News item: ProZ.com Profiled in Inc. Magazine Thread poster: Russell Jones
|
|---|
Russell Jones 
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:14
Italian to English
Surely this news item warrants some explanation!
If I have understood it correctly, it is about machine translation for various purposes.
It compares a "human translation" of a Russian sentence with the results obtained using various "translation tools", one of which is Proz.com!
While I have no knowledge of Russian, the ProZ.com version appears to me to be in better English even than the "human version".
But how was it obtained? The sentence is far too long to have be... See more Surely this news item warrants some explanation!
If I have understood it correctly, it is about machine translation for various purposes.
It compares a "human translation" of a Russian sentence with the results obtained using various "translation tools", one of which is Proz.com!
While I have no knowledge of Russian, the ProZ.com version appears to me to be in better English even than the "human version".
But how was it obtained? The sentence is far too long to have been obtained via a KudoZ request.
Some explanation is badly needed.
[Edited at 2008-04-20 17:14] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
I don`t know what you are talking about.
Are you refering to any news article? Which one? Can you provide a link to it?
| | | | Russell Jones
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:14
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER | Link on Home Page | Apr 20, 2008 |
Hi Walter
This is top right on the Home Page: "New at ProZ.com".
Happy reading.
| | | | |
|
|
|
Giles Watson
Italy
Local time: 07:14
Italian to English
In memoriam | If I understand correctly... | Apr 20, 2008 |
Russell Jones wrote:
Surely this news item warrants some explanation!
If I have understood it correctly, it is about machine translation for various purposes.
The article is about various ways in which you can get texts translated.
The Proz translation was apparently obtained by posting and paying for a Proz job, although the writer notes that outsourcers need to pay to access the full Proz service.
There honestly doesn't seem to be anything to get worked up about
Giles
| | | | gianfranco
Brazil
Local time: 02:14
Member (2001)
English to Italian
+ ...
| They got most of the details wrong | Apr 20, 2008 |
In detail:
Best For: Finding freelance translators
This is correct.
ProZ
What it is: An online social network of human translators
This is almost correct, but ProZ.com is not only a network.
What's cool: ProZ is a helpful resource for small translation projects.
Incorrect. Not only for small projects, but also for medium to large projects.
Companies post listings on the job board and receive bids from translators.
Not quite correct. ProZ.com is not a bidding site, as there is no direct bidding on price between perspective vendors. We can offer our services, and try to be competitive on both, price and quality, knowing that we are not the only person interested in acquiring that project or client.
You can also search its freelancer directory for, say, a certified Chinese translator with a speciality in human resources.
Correct. Any specialization in any language can be searched in the directory.
Drawback: Only paid members have access to a list of the going rates. Nonmembers may have trouble figuring out how much to offer.
Translators interested in a project will provide their quotations and the person in need of a translation service will have a fairly good idea about the current prices and a possible fair price.
Price: Posting to the job board is free. A corporate membership, which includes telephone support and access to the ProZ translator discussion boards, costs $320 a year.
Support and access to the forum are also both free. Corporate members only have special tools to manage better their projects.
In general, the authors of the article appear to not have really investigated the site features and mechanisms and got many details quite wrong. They also make a distinction between "human translation" and "ProZ.com translation", which is incorrect because ProZ.com is not a MT software but human translation too.
Gianfranco
[Edited at 2008-04-20 21:26]
| | | | Henry Hinds
United States
Local time: 23:14
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
They were a bit off on a number of details. Perhaps Proz.com should explore the idea of contacting different media to get them to do articles on the site, while making sure that all details are accurate and well-presented.
No doubt some good, accurate publicity in the media would be very positive for Proz.com's future.
| | | | Russell Jones
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:14
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER | Just mildly surprised | Apr 20, 2008 |
There is obviously a plethora of articles in the press demonstrating a lack of understanding of the translation process and the translation industry, some highlighted in the forums but many that are best ignored.
What I'm getting worked up about here - actually no, not at all worked up, just mildly surprised - is that staff have drawn it to our attention - rather like a feather in their cap for getting their name in the paper - with no background comment in relation to the obvious question... See more There is obviously a plethora of articles in the press demonstrating a lack of understanding of the translation process and the translation industry, some highlighted in the forums but many that are best ignored.
What I'm getting worked up about here - actually no, not at all worked up, just mildly surprised - is that staff have drawn it to our attention - rather like a feather in their cap for getting their name in the paper - with no background comment in relation to the obvious questions it raises about the use of the site and no indication of any steps taken or planned to correct the misrepresentations that Gianfranco has so comprehensively detailed - especially as the impression the article conveys is so clearly at odds with the image that Henry & Co. seem intent on creating with the Connect programme, WWA etc.
[Edited at 2008-04-20 22:34] ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| You have a point | Apr 20, 2008 |
Yes, Russel, I see your point.
| | | | mediamatrix (X)
Local time: 01:14
Spanish to English
+ ...
Russell Jones wrote:
What I'm getting worked up about here - actually no, not at all worked up, just mildly surprised - is that staff have drawn it to our attention - rather like a feather in their cap for getting their name in the paper.
That was exactly my reaction too. If you're getting stupid press coverage the best thing is to ignore it completely, not draw attention to it.
I was more than somewhat surprised, too, to read:
Inc.com wrote:
Only paid members have access to a list of the going rates.
since, as I understand it there is a site-wide ban on the publication of 'going rates' here, or even proper discussion of this key topic.
MediaMatrix
| | | | Drew MacFadyen
United States
Local time: 01:14
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Thank you for your feedback | Apr 21, 2008 |
The article was written by Inc Magazine without any prior contact or opportunity to provide our standard media information. I did attempt to contact the author and suggest corrections and to provide Inc Magazine with the accurate information - at this time the author has not returned my calls.
I certainly did not wish to "highlight" inaccuracies in the article but rather to show that ProZ.com is gaining wider media and news coverage (especially outside of our industry). I placed t... See more The article was written by Inc Magazine without any prior contact or opportunity to provide our standard media information. I did attempt to contact the author and suggest corrections and to provide Inc Magazine with the accurate information - at this time the author has not returned my calls.
I certainly did not wish to "highlight" inaccuracies in the article but rather to show that ProZ.com is gaining wider media and news coverage (especially outside of our industry). I placed that article on the home page as a "ProZ.com in the news" piece, but seeing that it has been viewed by those on this thread as potentially negative, and the wider benefit of demonstrating our brands recognition has been lost due to the articles innacuracies, I have since hidden the story.
Thank you all for your thoughtfull comments and concerns.
Regards,
Drew ▲ Collapse
| | | | Russell Jones
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:14
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER | Thank you Drew | Apr 21, 2008 |
Thank you Drew for your response. It is good to know that representations were made.
I'm sure it does no harm for ProZ.com members to see what is being said in the media, however distasteful or disappointing.
However, if items signposted in "New at ProZ.com" had the option of an editorial comment and / or a prearranged thread for discussion, rather than just a direct link, there might be some benefits.
When posted without comment, there is a tendency to believe that the op... See more Thank you Drew for your response. It is good to know that representations were made.
I'm sure it does no harm for ProZ.com members to see what is being said in the media, however distasteful or disappointing.
However, if items signposted in "New at ProZ.com" had the option of an editorial comment and / or a prearranged thread for discussion, rather than just a direct link, there might be some benefits.
When posted without comment, there is a tendency to believe that the opinions expressed are shared - or at least accepted - by ProZ.com "management". ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Gina W
United States
Local time: 01:14
Member (2003)
French to English
| Interesting... | Apr 23, 2008 |
Drew MacFadyen wrote:
The article was written by Inc Magazine without any prior contact or opportunity to provide our standard media information. I did attempt to contact the author and suggest corrections and to provide Inc Magazine with the accurate information - at this time the author has not returned my calls.
That is interesting that not only did they not contact ProZ.com, but they have not returned calls either? That seems irresponsible at best.
It would be nice to see a more accurate article, but since this article has already been published, I think that some mention of these corrections is in order, somewhere in a future issue. That may be just my opinion, of course.
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » News item: ProZ.com Profiled in Inc. Magazine | TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
| | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
