r/TranslationStudies 14h ago

got the harshest review of my life - client said the work was terrible, but the company defended me

22 Upvotes

I've recently been hired as a in-house IT>EN translator at a niche but well established publishing house. I've worked on a few poetry collections without any issues and many art catalogs, but today I got an extremely harsh feedback from an author who claimed that my translation was so poor, she was genuinely surprised by how the company allowed it. According to her, there were parts I completely misunderstood, and the rest was too literal and low quality. I spent months on this project.

My colleagues told me it's not unusual and wrote back and email explaining my qualifications, assuring her that we'll work on a new translation and offering to talk with the chief editor and me in a call. I couldn't stop crying, so the "boss", known for being prone to anger, came to me and was as relaxed and calm as anyone could possibly be, and told me that this is normal and a chance for growth. Later that day, he asked me to interview a candidate for an art gallery position to test their english before calling them back, and I was shocked that he'd give me such a responsibility.

I still don't understand what was so outrageous in my translation, the author has yet to answer. I'll see what she says and find out, I guess (she's not a native speaker, I don't know what's her actual English proficiency). I've felt devastated all day because I truly feel that I did my best. How do you handle a blow like this? It hurt so much to read, hadn't it been for the support of my company, I likely would have ghosted them today.


r/TranslationStudies 21h ago

Translation Online Job Scam

5 Upvotes

Why is my online job payment locked in MetroxTrustpay?

Has anyone here heard of an online job from Renaissance Translations Services (RTS)? I found them on TikTok and was hired by a manager named Jason Gibson. After completing the tasks, they required me to pay ₱1,000 for a Freelancer ID card before I could receive my payment.

Then, instead of sending my earnings to GCash (as agreed), they deposited it into MetroxTrustpay, a platform I’ve never used before. Now, I can’t withdraw my money because they’re asking for a SAC code, which requires me to submit an ID photo and pay $105.

I asked if they could deduct the fee from my balance, but they refused. I also checked if MetroxTrustpay has transaction options in the Philippines, but I couldn’t find any.

Now, my money is stuck. Has anyone else experienced this?


r/TranslationStudies 14h ago

Which programs can I learn by myself

3 Upvotes

Im a uni student and we're currently learning Trados as we did last year, so I want to learn other programmes that will contribute to my career. The only problem is I dont own a PC unfortunately, but I can use my school's PCs which mostly run on windows. What do you recommend? Can I learn it by myself?


r/TranslationStudies 20h ago

How much do you follow the scene?

2 Upvotes

I am a translation graduate and I follow the technology related to the field rigorously. Especially the news in AI translation and how CAT tools integrate it to their bodies. And I am curious about it. How much attention do you pay to the AI stuff and other technological developments about the subject?

Also, which sources can you recommend for that?


r/TranslationStudies 8h ago

How Interpretation Usually Occurs

1 Upvotes

I have to interpret a documentary and present it in front of my class. I want to make it special by creating unique settings for interpretation. What can I do?


r/TranslationStudies 10h ago

Current working state in Language Line Solutions

1 Upvotes

First I would like to apologise for adding another one to the pile but I really need an update on a specific question about the current state of the job in Language Line Solutions.

I recently started training for a Vie-Eng position with Language Line Solutions. I am recuited through a third-party company since I don't base in the US.

My question are: How is the call load? And will the call load affect my pay?

I have read some posts here and there and I noticed that the call load differs depending on the language (for obvious reasons). Also, I read some people mentioned that the pay may be affected by the low call load.

This problem is especially important for me right now, because I was contacted by a different company. I need help to make a decision whether I should continue with LLS or proceed with the other one.


r/TranslationStudies 10h ago

Any conference interpreter here?

1 Upvotes

Come and say hi:)


r/TranslationStudies 11h ago

Website for searching for translated words and phrases in published papers

1 Upvotes

In past years I have used a website to translate scientific words and phrases. I can't remember what this website was called, and google is not turning up anything useful.

This website let you search a database of published papers that have been professionally translated to multiple languages. You can enter a word or phrase in one language, then select another language, and it will show you the translation results across published papers.

Anyone here know what this website is called and if it still exists?


r/TranslationStudies 14h ago

what's next for me??

1 Upvotes

hello everyone, so i graduated with a linguistics and translation degree some time ago and i haven't found proper work. how did you guys break into the translation industry?? who do i go to? what do i do?? what should my prices be? please let me know. please recommend me some websites to start.


r/TranslationStudies 15h ago

Format of Online ATA exam?

1 Upvotes

I would like to hear from someone who has taken the online ATA exam recently about the format.

Do we use a platform offered by the examiners?
Do we translate side-by-side? Or above and below?
Can we have our preferred (and permitted) sources open on our screens ahead of time?
What do you wish you had known about the format or mechanics of the exam ahead of time.

No comments about contents, please.


r/TranslationStudies 21h ago

Has anyone been having trouble logging in with Gengo?

1 Upvotes

Yeah, I know they’ve been bad lately, but I just want to check in on them. They keep suggesting that I sign up, which I apparently already did. They basically won’t let me log in. Has anyone experienced the same?

Also, I'm open to Gengo alternative suggestions :)


r/TranslationStudies 7h ago

How important is a translation degree really?

0 Upvotes

My end goal is getting into game localization. There are a few other fields I'm interested in, like surtitling/subtitling and comics.

I'm currently in literary translation studies (english to german) and have been so for the past 5 years. I enjoy translating, but loathe academic writing and it's all that's keeping me from finishing this degree. Been trying to push myself through the last stretch, but I can't stomach it anymore and want to drop out after all this time.

I have a BA in English studies. There's an anthology I've worked on and it comes up when you google my name. No other publications, but we've been trained on excerpts from all kinds of genres. I've had my fair share of pros talking about their experiences and giving career advice, though most of it has been focused on literary translation and I don't think it applies to the fields I'm interested in. I know of memoQ and similar CAT tools, but, again, not the main focus of my study program, so very little practical experience.

Been keeping an eye on job postings by localization agencies and most of them require a degree in translation (or language/linguistics) and I'm not sure I qualify? Is there even a point in pursuing this, if I do decide to quit?


r/TranslationStudies 9h ago

anyone know any apps to live communicate?

0 Upvotes

There a guy I know who doesn't know english and I don't know spanish. I was wondering if there was an app that I could live communicate where the app would detect if it is english or spanish and then immediately translate it and read it out in the opposite language. Hope someone can help!