| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | An "interesting" job offer :) Thread poster: Thayenga
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Thayenga 
Germany
Local time: 21:55
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Yesterday I received a collaboration proposal that sounded very promising until I (in a later email) received the details.
Quote:
We have a high volume of XXX books in German waiting to be assigned and have new spaces for German quality checkers to join the team. If you are still interested and available for this project, we would like to invite you to join our team. To find out more information about this exciting project please read below:
The rate is set per... See more Yesterday I received a collaboration proposal that sounded very promising until I (in a later email) received the details.
Quote:
We have a high volume of XXX books in German waiting to be assigned and have new spaces for German quality checkers to join the team. If you are still interested and available for this project, we would like to invite you to join our team. To find out more information about this exciting project please read below:
The rate is set per book (...) and it is 10 USD per QA-ed book....
Each book has an estimated 2,000 words for around 20 pages and should take around one hour to QA.
The QA job consists of checking that no English is left (...), that no segment has been forgotten, that BOLD and ITALIC are kept in the translated version, etc. It is a Quality Check
End of quote.
Now, I do have confidence in my abilities, but my name is not Speedy Gonzales.
Quote:
DEADLINE: We are expecting QA-ers to deliver a minimum of 40 books per week, but it is always possible to deliver more, so the more you deliver, the more money you get.<
End of quote.
So I was expected to QA a minimum of 80,000 words in one week for USD 10.. per hour. Preferably even more than 80,000 words in 1 week.
It took me a few moments before I could send my polite (really!) reply, perhaps because I was a little stunned to respond right away.
I informed the "client" that QA-ing 2,000 words in one hour might have a some impact on the quality, and that I cannot possibly spend my entire week working on their projects at an hourly rate of XX% of my standard rate.
Needless to say that my reply ended this correspondence.
[Edited at 2013-05-26 15:34 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | exciting project | May 26, 2013 |
Thayenga wrote:
Yesterday I received a collaboration proposal that sounded very promising until I (in a later email) received the details.
Quote:
We have a high volume of XXX books in German waiting to be assigned and have new spaces for German quality checkers to join the team. If you are still interested and available for this project, we would like to invite you to join our team. To find out more information about this exciting project please read below:
The rate is set per book (...) and it is 10 USD per QA-ed book....
[Edited at 2013-05-26 15:34 GMT]
Wow, that is a really "exciting project." Thanks for such a great opportunity.
What a bunch of #$@&
Bernhard
| | | | Abba Storgen (X)
United States
Local time: 14:55
Greek to English
+ ...
| A fast car is twice as expensive | May 26, 2013 |
Thayenga wrote:
Now, I do have confidence in my abilities, but my name is not Speedy Gonzales.
If you were really that fast, would that be a reason to undersell yourself? Fast cars are twice as expensive as the slower ones.
This job that you' re talking about is not a QA job. They just want someone to take the blame for any errors that are there, that's all.
By the way, $10 = $6 after taxes and all other deductions. It seems that nobody in these forums ever mentions taxes. That's because most are making less than the annual income exemption? Just wondering...
| | | | patrizia musiu
Italy
Local time: 21:55
Member
English to Italian
+ ...
| Fantastic answer! | May 27, 2013 |
Eleftherios Kritikakis wrote:
If you were really that fast, would that be a reason to undersell yourself? Fast cars are twice as expensive as the slower ones.
I completely agree with it!! I think I'll enter your sentence in the next invitation I'll receive if it will be "exiting" like the one received by Thayenga!
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Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 21:55
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | The value of our time | May 27, 2013 |
Bernhard Sulzer wrote:
Thayenga wrote:
Yesterday I received a collaboration proposal that sounded very promising until I (in a later email) received the details.
Quote:
We have a high volume of XXX books in German waiting to be assigned and have new spaces for German quality checkers to join the team. If you are still interested and available for this project, we would like to invite you to join our team. To find out more information about this exciting project please read below:
The rate is set per book (...) and it is 10 USD per QA-ed book....
[Edited at 2013-05-26 15:34 GMT]
Wow, that is a really "exciting project." Thanks for such a great opportunity.
What a bunch of #$@&
Bernhard
Hi Bernard,
Oh, it was an exciting, even a fun project. And I do mean this. If the terms were better (a whole lot better).... but after having received the details I'm not the least surprised that they "have new spaces for German quality checkers to join the team. "
Hi Eleftherios,
Eleftherios Kritikakis wrote:
Thayenga wrote:
Now, I do have confidence in my abilities, but my name is not Speedy Gonzales.
If you were really that fast, would that be a reason to undersell yourself? Fast cars are twice as expensive as the slower ones.
Well, since I'm not a Lamborghini, such speed exceeds my abilities..a little. But even if I was, they definately couldn't afford me even if they doubled their rate.
This job that you' re talking about is not a QA job. They just want someone to take the blame for any errors that are there, that's all.
Good point! I hadn't even thought about it.
By the way, $10 = $6 after taxes and all other deductions. It seems that nobody in these forums ever mentions taxes. That's because most are making less than the annual income exemption? Just wondering...
And the payment would have been made via PayPal. We all know about their fees.
If everybody worked for such rates, no one's income would ever reach a taxable level.
Yes, taxes need to be included in our rates, like all other business expenses.
| | | | Monica Paolillo
Italy
Local time: 21:55
Member (2005)
English to Italian
+ ...
| I received the same | May 27, 2013 |
Hi,
I think I received the same unbelievable offer myself for my language combinations a while ago.
I received this offer twice because the first time I didn't even bother to reply, or rather I really couldn't find any reasonable words to express.
If the scenario you described weren't enough, I think you forgot to point out that the QA was to be done over texts produced by an MT which makes the whole offer even more outrageous, if that was even possible.... See more Hi,
I think I received the same unbelievable offer myself for my language combinations a while ago.
I received this offer twice because the first time I didn't even bother to reply, or rather I really couldn't find any reasonable words to express.
If the scenario you described weren't enough, I think you forgot to point out that the QA was to be done over texts produced by an MT which makes the whole offer even more outrageous, if that was even possible.
The second time I received that offer, which means they couldn't find anybody the first time, I did reply with a laconic: thanks for your offer, but working as a post-editor is not something I'm interested in, let alone at that rate.
I have to admit in my 15 years' career I had never come across something so humiliating as that email and the bottom line is that apart from being stunned it really made me worry seriously about the future of our profession because these people weren't even embarrassed to propose such incredible xxx and that's kind of alarming... means someone will eventually accept to work under those conditions.... mumble mumble...
Thayenga wrote:
Bernhard Sulzer wrote:
Thayenga wrote:
Yesterday I received a collaboration proposal that sounded very promising until I (in a later email) received the details.
Quote:
We have a high volume of XXX books in German waiting to be assigned and have new spaces for German quality checkers to join the team. If you are still interested and available for this project, we would like to invite you to join our team. To find out more information about this exciting project please read below:
The rate is set per book (...) and it is 10 USD per QA-ed book....
[Edited at 2013-05-26 15:34 GMT]
Wow, that is a really "exciting project." Thanks for such a great opportunity.
What a bunch of #$@&
Bernhard
Hi Bernard,
Oh, it was an exciting, even a fun project. And I do mean this. If the terms were better (a whole lot better).... but after having received the details I'm not the least surprised that they "have new spaces for German quality checkers to join the team. "
Hi Eleftherios,
Eleftherios Kritikakis wrote:
Thayenga wrote:
Now, I do have confidence in my abilities, but my name is not Speedy Gonzales.
If you were really that fast, would that be a reason to undersell yourself? Fast cars are twice as expensive as the slower ones.
Well, since I'm not a Lamborghini, such speed exceeds my abilities..a little. But even if I was, they definately couldn't afford me even if they doubled their rate.
This job that you' re talking about is not a QA job. They just want someone to take the blame for any errors that are there, that's all.
Good point! I hadn't even thought about it.
By the way, $10 = $6 after taxes and all other deductions. It seems that nobody in these forums ever mentions taxes. That's because most are making less than the annual income exemption? Just wondering...
And the payment would have been made via PayPal. We all know about their fees.
If everybody worked for such rates, no one's income would ever reach a taxable level.
Yes, taxes need to be included in our rates, like all other business expenses. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 21:55
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Monica Paolillo wrote:
Hi,
I think I received the same unbelievable offer myself for my language combinations a while ago.
I received this offer twice because the first time I didn't even bother to reply, or rather I really couldn't find any reasonable words to express.
If the scenario you described weren't enough, I think you forgot to point out that the QA was to be done over texts produced by an MT which makes the whole offer even more outrageous, if that was even possible.
The second time I received that offer, which means they couldn't find anybody the first time, I did reply with a laconic: thanks for your offer, but working as a post-editor is not something I'm interested in, let alone at that rate.
I have to admit in my 15 years' career I had never come across something so humiliating as that email and the bottom line is that apart from being stunned it really made me worry seriously about the future of our profession because these people weren't even embarrassed to propose such incredible xxx and that's kind of alarming... means someone will eventually accept to work under those conditions.... mumble mumble...
Hi Monica,
Oh, I couldn't have mentioned it because, perhaps based on their experience with you and other real translators, they didn't even dare to include that it was an MT produced translation in their email to me. You're right, this does make the offer pretty much the worst I've ever received.
I share your concern regarding the (unfortunate) probability that they will find someone to work for such an insultingly low rate sooner or later. In order to make a halfway decent living on rates like this, one would have to become a assembly line worker instead of being a translator in good standing. A highly alarming thought.
[Edited at 2013-05-27 08:53 GMT]
| | | | | if it sounds too good, ... | May 27, 2013 |
Thayenga wrote:
Bernhard Sulzer wrote:
Wow, that is a really "exciting project." Thanks for such a great opportunity.
What a bunch of #$@&
Bernhard
Hi Bernard,
Oh, it was an exciting, even a fun project. And I do mean this. If the terms were better (a whole lot better).... but after having received the details I'm not the least surprised that they "have new spaces for German quality checkers to join the team. "
Thayenga
Hi.
If it sounds too good, it usually is.
Whenever I hear "exciting project" or "great opportunity" or even "very interesting assignment", I usually expect it to be a scam or someone wanting to take advantage of you. Granted, you can first take anyone by their word, but in this business, offers called"exciting offers" usually turn out to be duds.
Just a word of caution to others.
Thanks for letting us know about this scam. Because that's what it is.
Best,
Bernhard
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Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 21:55
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Most of the time | May 27, 2013 |
Bernhard Sulzer wrote:
Hi.
If it sounds too good, it usually is.
Whenever I hear "exciting project" or "great opportunity" or even "very interesting assignment", I usually expect it to be a scam or someone wanting to take advantage of you. Granted, you can first take anyone by their word, but in this business, offers called"exciting offers" usually turn out to be duds.
Just a word of caution to others.
Thanks for letting us know about this scam. Because that's what it is.
Best,
Bernhard
Hi Bernard,
I agree that these "exciting" offer are usually spam. But I must say that once or twice the "exciting" job proposal turned out to be just that: exciting and fun, and paying a good rate.
Thank you for your cautioning words.
Best,
Thayenga
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 21:55
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Slightly changed | May 29, 2013 |
Today I saw the same job posted here. However, this time the word "exiting" had been dropped.
I wonder if the rate has/will increase.
| | | | | Of course not! | May 29, 2013 |
I love the idea of fast cars vs. slow ones in this thread
Thayenga wrote:
Today I saw the same job posted here. However, this time the word "exiting" had been dropped.
I wonder if the rate has/will increase.
I bet the price will go down, as the excitement has been deducted.
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 21:55
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Rate vs. Excitement | May 29, 2013 |
Natalia Mackevich wrote:
I love the idea of fast cars vs. slow ones in this thread
Thayenga wrote:
Today I saw the same job posted here. However, this time the word "exiting" had been dropped.
I wonder if the rate has/will increase.
I bet the price will go down, as the excitement has been deducted.
Hi Natalie,
yes, the "car comparisson" is cool.
Good point in regards to the reduced rate based on the eliminated excitement.
Question is: how much lower than USD 0.005/word can it get? And no, I don't even want to consider the worst scenario, that the translator will have to pay for getting jobs.
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Kai Döring
Philippines
Local time: 04:55
Member (2007)
English to German
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | and this from an European Agency | May 29, 2013 |
I actually applied on the recent job offer, but after getting to know all details, I was stunned that an European Agency is even sending out an offer like this.
I replied friendly proposing a much higher rate - 4x their rate (might be still low, but something I would consider).
Let's see what will be their response.
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 21:55
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Kai Döring wrote:
I actually applied on the recent job offer, but after getting to know all details, I was stunned that an European Agency is even sending out an offer like this.
Hi Kai,
the location of an agency is not a reliable "guaranty" for high or low rates. And,
they have several locations. The "primary" address is in London, but the IP address of their initial proposal is located in Spain, a country which was dealt the "tough card" in the Euro crisis "poker".
Kai Döring wrote:
I replied friendly proposing a much higher rate - 4x their rate (might be still low, but something I would consider).
Let's see what will be their response.
Unless something has changed, you will probably receive the same reply I did when I informed them of my rate: none.
Still, good luck!
| | | | Kai Döring
Philippines
Local time: 04:55
Member (2007)
English to German
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | I do not expect a response :) | May 30, 2013 |
but rather would like them to know what we are worth.
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