Freelancers and EN 15038 compliance Thread poster: Thomas Deschington (X)
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Thomas Deschington (X)
Poland
Local time: 12:52
English to Norwegian
+ ...
Dear colleagues,
I've been thinking about standardizing my processes according to EN 15038. However, it seems to me that the full scope of the standard applies more to agencies than to individual translators.
Have any you (freelancers) attempted to / succeeded in achieving full compliance with the standard? I would be happy to hear your thoughts on the subject.
What do you think about declaring partial compliance with the standard, as there are in my opinio... See more Dear colleagues,
I've been thinking about standardizing my processes according to EN 15038. However, it seems to me that the full scope of the standard applies more to agencies than to individual translators.
Have any you (freelancers) attempted to / succeeded in achieving full compliance with the standard? I would be happy to hear your thoughts on the subject.
What do you think about declaring partial compliance with the standard, as there are in my opinion several points which don't touch freelancers?
Maybe we should suggest to the standardization board that they devise a "light" version or a version specifically aimed at freelancers?
Thanks!
Thomas ▲ Collapse
| | | | chord0
United States
English to Spanish
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| not familiar with these rules | Feb 7, 2008 |
hello
I have been translating for magazines and I have never heard of EN 15038, is there someplace in the internet where I can find information on this.
thank you in advance
georgina
| | | | Margreet Logmans (X) 
Netherlands
Local time: 12:52
English to Dutch
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| Interesting, but | Feb 7, 2008 |
I found the document on the Net, but it's 20 pages in my language, so I haven't really got time to study it now. I will, soon!
In the meantime, why do you as a freelancer want to bind yourself to such a standard? Do you hope to gain more clients this way? Or do you generally feel a professional should adhere to a certain standard?
| | | | Thomas Deschington (X)
Poland
Local time: 12:52
English to Norwegian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
chord0 wrote:
hello
I have been translating for magazines and I have never heard of EN 15038, is there someplace in the internet where I can find information on this.
thank you in advance
georgina
Hi
This is a good starting place: http://www.lisa.org/globalizationinsider/2005/04/the_en15038_eur.html . Just surch for en 15038 and translation in Google, and you'll get much information on it. I think there are other forums which mention this, but not exactly regarding my question.
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Thomas Deschington (X)
Poland
Local time: 12:52
English to Norwegian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Professionalism and marketing | Feb 7, 2008 |
Margreet Logmans wrote:
I found the document on the Net, but it's 20 pages in my language, so I haven't really got time to study it now. I will, soon!
In the meantime, why do you as a freelancer want to bind yourself to such a standard? Do you hope to gain more clients this way? Or do you generally feel a professional should adhere to a certain standard?
The reasons I'd like to adopt the standard are: I think it seems to be a good way of achieving quality (you've got something to aim for yourself) because many times things happen a little haphazardly. I mean, I know I can translate, but it's not always easy to develop processes. It also seems to be a good way of objectively proving that quality to clients. If I can demonstrate that I adhere to this standard, then clients know what they'll get.
I also think it could have a good marketing effect. If you're striving for or have achieved compliance with the standard, it says something about your commitment to your profession. One could argue of course that a long list of customers and references would suffice (you wouldn't get that if you sucked), but I just feel that it would be akin to a quality stamp. And it would say much more about you than, say, the SDL Trados certification (which in my opinion is a joke) as it encompasses both your translation skills and experience and business aspects.
But I'd like to hear other people's viewpoints. As I said, the standard seems too broad for individual translators, and to document (and create) procedures for processes which are not relevant (human resources, etc.) is a little far-fetched.
| | | | Margreet Logmans (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 12:52
English to Dutch
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| I'll read the document | Feb 7, 2008 |
I'll read the document this weekend and then reply further.
I think you are right, it could serve as a benchmark for professionalism.
| | | | | What about ISO 2384? | Feb 8, 2008 |
Would ISO 2384 be more suited for freelancers? Do you know about it?
... See more
| | | | Thomas Deschington (X)
Poland
Local time: 12:52
English to Norwegian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Not highly relevant | Feb 8, 2008 |
I didn't know about it, but checking it quickly, it seems to me it could be relevant, for freelancers too, but it deals with something very different than EN 15038.
ISO 2384 deals with the presentation of translations and specifically a) "in what measure can a translation be considered a substitute to the original document" and b) "in what measure must it be possible to identify the original document". It could be useful to adopt it if it is necessary to identify the original document, and then you have to include some standard information about the original. But to me that would just be common sense.
But often a translation is supposed to appear as a work "on its own", i.e. as if it is not a translation. I try to live by a rule one of my professors once mentioned: "as close to the original as possible, as free as necessary".
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| | Thomas Deschington (X)
Poland
Local time: 12:52
English to Norwegian
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TOPIC STARTER | Lots of info but... | Feb 14, 2008 |
Hi James,
I clearly see that you've got a lot info on your pages, but I'm sorry to say the layout and formatting of your pages (fonts, size, colors, structure, etc.) really stop me from digging into the material. A clearer presentation of the material would make a great difference.
Thanks for your input by the way!
| | | | Lia Fail (X)
Spain
Local time: 12:52
Spanish to English
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| yes, know of a few teams | Jul 13, 2008 |
Thomas Deschington wrote:
Have any you (freelancers) attempted to / succeeded in achieving full compliance with the standard? I would be happy to hear your thoughts on the subject.
Thomas
http://www.metmeetings.org/?section=metm08_program
Near the end of the page, see Piloting a Translation Revision Protocol in a Freelance Setting
I have been involved in this reserach, but I know of a couple of other teams that log the process as per the TS.
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