| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Proofreading jobs / Starting out - advice? Thread poster: Jenny Nilsson
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I have been freelancing as a translator for a while but realized that the most fun part is proofreading. Needless to say I am searching for more proofing jobs but I am having problems finding them. Usually, when searching the web, I get hits for "easy money" or freelancer.com which involves competing for jobs paying almost nothing. Not that I mind no/ow wage in the beginning. Right now I have a volunteer position at a magazine.
I guess my question is where to find legit proofreading work f... See more I have been freelancing as a translator for a while but realized that the most fun part is proofreading. Needless to say I am searching for more proofing jobs but I am having problems finding them. Usually, when searching the web, I get hits for "easy money" or freelancer.com which involves competing for jobs paying almost nothing. Not that I mind no/ow wage in the beginning. Right now I have a volunteer position at a magazine.
I guess my question is where to find legit proofreading work for people with education and some experience but obviously not for newbs nor pros who have worked 15 years in the business already.
Thanks for any advice.
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| | | | LEXpert 
United States
Local time: 10:43
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
| Your current translation clients? Translation agencies? | Mar 27, 2012 |
If by proofreading you mean bilingual review/edit/proof of translations, they might be the best place to start. They most likely send translations to be proofread by another translator. Many (if not most) translators hate proofreading - or have even sworn it off entirely - because the general quality is so bad that you end up putting more work in that you're paid for. I imagine you won't have too much trouble if you simply proclaim your unabashed willingness for proofreading to your translation ... See more If by proofreading you mean bilingual review/edit/proof of translations, they might be the best place to start. They most likely send translations to be proofread by another translator. Many (if not most) translators hate proofreading - or have even sworn it off entirely - because the general quality is so bad that you end up putting more work in that you're paid for. I imagine you won't have too much trouble if you simply proclaim your unabashed willingness for proofreading to your translation agencies and others. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Peter Linton (X)
Local time: 16:43
Swedish to English
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sunanoo wrote: ... the most fun part is proofreading.
As Rudolf has hinted, many translators avoid proofreading/ reviewing/revising because it is the LEAST fun part. Consider for a moment what happens if the original translator makes a serious mistake. You, the proofreader, were the last person, so you take the blame.
What is more likely is that the original text is poorly written or translated, and you cannot understand what is being said.
Another problem, quite common in your language combination, is that you are asked to review a text written by a Swede in English. Then there is no original text to compare.
All this is very frustrating, not fun at all, and is one of the main reasons why I do not offer any form of reviewing or proofreading. There are people who specialise in this sort of work, but think twice before you dive into this swamp.
| | | | | Fun vs. Ordeal | Mar 27, 2012 |
I know what you mean by saying it's the most fun part of the job. It all depends on the client though.
Proofreading/reviewing a text by request of a highly professional agency is a really pleasant experience. Luckily, I have been assigned many jobs like that lately. However, I have also been asked to proofread awful pieces of work, usually translated by poorly qualified non-native speakers or native speakers without any commitment to quality, who jumped in the business just to make... See more I know what you mean by saying it's the most fun part of the job. It all depends on the client though.
Proofreading/reviewing a text by request of a highly professional agency is a really pleasant experience. Luckily, I have been assigned many jobs like that lately. However, I have also been asked to proofread awful pieces of work, usually translated by poorly qualified non-native speakers or native speakers without any commitment to quality, who jumped in the business just to make some extra cash.
My advice: when you receive partially translated files and you find mistakes, show your clients your ability to review, writing constructive comments on grammar, style, etc. avoiding personal preferences. They will most likely appreciate your effort and they will learn you are willing to take this task which not everyone is keen on.
This should open doors for an increasing demand of your reviewing skills. At least, it has been working well for me.
Best of luck!
[Editada em 2012-03-27 19:30 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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...there are indeed some masochist people out there who actually enjoy proofreading!
Just kidding. Proofreading is the kind of work I profoundly dislike. Much too often it means lots of unexpected work... if the translator was the lazy kind and did not do his/her homework (terminology, consistency, spelling, punctuation, cognates, phrasal verbs...) diligently enough.
| | | | Jenny Nilsson
Sweden
Local time: 17:43
English to Swedish
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for your replies. | Mar 27, 2012 |
First, I will make clear that, yes, I would like to revise translated text but I would also like to work on proofreading articles, literature (i.e non-translated works).
I do understand what some of you meant by "warning" me not to go into proofing since the work of the translator could be bad, I know what that's like. But taking something that is NOT perfect and improving it is actually what I like. I find it satisfying, not annoying. At least right now. When I have done it 500 tim... See more First, I will make clear that, yes, I would like to revise translated text but I would also like to work on proofreading articles, literature (i.e non-translated works).
I do understand what some of you meant by "warning" me not to go into proofing since the work of the translator could be bad, I know what that's like. But taking something that is NOT perfect and improving it is actually what I like. I find it satisfying, not annoying. At least right now. When I have done it 500 times I might feel differently.
Maybe I just like tidying things.... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | The sublime to the ridiculous... | Mar 27, 2012 |
Most agencies will love you if you are willing to proofread.
Some pay peanuts and do not pay their translators well either... and I have a couple on my blacklist whom I simply do NOT proofread for, although I happily translate for one. But I know what you mean. Although proofreading is not exactly my idea of the fun part of the job, it is definitely something I do for a change and I learn a lot from it.
I have spent the last three or four days proofreading, first some 2... See more Most agencies will love you if you are willing to proofread.
Some pay peanuts and do not pay their translators well either... and I have a couple on my blacklist whom I simply do NOT proofread for, although I happily translate for one. But I know what you mean. Although proofreading is not exactly my idea of the fun part of the job, it is definitely something I do for a change and I learn a lot from it.
I have spent the last three or four days proofreading, first some 22000 words for a Danish colleague, and that WAS a pleasure.
Then two or three thousand words for someone who obviously uses Google Translate, probably an English native speaker. Honestly, I have spent about the same amount of time on both!!
This last job was for a new client who has a long and glorious record on the Blue Board, but I will be very cautious about proofing for them again!
I have tried everything in between over the years too.
One piece of advice: If clients don't pay you by the hour, then make sure they pay you a reasonable rate per word, which should be a quarter to a third of your rate for translation.
If you have to check against the source text, make more than minor revisions, and check terminology as well, you will soon find it difficult to get through a thousand words an hour.
Best of luck!
[Edited at 2012-03-28 08:38 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 11:43
Spanish to English
+ ...
| The good, the bad, and the ugly | Mar 28, 2012 |
The good:
Proofreading is an opportunity to essentially convey the following message to agencies: "Look how many mistakes I've pointed out and corrected! If you had given the job to me in the first place, then you wouldn't have had these problems!
The bad:
Proofreading jobs are often disguised rewriting jobs that are poorly paid, given the amount of work involved.
The ugly:
In a worst-case scenario, the translation is so horrible that you are saddled ... See more The good:
Proofreading is an opportunity to essentially convey the following message to agencies: "Look how many mistakes I've pointed out and corrected! If you had given the job to me in the first place, then you wouldn't have had these problems!
The bad:
Proofreading jobs are often disguised rewriting jobs that are poorly paid, given the amount of work involved.
The ugly:
In a worst-case scenario, the translation is so horrible that you are saddled with a very tedious disaster-relief job for which you end up earning the equivalent of something like US$8/hour, or worse.
So be mindful of both the opportunity and the dangers involved in such a task! ▲ Collapse
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 08:43
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Be picky, and proofreading / editing can be a highly rewarding task | Mar 28, 2012 |
I offer proofreading to only one client of mine - an agency that pairs up matching translators as permanent teams in each different field of expertise. We will check each other's work and translator and proofreader will communicate directly at all times. Checking a top-notch translator's work can be a delight. We learn from each other, and we pick up especially clever wording for future use. Since professional translators take ample pride in their work they will never deliver any translation bef... See more I offer proofreading to only one client of mine - an agency that pairs up matching translators as permanent teams in each different field of expertise. We will check each other's work and translator and proofreader will communicate directly at all times. Checking a top-notch translator's work can be a delight. We learn from each other, and we pick up especially clever wording for future use. Since professional translators take ample pride in their work they will never deliver any translation before being thoroughly checked for quality, so there is hardly anything left to do. Not to make any mistakes is kind of a sport among these colleagues. By proofreading a large tech manual, written by an experienced translator, you can easily make between US $400.00 - $600.00 / day.
Addendum:
I charge by the word count. Otherwise I would be done too fast.
[Edited at 2012-03-28 05:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 08:43
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Try advertising agencies | Mar 28, 2012 |
They are the pickiest and most quality oriented customers of all.
A daily paper will write a three-liner as an apology the next day. Then it's forgotten. The same goes for magazines.
Ad agencies, however, are liable in full for any edition of printed brochures, ad campaigns and absolutely everything. Not only will they lose their client, they are also liable for all damages in terms of reputation and such. They pay their proofreaders well. There is too much money at stake.
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 16:43
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Robert Forstag wrote:
The good:
Proofreading is an opportunity to essentially convey the following message to agencies: "Look how many mistakes I've pointed out and corrected! If you had given the job to me in the first place, then you wouldn't have had these problems!
The bad:
Proofreading jobs are often disguised rewriting jobs that are poorly paid, given the amount of work involved.
The ugly:
In a worst-case scenario, the translation is so horrible that you are saddled with a very tedious disaster-relief job for which you end up earning the equivalent of something like US$8/hour, or worse.
So be mindful of both the opportunity and the dangers involved in such a task!
It's really sad to hear the plus side of proofreading brought down to that level. If that's the way you see it, I hope you don't do any proofreading, Robert. No disrespect intended, but it's clearly not a job for you. I do a lot of proofreading and I see it in a completely different light. You are providing the client with the assurance that they have a quality text. This can come from a proofread text with not a mark on it - it could have been perfectly OK, and now the client will know it. In my case "the client" can be an agency, an end client, a non-native author or indeed a fellow translator. I'm not trying to score anything over the original author/translator, I'm just adding my expertise to the production chain.
As far as the bad and the ugly are concerned, this is down to poor job quoting. This can only happen if you accept jobs that you haven't taken the trouble to examine closely, and/or you have quoted for on a per-word basis rather than per hour. Frankly, that can happen with translation work, too. How many KudoZ questions refer to a text that's full of typos or which is really badly written? They must be a nightmare to translate into another language.
Sheila
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Robert Forstag wrote:
The good:
Proofreading is an opportunity to essentially convey the following message to agencies: "Look how many mistakes I've pointed out and corrected! If you had given the job to me in the first place, then you wouldn't have had these problems!
I don't think there is particular pleasure in this kind of reports. When I proofread, I really enjoy it when I can say that the translator did a good job and I only made minor adjustments. It is the kind of proofreading I like. If I have to correct very many things and issue such a report, I pray to God I don't have to do it again.
Capturing translation work by reporting the poor quality in others is not quite a sane way of doing business.
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JaneD
Sweden
Local time: 17:43
Member (2009)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
I don't think there is particular pleasure in this kind of reports. When I proofread, I really enjoy it when I can say that the translator did a good job and I only made minor adjustments. It is the kind of proofreading I like. If I have to correct very many things and issue such a report, I pray to God I don't have to do it again.
Quite! I actually do a lot of proofreading and checking, but mainly for clients with whom I am extremely familiar and for the same translators on a regular basis. This means that not only do I know what errors to watch out for when proofreading the work of a particular translator, I also have some backup from the agency if a document falls below an acceptable standard for proofreading.
I am, also finding that I am getting more editing jobs where I am working on English texts written by Swedes, and I find these quite fun to do - although I do charge considerably more for these than simple proofreading, as sometimes it's a bit of a guessing game trying to work out what the meaning was intended to be!
However, to return to the original question - you should be able to get a lot of proofreading work through translation agencies, as other posters have said, because many translators dislike proofreading. If you find that you do get a lot of work in this way you can then start to be a bit more picky in terms of which clients and subjects you accept.
| | | | Jenny Nilsson
Sweden
Local time: 17:43
English to Swedish
TOPIC STARTER
Nicole Schnell wrote:
Ad agencies, however, are liable in full for any edition of printed brochures, ad campaigns and absolutely everything. Not only will they lose their client, they are also liable for all damages in terms of reputation and such. They pay their proofreaders well. There is too much money at stake.
I am happy to hear some advice where to look for work. To be honest, I don't have a very broad network of agencies I translate for, so I am grateful for any advice in who to contact. I have already contacted several agencies but have not heard a peep back yet. Maybe there is something wrong with my applications, or I'm too impatient ;p
This thread has started to discuss whether I should be working with proofreading or not. I am interested in your experiences but I already know that I want to proofread. And as I mentioned, not only translated works.
[Edited at 2012-03-28 09:34 GMT]
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 08:43
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Advertising agencies, not translation agencies | Mar 28, 2012 |
sunanoo wrote: Nicole Schnell wrote:
Ad agencies, however, are liable in full for any edition of printed brochures, ad campaigns and absolutely everything. Not only will they lose their client, they are also liable for all damages in terms of reputation and such. They pay their proofreaders well. There is too much money at stake. I am happy to hear some advice where to look for work. To be honest, I don't have a very broad network of agencies I translate for, so I am grateful for any advice in who to contact. I have already contacted several agencies but have not heard a peep back yet. Maybe there is something wrong with my applications, or I'm too impatient ;p This thread has started to discuss whether I should be working with proofreading or not. I am interested in your experiences but I already know that I want to proofread. And as I mentioned, not only translated works. [Edited at 2012-03-28 09:34 GMT]
I am talking about high-dime direct clients, not language services provider agencies. I meant brick-and-mortar advertising agencies for food, fashion, furniture, insurance, cars and sneakers. Has nothing to do with translation. Only quality control.
Here is an anecdote, to give you an idea:
As a Creative Director at a German advertising agency, I designed and developed a brochure for a particular car manufacturer (they have a star-shaped logo...). My gorgeous and pompous and outrageously expensive brochure consisted of 3 different kinds of paper. Of course. I insisted. An interactive brochure, with die-cut thingies to fold out and flip open and to see through and then go "Whoohoo!! Cool!!". One of the most insane brochures ever, and my boss and the car manufacturer with the star-logo loved me. I personally stood next to the huge offset printing press at 7am and I proudly signed off the first printed sheets. "Excuse me while I kiss the sky!" Then a phone call came. "There's a typo on page 3". We stopped the machines, the Production Department had to order more paper from England over night, the printing company lost an entire day of income for their most valuable machine, as a manager everything was my fault, my employer had to cover all the insane costs. They made me lay off and fire one of my team members to make up for the expenses that no insurance company would cover.
This is what a typo can do.
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