Poll: Do you find that 'fuzzies' take as much time as 'no match' segments to translate? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you find that 'fuzzies' take as much time as 'no match' segments to translate?".
This poll was originally submitted by Mikolaj Korzistka. View the poll results »
| | | | Thomas Pfann 
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:29
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
| Objection: leading question | Apr 11, 2016 |
Why are there two Yes answers and only one No answer? Or in other words: Why is the Maybe answer phrased as a Yes answer ("Yes, sometimes")?
This way of questioning forces me to answer "Yes, sometimes fuzzies take as much time as no match segments" even if I think that 'fuzzy matches' usually take less time than 'no match' segments.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 04:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
They probably do, but the thing is, I don't offer discounts for matches, "fuzzy" or otherwise, unless I decide to allow them myself. So, I tend not to waste my time with calculations like these, which from my point of view only seem to benefit the agencies or clients who foist them upon us.
My conditions are simple: my preferred basic format is Word, and if its word counter says it contains 1000 words, then that is the basis for my rate. No fuzzies, no partial matches, repetitions, ... See more They probably do, but the thing is, I don't offer discounts for matches, "fuzzy" or otherwise, unless I decide to allow them myself. So, I tend not to waste my time with calculations like these, which from my point of view only seem to benefit the agencies or clients who foist them upon us.
My conditions are simple: my preferred basic format is Word, and if its word counter says it contains 1000 words, then that is the basis for my rate. No fuzzies, no partial matches, repetitions, etc etc. If, at the end of the day, it turns out that there is a lot of repetition - and I see fit - I might grant the clients a discount. But only if I think they deserve it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos (X)
United States
Local time: 19:29
Spanish to English
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This is why I don't like to use Trados. Much of the work I do is policy documents that contain a lot of subtleties. Also, the same phrase in a different part of the sentence should often be translated differently (the subject of a book I'm writing based on my graduate research).
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Until recently, I did not worry too much about it and most of my clients do not apply match discounts, anyway.
Then about a month ago I got burned in a BIG WAY, losing hundreds of dollars on the account of 'fuzzies' in a large job with 56,000+ words.
I was quite busy when I accepted the job and did not take the time to analyze the offer thoroughly enough.
The agency asked me to go through this website of about 56,400 words that was already translated (by ... See more Until recently, I did not worry too much about it and most of my clients do not apply match discounts, anyway.
Then about a month ago I got burned in a BIG WAY, losing hundreds of dollars on the account of 'fuzzies' in a large job with 56,000+ words.
I was quite busy when I accepted the job and did not take the time to analyze the offer thoroughly enough.
The agency asked me to go through this website of about 56,400 words that was already translated (by the end client themselves), but should be 'proofread' + 10,200 new words translated.
So they would pay me full price for the 10,200 new words and a 'fuzzy-price' for the rest.
I agreed, but it turned out that there was no way to know which words were 'new' and the translation was quite poor and inconsistent in terms; also, lots of words were left in English (the end client probably did not know the Danish terms, but were familiar with the English) However, I felt obliged to translate all the words into Danish and harmonize the files with consistent terms.
The job was not disagreeable in itself, but it was a BIG JOB and I am sorry to admit that I had been a BIG IDIOT. So, I learned the hard way to be much more alert and careful in the future, even if I should lose the job....
On top of it, the deadline was very tight, as the agency thought it could be done in 10 days, and was not very understanding, when it actually took me 3 weeks.
PS: I know they also got it translated into other languages, at least into German, so I wonder what those translators charged...
PPS: And maybe I should mention it was a website from a well-known software provider.
[Edited at 2016-04-
11 10:07 GMT]
[Edited at 2016-04-11 10:19 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thomas Pfann
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:29
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
| No fuzzies when proofreading | Apr 11, 2016 |
Sounds like a job from hell, Yetta, but what does it have to do with fuzzy matches? You were reviewing an existing translation. That's a different matter altogether.
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 04:29
Member (2006)
German to English
| No, not really | Apr 11, 2016 |
But it is one of those questions - How well was the translation in the first place?
I am doing a large manual at the moment and the fuzzies are no issue at all.
And in such cases as Yetta, sorry, but I would contact the customer about that and get it sorted before I get started. They should have noticed that in the firt place anyway.
| | | | Luiz Barucke
Brazil
Local time: 00:29
Member (2013)
Spanish to Portuguese
+ ...
| When proofreading, fuzzy and new words are the same | Apr 11, 2016 |
Thomas Pfann wrote:
Sounds like a job from hell, Yetta, but what does it have to do with fuzzy matches? You were reviewing an existing translation. That's a different matter altogether.
Exactly. There's no difference between fuzzy and new words when you are proofreading or editing, and I rate them all same way.
During translations I can accept discounts, specially to fuzzy repetitions (they are fuzzy comparing to new words I add in the same job).
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| Good questions, complicated issue | Apr 11, 2016 |
It really depends on the content of the fuzzy match.
I translate a lot of finance material and annual reports from year to year. I allow for the fuzzy match discount above 80% without any reservations. I know the terminology in and out, I can quickly interpret the "TM edits" and produce the translation more quickly.
A big problem is with long, complicated sentences where minor changes have been made in various parts. A fuzzy match in this case almost certainly takes as ... See more It really depends on the content of the fuzzy match.
I translate a lot of finance material and annual reports from year to year. I allow for the fuzzy match discount above 80% without any reservations. I know the terminology in and out, I can quickly interpret the "TM edits" and produce the translation more quickly.
A big problem is with long, complicated sentences where minor changes have been made in various parts. A fuzzy match in this case almost certainly takes as long to translate as a "no-match" segment.
Henry ▲ Collapse
| | | | | The "fuzzy" matches take MORE time | Apr 11, 2016 |
The "fuzzy" matches take MORE time than the new words, because it's hard not to look at them at all, and in many cases trying to figure out subtle differences is more time consuming than translating new words.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 22:29
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Noticing to be done by the client first | Apr 11, 2016 |
Michael Harris wrote:
But it is one of those questions - How well was the translation in the first place?
I am doing a large manual at the moment and the fuzzies are no issue at all.
And in such cases as Yetta, sorry, but I would contact the customer about that and get it sorted before I get started. They should have noticed that in the firt place anyway.
This reminds me of one cardinal rule that most translators, including myself, need a great deal of time to learn and apply: make sure that the project manager (or client) knows the details before you accept the job.
Yes, the devil (and the extra expense and time) is in the details.
How many times have we had to do the client's job to determine the full details of a project?
| | | | | I think you nailed there, Mario | Apr 11, 2016 |
"This reminds me of one cardinal rule that most translators, including myself, need a great deal of time to learn and apply: make sure that the project manager (or client) knows the details before you accept the job."
Even when the PM seems very professional, we should not take for granted that they fully understand the scope of a job.
[Edited at 2016-04-11 14:24 GMT]
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Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 00:29
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Considering we do have to go through the entire segment word by word, although we also have to type less, depending on the CAT functions you use.
| | | | Edward Potter
Spain
Local time: 04:29
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Fuzzies usually take up at least the same amount of time | Apr 11, 2016 |
You still have to read through the source and the target. Scanning back and forth from source to target, clicking on the right spot, moving your fingers back to the keyboard, then typing - TAKES LONGER than just typing what you see into your target language.
Therefore, I give the right discount for fuzzies, which is nilch.
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