VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

dshetterly · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:20 pm Post subject: Poorly translated copy

I've just started doing some narrative for clients in South America who take a script written in Spanish and have it translated to English for me to read.

Well...the English version is pretty poorly done, at times the sentences don't even make any sense. I've communicated with them about it but 1) their response time is really slow (and they usually want the v/o asap) and 2) because they're budgets are small, they have no option but to use a translator who doesn't have a fluent grasp of the English language.

So, I usually have to do re-writing to some degree. But, I don't want to "change" the message unintentionally and they're not paying me to also do writing for them. Just today, I received a 900-word script that I would guess is more than 75% poorly translated.

Payment hasn't been an issue, they PayPal pretty quickly.

Thoughts?

Deirdre · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:25 pm Post subject:

Oh, boy-- we had a Jim-freakin-dandy of a thread about his VERY SUBJECT not too long ago.
I hope we can find it quick-- it's a bit of a scream.
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Lizden · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:33 pm Post subject:

Amy?
YOU must have kept it, non?

L.
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asnively · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 4:48 pm Post subject:

Should've. Can anyone even remember what month that was?

Is this what we're talking about?
With this follow up?
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Deirdre · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 5:15 pm Post subject:

Yes, oh yes indeed.

"I am a machine of loosing your time"

Comedy Gold!
Except for you, Amy-- you did some mighty suffering as I recall.
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asnively · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 5:20 pm Post subject:

My personal motto ever since. What am I doing here talking to you lot when I should be creating T-shirts at cafepress.com?
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louzucaro · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:18 pm Post subject:

This all makes me smile as I think about the joy I get every time I go to a Chinese restaurant and read the chopstick wrapper, which nearly invariably states:

Lizden · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:43 pm Post subject:

"I am a machine of loosing your time"

Just SEEING that makes me laugh!

Liz

EDIT: I know! THAT should be on next year's VO-BB T-Shirts!!!
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Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com

KaraEdwards · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:33 pm Post subject:

Oh man- I hadn't read those posts yet! TOO FUNNY! What a terrible situation- but absolutely priceless!

I agree with Liz- that's the shirt!
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louzucaro · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject:

MelissaVoicer · Guest

Dear, sweet Amy,

Whatever happened with this chump? I have been in a very similar situation and I felt your pain reading through the whole thing! How awful for you!

dshetterly · Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:57 am Post subject:

<<whistling at his cow dog to try and round up the strays>>

people PEOPLE.... I would LOVE to share in your jocularity over this previous thread, but being the noob I am to vo-bb, I missed it, and can't find it in a "search" mode.

Amy, how did you handle the poor translation? Did you read it verbatim? Did you try and make changes and did you charge for the extra effort of re-writing?

Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:08 am Post subject:

yo yo yo, just scroll UP, to Amy's post:

MelissaVoicer · Guest

And get a cup of coffee first. it's a long read, but a page turner, and unfortunately indicative of many a situation in this now cyber-international biz!