So I failed a Dutch to English translation test
Thread poster: Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 09:42
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Mar 28, 2020

Hello everyone

I was curious to see what Gengo's translation environment looked like, but in order to get there I had to write a little translation test first (which is not taken in Gengo's own translation environment but in a special web form that tries to prevent the candidate from using machine translation). Gengo does not offer my first language, so I tried the Dutch to English test. I failed, and the comments were that I had mistranslated one sentence, left out a phrase, and
... See more
Hello everyone

I was curious to see what Gengo's translation environment looked like, but in order to get there I had to write a little translation test first (which is not taken in Gengo's own translation environment but in a special web form that tries to prevent the candidate from using machine translation). Gengo does not offer my first language, so I tried the Dutch to English test. I failed, and the comments were that I had mistranslated one sentence, left out a phrase, and used a wrong word.

The test text below is from a general audience newspaper article. The test text is not the entire newspaper article, and the examiner failed to see that his shortened version of the article still mentions "Roth", but without explaining who or what Roth is. I googled for that information and added it to the translation, which was a dicey thing to do in a *test* translation, but the reviewer didn't comment on it, so perhaps she was cool with that.

bonobos2

So, what do you think of the translation? Can you spot the mistranslated sentence, the left out phrase, and the wrong word? The reviewer did tell me what these were, but Gengo considers that information to be private, so I'm not posting it here.

Thanks

[Edited at 2020-03-28 13:06 GMT]
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Elena Feriani
Elena Feriani
Italy
Local time: 09:42
Member
French to Italian
+ ...
Same! Mar 28, 2020

Hi Sam,
Unfortunately I don't speak Dutch and can't tell you anything about that. But I have failed their EN to FR test, 15 times I think. And each time they send me back three mistakes, that get more and more ridiculous each time. I keep trying just for the "fun" at this point. Some reviewers just don't want more people to get in.
I managed to pass EN-IT and FR-EN though.
Keep trying!


 
gayd (X)
gayd (X)
last segment mistranslated Mar 28, 2020

in the last segment it says another experiment had been carried out on primates, which means on apes without specifying on which ones but your translation states it was carried out on bonobos.
In the second sentence they mention that first they started with bonobos but it implies that in a second phase, they have carried the same experiment on apes that are not bonobos (even though it's not mentionned explicitely in the text you've submitted0.
So in short, you've merged two sentences
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in the last segment it says another experiment had been carried out on primates, which means on apes without specifying on which ones but your translation states it was carried out on bonobos.
In the second sentence they mention that first they started with bonobos but it implies that in a second phase, they have carried the same experiment on apes that are not bonobos (even though it's not mentionned explicitely in the text you've submitted0.
So in short, you've merged two sentences and altered the meaning of the source text

[Modifié le 2020-03-28 19:18 GMT]

[Modifié le 2020-03-28 19:30 GMT]
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Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 09:42
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
@David Mar 28, 2020

David GAY wrote:
In the last segment it says another experiment had been carried out on primates, ... without specifying on which ones, but your translation states it was carried out on bonobos. In the second sentence they mention that first they started with bonobos [which] implies that in a second phase, they have carried the same experiment on apes that are not bonobos.


Thanks, that interpretation did not occur to me. I assumed the first sentence was a bridging sentence to introduce the main topic of the paragraph, i.e. that the "other behavioural study" is the study that the rest of the paragraph is about. I considered the use of the word "primates" to be elegant variation only.

I see your point that the wording "we started with bonobos" may imply that they only started with bonobos during that previous study but then progressed to other species later in the same previous study. I interpreted her statement to mean that the earlier study (which the first sentence referred to) was a study with bonobos, in contrast to the current study which is with orangutans.

FWIW, there is an OCR error in the source text. The direct quote begins at "We begonnen", not at "Eerder deden".


Andre Dumoulin
 
gayd (X)
gayd (X)
no Mar 28, 2020

The first sentence means that there was another experiment carried out on some apes.
During this previous experiment, they've started with bonobos but the second phase
probably involved orangutangs. Your translation implies that the previous experiment
only involved bonobos, which is not the case.

[Modifié le 2020-03-28 19:57 GMT]

[Modifié le 2020-03-28 20:01 GMT]


 
Michael Newton
Michael Newton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:42
Japanese to English
+ ...
translation tests Mar 29, 2020

"failed" translation tests should be taken with a grain of salt, for it seems to me some of the checkers/auditors are themselves primates.

neilmac
Kirk Jackson
Andre Dumoulin
 
gayd (X)
gayd (X)
accuracy Mar 29, 2020

Michael Newton wrote:

"failed" translation tests should be taken with a grain of salt, for it seems to me some of the checkers/auditors are themselves primates.

Accuracy is paramount especially for the translation of scientific experiment protocols


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 09:42
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
@Elena and @Michael Mar 29, 2020

Elena Feriani wrote:
Some reviewers just don't want more people to get in.


Thanks (-:

Michael Newton wrote:
It seems to me some of the checkers/auditors are themselves primates.


I can't really comment on the quality of the reviewer in this case, because the reviewer's comments referred only to which sentences, phrases and words were mistranslated but did not offer corrected versions or explain why she considered my versions to be mistranslations. This is not criticism of the reviewer or the review process, but it means that I'm forced to guess or ask others for their guesses. Not having access to the reviewer is not uncommon in translation test environments, so it's not really something to complain about. I disagree with some of what the reviewer wrote in this case, but I don't think that she acted unfairly.



[Edited at 2020-03-29 11:43 GMT]


P.L.F. Persio
Min Fang
 
Michaela Müller
Michaela Müller
Germany
Local time: 09:42
English to German
+ ...
Definition of "ridiculous" Mar 30, 2020

Elena Feriani wrote:

Hi Sam,
Unfortunately I don't speak Dutch and can't tell you anything about that. But I have failed their EN to FR test, 15 times I think. And each time they send me back three mistakes, that get more and more ridiculous each time. I keep trying just for the "fun" at this point. Some reviewers just don't want more people to get in.
I managed to pass EN-IT and FR-EN though.
Keep trying!


I'm not sure what to think about that ... Your mother tongue is Italian, and you have been taking the test for EN>FR - which doesn't seem to be one of your working language pairs -15 times? And wasting the reviewer's time just for the "fun"? As a reviewer and client, I wouldn't like to work with a translator who shows such an attitude & level of disrespect. It is a professional reviewer's job & passion to ensure the quality of a translation, not to keep other *qualified* colleagues out.


 
Elena Feriani
Elena Feriani
Italy
Local time: 09:42
Member
French to Italian
+ ...
My notifications are off May 6, 2020

[quote]Michaela Müller wrote:

Elena Feriani wrote:

I'm not sure what to think about that ... Your mother tongue is Italian, and you have been taking the test for EN>FR - which doesn't seem to be one of your working language pairs -15 times? And wasting the reviewer's time just for the "fun"? As a reviewer and client, I wouldn't like to work with a translator who shows such an attitude & level of disrespect. It is a professional reviewer's job & passion to ensure the quality of a translation, not to keep other *qualified* colleagues out.



Hi Michaela,
Sorry for the delay of my reply. I didn't notice you quoted me, as my notifications are off. I'm here now because someone has just visited my profile from this page... Anyway, I thought I would explain myself better.
15 times was an exaggeration. I lost track though, I'm not sure about the exact count at the moment.
I only translate into Italian, but Gengo offers 2 levels of translation, basic and pro.
I passed their basic FR>EN test on the first try, I translate professionally from FR to IT, I lived in France from 2010 to 2016, my writing skills in French are pretty good and I think I'm qualified to deliver a "basic" level of translation into French, not a native level.

Now, with 3 mistakes, you fail the basic test. Below are 3 examples of errors that I consider ridiculous:
1) I didn't add inverted commas to a song title (the source text had no inverted commas either)
2) Missing a comma (I agree)
3) Repetition of a word (repeated in the source text as well).

I understand that from a professional's point of view it may sound shocking that I keep trying to pass a translation test in a language that is not my native one, but keep in mind I'm talking about "basic" translation here.
I don't think I'm the one showing attitude and disrespect, or wasting people's time. To me, it looks like they are making up errors, as they don't flag any grammar, spelling or meaning issues in my tests. If it was a real life basic translation commissioned by a real client that paid half the price of a Pro level translation for it, they would be happy with my "basically" spotless service!
By flagging just commas or repetitions they gave me the impression that I could easily pass, that's why I kept trying. If thy showed me any serious mistakes, I would have guessed I'm not qualified and stopped trying.
I hope you see where I'm coming from.


 
Yolande Hivart
Yolande Hivart
Austria
Local time: 09:42
Member (2016)
German to French
Sometimes you have to take it with a grain of salt May 7, 2020

With time, I am neutral with passing or failing tests. I simply understand a way that my translation style is not the one their school is teaching and do not take it personally.
Maybe my way of translating is eccentric, but then this is the way I have grown into. I will never pass a test when someone does not understand why I do what I do and hold up onto a colon.
A reviewer can only review up to his level of understanding.

If I do not pass, this is simply not the house
... See more
With time, I am neutral with passing or failing tests. I simply understand a way that my translation style is not the one their school is teaching and do not take it personally.
Maybe my way of translating is eccentric, but then this is the way I have grown into. I will never pass a test when someone does not understand why I do what I do and hold up onto a colon.
A reviewer can only review up to his level of understanding.

If I do not pass, this is simply not the house for me either.

[Edited at 2020-05-07 10:53 GMT]
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Josephine Cassar
Elena Feriani
Min Fang
 
Wai Hin Lee
Wai Hin Lee
Hong Kong
Local time: 16:42
Member (2020)
English to Chinese
+ ...
I passed the test May 8, 2020

... but I can't say I have a happy time with them. I don't think it worth the energy.

Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Elena Feriani
 


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So I failed a Dutch to English translation test







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