| موضوع میں صفحات: < [1 2] | Suggestions for changing Blue Board rating system دھاگا پوسٹ کرنے والے: Robert Forstag
|
|---|
| The case against anonymity | Nov 17, 2008 |
Robert Forstag wrote:
I would say that a more meaningful rating system would not only provide more useful information for freelancers, but would keep outsourcers more accountable in terms of their own professional practices. I see anonymity as vital to this process: without it, much negative and potentially helpful criticism will continue to be suppressed, for reasons I cited at the beginning of this post. I challenge those who do not support anonymity to show how the system can really work without it.
It's a tricky one. I do take your point about anonymity enabling translators to say what they honestly think, without fear.
But I want to know who has judged an outsourcer to be good or bad - do I know them? If so, do I respect them? If I don't know them, what does their profile say about them? What have they said about other agencies (assuming they let people access this)? All this is essential information. All translators are not equal and I don't give equal weight to the WWA scores they provide. Anonymity would reduce me at least to only accepting work from agencies with a long straight 5 record, as I could never be sure that that single 1 or 2 score out of 40-odd ratings was not justified.
What's more, the outsourcer's response also provides valuable information. I saw one case recently where the outsourcer had about 50 WWA ratings, the vast majority of them positive, but on the handful of low scores their response was essentially a shrill "how dare you give us a low score? We're an xxx top 50 company!" - Enough to put me off, at least.
In contrast, a couple of times a non-payment error has been corrected very quickly and contritely following a negative BB entry - regardless of whether the error was genuine, anonymity would necessarily mean that its rectification would be impossible.
In short, a system without anonymity may or may not be unworkable (I'd say not - it works, albeit imperfectly, right now), but an anonymous system would be almost totally meaningless.
[Edited at 2008-11-17 17:05 GMT]
| | | | Robert Forstag 
امریکہ
Local time: 07:38
انگریزیسےاسپینی
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Response to Marie-Hélène | Nov 17, 2008 |
Thank you for your thoughtful response to my posts.
My suggestion to address the anonymity issue is as follows:
Proz.com could set up a system whereby, once a freelancer has worked for an outsourcer, s/he may notify proz.com of this. Proz.com could in turn notify the outsourcer, who can verify (or not) that there has been collaboration with that translator. This processed verification would give the translator the right to post a review of that outsourcer (the process c... See more Thank you for your thoughtful response to my posts.
My suggestion to address the anonymity issue is as follows:
Proz.com could set up a system whereby, once a freelancer has worked for an outsourcer, s/he may notify proz.com of this. Proz.com could in turn notify the outsourcer, who can verify (or not) that there has been collaboration with that translator. This processed verification would give the translator the right to post a review of that outsourcer (the process could be repeated to generate subsequent permissions to revise reviews).
This could probably be set up to run as an automated system that (I think) ought not to be terribly expensive.
Regarding your point that not all translators merit the same level respect as regards their opinions.
Point taken. The following data could therefore be included about a poster: Years of experience and Kudoz points earned and questions asked (expressed as a range of course--reporting exact data would give away one's identity).
The "comment" issue can perhaps be looked at. Maybe allowing very limited comments could work in a revised system.
This is not a perfect solution, I know, but I think it would hold the promise of working a good deal better than the system currently in place. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It is the seller who set the rate | Nov 17, 2008 |
Ralf Lemster wrote:
Hi Marek,
If the translator has negotiated rates he or she is not satisfied with, it's the fault of the translator, not of the client/agency. It merely says "the agency's negotiating skills are better than mine".
Not much relevant.
I beg to differ - the Blue Board is based on the likelihood of working again for a given outsourcer. The pricing agreed upon may (or may not) be a factor determining LWA, but it is certainly relevant.
Best regards,
Ralf
I don't agree with you. Are you sure you don't want to work for a two cent per word client if that were the only problem? I don't think so; it is the client who doesn't want to work with you because of your rates. As a seller, you are the one who set the rate, not the other way around. If you say "I don't want to work with XYZ because of their rates", you would be saying that the rates are theirs; no, their rates do not exist, only yours do; don't let clients to invert the roles. It is XYZ who either accept or refuse your rate, and in the later case they are the ones who don't want to work with you, not the other way around.
Regardless who set the rates and who is the one who don't want to work withe the other, IMHO, Blue Board's role should be to allow other people to know about the hidden pros and cons of working with a client. We don't need to be warned about a client's low rates; we will discover it as soon as they say "sorry, we can not pay more than XY cents per word", while an uncooperative PM or a late payer will not be discovered till it is too late.
Even more, how much should be considered a too low rate? may be 0.03 per word? I don't think so; all of us have seen so called translations for which that rate is too high. May be for you, a highly specialized and top quality translator, a certain client is a low payer, while for other translators it is fine. High and low rates are very different for different freelancers.
| | |
|
|
|
Robert Forstag
امریکہ
Local time: 07:38
انگریزیسےاسپینی
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | End of thread comment | Nov 18, 2008 |
It looks like this discussion petered out fairly quickly. I will conclude for now by saying that I hope that, at some point in the near future, the concerns I've raised here are seriously examined and addressed.
Bob
| | | | | Staff notified | Nov 18, 2008 |
Hi Robert,
I have flagged the topic for the attention of ProZ.com site staff.
Best, Ralf
| | | | | موضوع میں صفحات: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Suggestions for changing Blue Board rating system | CafeTran Espresso |
|---|
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
| | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance |
|---|
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
