Building a Code of Professional Conduct for Buyers
Thread poster: William Dan
William Dan
William Dan
Taiwan
Local time: 16:54
Chinese to English
+ ...
May 5, 2021

Hey all,
I'm currently a freelance translator and a translation student in the States. I have some ideas to share.

Recently I was exposed to several Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Localization Management, and I noticed most codes (like ATA's code of ethics) are oriented towards vendors instead. I had the idea that there too needs to be something similar for buyers or clients, so I am interested in any ideas or stories you have that may help build a code of good pr
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Hey all,
I'm currently a freelance translator and a translation student in the States. I have some ideas to share.

Recently I was exposed to several Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Localization Management, and I noticed most codes (like ATA's code of ethics) are oriented towards vendors instead. I had the idea that there too needs to be something similar for buyers or clients, so I am interested in any ideas or stories you have that may help build a code of good practice for buyers.

I am trying to compile a list of things that buyers should (or should not) do improve translator's workflow. For now the question is: As translators, what are somethings you wish your clients or PMs would have done or not done to make your job easier or less difficult?

Let me throw an example: I've had many cases which were paid by words filled with terminology translation or term base building. At MIIS we're taught that TB work is better paid by the hour, since terminology research can take a disproportionate amount of time compared to just translating common phrases. For terms that do not have widely-recognized translations in my target language, it can sometimes take me more than twenty minutes just to look up the "correct" translation for what would count as two words in my invoice. Now if in my language the average speed is 5 words per minute, I would be suffering from a loss even when I just take a few more minutes looking up one single word.

In this case I don't think it's fair to accuse the translator to be unethical when the onus falls on the buyer who expects terminology work by paying a rate by words. To avoid incentivizing translators from rushing over terminology and the possible issues that would follow, buyers should pay terminology work separately and by hour.

I'd love to hear your thoughts or stories.
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Kaspars Melkis
 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 18:54
German to English
+ ...
thoughts May 7, 2021

By "buyer" you must mean middlemen, agencies, translation companies and the like. You then seem to have the idea that these customers are the ones who stipulate how much a professional will charge them for their services, and thus there should be some kind of code to guide this. But they are your customers, why wouldn't you be the one to state your fee and conditions? This is where and why I can't go further with your ideas.

Buyers of translation services can be anyone else: a co
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By "buyer" you must mean middlemen, agencies, translation companies and the like. You then seem to have the idea that these customers are the ones who stipulate how much a professional will charge them for their services, and thus there should be some kind of code to guide this. But they are your customers, why wouldn't you be the one to state your fee and conditions? This is where and why I can't go further with your ideas.

Buyers of translation services can be anyone else: a company making or selling a given line of products, law firms, engineering companies, individuals in need of a translation due to something happening in their lives. The only code of professional conduct I'd expect an engineer to have, is that he doesn't design something that will explode by accident - and that is outside of my area of work. As a translator, you are the professional in your field, and your customers cannot be expected to be professional in your field. But then, the final say also belongs to you in regard to the kinds of things you have mentioned. Unless I misunderstood something.
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Philippe Etienne
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 23:54
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
My thoughts May 7, 2021

Terminological research is intrinsic to the translation process, so I don’t see how we can detach one from the other. In my experience, unless you’re asked to build a glossary, a job hardly ever consists only of terminological research. Some jobs need no terminological research at all and move more quickly, while others are more complex and require a lot of terminological research and move more slowly: that’s the name of the game!

I should add that obviously the rate charged w
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Terminological research is intrinsic to the translation process, so I don’t see how we can detach one from the other. In my experience, unless you’re asked to build a glossary, a job hardly ever consists only of terminological research. Some jobs need no terminological research at all and move more quickly, while others are more complex and require a lot of terminological research and move more slowly: that’s the name of the game!

I should add that obviously the rate charged will vary, that’s one of the reasons I prefer quoting on a case-by-case basis.

[Edited at 2021-05-07 14:54 GMT]
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Anton Konashenok
Laurent Di Raimondo
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
MollyRose
 
Anton Konashenok
Anton Konashenok  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 00:54
French to English
+ ...
Research and other tasks May 7, 2021

Terminological research is intrinsic to the translation process, so I don’t see how we can detach one from the other. In my experience, unless you’re asked to build a glossary, a job hardly ever consists only of terminological research. Some jobs need no terminological research at all and move more quickly, while others are more complex and require a lot of terminological research and move more slowly: that’s the name of the game!


Definitely so, and this is exactly what distinguishes a seasoned specialist from a novice: the former may know by heart what the latter will spend hours researching. At the bottom line, it makes little difference which way one is billing, by word, by hour or otherwise - everyone may have a preference. Personally, I have a per-word rate for translation, and anything other is negotiated on a case-by-case basis, often as a flat fee. If I am taking a translation job in a relatively unfamiliar subject field, I won't increase my rate per word - the extra time I spend researching the terminology is my personal investment into my future competitiveness in that field, otherwise my clients would be fully justified in taking their business to someone else who knows that field by heart.

Going back to the code of conduct for buyers, assuming the buyers to be translation agency project managers or agencies as corporate entities, the vast majority of ethical issues can be reduced to just one principle: don't sacrifice quality for profit margin.


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Laurent Di Raimondo
Peter Shortall
 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
Pointless idealism (imho) May 7, 2021

Codes of conduct are more likely to be used as guidelines on new and improved ways to screw people over by doing the opposite

Ethics? In this industry? Or in any industry that "employs" faceless freelancers remotely? Nah... everyone wants to hire freelancers/contractors/gig workers etc. today precisely because the Uberification of jobs allows companies to ignore the sh!t out of ethics.

NO ETHICS WHATSOEVER IS THE BIGGEST APPEAL OF OUTSOURCING

The old regula
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Codes of conduct are more likely to be used as guidelines on new and improved ways to screw people over by doing the opposite

Ethics? In this industry? Or in any industry that "employs" faceless freelancers remotely? Nah... everyone wants to hire freelancers/contractors/gig workers etc. today precisely because the Uberification of jobs allows companies to ignore the sh!t out of ethics.

NO ETHICS WHATSOEVER IS THE BIGGEST APPEAL OF OUTSOURCING

The old regulating mechanism (somewhat broken by globalization, the internet, and the mass pandemic scramble for any kind of remote work) was that normal people just wouldn't take crap jobs like your glossary at general translation per-word rates example. Clients would be forced to pay more or enjoy abysmal quality and presumably eventual retribution from market forces.

[Edited at 2021-05-07 19:10 GMT]

[Edited at 2021-05-07 19:11 GMT]
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Laurent Di Raimondo
 
Laurent Di Raimondo
Laurent Di Raimondo  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 00:54
English to French
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Quite idealistic... May 8, 2021

I concur with all previous opinions shared on this topic.

Terminological research is part to the translation process, as Teresa wisely said. In any way, you cannot charge your client additional or time-consuming researches you may need to deliver your final translation. Whatever the assignment you are entrusted with, it's your business as a professional translator to evaluate the subject and the specific context in question. In other words, it's incumbent on you to take the responsa
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I concur with all previous opinions shared on this topic.

Terminological research is part to the translation process, as Teresa wisely said. In any way, you cannot charge your client additional or time-consuming researches you may need to deliver your final translation. Whatever the assignment you are entrusted with, it's your business as a professional translator to evaluate the subject and the specific context in question. In other words, it's incumbent on you to take the responsability to accept or dismiss the task you are offered, depending on your own field of proficiency.

As Anton said, "this is exactly what distinguishes a seasoned specialist from a novice: the former may know by heart what the latter will spend hours researching". To put it in a nutshell, take it or leave it.

For example, if you bring your Chevrolet American car to get repaired by a Nissan agreed mecanic, I assume that you wouldn't appreciate that the garage will charge you all the additional time spent to read the Chevrolet User Manual provided by the American Constructor... I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate that from a so-called professional who is supposed to know his stuff.

I believe it's exactly the same for an outsourcer specialized for example in Finance or Medical fields (just to name fields which require a very high level of proficiency and knowledge), which would be well-founded to expect you to perfectly master those fields like the back of your hand.

As for pushing for an Ethic Code - or a Code of good conduct or call it what you will - it's a back-and-forth subject, not to say an old passed-away subject in the translation world.

One thing's for certain: this profession deserved to be regulated for the sake of the most freelance translators worldwide. But since it's not the own financial interest of the most biggest translation agencies that dictate their terms & conditions in this sector, it's just barking in the desert...

As Adieu said: It's quite idealistic...

[Modifié le 2021-05-08 20:17 GMT]
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Maxi Schwarz
 
jyuan_us
jyuan_us  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:54
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
Code of conduct, or term or condition? May 8, 2021

William Dan wrote:

In this case I don't think it's fair to accuse the translator to be unethical when the onus falls on the buyer who expects terminology work by paying a rate by words. To avoid incentivizing translators from rushing over terminology and the possible issues that would follow, buyers should pay terminology work separately and by hour.

I'd love to hear your thoughts or stories.


But does that fit into the concept of code of conduct? I thought it is just a term or condition for which you negotiate with your client.


 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:54
French to English
Quoting for a job May 9, 2021

Laurent DI RAIMONDO wrote:

Terminological research is part to the translation process, as Teresa wisely said. In any way, you cannot charge your client additional or time-consuming researches you may need to deliver your final translation. Whatever the assignment you are entrusted with, it's your business as a professional translator to evaluate the subject and the specific context in question. In other words, it's incumbent on you to take the responsability to accept or dismiss the task you are offered, depending on your own field of proficiency."


This highlights the importance of evaluating the quality and complexity of the source text when providing a quote for a potential job. It is just as important in terms of cost as it is in being able to provide a delivery date.


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Laurent Di Raimondo
 
MollyRose
MollyRose  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:54
English to Spanish
+ ...
ethics and conduct May 10, 2021

Do not lie, deceive or cheat. Be honest. Keep your word. This works on all sides.

 
Paweł Hamerski
Paweł Hamerski
Poland
Local time: 00:54
English to Polish
+ ...
but where is the guy who started this topic? May 21, 2021

silence?

 


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