Poll: Have you ever felt you don't get the professional recognition from your colleagues that you deserve?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Sep 15, 2019

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever felt you don't get the professional recognition from your colleagues that you deserve?".

This poll was originally submitted by Mina F.. View the poll results »



 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:59
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Never Sep 15, 2019

I have always worked in an environment in which colleagues were mutually respectful. This may be because my translation career started in an international organization with a large staff of translators and a wonderful boss who reinforced this attitude. When I started freelancing, I already had ties with colleagues in several organizations and the tone had already been set.

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Priscila Wilke
 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 12:59
Spanish to English
+ ...
No Sep 15, 2019

Except when more "enlightened" colleagues decide to classify my kudoz queries as non-pro. I've been translating for almost 3 decades and if I post something, I'm posting it for a reason, however banal and basic it may seem. And it would be nice if our colleagues would respect that, especially when they know how long I've been active on the site.

PS: Now it turns out that the original query was about acknowledgement from clients rather than colleagues, I'd have to say that nowadays I
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Except when more "enlightened" colleagues decide to classify my kudoz queries as non-pro. I've been translating for almost 3 decades and if I post something, I'm posting it for a reason, however banal and basic it may seem. And it would be nice if our colleagues would respect that, especially when they know how long I've been active on the site.

PS: Now it turns out that the original query was about acknowledgement from clients rather than colleagues, I'd have to say that nowadays I think I get plenty of recognition from most of them, and tacit approval from the rest. But it's never been something that bothered me unduly.

[Edited at 2019-09-16 07:57 GMT]
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Laura Nagle (X)
Christine Andersen
Barbara Cochran, MFA
 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 12:59
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
No Sep 15, 2019

and it's not on my list of objectives.

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Priscila Wilke
Kay Denney
Laura Nagle (X)
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 11:59
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
No Sep 15, 2019

I worked for 20 years (1986-2006) as in-house translator and we had not only an excellent working environment but we just made up a fun, friendly and enjoyable team (boss included). It was a pleasure working with them.

Since I’m a freelancer I’m much more concerned with professional recognition by my customers through positive feedback and repeat work than by my peers, though when I receive it occasionally it warms my heart and I feel motivated and pumped.


Muriel Vasconcellos
neilmac
 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:59
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Yes ... Sep 15, 2019

... and it´s an usual attitude among Germans in certain KudoZ areas here at proz.com.

 
Mina Fayek
Mina Fayek  Identity Verified
Local time: 13:59
Member (2019)
English to Arabic
+ ...
This isn't my poll Sep 15, 2019

This is not what I asked, what the!

 
Mina Fayek
Mina Fayek  Identity Verified
Local time: 13:59
Member (2019)
English to Arabic
+ ...
Exactly Sep 15, 2019

Teresa Borges wrote:

Since I’m a freelancer I’m much more concerned with professional recognition by my customers



Yes, this is what I meant.


Laura Nagle (X)
Muriel Vasconcellos
Mario Freitas
 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:59
French to English
. Sep 15, 2019

Mina F. wrote:

This is not what I asked, what the!


Thank you for clearing this up, I was going to ask why on earth anyone would be hankering after recognition from colleagues who, like themselves, were working all by themselves with no idea what anyone else is working on?

I had a respectful and mostly fruitful relationship with fellow translators when I worked in-house. I no longer have all that much interaction with other translators and that is very much what I miss as a freelancer.
I suppose getting several likes on a post here might be considered "professional recognition" from colleagues? It might be rather thin on the ground for someone who craves recognition.

Anyway, the most important thing is that my clients recognise my talent, certainly that's what I strive towards. Do I get professional recognition from them? to a certain extent yes, in that they all pay promptly and keep coming back. Although it always annoys me beyond reason when they decide to change my idiomatic, authentic prose into something that more easily understood by themselves.


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Adam Warren
 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:59
French to English
No Sep 15, 2019

I don't have any colleagues. The people I work for have always been respectful, though.

 
Barbara Cochran, MFA
Barbara Cochran, MFA  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:59
Spanish to English
+ ...
I Get Recognition From People Who Really Count Sep 15, 2019

The colleagues who have gone out of their way to recognize me publicly and personally are either of the literary, creative divergent thinker type like me, or are here in the United States and tend to look at things in the same or similar way that I do.

Divergent thinking isn't really tolerated by several participants on the kudoz pages, esp. on the FR>EN pages. This has been pointed out to the proz administration, several times, by me (and by many others, I'm sure).

Tra
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The colleagues who have gone out of their way to recognize me publicly and personally are either of the literary, creative divergent thinker type like me, or are here in the United States and tend to look at things in the same or similar way that I do.

Divergent thinking isn't really tolerated by several participants on the kudoz pages, esp. on the FR>EN pages. This has been pointed out to the proz administration, several times, by me (and by many others, I'm sure).

Translation theory states that for every translator, there is a different translation.


[Edited at 2019-09-15 21:16 GMT]

[Edited at 2019-09-15 21:17 GMT]
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Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 08:59
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
From colleagues? Sep 16, 2019

For a while, I did, but I realized very soon that most criticism from colleagues come from people who are not able to reach the level you're at, and try to pull you down (a very sad and common human trait).
Competent colleagues in the same level as you will always recognize your competence and sometimes indicate you to clients and/or share jobs with you. These are the ones that matter. The other ones shall be completely ignored.
Now, being recognized by your clients is something very
... See more
For a while, I did, but I realized very soon that most criticism from colleagues come from people who are not able to reach the level you're at, and try to pull you down (a very sad and common human trait).
Competent colleagues in the same level as you will always recognize your competence and sometimes indicate you to clients and/or share jobs with you. These are the ones that matter. The other ones shall be completely ignored.
Now, being recognized by your clients is something very important. That's what you should always struggle for.
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neilmac
Barbara Cochran, MFA
 
Beatrice Chung
Beatrice Chung
Hong Kong
Local time: 19:59
English to French
+ ...
For a brief time only Oct 2, 2019

in an environment that wasn't fit for me, until I decided to switch careers and set up my own business

 


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Poll: Have you ever felt you don't get the professional recognition from your colleagues that you deserve?






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