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Where to find a translator.
Spectral Swallow
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I have an educational website that I'm trying to get the content translated to other languages.
Well actually not so much translated, as proof read.
I had a Spanish friend helping for a while and the way we had it set up is I would run the material through google translate then she'd make sure it was accurate.
The problem I'm having is finding folks to translate other languages.
I've posted several ads on Craigslist, but every single one has flaked on me. I also went up to the local colleges and talked to a couple foreign language teachers, but that was pretty much a waste of my time.
Is there some super obvious venue I'm missing? Or is it just one of those things that is a pain to find?
Well actually not so much translated, as proof read.
I had a Spanish friend helping for a while and the way we had it set up is I would run the material through google translate then she'd make sure it was accurate.
The problem I'm having is finding folks to translate other languages.
I've posted several ads on Craigslist, but every single one has flaked on me. I also went up to the local colleges and talked to a couple foreign language teachers, but that was pretty much a waste of my time.
Is there some super obvious venue I'm missing? Or is it just one of those things that is a pain to find?
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I guess you could try putting up ads on a college campus if you would like to go that way. There's bound to be people who are either exchange students or study the language.
With google though most of the stuff is going to be SUPER basic.
For example the google translation of a basic french sentence was:
Tommy a 3 chemises. Plus tard, il a acheté deux plus de chemises. Combien de chemises Tommy ne possède totale?
While according to one of the translators who emailed me it should have been:
Tommy a 3 chemises. Plus tard, il en a acheté deux de plus. Combien de chemises Tommy possède .
Which to me looks pretty close, but then again I don't know the first thing about any other language.
That said, if the system has worked for you, and you're looking to have it done on the cheap, you could try this.
Oh I'm not just using google (that would be insane). It's just more to get the basic gist down. I'll check out the site though.
You mean on the Google one? Yeah I figured it wasn't totally accurate. I imagine it's sorta like how when my relatives try to speak english to me, and they say things like, "Are you and me going to be at the Wal-Mart after lunch?"
So it's kinda there, but just sounds not natural.
But thanks for the offer, but there are TONS of things to translate. As well as a need for an ongoing translator to answer e-mails, comments, etc. So it's not just a 'one-off' it'll end up being more like a part time job.
Oh no, I'm totally paying. But just finding someone to pay is the hard part.
=D
Yes, google translate is a lot better now compared to a couple of years ago, I have been using it for years if I need help with an odd word or phrase to get an idea or a synonym; but still I wouldn't trust it for something you are showing it to the public. Specially if it is an educational website. If you wish to discuss spanish/english translations, feel free to send me a message.
I have to assume they're inexpensive if we use them, and I've never heard a complaint.
I trust that she has at least a decent idea of what she's doing. She was a mexico native up until the last 5 or so years. But she said a lot of the Google translated material is surprisingly close (if not a bit too formal).
I just gave them a shot and they charge $0.19 per word. Which would be WAAAY over my budget (I have about 100,000 words to translate).
Really so far the fiverr website seems like my best shot. I've contacted a few folks from there with mixed results so far.
If you want it done right then you'll probably have to up your budget significantly. Something like doc translation you can find a way to cap the price on, if you need some kind of ongoing dribble of translations (responding to emails and forum posts) that's going to be difficult unless you have an existing relationship with the translators.
To prove a point, I'll use Google Translate to demonstrate the poor quality of this service.
You're offering academic services, you can not afford to grammatical errors or run the risk of losing credibility. Have a friend who can keep an eye on is terrible, but there's nothing like a professional.
Original Text
Estas ofreciendo servicios académicos, no te puedes dar el lujo de errores gramaticales o corres el riesgo de perder credibilidad. Tener una amiga que le pueda echar un ojo es tremendo, pero no hay nada como un profesional.
That was "surprisingly close". I encourage everyone to reply using Google Translate.
That's a basic language (like Spanish).
Right now, I've set aside about 50 grand for translations. But I was expecting that to get me about 5 translations. Not 2.
We're talking k - 5 level word problems.
Tommy has 3 shirts. Later he bought 2 more shirts. How many shirts does Tommy have total?
So it's not exactly high level stuff... yet.
I'm not sure what you mean by though.
That's a google-translation from the original spanish he wrote in the spoiler. It makes sense as originally written. Not so in google-english.