Poll: Do you regard other translators in your language pair as your: Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you regard other translators in your language pair as your:".
This poll was originally submitted by Henrik Pipoyan
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. Fo... See more This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you regard other translators in your language pair as your:".
This poll was originally submitted by Henrik Pipoyan
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: http://proz.com/topic/33629 ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nesrin 
Reino Unido
Local time: 02:22
inglés al árabe
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| Good question! | Dec 29, 2006 |
For me, they are just colleagues, 100%.
I think that working as freelancers in a virtual world, we don't know who other translators are working for, or who is bidding for a particular job, so regarding them all as our competitors is a useless and non-constructive thought.
One of the reasons that freelancing suits my character best is that I'm a very uncompetitive person. I like to do my best, and to work on myself to improve my skills, but I don't like to be in a race... See more For me, they are just colleagues, 100%.
I think that working as freelancers in a virtual world, we don't know who other translators are working for, or who is bidding for a particular job, so regarding them all as our competitors is a useless and non-constructive thought.
One of the reasons that freelancing suits my character best is that I'm a very uncompetitive person. I like to do my best, and to work on myself to improve my skills, but I don't like to be in a race or competition with others. If the clients like my work, they will come back for more. If they don't, they're welcome to seek out another translator. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Thank God they are out there! | Dec 29, 2006 |
To me, knowing that there are many very good, hard-working, skilled and professional colleagues in my language pairs is great. It gives me the extra will to keep improving.
I respect them all as colleagues and share many views and concerns with them, but I also like to remember that any of them can take my work tomorrow and I must work hard to keep that from happening! 
| | | | Henry Hinds
Estados Unidos
Local time: 19:22
inglés al español
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In Memoriam
Not only on the Net, but here locally, I consider that we are all colleagues. The tone was set many years ago before the Net, when our profession started growing here on the US-Mexico border. Today we have a strong association made up of a large number of members involved in many different areas including both translating and interpreting. We have educational programs for the improvement and advancement of all, and many formal and informal working allinaces have been set up crossing both state a... See more Not only on the Net, but here locally, I consider that we are all colleagues. The tone was set many years ago before the Net, when our profession started growing here on the US-Mexico border. Today we have a strong association made up of a large number of members involved in many different areas including both translating and interpreting. We have educational programs for the improvement and advancement of all, and many formal and informal working allinaces have been set up crossing both state and international boundaries.
There is a lot of mutual support, and we each compete by working hard and giving our best, but never by taking anything from our colleagues. As a consequence all of us have shared the progress.
Once a tone like that is set, it lasts. ▲ Collapse
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Tomás Cano Binder wrote: I respect them all as colleagues and share many views and concerns with them, but I also like to remember that any of them can take my work tomorrow and I must work hard to keep that from happening!
I think of it the other way around: I respect them as competitors even while sharing views, concerns and KudoZ information with them, but I also like to remember that they are colleagues, who work hard alongside me to make this a repected profession for the benefit of our clients.
Cheers, and a Happy New Year to all,
Bill
| | | | Ruxi
alemán al rumano
+ ...
I would answer: both.
Actually I would like them to be only colleagues, but given that freelancing is business (and it was not me who invented it) and that for at least some language pairs jobs are not enough for everybody to survive only of such an income, these colleagues turn into competitors too.
Wether we know it or not, wther we like it or not, it is competition in the translation field, which becomes harder and harder, because more and more people are attracted by the good sid... See more I would answer: both.
Actually I would like them to be only colleagues, but given that freelancing is business (and it was not me who invented it) and that for at least some language pairs jobs are not enough for everybody to survive only of such an income, these colleagues turn into competitors too.
Wether we know it or not, wther we like it or not, it is competition in the translation field, which becomes harder and harder, because more and more people are attracted by the good sides of translating and freelancing and the job offers are less and less.
If working in-house, or only part-time, having a secure income, I would consider them only colleagues.
I wonder why some you do not see the competitor side in translators. Aren't you ever competing on a job with somebody else and wish you to get it?
I see it as very natural that they are competitors too. The positive side of it, is that you have to struggle to be more...competitive and win yourself. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Competition does exist | Dec 30, 2006 |
Ruxi wrote:
I wonder why some you do not see the competitor side in translators. Aren't you ever competing on a job with somebody else and wish you to get it?
I entirely agree with this point. Most of us are freelancers and this fact is what makes this work great, as we have to work hard and do a good job time after time... or another colleague gets the job next time!
| | | | | Precisely ..... | Dec 30, 2006 |
Tomás Cano Binder wrote:
I entirely agree with this point. Most of us are freelancers and this fact is what makes this work great, as we have to work hard and do a good job time after time... or another colleague gets the job next time!
A translator is only as good as his/her last translation and word travels very fast in this industry .......
The more one specialises, the less the competition becomes in terms of the number of competitors; conversely the greater it becomes in terms of the standard of work those few competitors produce.
At this level, colleagues/competitors are often both sides of the same coin.
[Edited at 2006-12-30 18:52]
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neilmac
España
Local time: 03:22
español al inglés
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| I answered both | Dec 31, 2006 |
... because in the first place, I see fellow translators as colleagues, with whom it may be convenient to work as a team from time to time, or help each other out in different ways, even just with advice - which for me is one of the best things about Kudoz!
Competition in the form of a healthy rivalry is positive too, it keeps us on our toes, and I know that if I refuse a job or fail to meet deadlines the clients will look elsewhere.
Another point is that many clients are mo... See more ... because in the first place, I see fellow translators as colleagues, with whom it may be convenient to work as a team from time to time, or help each other out in different ways, even just with advice - which for me is one of the best things about Kudoz!
Competition in the form of a healthy rivalry is positive too, it keeps us on our toes, and I know that if I refuse a job or fail to meet deadlines the clients will look elsewhere.
Another point is that many clients are more concerned with price than the final quality of a text, so may look elsewhere for cheaper rates or higher daily output... but perhaps that's another issue.
Whatever, I wish a prosperous and Happy New year to all the Proz team, members and users! ▲ Collapse
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