| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Editing a book translation - Client correction rounds Thread poster: AngelaBureau (X)
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AngelaBureau (X) 
France
Local time: 19:12
English to Hungarian
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TOPIC STARTER | Proofreader's payment | Feb 22, 2013 |
Miguel Carmona wrote:
Who will pay your proofreader's fee? You or the author?
If you will pay it, it would be terrible if this expense were too big of a chunk out of the fee you will charge the author.
Or, even worse, God forbid, but what if you do not get paid in the end? You would still have to pay your proofreader! (Sorry, I do not want to sound too negative, but still...!)
Paying the proofreader is the author's responsibility. I was only commissioned to edit the book. But I did alert the author to the necessity of having a final proofreader before he submits his manuscript to a potential publisher. He agreed; and I managed to recruit someone from my network of lovely linguist friends.
The two of them will have to agree on the terms of payment without my mediation though.
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 19:12
French to English
| Anna is spot on | Feb 22, 2013 |
Thank you Anna for saying precisely what I was about to say.
My kids are a whole lot older and I can quite honestly say that staying at home with them was the best possible decision I made. I did take on the odd translation here and there including one book with a beautifully long deadline, to keep my brain from shrivelling up totally, but basically I put my kids first and will never regret it.
There was a discussion not long ago about a translator who made an unfortu... See more Thank you Anna for saying precisely what I was about to say.
My kids are a whole lot older and I can quite honestly say that staying at home with them was the best possible decision I made. I did take on the odd translation here and there including one book with a beautifully long deadline, to keep my brain from shrivelling up totally, but basically I put my kids first and will never regret it.
There was a discussion not long ago about a translator who made an unfortunate decision over an important project right when she was having contractions...
With my son I had to put everything on hold for well over six months. He was three years old before I regained anything like my previous energy levels.
My daughter was a picnic in comparison, she slept for longer than 20 minutes at a time and didn't spend every waking moment trying to electrocute herself, so I was able to entertain the idea of taking on translations as from three months.
But the trouble is they don't come with a label specifying the intensity of mothering required. If I were to have another baby, I would definitely not count on having an easy time of it! ▲ Collapse
| | | | AngelaBureau (X)
France
Local time: 19:12
English to Hungarian
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TOPIC STARTER | What was the focus on again...? | Feb 23, 2013 |
Dear Ladies, Texte Style and Anna,
Thank you for your contribution, it is much appreciated.
While I share your opinion that a baby should always come first when work related (and other) decisions are made, I would kindly like to remind you that the original question and the focus point of my initial query was:
"how many client review rounds should be necessary, and at what frequency during/after the completion of the project."
I am beginning to... See more Dear Ladies, Texte Style and Anna,
Thank you for your contribution, it is much appreciated.
While I share your opinion that a baby should always come first when work related (and other) decisions are made, I would kindly like to remind you that the original question and the focus point of my initial query was:
"how many client review rounds should be necessary, and at what frequency during/after the completion of the project."
I am beginning to feel like I am being scrutinised for my approach to my pregnancy. Before the topic gets out of hand, I thought I should bring my colleagues' attention back to the focal point of the discussion.
Thank you again for all your contribution! It represents an invaluable source of knowledge and inspiration. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 20:12
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
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AngelaBureau wrote:
Dear Ladies, Texte Style and Anna,
Thank you for your contribution, it is much appreciated.
While I share your opinion that a baby should always come first when work related (and other) decisions are made, I would kindly like to remind you that the original question and the focus point of my initial query was:
"how many client review rounds should be necessary, and at what frequency during/after the completion of the project."
I am beginning to feel like I am being scrutinised for my approach to my pregnancy. Before the topic gets out of hand, I thought I should bring my colleagues' attention back to the focal point of the discussion.
Thank you again for all your contribution! It represents an invaluable source of knowledge and inspiration.
I would say you get the absolutely final version of the manuscript, translate it and let a native speaker of reputation proofread it. That's it. The author should not bother. If he is not satisfied, let him pay you and go to a second translator.
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Angela,
I hope my comment did not offend or upset you in any way - it certainly was not my intention and I definitely did not mean to criticise your approach to pregnancy - sorry if it came that way.
However, you may recall from my previous post that I had my second child a few months ago. The pregnancy thing is still very fresh in my memory so it is no wonder that I focus on that part of the discussion rather than on the number of rounds. That's all - I only wanted to... See more Angela,
I hope my comment did not offend or upset you in any way - it certainly was not my intention and I definitely did not mean to criticise your approach to pregnancy - sorry if it came that way.
However, you may recall from my previous post that I had my second child a few months ago. The pregnancy thing is still very fresh in my memory so it is no wonder that I focus on that part of the discussion rather than on the number of rounds. That's all - I only wanted to share my concerns with you because I've already been through this.
As regards the project, I agree with the previous posts - try small chunks and see how it works, especially in view of the changes that are taking place and will take place in your life and in your body.
Best regards,
Anna ▲ Collapse
| | | | | On second reading | Feb 25, 2013 |
I re-read my previous post and I think I probably was not clear enough because both you and Texte Style slightly missed the main point of my previous post (which was NOT that the baby should be put first when work-related decisions are made, by the way).
The main point of my post was that you MIGHT not be able to provide quality job that you would have provided were you not pregnant. To me, editing requires attention to detail, concentration and eagle eyesight. As I pointed out, pre... See more I re-read my previous post and I think I probably was not clear enough because both you and Texte Style slightly missed the main point of my previous post (which was NOT that the baby should be put first when work-related decisions are made, by the way).
The main point of my post was that you MIGHT not be able to provide quality job that you would have provided were you not pregnant. To me, editing requires attention to detail, concentration and eagle eyesight. As I pointed out, pregnancy does affect your cognitive skills and your vision (having a newborn/ an infant at home does not improve your ability to concentrate either) - I've seen it in my case and I've seen it in the case of several of my fellow translators.
In fact, I've lost an important client because I overestimated my abilities while I was pregnant (and it was not my first pregnancy!). And that is why I thought you might also want to consider that while deciding whether to accept the job or not and on what conditions.
Best of luck for your project and for your pregnancy:)
Anna ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 19:12
French to English
Anna Ujma wrote:
I re-read my previous post and I think I probably was not clear enough because both you and Texte Style slightly missed the main point of my previous post (which was NOT that the baby should be put first when work-related decisions are made, by the way).
No Anna, I understood exactly what you were saying and was simply adding further fuel and my own specific experience.
Which was of course off-topic, for which AngelaBureau I apologise. However if you read my post again you will see that I was not in any way scrutinising you, nor did I give a single word of advice, except a reminder to myself. I know I got plenty of flak for every single mothering choice I ever made (even from complete strangers! along the lines of "you should go and live in the country so your child doesn't breathe in polluted air") and would never dream of doing the same to another.
The only reason I felt the urge to contribute is that until you're in the throes of early motherhood it is simply impossible to imagine what it's like. Had I been given a long translation when pregnant with my son, I know I would have blithely accepted, and my reputation would have been severely tarnished with a very late delivery and possibly some terrible errors in my translation.
Of course everyone is different and it will not necessarily be the case for you!
best wishes
Texte
| | | | AngelaBureau (X)
France
Local time: 19:12
English to Hungarian
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TOPIC STARTER | The end of the story | Feb 26, 2013 |
Dear Anna,
Your kind words and invaluable advice are much appreciated! It is very important for me to get insight from fellow linguists. When it comes to matters of expecting a baby and taking care of a child, I value my colleague's input more than ever, seeing that I am in the fifth month of my first pregnancy, and only have vague ideas of how it will all roll out for me in my personal and professional life.
When I asked for a shift in focus regarding this forum in my ... See more Dear Anna,
Your kind words and invaluable advice are much appreciated! It is very important for me to get insight from fellow linguists. When it comes to matters of expecting a baby and taking care of a child, I value my colleague's input more than ever, seeing that I am in the fifth month of my first pregnancy, and only have vague ideas of how it will all roll out for me in my personal and professional life.
When I asked for a shift in focus regarding this forum in my previous post, it was simply because I felt the topic of discussion was beginning to revolve around questions about working while pregnant, rather than my original query. But I do understand that everything that has been said has a real relevance to the situation, and describes aspects of or factors that might influence the structuring and eventual outcome of the project at hand.
So please be assured, the seeds of your account and advice fell onto fertile ground! Having read your posts I managed to take a step (even further) back from the project and the client's expectations; and was able to evaluate the potential risks in an even sharper light than before.
The proposal I made to the client reflected these considerations. I suggested that we only sign a contract about the first volume of the novel as a first step, and that we exclude the weekly correction rounds. (Even with a more relaxed daily workload, I would have been able to complete the editing of the first volume by the eighth month of the pregnancy.) Further, I advised that he revise the first volume and has the proofreader review it while I am on maternity leave. On my return, I would make the necessary corrections and finalise the English manuscript (within a two-week window). In this manner, he would have had a complete, polished first volume to present to potential publishers; and would have been in a better position to decide if he saw it fit to continue with the editing of the second volume.
Nevertheless, the author rejected my proposal on the grounds that he would not feel "completely involved" in the editing process if he were to accept my plan. Further, he believes that he should present all three volumes of the novel to publishers at once (426k source words!), despite the fact that the first volume failed to touch any considerable readership when it was published in Hungarian a few years ago. Finally, he "reminded" me that paying the proofreader would be my responsibility... The latter "reminder" came as a real shock. I was not going to go down this road.
The moral of the story?
I invite you all to contemplate it. I am glad I stood my ground...
Thanks again for all your fantastic input, encouragement and all the thoughts, ideas and experience you have shared. ▲ Collapse
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