なくとも「ありがとう」と言うべきのではないでしょうか。
そのご仕事にならないのは構わないが、"thank you" と言う二つの単語でさえいえないのは気に入らない。
私は33年日本に住んでいる。その間（私はこの辺決して得意ではないが）礼儀と言うものは情けないほど劣化した・・・
日本の良さは何処へ行くのだろうか。
2/29/2012
Transperfect - the rich giant -
 |
| Image via Wikipedia |
However, in the past I had mostly BAD experiences with this company and these experiences also showed, that it does not pay (literally!) to work for Transperfect. The current exchange rate also greatly contributes to this situation.
Transperfect apparently also a bad reputation as a non-payer.
Yet, the responses from the project managers force me to believe, that I am either dealing with DO NOT care (at all) about the people they are dealing with, or else are so rich, that they run this company purely for fun.
Below a few quotes from communications with PMs
Transperfect: (2012/02/24 8:50)
We have a new *English**into **German *Translation and Proofreading job we need your help with!
My response:
My experiences have shown that it does not pay (literally!) to work for Transperfect. But I have to survive too and therefore cannot afford to work for peanuts.
Transperfect: (2012/02/24 10:13)
> Would you be able to do the Proofreading for $25? It should only take about an hour to do.
My response:
Well, you should know that the funny payment practices of Transperfect inevitably lead to a situation where I have to PAY the bank -
one way or other - about 30 USD or more in bank fees to get your 25 USD!
I prefer to do work that actually pays ...
Transperfect:
We have a new English into German Translation job we need your help with!
This will be a flatrate of $10 to do this super small job!
My response:
NO thank you.
I believe I explained this before.
10 USD: the bank fees to get this would be about 30 USD!
Even if I would ask for PayPal (which does not give me any money at all; only some virtual nonsense that I can ONLY use to buy useless things on ebay), YOUR COMPANY applies a fine (they call it handling fee) of 10 USD for this "extraordinary difficult" transaction.
Funny, for everybody else on the planet that usually works fine and is free.
So, again and again, you ask me to work for free.
Having a family, I cannot afford to do that.
And I would like to believe that you couldn't afford it either.
Or do I have to assume, that I am dealing with people (Transperfect) that are so rich, they do not need to work at all and are engaged in these activities purely as a pasttime??????
Transperfect:
Sorry about that. Will keep that in mind
Transperfect: 2/29 (= next day!) 12:07
We have a new Egnlish into German Translation job we need your help with!
Stats are 78 new, 16 fuzzy, and 3 gold words.
DEADLINE: Translation 12pm EST 2/29 Wednesday. This will be a flatrate of $10
Just yesterday this very person said: "Sorry about that. Will keep that in mind."
Maybe there is not enough mind to hold this information ...
2/27/2012
電話はどうなっているのか
Agency: 2012/02/27 11:13
先日は失礼いたしました。
通信文の独訳ですお願いできますか。
納期は28日16：00です。
ご連絡いただければありがたいです。
My response: 2012/02/27 11:33
Good morning
最近再び（馬鹿みたい）忙しいが、2ページ弱は何とかします。
Agency: 2012/02/27 14:02
先ほどお願いした翻訳の件ですが、
返事がないので他の方を当たります。
Agency: 私は11:33 に返事したと指摘したら：
すみませんでした。
今後とも宜しくお願いいたします。
そのような状況は特別「珍しい」訳でもないが、初めてでもない。
しかし、用があれば極普通の電話、昔の黒電話でさえ間に合う、使って、聞けばいいのに。「メールを見る」は必然的パソコンの前に座っている事を前提している。上記の時間帯もお昼ですので、昼休み中片手でお握りを持って付き合っているわけではない！
（日本のサラリーマンそれをしなければ（？、好きか？）ならないにしても。
ある意味では結構失礼な対応だと思う。
先日は失礼いたしました。
通信文の独訳ですお願いできますか。
納期は28日16：00です。
ご連絡いただければありがたいです。
My response: 2012/02/27 11:33
Good morning
最近再び（馬鹿みたい）忙しいが、2ページ弱は何とかします。
Agency: 2012/02/27 14:02
先ほどお願いした翻訳の件ですが、
返事がないので他の方を当たります。
Agency: 私は11:33 に返事したと指摘したら：
すみませんでした。
今後とも宜しくお願いいたします。
そのような状況は特別「珍しい」訳でもないが、初めてでもない。
しかし、用があれば極普通の電話、昔の黒電話でさえ間に合う、使って、聞けばいいのに。「メールを見る」は必然的パソコンの前に座っている事を前提している。上記の時間帯もお昼ですので、昼休み中片手でお握りを持って付き合っているわけではない！
（日本のサラリーマンそれをしなければ（？、好きか？）ならないにしても。
ある意味では結構失礼な対応だと思う。
2/22/2012
misunderstandings ...
 |
| Image via Wikipedia |
For example, the written language uses four different means to graphically express the spoken word: 1) Chinese characters, 2) TWO forms of Japanese alphabet = Hiragana and Katakana and the Latin alphabet. In particular the Japanese alphabets may sometimes cause confusion, because they render individual sounds where apart from the five vowels ALL other sounds are expressed in an alphabetic expression by TWO letters: a consonant and a vowel. Like
ka, sa, ta, na ...
The second of the mentioned alphabets is used MOSTLY for writing foreign words. Because of the additional vowels you hear as a foreigner, you may sometimes "mistake" what you really hear for something else.
For example, I remember when I first heard the word "windbreaker" = meaning a piece of clothing.
I was sort of stunned, because I could not for the life of me figure out, why people would like to "break windows".
THAT is how I recognized the spoken word with the additional vowels: "window breaker" ...
It took some explaining, but I finally got it.
2/09/2012
Stop ACTA & TPP!
Again - so-called "legitimate" attack on the "freedom of speech" - maybe more appropriately freedom of thought.
From the website:
http://killacta.org/
Protests Break Out Across Europe Saturday! Join Us to Stop ACTA & TPP!
Stop ACTA & TPP: Tell your country's officials: NEVER use secretive trade agreements to meddle with the Internet. Our freedoms depend on it!
Petition
( I signed it! )
I am very concerned about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement currently being negotiated by the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
In an internet age, changes to copyright enforcement or online commerce can have devastating effects on individual freedom and the prosperity of entire industries. The resounding defeat of SOPA & PIPA in Congress show that the public demands a say in any new policy that impacts the future of the internet.
When Congress listens to the people and rejects one-sided tech policy, it's wrong and anti-democratic for unelected officials to move forward with similar policy in trade agreements, especially when these trade agreements are negotiated in secret, giving special access to politically-connected industries while public interest groups are locked out.
Any changes in these areas should only be made by Congress, with vigorous public debate. You should drop any changes to copyright, online commerce, or information policy from TPP immediately.
Please reply with any questions.
From the website:
http://killacta.org/
Protests Break Out Across Europe Saturday! Join Us to Stop ACTA & TPP!
Stop ACTA & TPP: Tell your country's officials: NEVER use secretive trade agreements to meddle with the Internet. Our freedoms depend on it!
Petition
( I signed it! )
I am very concerned about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement currently being negotiated by the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
In an internet age, changes to copyright enforcement or online commerce can have devastating effects on individual freedom and the prosperity of entire industries. The resounding defeat of SOPA & PIPA in Congress show that the public demands a say in any new policy that impacts the future of the internet.
When Congress listens to the people and rejects one-sided tech policy, it's wrong and anti-democratic for unelected officials to move forward with similar policy in trade agreements, especially when these trade agreements are negotiated in secret, giving special access to politically-connected industries while public interest groups are locked out.
Any changes in these areas should only be made by Congress, with vigorous public debate. You should drop any changes to copyright, online commerce, or information policy from TPP immediately.
Please reply with any questions.
6 Reasons to oppose ACTA
- ACTA locks countries into obsolete copyright and patent laws. If a democracy decides on less restrictive laws that reflect the reality of the internet, ACTA will prevent that.
- ACTA criminalizes users by making noncommercial, harmless remixes into crimes if "on a commercial scale" (art 2.14.1). Many amateur works achieve a commercial scale on sites like Youtube. ACTA, like SOPA, could mean jail time for the Justin Biebers of the world.
- ACTA Criminalizes legitimate websites, making them responsible for user behavior by "aiding and abetting". (art 2.14.4). Like SOPA, the founders of your favorite sites could be sued or (worse) thrown in jail for copyright infringement by their users.
- ACTA will let rightsholders use laughably inflated claims of damages (based on the disproven idea that every download or stream is a lost sale) to sue people. As if suing amazing artists, video makers and websites for millions wasn't hard enough!
- ACTA Permanently bypasses democracy by giving the "ACTA Committee" the power to "propose amendments to [ACTA]" (art 6.4). In other words, voting for ACTA writes a blank check to an unelected committee. These closed-door proceedings will be a playground for SOPA-supporters like the MPAA.
- Trade agreements are a gaping loophole, a backdoor track that, even though it creates new law, is miles removed from democracy. It's a secretive process that's tailor-made to serve politically connected companies. And the movie studios behind SOPA? They're experts at it. If we can't make secretive trade agreements harder to pass than US law, our internet's future belongs to the lobbyists behind SOPA.
2/05/2012
"Fuzzy matches" - make me feel fuzzy all over ...
When talking about CAT tools, the term "fuzzy matches" keeps popping up. In theory I understand what that is supposed to mean, but .....
this always comes with "strings attached", if I may say so.
First, when Japanese companies send me work, even translation of manuals etc., the companies already "check" for those portions that are identical or almost identical and deal with those. I get ONLY what is different. That means, I don't get any chance to encounter any fuzzy matches.
Second, even if the CAT tool DOES present me fuzzy matches, I will have to CAREFULLY compare the presented versions and edit as required, in front, at the end, in between, changing word order etc ...
Usually, I would finish my job a lot easier and quicker, when I type it entirely new then doing all the "editing". I have not yet bothered actually COUNTING the key strokes that would be required for such editing and compared that to typing, but I suspect the count may actually be higher ... at least that is my impression.
So, if editing "fuzzy matches" actually requires the same amount of effort (and time) as typing a new translation, I fail to see why the work invested into fuzzy matches should be cheaper. Or am I missing something important?
Well, I mentioned it before, with ONE SINGLE exception, so far all attempts at using the CAT tool "memoQ through one year have made my work (and my life!) MORE difficult ...
this always comes with "strings attached", if I may say so.
First, when Japanese companies send me work, even translation of manuals etc., the companies already "check" for those portions that are identical or almost identical and deal with those. I get ONLY what is different. That means, I don't get any chance to encounter any fuzzy matches.
Second, even if the CAT tool DOES present me fuzzy matches, I will have to CAREFULLY compare the presented versions and edit as required, in front, at the end, in between, changing word order etc ...
Usually, I would finish my job a lot easier and quicker, when I type it entirely new then doing all the "editing". I have not yet bothered actually COUNTING the key strokes that would be required for such editing and compared that to typing, but I suspect the count may actually be higher ... at least that is my impression.
So, if editing "fuzzy matches" actually requires the same amount of effort (and time) as typing a new translation, I fail to see why the work invested into fuzzy matches should be cheaper. Or am I missing something important?
Well, I mentioned it before, with ONE SINGLE exception, so far all attempts at using the CAT tool "memoQ through one year have made my work (and my life!) MORE difficult ...
2/02/2012
Typographic mistake, but ...
On a site where people can offer (or ask for) things for free, a certain person offered a number of items. The list included also:
5. Flying pan
Photos on request.
I am sure this person just mistyped the word, but still ...
I would love to know what a flying pan looks like - or even OWN one ...
5. Flying pan
Photos on request.
I am sure this person just mistyped the word, but still ...
I would love to know what a flying pan looks like - or even OWN one ...
2/01/2012
Unbelievable!
This morning I got (again) one of those wonderful (Chinese in this case) mails:
> We have one file to be translated from Japanese to english, one
> part is around 7000 japanese characters, second part is around
> 10,000 japanese characters. It is text about law, can you
> please take one part of it? Our deadline is 17:00 on Feb 3 at
> Tokyo time. Price is 0.04 USD per english word. Our payment term
> is paypal or moneybookers.
Which was just followed by the name of sender.
(Admittedly, searching through the footer of the mail allowed me to find that person's Proz.com profile.)
The above numbers (7000 characters, quite complex material) indicate about 20 pages of translation and deadline would be about 24 hours later. (Not to mention that PayPal would swallow about half of the earned in form of "fees")
Personally I consider (and told the sender) a mail with no identification of who the sender is, what company s/he works for or any contact information as shady.VERY shady!
And the rate: 0.04 USD/word is a joke, isn't it?
Given the current exchange rate, this EXTREMELY low.
On that rate I could not make enough money to "put food on the table" = LITERALLY, even if I were to work 36 hours a day.
I told the sender (actually located in Hongkong) so, whereupon he replied:
"The file is attached and our info is as blow, please let me know whether you can translate the yellow part of the file."
I don't know about everybody else, but apart from irrealistically too cheap I consider this an offense. An attempt to make a fool out of a translation WORKER.
Are the Chinese not supposed to take particular care of the WORKER COMRADES???
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