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Dear outsourcers, I beg you, enough with tests
Thread poster: Daniel Frisano
Lian Pang
Lian Pang  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 05:56
Member (2018)
English to Chinese
+ ...
Just don't Jul 14, 2018

If an outsourcer is already that much of a pain in the arse to deal with right from the beginning, I suspect that it's not gonna get better if you really start to work with them.

Plus you need to have the luck to be reviewed by a fair, professional reviewer, who is better skilled than you are. As far as I know, some reviewers will intentionally give you a bad score to eliminate competition right in the crib.


Robert Forstag
Slobodan Kozarčić
Adriana Sandru
ahartje
Evija Rimšāne
Colette Magalowski
Valérie Ourset
 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 05:56
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
Please stop sending bulk mail Jul 16, 2018

Mails starting with: "Dear translators, Dear/Hi all, Dear team, Hello everybody or (maybe the worst one) Hi guys!

I am a human being of flesh and blood and I do have a name.

Sorry, but I don't feel obliged to answer (and when I do, I never hear anything anymore anyway, probably because I am not the 'cheapest').


Katalin Szilárd
ahartje
Ester Vidal
Colette Magalowski
Gudrun Wolfrath
Angie Garbarino
Erwin van Wouw
 
Angie Garbarino
Angie Garbarino  Identity Verified
Local time: 05:56
Member (2003)
French to Italian
+ ...
and dear resource? Jul 16, 2018

Robert Rietvelt wrote:

Mails starting with: "Dear translators, Dear/Hi all, Dear team, Hello everybody or (maybe the worst one) Hi guys!

I am a human being of flesh and blood and I do have a name.

Sorry, but I don't feel obliged to answer (and when I do, I never hear anything anymore anyway, probably because I am not the 'cheapest').


I hate it.


Gabriele Demuth
 
Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 05:56
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Right Jul 17, 2018

Robert Rietvelt wrote:

Mails starting with: "Dear translators, Dear/Hi all, Dear team, Hello everybody or (maybe the worst one) Hi guys!



Exactly. Personally I find equally irritating when they start with "Dear Daniel" out of the blue. Dear Daniel my arse, we've never met before, how are we on first-name terms?

You better get your act together, agencies. I know you are reading this.

[Edited at 2018-07-17 15:32 GMT]


 
Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 05:56
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Update Jul 18, 2018

Just received an email from some unknown agency. Starts with "Hi Daniel", ends with no signature whatsoever. They spell the name of agency in lowercase.

2

Anything they can do wrong, they will. Welcome to the new frontier of translation: Murhpyland.

[Edited at 2018-07-18 16:21 GMT]


 
Katalin Szilárd
Katalin Szilárd  Identity Verified
Hungary
Local time: 05:56
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Salutation and names Jul 18, 2018

Daniel Frisano wrote:

Just received an email from some unknown agency. Starts with "Hi Daniel", ends with no signature whatsoever. They spell the name of agency in lowercase.

Anything they can do wrong, they will. Welcome to the new frontier of translation: Murhpyland.

[Edited at 2018-07-18 16:21 GMT]


Personally I don't think there is anything wrong with "Dear Translators" or "Dear Daniel or "Hi Daniel" but I agree that a professional company or an individual client should definately write his/her full name in the email.


[Edited at 2018-07-18 16:55 GMT]


Matheus Chaud
 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 12:56
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Dear Frisano Jul 18, 2018

How do you propose that agencies address potential translators?

Angie Garbarino
 
Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 05:56
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
_ Jul 18, 2018

Lincoln Hui wrote:

How do you propose that agencies address potential translators?


If you send an email to a professional (lawyer, dentist, plumber, whatever) you've never met before named John Doe, do you start with "Dear John"? I hope not.

And if you think that the issue is futile, think again. The way you address your counterparts is relevant.


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
First names Jul 19, 2018

In Scandinavia nobody would ever use anything else, and I imagine it’s the same in other places too. Even here in the UK, I find Mrs X is only an old person thing these days. It’s gone from being formal to being borderline unfriendly.

Michele Fauble
P.L.F. Persio
 
Thomas Pfann
Thomas Pfann  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:56
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
Dear Daniel / Sehr geehrter Herr Frisano Jul 19, 2018

Daniel Frisano wrote:
If you send an email to a professional (lawyer, dentist, plumber, whatever) you've never met before named John Doe, do you start with "Dear John"? I hope not.


Of course, I do. This has nothing to do with being on first-name terms or with being disrespectful. It's the standard way of addressing someone and anything else would be somewhat odd.

When translating from English into German I often translate "Dear Jane" as "Sehr geehrte Frau Doe". And I am sure colleagues translating into English do just the opposite.


Christopher Schröder
Angie Garbarino
 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 12:56
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Again, dear Frisano Jul 19, 2018

I'm still waiting to hear how you propose agencies address potential translators, since you appear to be so offended by what is considered the norm in much of the English-speaking world.

 
Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 05:56
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Since you asked... Jul 19, 2018

Lincoln Hui wrote:

I'm still waiting to hear how you propose agencies address potential translators.



Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs [Last name].

It is a great satisfaction to send all "Hi Daniel" messages directly to trash. Quite convenient as a preliminary screening.


 
Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Malta
Local time: 05:56
Member (2012)
English to Maltese
+ ...
We are deviating.. Jul 19, 2018

from the topic of this particular forum. Let's keep to the topic, shall we? If we want to discuss how outsourcers are to address us-and some are very 'creative' but not really polite- the 'Hi there!' type, let's start a new topic and we'll give our experiences and views no problem

 
Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 05:56
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Let's deviate some more Jul 19, 2018

This morning an agency I already worked with in the past (and which appropriately addresses me as sehr geehrter Herr - gotta love that) inquires about my availability for a project due next Monday. I tell them that it can be done and they tell me they will confirm tomorrow.

They just gave me the go-ahead. In none of those three messages they attached the material to be translated.

One more inhabitant of Murphyland? What is going on with everybody? I am tempted to send
... See more
This morning an agency I already worked with in the past (and which appropriately addresses me as sehr geehrter Herr - gotta love that) inquires about my availability for a project due next Monday. I tell them that it can be done and they tell me they will confirm tomorrow.

They just gave me the go-ahead. In none of those three messages they attached the material to be translated.

One more inhabitant of Murphyland? What is going on with everybody? I am tempted to send my "Please find attached the translated document" next Monday with no attachment, just to see their reaction.
Collapse


Walter Landesman
 
Hilary McGrath
Hilary McGrath  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 05:56
French to English
+ ...
What is Murphyland? Jul 19, 2018

Hoping it's not what it sounds like?

 
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Dear outsourcers, I beg you, enough with tests







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