translator must

22
TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherd’s Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected] 1

Upload: ishar-kar

Post on 24-Nov-2015

40 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

Guide

TRANSCRIPT

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    1

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    2

    Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3

    2. The Online System .............................................................................................................. 4

    3. Getting Started ..................................................................................................................... 5

    4. Managing your Profile ......................................................................................................... 6

    5. Managing your Accounts .................................................................................................... 8

    5.1 - Requesting a Payment ............................................................................................... 8

    5.2 - Fees & Payment ........................................................................................................ 10

    6. The Job Workflow Process ............................................................................................... 11

    6.1 Viewing a Job ........................................................................................................... 11

    6.2 Accepting a Job ........................................................................................................ 12

    6.3 Posting Queries ........................................................................................................ 13

    6.4 Cancelling a Job ....................................................................................................... 13

    6.5 - Returning a Job ......................................................................................................... 13

    7. Proofreading & Editing Jobs ............................................................................................. 15

    7.1 - Proofreading Criteria ................................................................................................ 15

    8. Assessors ............................................................................................................................ 16

    9. Corporate Accounts ........................................................................................................... 17

    10. Important Information..19

    Annexes

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    3

    1. Introduction

    Welcome to TranslateMedia. Our aim is to provide consistently high quality translations to our clients, while offering translators a professional working environment. We function in the same way as any traditional agency, managing projects and offering support to our translators whenever necessary, while spending time and resources securing work from large clients. We have developed a proprietary online platform to help us deal with the mundane tasks that often bog more traditional agencies down. To our clients we offer an integrated back office ordering system where they can post texts for translation along with instructions, notes and reference information. They can also monitor each jobs progress in real-time and are in contact with a dedicated project manager. To translators we offer an online management platform with an account management tool that allows you to view all jobs completed and payments made or outstanding, so that you never forget a job or due payment. This user guide will help you to use TranslateMedia effectively. This contains important information on what we expect of our translators, and what you can expect from us in our working relationship. We would recommend that you keep a copy of this saved somewhere, as reference. If you have any questions about anything present in this document, any feedback on the service that we offer, or any other queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Matt Train Operations Manager

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    4

    2. The Online System We encourage our clients to post jobs online by offering them discounted rates. We have personal contact with them over the phone and in face-to-face meetings in order to establish and maintain strong relationships. The online discounts offered to our clients do not affect the fees that we offer to translators. We offer express turnarounds to clients at extra cost and this is reflected in the fees offered to translators. The system is designed to speed up the translation process, and because it reduces administration overheads it also allows us to offer competitive rates to the client, and spend more time securing work for our translators. For these reasons we encourage you to use the system wherever possible, and we have designed it and are constantly developing it so that all relevant tasks can be managed online. We are, however, realistic and appreciate that language projects, like languages, are complex and diverse, and that in some instances we will need to be in direct contact.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    5

    3. Getting Started Go to www.translatemedia.com.

    Enter your username and password into the area provided at the top right hand side of the screen and click LOG IN. You are then taken to your TranslateMedia area. I am using my account as an example you can see Matt Train is shown in the top-right hand corner of the screen.

    The default page is the job board. Across the top of the page you can see tabs that take you to different pages. These are present on each page, so that you can easily navigate from one section to another. Here you can also choose your time zone and relevant currency that the site displays details in, and you can also log-out.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    6

    4. Managing your Profile When you registered you entered your personal details into your profile. In My Profile Administration you can amend these details whenever necessary.

    When your original application was considered we took into account experience, qualifications and comments from references in deciding which language combinations and specialist areas to register you in. If you would like to apply for registration in another language combination and/or specialist area please write to [email protected].

    Here you can edit your username, password, and contact details.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    7

    The email address registered in this section is where all email alerts relating to jobs will be sent, and this will be the primary method of contact used.

    Here you can specify your preferred method of payment, and preferred currency. Please be aware that when you specify the payment method that you prefer this will be used for all payments, so it is essential that this information is correct. We would also like you to upload a copy of your CV here, for administration purposes, and if you like you can add a picture. You can include any comments and notes that you see fit. Clicking Update Profile at the bottom of the page saves any changes that you make.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    8

    5. Managing your Accounts Clicking My Accounts takes you to the Account Statement page below.

    Under credits you will see jobs that have been allocated to you and completed with a description and the fee stated. Under debits you can see details of all payment requests made and their status (paid/unpaid). If you scroll down you can see details of total credits and debits.

    5.1 - Requesting a Payment If you would like to make a payment request you can do so by clicking on the link in the first paragraph;

    This will take you to the Payment Request screen where you can view all funds available in your virtual account with us, and where you can request payment of any amount within those funds. You also need to enter your preferred method of payment. We offer three methods that are fast and efficient: Pay pal, UK Bank Transfer, International Bank Transfer or Money Bookers. Please take care to ensure that all details are entered correctly when ordering payments so that we can avoid delays caused by incorrect entry of information.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    9

    Once you have submitted your request we will pay at 30 days from the end of the month in which the request is made. So if you make your request on 3rd January the payment will be made by 27th February. Due to the high volume of payment requests that we receive, and in order to avoid charging any administration fees, you are limited to making two payment requests per calendar month, to encourage you to accrue credits and order in large payments. Please note that all rates are fixed in GBP (pounds Sterling). If you are VAT registered then please ensure that these details are recorded in your profile before requesting a payment so that VAT is added to the requested amount. You must only request pre-VAT amounts. The system has now been updated so that you can enter a reference number for your payment (to cross-reference with your invoice number or any other reference).

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    10

    5.2 - Fees & Payment

    When you registered with us you will have been asked for your standard rates per thousand source words. These are recorded and associated with your profile so that any jobs alerts receive are quoted to you in your rate. When you return a job it is checked and then your account is credited. You can order a payment at any time through your online account. Records will be kept online of all

    credits/debits and jobs completed, and you can use this to help manage your finances. Checking and editing fees are calculated in the same way as translation rates and it is estimated that 1,500 - 2,000 words per hour can be proofread, although we appreciate that this depends on the quality of the source document. Please incorporate any changes deemed necessary and check the document carefully before returning via the online account. We currently pay a minimum of 10.00 on any one job, unless you are working on a corporate account where the volume of work has enabled us to offer no minimum fees to the client.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    11

    6. The Job Workflow Process 6.1 Viewing a Job When a client orders a job an alert email is sent to all the translators that match the relevant profile. These alert emails are sent from [email protected].

    The email contains a link to the job board where the related job details are displayed.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    12

    If you click on the blue information icon you can view the job details in full, and you can view the whole source text by clicking on View complete document.

    6.2 Accepting a Job We expect that any professional translator accepting a job has viewed the document and has agreed to the deadline and fee offered. If you would like to take the job but would like to negotiate on the fee or deadline, or check any of the details, please do not hesitate to contact us directly by email or by phone.

    To take the job click . You will then be asked to confirm. The jobs details will

    remain on your job board page until you have returned the document:

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    13

    Some clients post additional information alongside jobs, such as previous translations, glossaries, pictures, or other reference information. These will be available for download when a job is accepted. 6.3 Posting Queries If you have any queries while you are working on the job they can be posted directly to the project manager. We will get back to you with an answer on your queries as soon as possible, and we would encourage you to ask about anything that you need clarification on. 6.4 Cancelling a Job

    Clicking on cancel this job now will take you to a screen where you will be asked to confirm the reason for cancellation.

    Choosing to cancel a job means that you re-post the job to the board for allocation, and you will not be paid for it. This option should only be used in extreme cases. 6.5 - Returning a Job Once you have completed the job and received the responses to any queries you can post the job back through your account by going to the Return a Job section. Clicking Browse will allow you to navigate to the correct file name, and clicking OK, Upload my completed job will upload the file. You will then be asked to verify that the file is correct.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    14

    Jobs should be returned in the format in which they were supplied, unless otherwise specified. Sometimes you will be asked to enter the target word count when you upload a job. This will be checked, so please ensure that it is accurate. Translations provided should be to a professional standard. This means that they should read as if they are an original document in the target languages, and that there should be no spelling or grammar errors. Please check and spell-check your translation thoroughly before uploading, in accordance with the translation checklist you were provided when you registered. Please ensure that you upload the correct document. We provide a translation checklist on the website available for download and you are expected to use this. Once the job has been uploaded your work will be sent for revision/checking and your online account will be credited upon completion of this process.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    15

    7. Revision Jobs

    Revision jobs will be allocated in the same way as translation tasks. When revising, and where possible, please use the Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word, and upload a copy of the file with all the changes tracked. When you return a revised document you will be asked to provide an analysis of the original translation for our records, and to grade the translation according to some carefully selected criteria. Over time a history of the revision results of each translator is recorded. You can also choose to automatically receive copies of revision checklists completed on your work as they are done. In this way we hope to both offer translators constructive professional development, and to build up a picture of our translators strengths and weaknesses. Please keep these aims in mind when posting your comments. 7.1 - Revision Criteria

    Accuracy The extent to which the translation correctly reflects all of the content present in the source text. Missing sections, or incorrectly translated phrases fall under accuracy.

    Tone & Register The style of language, address to the reader, and the extent to which the tone of the translation matches that of similar documents in the target culture. If a translation of a legal document uses the style of language found in a teenage magazine this falls under tone & register.

    Fluency The extent to which the translation reads as if it is an original document in the target language. If the translation uses grammar and words that sound odd in the target language then this falls under fluency.

    Presentation The visual presentation of the translation. If the translated document

    needs to be formatted heavily to make it ready for delivery to the client then this falls under presentation.

    Overall Your overall balanced opinion on the quality of the document produced, based on all of the criteria above.

    Please refer to the revision checklist that is included in the Welcome Pack of documents, and the guidelines document that is provided in order to make revision scores consistent.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    16

    8. Trusted Translators When we fully trust the quality of a translators work and have developed a strong

    professional relationship with them we may define them as Trusted within our system. Trusted translators will be asked to revise work done by new translators. As well as being offered all the usual assignments, trusted translators may also be appointed as editors on large corporate accounts, supervising the work of a team of TranslateMedia translators.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    17

    9. Corporate Accounts We provide corporate accounts with special rates and back-office utilities to clients who wish

    to post large volumes of work on a regular basis. When these deals are being formulated we contact our suitable translators and ask those who are interested and available to provide the client with examples of relevant work as a test piece. The client picks the translators whose style they most prefer and we put together the team, under an editor or team of editors, to take on the work, offering whatever support that we can. If you are approached for such an assignment we do our utmost to ensure that you have all the information that you need. This includes reference/sample documents, likely volume estimates, time-lines and turnaround times, details of required software, terminology databases, translation memory files, and contact details for all the other language professionals that make up your team. Where possible we hold meetings at various stages of the project with everyone involved in attendance in some form. These projects are still run through our system. The client is allocated their team and then email alerts are sent to this small team, to see who is most immediately available. All jobs and payments due are stored online in the usual way.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    18

    10. Important Information

    We expect translators to follow the instructions below. This helps us to ensure that our working processes run smoothly, and to guarantee quality and consistency in our service.

    We expect all translations delivered to be of a professional standard, and to read as if they are originals in the target language. Delivering work below this standard will not be accepted.

    Please add [email protected] to your email contacts to ensure that you receive all our email alerts. Sending an email to this address often ensures that messages are not bounced back.

    Always view the source document and check the fee and deadline offered before accepting a job.

    You can only be allocated one job at any one time. Once you have taken a job you will not be able to take another job through the platform. You can apply to the relevant project manager by phone/email if you wish to take more than one job on. Trusted translators can take more than one job.

    Queries should be saved up until you have been through the entire

    document and then all posted together.

    Jobs should be returned in the same format as supplied, unless otherwise specified.

    Translations should be checked against the revision checklist and spell-checked before return. Please double check to ensure that you upload the correct version of the document.

    Please make sure that your payment information, and all related information (account number/sort code), is entered correctly. Incorrect entry will mean that payment is delayed.

    If you are VAT registered you MUST enter your VAT number within your profile. If you are registered for VAT in the UK you must check the relevant box.

    We prefer to receive signed terms documents and any invoices by email or fax, in keeping with our environmental policy.

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    19

    Annex A Translation Checklist

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    20

    Annex B Revision Checklist

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    21

    Annex C Revision Guidelines

    Translators Scores Guideline

    Your feedback is extremely important to us and it is an invaluable part in ensuring we deliver the best quality translations to our clients. In order to maximise the efficiency of this process and achieve consistency, accuracy and fairness we have produced a guideline summary for your use.

    Key points -All comments must be constructive -Do not use the comments tab for communication either with the translator or Project Manager -All comments must be relevant to the text in hand -No rude or abusive comments will be tolerated -Always score the translation rather than any emissions (Do notify us immediately if you notice emissions!) -Unless otherwise instructed by the Project Manager, please upload Word documents with Track Changes showing

    Score sheet Excellent- Perfect translation requiring no changes / only preferential changes were made Very Good- Near perfect translation requiring minor changes Good- Good translation requiring some terminology / stylistic changes Average*- Acceptable but requiring a fair bit of stylistic and some terminology / grammatical changes Poor*- Poorly researched with major terminology changes OR major stylistic requiring some re-

    translations Bad*- Quality is unacceptable, major terminology AND stylistic changes requiring re-translation of

    whole paragraphs Very Bad*- Quality is unacceptable, major terminology AND stylistic changes AS WELL AS basic

    grammatical and orthographical changes most of the document required re-translation *Requires more detailed feedback in the comment box.

    Suspension Scoring a POOR, BAD or VERY BAD will automatically result in the translation and revision being checked by an independent third translator. Should the review prove the scoring to be unfair then this will result in suspension of the reviser after his/her second time.

    If the review shows that the translation is indeed of a POOR or BAD standard then the translator will be suspended immediately from the appropriate field of specialism. Please note that the translator will not be suspended from other fields that he/she works in at this time.

    If the review shows that the translation is indeed of a VERY BAD standard then the translator will be suspended immediately from the TranslateMedia database.

    Final note Due to our commitment in producing high quality translations please contact a Project Manager immediately if you feel that the translation is of a poor standard and requires extra work. A higher revision fee may be discussed in this instance.

    We require all translators to complete an equal share of translation and revision. Should you be suspended from revision work you will also receive less translation work. Please be mindful of the impact your scores will have and be kind to your fellow colleagues!

    Thank you for your ongoing collaboration and excellent work. The Project Management Team at TranslateMedia

  • TranslateMedia, Office 409, Threshold House, Shepherds Bush Green, London W12 8TX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)845 331 1127 Fax: +44 (0)845 331 1126 Email: [email protected]

    22

    Annex D Accounts Dept Service Levels

    TranslateMedia Accounts Service Levels

    All of us at TranslateMedia want to maintain a great relationship with our translators. We highly value your input and our collaboration and we hope that our relationship will be long and highly beneficial and interesting for both parties. When contacting our accounts department with any queries please make sure to include:

    The relevant job number / payment request date Full and clear details of your query A copy of any previous correspondence if available

    We will respond to your query within 3 working days.

    Please note that from the 1st September 2009 there will be a limit to a maximum of 2 payment requests that can be processed in each calendar month. The motive for this is purely to allow our administration team to keep up with payments, and to ensure we can make timely payment.

    At some periods our accounts department experiences a huge amount of correspondence, so please be patient and allow 3 working days for a response. We will aim to get back to you faster but sometimes it is not possible.

    If we find any error or issue with your payment request details, we will inform you as soon as we find such a problem to get to a speedy resolution. Please be aware that we may have to request that you re-submit requests where information is erroneous.

    If we are not able to resolve the matter within 3 working days we will escalate the issue and you will be informed of this.

    All Accounts related queries must be directed to [email protected]. Please do not contact your project manager on these matters. You can call us on +44 (0)845 331 1127.

    Any project-related queries should be directed to the relevant project manager or [email protected].

    Thank you and best wishes, Sebastian Goschorski & Patrick Eve Finance Manager Managing Director