Forum: CAT Tools Technical Help
Topic: Simplest way to get freelancers up and running with a CAT tool?
Poster: Michael Wetzel
Post title: more pessimism than optimism
Edit: Just saw your answer to Woodstock, which aleady answers my question below.
My response was based on pessimism about non-translators and not optimism about non-natives.
I don't know what kinds of texts you normally deal with, I suppose that makes a big difference.
I would (largely) agree that non-natives (almost always) produce inadequate results and I actively avoid non-natives when outsourcing, but ...
... have you had better luck with non-translators?
Even if a translator isn't specialized in any field, several hundred thousand words of general experience in a language pair already makes a big difference. Even without studying translation, there is the unavoidable development of routines and practical strategies, the collection of reference material, developing a sound grasp of what we are doing as professional translators.
I started out working on very small projects in a situation very similar to the subcontractors you are talking about. Things worked out alright, but: (1) I was also only working within my field of expertise, which provided me with a major advantage compared to your average professional translator, (2) I had been living, working and studying in my source-language country for seven years, so I probably also had a better grasp of my source language than the average amateur translator, and (3) I was earning a pretty good rate, so I had no need to rush. Even so, I would guess that the results were acceptable at best (I'm afraid to go back and look, to be honest).
What I really meant to say was I would accept that a non-native translator has a fighting chance but I don't even know if I would grant that to a native non-translator.
[Edited at 2016-02-09 13:48 GMT]
Topic: Simplest way to get freelancers up and running with a CAT tool?
Poster: Michael Wetzel
Post title: more pessimism than optimism
Edit: Just saw your answer to Woodstock, which aleady answers my question below.
My response was based on pessimism about non-translators and not optimism about non-natives.
I don't know what kinds of texts you normally deal with, I suppose that makes a big difference.
I would (largely) agree that non-natives (almost always) produce inadequate results and I actively avoid non-natives when outsourcing, but ...
... have you had better luck with non-translators?
Even if a translator isn't specialized in any field, several hundred thousand words of general experience in a language pair already makes a big difference. Even without studying translation, there is the unavoidable development of routines and practical strategies, the collection of reference material, developing a sound grasp of what we are doing as professional translators.
I started out working on very small projects in a situation very similar to the subcontractors you are talking about. Things worked out alright, but: (1) I was also only working within my field of expertise, which provided me with a major advantage compared to your average professional translator, (2) I had been living, working and studying in my source-language country for seven years, so I probably also had a better grasp of my source language than the average amateur translator, and (3) I was earning a pretty good rate, so I had no need to rush. Even so, I would guess that the results were acceptable at best (I'm afraid to go back and look, to be honest).
What I really meant to say was I would accept that a non-native translator has a fighting chance but I don't even know if I would grant that to a native non-translator.
[Edited at 2016-02-09 13:48 GMT]