Agency giving out 8 hours long translation "test" first then hold interview for applicants who pass
Thread poster: Binh An
Binh An
Binh An
Vietnam
Local time: 18:11
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
May 29, 2019

I'm new to the translating scene. One of the agencies I've applied to wants me to do 8 hours long translation "test" first then if I do happen to pass then they will hold an interview later.

This is beyond sketchy, I don't even have any speck of hope for it to not be a scam but I'm just putting it up here for now. Will update when I get more details.

[Edited at 2019-05-29 00:08 GMT]

[Edited at 2019-05-29 00:08 GMT]


Adam Warren
Kevin Fulton
 
Binh An
Binh An
Vietnam
Local time: 18:11
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
update May 29, 2019

They sent me a contract with 2600 words to translate for the first 2 hours oh god.

 
Binh An
Binh An
Vietnam
Local time: 18:11
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
update 2 May 29, 2019

Got another batch of "test", total up to 10000 words and they said to just translate as much as I can in 6 hours. If this is a real test I still don't even want to work with the place that uses such kind of shoddy practice.

[Edited at 2019-05-29 09:09 GMT]


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 11:11
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Just forget it! May 29, 2019

A free test shouldn't have more than 300/400 words and you should first agree on rates and payment terms...

Christine Andersen
Morena Calaón
Thomas T. Frost
Ester Vidal
Rachel Waddington
Vera Schoen
Tina Vonhof (X)
 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:11
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Test translations May 29, 2019

If they're paid for, fine.

If they're not paid for, then it's a definite rip-off. By the time all translators have completed the "free" tests, that agencies has saved thousands of dollars.


Christine Andersen
Morena Calaón
Thomas T. Frost
Tina Vonhof (X)
Min Fang
Binh An
Philip Lees
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 12:11
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Binh May 29, 2019

Binh An wrote:
One of the agencies I've applied to wants me to do 8 hours long translation "test" first then if I do happen to pass then they will hold an interview later.


It's a scam. But if you have nothing better to do, you might as well do it, to test yourself.


Hedwig Spitzer (X)
Tradupro17
 
Chris Pr
Chris Pr
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:11
German to English
And if this scam arrived through the ProZ system, then appropriate actions should be taken. May 29, 2019

Samuel Murray wrote:

Binh An wrote:
One of the agencies I've applied to wants me to do 8 hours long translation "test" first then if I do happen to pass then they will hold an interview later.


It's a scam. But if you have nothing better to do, you might as well do it, to test yourself.


Min Fang
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Sheila Wilson
writeaway
 
Abiodun Adeleye
Abiodun Adeleye  Identity Verified
Nigeria
Local time: 12:11
Member (2019)
English to Yoruba
+ ...
Rip-off May 29, 2019

This is a rip-off, don't fall for it.

IrinaN
Tina Vonhof (X)
Min Fang
Arabic & More
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:11
French to English
. May 29, 2019

This is akin to hiring practices at some shady places.

A while back I went for a job interview. When I was asked if I had any questions, I asked about salary (rather shocked that it hadn't yet come up!). The guy said I would first have to work for a couple of days for free, then he'd tell me how much he was prepared to pay me. I walked straight out of there! I already had a job so I would have had to take two days' leave, and while I was prepared to do a short test to prove my abili
... See more
This is akin to hiring practices at some shady places.

A while back I went for a job interview. When I was asked if I had any questions, I asked about salary (rather shocked that it hadn't yet come up!). The guy said I would first have to work for a couple of days for free, then he'd tell me how much he was prepared to pay me. I walked straight out of there! I already had a job so I would have had to take two days' leave, and while I was prepared to do a short test to prove my ability, no way did he need two whole days to tell.
Collapse


Morena Calaón
Thomas T. Frost
Rachel Waddington
Kevin Fulton
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
IrinaN
IrinaN
United States
Local time: 06:11
English to Russian
+ ...
Run, Forrest, run! May 29, 2019

And name and shame the bastards anywhere you can, using any translation and social platforms you visit.

This is worse than a scam. I delete all scams without replies no matter how I was tempted a couple of times, but in your case I'd celebrate my ability to get nasty in more than 1 language.

This should be a clear case of the justified Proz rule waiver.


Hedwig Spitzer (X)
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 12:11
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Short tests can be useful, but otherwise you should be paid May 29, 2019

In these days of machine translation, human translators need to go for the top end of the market and show they can do better than the machines. That may include style as well as other factors.

I have seen numerous tests done for agencies, and it is quite possible to find a passage of 200-300 words with one or two common issues, to see how a translator solves them. It could be something like an idiom or special terminology, depending on the type of text and subject area.
That i
... See more
In these days of machine translation, human translators need to go for the top end of the market and show they can do better than the machines. That may include style as well as other factors.

I have seen numerous tests done for agencies, and it is quite possible to find a passage of 200-300 words with one or two common issues, to see how a translator solves them. It could be something like an idiom or special terminology, depending on the type of text and subject area.
That is enough to spot a promising beginner, who may not have a lot of experience, but is qualified. It should also show up those who are not suited to the job.

The client can then begin to offer small paid jobs (if they did not pay for the test) or look more closely at one or two translators to work with.

If a test takes more than an hour to do properly, it is quite reasonable to ask for payment. Check before you do anything for free, that the client agrees to your rates for work they send later.
A test goes both ways - it also gives the translator an idea of what the client is like. If you feel unsure about anything, ask, and see how they react! Use it as a test to see whether you want to work with the client. If they don't pass YOUR test, drop them!
Collapse


Kevin Fulton
Vera Schoen
Min Fang
Binh An
Laura Kingdon
IrinaN
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Adam Warren
Adam Warren  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:11
Member (2005)
French to English
A day's work... May 29, 2019

Binh An wrote:

They sent me a contract with 2600 words to translate for the first 2 hours oh god.

... is 2500 words, so caveat traductor: this operator has all the trappings of a bucket shop: steer clear!


Vera Schoen
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:11
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
This really is beyond the pale May 29, 2019

Binh An wrote:
They sent me a contract with 2600 words to translate for the first 2 hours oh god.

Got another batch of "test", total up to 10000 words and they said to just translate as much as I can in 6 hours.

But that first freebie is going to take you all of the eight hours they want from you! This really is ridiculous!

If you were approached through ProZ.com, I urge you to send a support ticket to staff in the hope that they can do something in this extreme example. Fortunately, you're doing better things with your time, but more naive translators may be duped into doing the work.


Tina Vonhof (X)
IrinaN
Min Fang
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Andrew Morris
Binh An
Arabic & More
 
Binh An
Binh An
Vietnam
Local time: 18:11
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Re: May 30, 2019

Thayenga wrote:

If they're paid for, fine.

If they're not paid for, then it's a definite rip-off. By the time all translators have completed the "free" tests, that agencies has saved thousands of dollars.


No money involved at all.

Samuel Murray wrote:

It's a scam. But if you have nothing better to do, you might as well do it, to test yourself.


I went along with them a bit for the first one, made to around 500 words. However after seeing the second batch I stopped bothering completely and went to dig some info about them instead.

Kay Denney wrote:

This is akin to hiring practices at some shady places.

A while back I went for a job interview. When I was asked if I had any questions, I asked about salary (rather shocked that it hadn't yet come up!). The guy said I would first have to work for a couple of days for free, then he'd tell me how much he was prepared to pay me. I walked straight out of there! I already had a job so I would have had to take two days' leave, and while I was prepared to do a short test to prove my ability, no way did he need two whole days to tell.



This agency of mine is even worse. After digging up some more about this 8 hours test agency I've found out that people didn't get paid for the first 2 months with various reasons like "due to the cost of training you, we have deducted the cost off your salary" or "we are short on money so please wait for the next month". Those unfamiliar with Labor Law end up getting exploited the most from this place.


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Lucia Leszinsky[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Agency giving out 8 hours long translation "test" first then hold interview for applicants who pass







Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »