Dec 1st, 2009 | Business, Reports, Translation | No Comments
Monica Moreno and Naomi Baer will be speaking at the NCTA General Meeting on December 12.
Monica Moreno and Naomi Baer
The term “crowdsourcing” was created just three years ago and is already causing much discussion and experimentation in the translation industry. What does crowdsourcing mean in the context of translation, and what does this new wave of translation crowdsourcing projects look like? How do community translation projects that predate the invention of this term relate to the trends today?
As a rapidly growing international non- profit organization, Kiva faces the challenge of how to efficiently handle translations and has developed a unique translation crowdsourcing methodology. Kiva’s approach integrates volunteer resources, a mentoring program, and a professional translation agency, Idem Translations.
Monica Moreno, of Idem Translations, and Naomi Baer, of Kiva, will discuss emerging translation crowdsourcing projects at both not-for-profit and for- profit organizations, provide insights into why organizations are interested in this approach, and what can be gained. → continue reading
Dec 1st, 2009 | Business, Continuing Ed., Reports | No Comments
Frank self-assessment of both linguistic and business skills are necessary in order to be successful as a freelance translator. BY ADA LUZ RESTREPO
Do you find yourself translating documents at work because your co-workers know you speak Mandarin? Or find yourself serving as “interpreter” between your Mexican family and American husband who doesn’t speak Spanish? People admire your abilities to speak two languages and help others who are still living in a monolingual world; but have you asked yourself if you are truly bilingual and truly bicultural?
These were some of the topics covered during the “Getting Started in Translation and Interpretation,” workshop organized by the NCTA, which took place on Saturday, September 19, at the San Francisco State University downtown campus. → continue reading
Dec 1st, 2009 | Business, Perspective, Translation | 1 Comment
The often dysfunctional relationship between project managers and freelance translators may stem from a simple lack of communication. BY SUSAN AYOOB
In a fast-paced, deadline-driven industry, freelance translators and project managers communicate constantly, yet there is often a lack of true communication between both parties. In a way, this is understandable, since there is often little time to discuss details when a project has a short turn-around time. Call, confirm, translate, and deliver. Yet regardless of a project’s scope—be it the translation of a few sentences in Word or a file consisting of thousands of words and involving the management of a hefty translation memory—clear project instructions are an absolute must in order to ensure an on-time, accurate delivery (as well as the avoidance of headaches on both sides). I have worked as both a project coordinator and a freelance translator, and I know that there are certain things that project managers would love for freelance translators to know, and likewise, translators often wish that project managers could do some things a bit differently. → continue reading
Sep 1st, 2009 | Business, Continuing Ed. | No Comments
A half-day NCTA workshop in San Francisco featured practical strategies for increasing earning power. BY SARAH LLEWELLYN
Some 30 freelance translators attended the NCTA workshop “Freelance Translation: Beyond the Basics,” held at the SFSU downtown campus on July 11. The half-day workshop was conducted by Corinne McKay, author of How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator and herself a freelance translator. → continue reading
Feb 1st, 2009 | Business, Ethics | No Comments
The financial meltdown and ever-increasing unemployment rates do not bode well for the coming year but there are always options, even in hard times. BY QUYEN NGO
The holidays are finally behind us and hopefully the souring economy did not produce too many scrooges. Many of us are probably wondering if 2009 will usher in a brighter economic horizon. Typically, freelance interpreters/translators have been fortunate to work in a field relatively immune to transient economic cycles. But this is no ordinary financial conundrum. Uncertainty looms while the million-dollar question appears to be: “How much more downturn is there?” Navigating the current recession, in a profession that isn’t known for producing steady fixed incomes, can be tricky. Have you been receiving less work? Have you noticed that agencies are taking longer to pay? Have you been getting the proverbial run around: “We didn’t receive your invoice”, or “We’re waiting for payment from the client.” Are you being offered lower rates for work? Have you contemplated reducing your rates so you can get work? → continue reading
Dec 1st, 2008 | ATA, Business, Continuing Ed., Translation | No Comments
A report on a workshop for candidates planning to take the ATA certification examination. BY NORMA KAMINSKY
On August 23, Tuomas Kostiainen, NCTA President and member of the ATA Certification committee, who has been an ATA exam grader, once again stepped up to share his knowledge, experience, and advice with translators contemplating taking the ATA Certification Exam. Tuomas’ presentation included a discussion of the exam itself, reasons to take it, explanations of eligibility requirements, skills tested in the exam, grading, preparation, planning, types of errors, and tips for success. → continue reading
Dec 1st, 2008 | Business, Perspective | No Comments
Whether it’s Uncle Sam, Big Brother or Scrooge who’s in charge, employment prospects for qualified language professionals are dim and getting dimmer. BY NINA BOGDAN
Last year, Translorial’s Stafford Hemmer wrote a two part story on the creation of the “Civilian Language Reserve Corps,” now re-named the National Language Service Corps (NLSC). In the article, Robert Slater, then the Director of the National Security Education Program, was quoted as stating that, “Compensation plans are still under development.” Currently, information on the NLSC website notes that when NLSC members are called to duty, they will be paid “based on scales used by the federal government.” The website also states that minimum requirements to be an NLSC Charter Member for their “Pilot Project” are: being at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, highly skilled in a foreign language, and having a desire to use that language in the service of others. → continue reading
Dec 1st, 2008 | Business, Machine Translation, NCTA Events, Reports | No Comments
At the NCTA September meeting, Dr. Anthony Pym discussed his research findings and explained “what happens” when translators work under pressure. BY RAFFAELLA BUSCHIAZZO
The September General Meeting took place on Saturday the 13th in downtown San Francisco and was presented by NCTA President Tuomas Kostiainen. Vice President and Translorial Publisher Yves Avérous offered potential volunteers free training on layout and Translorial blog site management. Then he praised the excellent work Translorial’s new editor, Nina Bogdan, did on the September issue. He also showed everyone how to join the new NCTA Group in LinkedIn, the professional network website. All active NCTA members are welcome to join the group. At the December General Meeting we will present the most popular network websites where you can promote your professional skills online. → continue reading
Sep 1st, 2008 | Business, Getting Started, Perspective | No Comments
The commercial world of translation and interpreting can be a harsh taskmaster for the independent contractor. In this two-part series, we ask: Is the government any better? BY NINA BOGDAN
Part I: NCTA member Farah Arjang’s attendance at a U.S. Government/ATA-sponsored conference yields little more than questions.
Those who choose to work as freelancers may revel in a life of no bosses, no mandatory business attire (every day is casual Friday!) and the freedom to work at 2 AM, but they are also at the mercy of demanding agencies that care only about the bottom line and non-paying customers who disappear as soon as a job is delivered. Linguists also frequently find themselves to be convenient targets of misplaced blame (everyone knew that it was really that pesky diplomat who misspoke; not the interpreter), and of comments such as, “If you’re such a good translator, why do you need a dictionary?” or, my all-time personal favorite, “You’re a translator? That’s a pretty easy job, right?” → continue reading
May 1st, 2006 | Agencies, Business, Essays, Translation | No Comments
A new trend regarding contracts
By Stafford Hemmer
A recent discussion on the NCTA web forum suggested that agencies are dispensing with a generally more lenient attitude toward employment terms and conditions in favor of a more legally airtight, formalized contractual relationship sealed by notarization. This article summarizes the viewpoints of several NCTA members who participated in the discussion.
When an agency engages an interpreter or translator, the respective contractual obligations are established by countersignature to the relevant documents, typically confidentiality and independent contractor agreements. Not uncommonly, both parties forego even these most basic of conventions—whether intentionally or by default—and work with each other on the basis of verbal agreements reached on the phone, or written covenants established by an exchange of emails. Yet these circumstances seem to be changing.
NCTA member Naomi Baer recently confronted this situation and asked fellow members, “Is anyone else being asked more frequently to notarize employment applications in order to get an assignment?” The case at hand pertained to a confidentiality agreement and a “proprietary agreement” that the agency wanted notarized by the translator-interpreter before consenting to give her the assignment. Although it was for a small project, the expectation was that it might lead to more serious work down the road. And yet the concept of having to pay to get set up to work with an agency seemed problematic, given the range of agencies Naomi has worked with, and given that, in general, she had no way to know if it would pay for itself over time.
Notarization refers to the certifying of documents by a notary public—an officer authorized by the state (such as California) who can also administer oaths, take acknowledgments, and take depositions if the notary is a court reporter as well.
“This new phenomenon seems to have reached epidemic proportions,” replied long-time NCTA member Peter Gergay. “Agencies that did not require notarized statements before, do so now, and nowadays new agencies with which I begin to do business tack it on almost routinely.” Not all NCTA members share the opinion that this phenomenon is so common; indeed, another long-time member, George Plohn, who has been a freelancer since 1990, translating into and from ten language combinations, claimed to have never heard about such a requirement.
Whether or not the trend is pervasive, both experienced translators agree on one thing: compliance is generally advisable. Peter replied that he uses a standard text that had been originally drawn up by educational credentialing institutions for diplomas and transcripts and subsequently approved—a long time ago—by government agencies and the ATA; he kindly volunteered to send interested colleagues a sample. He also added that he bills for the reimbursement of these charges ($10 per document) as well as for his time in getting the translations notarized. George added that he “would not hesitate to satisfy such a requirement if it would bring business.” But he also pointed out that his bank provides this service free of charge, and suggests that translators should find out from their own financial institutions if they provide such a free service; if not, he suggests opening a small account at another bank that would.
Clients often ask agencies, and ultimately translators, to obtain notarizations, for instance of a translated college transcript or birth record. In most cases, the notary is merely certifying that the translator presenting the documents has properly identified himself or herself to the notary. The notary is not attesting to the accuracy or veracity of the translation itself. So what does an agency gain by asking its contractors to get signatures to an employment contract notarized? Other than the obvious additional legal gravitas derived from the signature and stamp of a notary public added to an otherwise valid contractual relationship, it is difficult to extrapolate from the group list discussion why agencies are increasingly asking contractors to provide these notarizations.
Still, there was consensus among translators, interpreters, and agencies alike that understanding the phenomenon of notarization is important. Wrote Michael Alioto, who runs an agency based in Italy, “There is a lot of confusion in the U.S. translation market about rules that are either non-existent or vague at best.” He points out that this is not the case in Europe, where agencies often deal with notarized documents, and especially in the context of the Hague Convention. (Michael’s clients have Italian estate matters that have to be addressed via various powers of attorney). As Michael says, “Because we do many translations for direct clients and attorneys, I found this subject needs to have a legal foundation that is understood by all.”
