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Poll: Do you consider yourself more cultured than the average professional?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Jul 2, 2016

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you consider yourself more cultured than the average professional?".

This poll was originally submitted by Alan Corbo, CT. View the poll results »



 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 15:55
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Jul 2, 2016

First, define "cultured", "average" , "profesional" and, while we're at it, "yourself"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0gNMQsImoQ



[Edited at 2016-07-02 08:25 GMT]


 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 15:55
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
? Jul 2, 2016

What a strange question.

 
Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: Requested by user.
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 15:55
Spanish to English
+ ...
Here here Jul 2, 2016

Thayenga wrote:

What a strange question.


Indeeed. I thought maybe I had just woken up grumpy and ornery...


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 14:55
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Jul 2, 2016

I don't suffer from a superiority complex (nor an inferiority complex, thank you!)...

 
Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:55
Spanish to English
+ ...
No Jul 2, 2016

I think the average professional in this field has to be pretty "cultured" - it's a survival trait. So why would one be considered "more" x than any other?

And when you get down to specializations, it's pretty pointless comparing.


 
Philippe Etienne
Philippe Etienne  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:55
Member
English to French
Poor driving Jul 2, 2016

90% of car drivers believe they drive better than the average driver.
But an average driver means that 50% are better and 50% worse.
If car drivers were objective (and knew what an average driver is), of course the outcome would be 50%.

Such questions are only asked to assess how skewed our own perception is.

Philippe


 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 15:55
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
Why such a question? Jul 2, 2016

How could I compare and why would I?

It reminds me of a poll, where people were asked if they considered themselves smarter than average, and 75% replied yes.

Well, mathematically quite a few had gotten it wrong. But who cares, If it does not become a nuisance to others, a healthy self assurance is not bad.


 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 15:55
Member (2006)
German to English
More cultured? Jul 2, 2016

Cant follow, sorry.

Chris, where are you, I could do with some pepping up sarcastic comments☺

[Edited at 2016-07-02 13:26 GMT]

[Edited at 2016-07-03 15:48 GMT]


 
Angie Garbarino
Angie Garbarino  Identity Verified
Local time: 15:55
Member (2003)
French to Italian
+ ...
Exactly Jul 2, 2016

neilmac wrote:

First, define "cultured", "average" , "profesional" and, while we're at it, "yourself"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0gNMQsImoQ


This question is unclear


 
writeaway
writeaway  Identity Verified
French to English
+ ...
More "cultured" Jul 2, 2016

than the average professional what?



Is is just me or are these polls becoming more ridiculous by the week?


 
Francesca Grandinetti
Francesca Grandinetti
Italy
Local time: 15:55
German to Italian
+ ...
Meh Jul 2, 2016

...dull question, honestly.

 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 10:55
English to Spanish
+ ...
Doing away with… Jul 2, 2016

…false modesty.

The question is short on cues, very ambiguous, giving way to all sorts of answers. Deep inside, some of us believe we are more cultured (i.e. educated, well-learned, with more university degrees, etc.) than other professionals in our milieu, or in our language pair.

I can say that I consider myself more “cultured” (as in better prepared and more competent) than the average Spanish translator in the United States. Sure, I risk sounding
... See more
…false modesty.

The question is short on cues, very ambiguous, giving way to all sorts of answers. Deep inside, some of us believe we are more cultured (i.e. educated, well-learned, with more university degrees, etc.) than other professionals in our milieu, or in our language pair.

I can say that I consider myself more “cultured” (as in better prepared and more competent) than the average Spanish translator in the United States. Sure, I risk sounding insufferably arrogant and hubristic but I have supporting facts:

1) Several team members I've worked with give priority to consistent terminology than to good writing
2) All of the managers (with two exceptions) I have worked with as a translator and who were bilingual professionals lacked writing skills at a university level
3) Almost all the bilingual (or native Spanish speaking) managers, supervisors, reviewers, etc. on the client side spoke good Spanish but wrote poorly or in Spanglish, or at a level that betrays a limited command of written Spanish (wobbling understanding beyond middle school level)

This is my interpretation of the poll's question. That it is a provocative, even combative poll, there is no doubt.
Collapse


 
Gianluca Marras
Gianluca Marras  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 15:55
English to Italian
NO Jul 2, 2016

Ok self-esteem is important... but just try not to exaggerate ok?

 
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Poll: Do you consider yourself more cultured than the average professional?






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