You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
RE: Talk to the CEO - Utopian Translations Category
Sir @elear, I wish Utopian would make the translation task not just reward-based, it should pay people in real life since international policies recommend legal protection of translators and translations. Following that would help improve the status of DaVinci-Witness/Utopian approved translators and future localization efforts.
The task should be remunerated per word contributed. I'm sure $0.10-30 (cents) per word is enough because the job requires it.
I hope you could visit my post and learn how much would a translation cost in Crowdin for localizing any platform project (Steem White Paper, Fundition, Byteball, etc) into Filipino.
I think this is not even something to consider (my opinion, not anyone else's). I have worked as a (freelance) translator and editor for more than 18 years and I can tell you that the numbers you mention above don't even come close to reality. Unless someone has their own translation agency, they will never get paid more than $0.10 cents per word, let alone $0.30.
These are numbers that agencies may charge (I highly doubt it for this kind of work though) but the translator will get a considerably lower share.
When I first started translating, I was getting around $0.09 per word, but then the financial crash came and this was used as an excuse. Agencies would tell us that they couldn't pay as much because of financial crisis, while at the same time, they were still charging the same amounts to clients.
On top of that, there were suddenly a huge number of people who were willing to work for much less than others. I would get proposals from companies who offered to pay 1 cent or less per word, it was crazy. I always refused those, but there were others who would take it.
Asking what you ask is very much unrealistic, even in the real world, but especially here. I tend to think that most of the LM's and translators here don't do the work for the money, or they wouldn't be here.
I for one, am on the team because I think translating projects like the ones we are doing, is important.
Important to 'bring the word' out into the world and make these projects easier to understand for those who don't have enough English. Your proposal would involve a lot of money, and I don't think it would improve quality. Everywhere where there's money involved, people take advantage of the system.
@misslasvegas, good thing that I read/hear other views (your opinion too). This is not just about the payment per word "wish" that I stated here that Utopian could motivate its members with to participate. It's "very much unrealistic" to you because agencies like you said used the financial crash as an excuse. It seems that way too now with the fall of Steem or the inflation that's happening. It's just like saying that it's delusional to expect fulfillment from the UNESCO recommendation for the protection of translators and translations.
Money, you said, would not improve quality but are we not posting here in the Steem blockchain for rewards? It's even hypocritical to say that people here don't do the work for money. This is a rewards-based platform and users here participate because of what they can take advantage of.
If you want quality, use Utopian and DaVinci-Witness Project to offer a FREE COURSE on translation through Open University. Make it formal and legal according to the standards that UNESCO suggested. Before you go to content quality, assess what "we" as an organization are offering to our members to make them certified or "approved" LMs and translators.
True, when I first came to Steemit, the idea of getting a reward for posting articles was the main reason why I was here. but then, as time evolved, this went more to the back ground. At least, the part of enriching myself alone. Nowadays, I believe that with common effort we can help others and with that others can help others and so on. You can throw UNESCO recommendations around like they were a disease, but I don't really care much about the recommendations made by an institution under the wing of United nations. But that's another story. The free course on an open university seems like a good idea, however, it will never teach people the language if they don't already know it now. It's naive to think that a free course would change anything about the quality of bad translations. You either have it, or you don't. I see translating as an art, and if the talent is not there, then even a study at Cambridge will not change that. DaVinci and Utopian's work always has been and always should be a community effort, with each other for each other and what you describe will probably only attract people who are not in it for community, but only for themselves. I've worked in the translation business for so long, and I've seen people who studied in university for 4 or more years deliver really bad quality work, and I've seen others with a different study deliver master pieces. Why? I think because those people that hold the diplomas don't really care. Those who translate because it is their passion do. And any kind of course, however well constructed, will never change anything about that. Would you want the dentist who loves his job, or the one who only became a dentist for the money? I know what my choice would be! Now, coming back to Unesco, we are here, it's decentralized. And you offer an idea including an organization that couldn't be more centralized. Maybe we should start thinking about that? DaVinci is not a professional translation agency (who are only in it for the money, trust me) and neither is utopian. The Unesco standards are NOT going to make for better translations. Period.
"This is a rewards-based platform and users here participate because of what they can take advantage of." If this is why you are here, then you don't understand the platform at all...Unless you are a whale and really don't worry about what people think about you.
And again, the numbers you mentioned, will never, ever be paid to a translator. Ever. It may be what an agency gets, but I highly doubt it, unless we're talking about a medical or law text that has high priority (needs to be handed in asap). Other than that, the average trained translator gets about 10 cent per word. And if they do, they will be among the lucky ones. I wasn't working for an agency all the time, and the highest pay I ever got for a translation was 14 cents per word, and this was because it was a lot of text, of high importance, that had to be delivered within 48 hours. And in that case, I worked more than over time. So yeah, it is VERY unrealistic to think that the numbers you mentioned could ever become a reality here.
Financial crash, bad translations from people with diplomas, centralized UNESCO like a disease, etc. All I've read from your comment is negativity or pessimism. Since you're not offering anything positive from your side and your involvement with Utopian, I'm going to stop here. Anyway, when you're ready to speak good things about your work as a translator, I'm just here. May you have a wonderful week, @misslasvegas.
You couldn't meet a more positive person than me to be honest, and anyone who KNOWS me could tell you that. I believe the work I do as LM and translator is not only very important, but also better than any work I've done in the past involving translations, since it is actually going to make a difference.
There will be nothing but positivity from me regarding DaVinci and Utopian. In fact, I went to Steemfest to see if I could boost the both.
My work will soon turn into something better and more tangible, I am sure of it, so in that regard, I think I'm a bit ahead of what you try to say here. And I did all of that without asking for money or higher payments. Why? Because I believe in this community and I believe that if we all do our share, whatever that is, we will grow as a community and we will all be rewarded for the work we've put in. What you suggest is not only impossible at the moment, but also selfish (even though you've proposed to have this implemented for everyone), so no point in even bringing it up in my opinion.
Good for you then. Offer something better... I think you can do more than just say positive things about DaVinci and Utopian ^^
Oh absolutely!