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Poll: Have your ever done a big translation for free?
Téma indítója: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
MUNKATÁRS
Jun 9, 2021

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have your ever done a big translation for free?".

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Oriol Vives (X)
Oriol Vives (X)  Identity Verified
Spanyolország
Local time: 03:28
angol - katalán
+ ...
No comments? Jun 9, 2021

The first thing that came to my mind after reading this ludicrous question was "Has the bank ever payed your mortage for free?".

The sad thing is that proz.com allows this.


Michael Harris
Alexandra Speirs
Tom in London
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Aline Amorim
Daryo
Robert Rietvelt
 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Németország
Local time: 03:28
Tag (2006 óta)
német - angol
No Jun 9, 2021

Why would you do a large project for free?

Alexandra Speirs
Josephine Cassar
Tom in London
Baran Keki
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Vera Schoen
Aline Amorim
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugália
Local time: 02:28
Tag (2007 óta)
angol - portugál
+ ...
Yes, once or twice Jun 9, 2021

Some years ago I did a big translation FR-PT for the UN Online Volunteer Service. Curiously enough, and quite unexpectedly, this volunteer assignment turned into a paid job later on. Life is full of surprises!

P.L.F. Persio
Jean Shearer
Esther Dodo
Kamal Idkaidek
Kay Denney
frz
Aline Brito
 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Németország
Local time: 03:28
angol - német
Az Ő emlékére:
Yes, once Jun 9, 2021

My first big translation project was actually a fan translation of a videogame with around 300k words. We were a small team but I ended up doing most of the work. It was this project that convinced me I could do this professionally. Now I only needed to convince everyone else.

P.L.F. Persio
frz
 
Baran Keki
Baran Keki  Identity Verified
Törökország
Local time: 04:28
ProZ.com-tag
angol - török
Hmm Jun 9, 2021

Where are those people who donated hundreds of thousands of words to TwB? I remember seeing dozens of them here, proudly showing how many thousands of words they've donated. Why are they such a minority in this poll (only %5)? So was it all a marketing gimmick? What happened to the 'love'? 'Playing with words' and the like?

deseji
P.L.F. Persio
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Barbara Carrara
 
P.L.F. Persio
P.L.F. Persio  Identity Verified
Hollandia
Local time: 03:28
Tag (2010 óta)
angol - olasz
+ ...
Yes, as a volunteer Jun 9, 2021

Until 10 years ago, I used to translate many sermons (EN>IT; I did a book, too) for an Evangelical organisation in the USA; I was also a UN Online volunteer in the same linguistic pair but, occasionally, I'd put myself forward for RU>EN translations and was chosen, surely because there weren't any other English-native translators available, or even Russian ones.

There was this really interesting – if unsettling– Report of the National Human Rights Centre of the Republics of Uzbe
... See more
Until 10 years ago, I used to translate many sermons (EN>IT; I did a book, too) for an Evangelical organisation in the USA; I was also a UN Online volunteer in the same linguistic pair but, occasionally, I'd put myself forward for RU>EN translations and was chosen, surely because there weren't any other English-native translators available, or even Russian ones.

There was this really interesting – if unsettling– Report of the National Human Rights Centre of the Republics of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine on the UN OHCHR Questionnaire on prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriage.
I translated it to the best of my abilities, and the coordinator in Geneva told me they were very satisfied, but it's definitely not something I would do now: too fewer energies, too much self-awareness in order to tackle translation between 2 non-native languages.
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Baran Keki
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Kamal Idkaidek
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Dánia
Local time: 03:28
Tag (2003 óta)
dán - angol
+ ...
No big translations Jun 9, 2021

In general I don't do big translations at all. I get tired of them, long before they are finished!

I have one regular non-profit museum that I do small jobs for free of charge. They pay for larger books or catalogues with more than 5000 words or so. (Those are really 'picture books', although the text may be quite demanding.)

I have also done other jobs for free as support for non-profit organisations, but otherwise business is business! I prefer clients to pay, and the
... See more
In general I don't do big translations at all. I get tired of them, long before they are finished!

I have one regular non-profit museum that I do small jobs for free of charge. They pay for larger books or catalogues with more than 5000 words or so. (Those are really 'picture books', although the text may be quite demanding.)

I have also done other jobs for free as support for non-profit organisations, but otherwise business is business! I prefer clients to pay, and then I make a cash donation if I want to suport a good cause.
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Jessica Noyes
Jessica Noyes  Identity Verified
Egyesült Államok
Local time: 21:28
ProZ.com-tag
spanyol - angol
+ ...
Asylum-seeker papers Jun 9, 2021

A convincing asylum hearing in the U.S. requires a lot of translation work. I am active in a Vermont refugee action network that is hosting a family of four (among others). Besides all their birth certificates and such, there were a lot of newspaper articles documenting the political background in their country and the incidents of violence that were occurring. I believe there's a total of 65 pages, some of which require fancy formatting. In addition, the medical report for the person who was s... See more
A convincing asylum hearing in the U.S. requires a lot of translation work. I am active in a Vermont refugee action network that is hosting a family of four (among others). Besides all their birth certificates and such, there were a lot of newspaper articles documenting the political background in their country and the incidents of violence that were occurring. I believe there's a total of 65 pages, some of which require fancy formatting. In addition, the medical report for the person who was shot at for handing out food to street people is about twenty pages. Most of it is hand-written (!), so I am translating only what I can clearly understand. A bilingual doctor in the group has offered to fill in the blanks, which is easier for her, because she has a general idea of the procedures involved in caring for trauma caused by gunshot.Collapse


P.L.F. Persio
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugália
Local time: 02:28
Tag (2007 óta)
angol - portugál
+ ...
Hmmm Jun 9, 2021

Baran Keki wrote:

Where are those people who donated hundreds of thousands of words to TwB? I remember seeing dozens of them here, proudly showing how many thousands of words they've donated. Why are they such a minority in this poll (only %5)? So was it all a marketing gimmick? What happened to the 'love'? 'Playing with words' and the like?


I’m here! No marketing gimmick at all! Over the years I’ve donated many translated words to TwB, but I no longer do (I don’t accept that they impose a specific CAT tool)…


Erik Freitag
 
Elena Simonelli
Elena Simonelli  Identity Verified
Olaszország
Local time: 03:28
Tag (2006 óta)
angol - olasz
+ ...
other Jun 9, 2021

Only for friends or family members, but really big translations. Does it count?

[Modificato alle 2021-06-09 13:16 GMT]


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spanyolország
Local time: 03:28
spanyol - angol
+ ...
Yes, once. Jun 9, 2021

A few years ago, a young former acrobat from my local area suffering from spinal injuries asked me to help out by translating a website for a spinal injury related website, featuring a well-known researcher from a respected institution in the region, who had apparently achieved stunning breakthroughs in spinal surgery, and was on the point of starting to work on human patients. As it seemed like a good cause, I did the job, which would usually have cost a few hundred euros, free of charge. A few... See more
A few years ago, a young former acrobat from my local area suffering from spinal injuries asked me to help out by translating a website for a spinal injury related website, featuring a well-known researcher from a respected institution in the region, who had apparently achieved stunning breakthroughs in spinal surgery, and was on the point of starting to work on human patients. As it seemed like a good cause, I did the job, which would usually have cost a few hundred euros, free of charge. A few months later, I was surprised to find that said lead researcher was now involved in a fraud case, litigated by families who believe they had been misled with claims of a miracle treatment. I don’t recall how the case ended up, and it may still be ongoing, giving the slowness of the Spanish justice system. I’ve also done the odd freebie for what I considered deserving cases in the past, but that website was the biggest.

PS: I don't think that the researcher or the young man who approached me had any fraudulent intentions at first. What happened was the research funding for the project was cut off, and the researcher in question had been approached by outside agencies who offered to fund the research in exchange for promoting it and, obviously, hoping to make a profit from it. Which is what ended up in the fraud case, with families being misled to believe there was a miracle cure just waiting for them.
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Ombeni Mtanga
Ombeni Mtanga
Tanzánia
Local time: 04:28
angol - szuahéli
+ ...
Free translation service Jun 9, 2021

I often offered it for free

 
Meridy Lippoldt
Meridy Lippoldt  Identity Verified
Egyesült Államok
Local time: 21:28
Tag (2014 óta)
francia - angol
+ ...
Pro bono translating Jun 9, 2021

I can highly recommend doing volunteer work for the non-profit Translators without Borders. Their subject-matter is usually produced by non-governmental agencies and is invariably for a good cause. I always learn something language- or substance-wise from the experience.

 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Németország
Local time: 03:28
Tag (2006 óta)
német - angol
Answer Jun 10, 2021

I did not see the question relating to non-profit organisations because that is another matter. I saw the question relating to companies that take advantage of you doing the work for free.
If I had the time and it was actually helping someone for non-profit, that is another thing.


Philippe Etienne
P.L.F. Persio
Robert Rietvelt
 
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