Re: Gengo wants you! Japanese to English translators needed

[Jacob Dunlap]

FYI, users in the user discussion area note a rate of US $0.03 per word.

--
Jacob Dunlap

[Mary Kennard]

It sounds a bit like YAQS. The pay isn't great, but I've done some jobs there when I had a free hour or so. But I've seen requests for translations that are a series of one or two lines from a manual of some kind, and i have to wonder what the end result looks like, with presumably many different translators working on successive lines. (You're only allowed to take on one job at a time.) Seems like it would be a real hodge-podge.

Mary

On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 9:34 PM, B. Benjaminson <benj...@gmail.com> wrote:

That is the regular rate. The "pro" rate is 0.08/word. Some of the material is very lightweight--emails, etc. but some is as tough as contracts and scientific papers.
This company used to be pretty good but now that they raised a lot of money in venture funds, I am not sure they have the best interest of the translators in mind in terms of the pay.
However, they do pay very reliably and you can pick up jobs that take 1/2 hour or less. Those points are very good for translators trying to fill in the gaps between larger projects. And their translator support managers could not be nicer or more professional.
The pay rate is the main problem.
Betsy Benjaminson
Netivot, Israel

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[Fred Uleman]

For the record: There are emails that are terrible to translate because it is very casual language but you do not have the context (which includes everything that went before and includes the relationship between/among the parties involved).

- -- --- ---- ----- ---- --- -- -
Fred Uleman, translator emeritus

[Jacob Dunlap]

On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 8:34 AM, B. Benjaminson <benj...@gmail.com> wrote:
> That is the regular rate. The "pro" rate is 0.08/word.

Just out of curiosity, how does one become a "pro" at Gengo? (I tried
the FAQ and couldn't find anything.)

Jacob Dunlap

[BJ Beauchamp]

I just started the test to see. The entry test is a series of five questions and you are to select an answer that best corresponds to the translation. Granted, they're somewhat confusing as one or the other means the same thing (worded slightly different from the translation--almost natural sounding) versus a slight literal one. The second test (which I have yet to begin) is an article translation. Apparently it goes before a "English Senior Translator" and is graded. To continue forward to the "pro" aspect you cannot have more than one major error and three minor. To become a pro, you can't have any more than one minor error. They're supposedly big on grammar and what not yet their example sentences are somewhat stilted and unnatural sounding, so it's really argumentative. Then again, you can't argue your test results. You have three chances (three separate tests) and that's it.

And as I ponder a possible second job doing just that...

-- BJ Beauchamp

P.S. They only pay twice a month or something like that I guess. Via paypal (with a $1.50 charge).

--
--
BJ Beauchamp
University at Buffalo
Bachelors of Arts, Applied Linguistics
---
I'm a soldier and that means
I am both defendant and judge
I stand at both ends of the fire

I'm a soldier つまり私は
被告人であり裁判官
火の両端に私は立つ
---

[Mel Ok]

For the record, the rates I see as a Gengo translator for J > E is:

Standard: 0.028 cents per character

Pro: 0.048 cents per character

Characters don't include punctuation, and considers one English word as one character. (basically the MS Word "word count")

FWIW,

Mel Ok

[Joe Jones]

My experience with Gengo was something similar to BJ's.

I saw the rates and thought "Huh?" But I set up an account anyway, mostly to see what it was all about.

No J>E jobs seemed to be available at the regular level for a few days. So I tried the test for the "pro" level, again mostly to see what it was all about. The test consisted of a poorly written business letter with a bunch of out-of-context references. I scratched my head a bit and finally came up with what seemed to be an appropriate English translation.

A while later I was told that I failed the test because my translation was neither literal enough nor natural-sounding enough.

Huh?

Then I deleted my account (which was not an easy function to find, IIRC) but Gengo kept spamming me for a while. I requested to be taken off their list. The request was acknowledged but the emails kept coming. After my second request, which was less politely worded, they finally stopped emailing me.

I like the concept of the service, but I don't plan on trying it again. There are better ways to make money as a translator.

Joe Jones / mutantfrog.com

[Jacob Dunlap]

On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 11:13 PM, Lisa Fang <li...@gengo.com> wrote:
> something you are absolutely free to ignore if you choose.

True, and likewise, we are absolutely free to respond to a public
message on a public list such as this. Part of being a translator is
staying up-to-date on various aspects of the industry, and critical
discussions of agencies and business models is an extremely important
part of that.

> We are definitely believers in providing a technical platform that makes it
> smooth and easy to do work, but above that we are a human translation
> service and we value our translator team.

With all due respect, part of valuing your team is compensating them
properly for their services. Depending on the material, your rates
may be appropriate, at least at the "pro" level. But $0.03 is an
abysmal rate, at least for anyone working in a country like Japan, the
US, the UK, etc. etc.

On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 5:38 AM, B. Benjaminson <benj...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Once you are working and getting job postings at Pro level, the Gengo web
> site and job system is a million times better than any other web based
> agency, AFAIK, except, as I said, the pay rate does not always match the job
> difficulty.

I don't know about you, but the web interface is the last thing I
worry about with my clients. Whether the pay rate matches the job
difficulty is one of the first.

> Also, the peace of mind that comes from not worrying about production
> infrastructure or about collecting my paycheck is worth some money these
> days.

"Paying on time" is something you're just *supposed* to do. Has it
really gotten to the point where we applaud businesses for paying on
time? I know there are some shady agencies, but they are definitely
in the minority, and I have never had any such trouble.

> I am involved with Gengo because as I try to peer into the future with jaded
> eye (even as I really wish I could retire), I agree with its founders that
> automation of the entire project workflow--except the translation brainwork
> itself--is one way we might continue to hold our own against the great
> forces of MT and giant cloud translation systems. Am I missing something
> here? I cannot see how to invest so much in cloud or CAT tools for giant
> projects without taking on too much risk.
> If there are better ways of making money and remaining competitive, what are
> they?

Specializing and producing extremely high-quality work; investing $300
in a CAT program to streamline your own translation workflow; and
doing the legwork to develop strong relationships with reliable
clients who pay a decent rate.

Jacob Dunlap