Poll: What is an appropriate word count for a translation test or sample? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What is an appropriate word count for a translation test or sample?".
This poll was originally submitted by Iulia Parvu. View the poll results »
| | | | | Assuming the test is free of charge | Sep 1, 2023 |
I don't translate more than 250 words for a test if it's free of charge. With a well-crafted source text, a translator's skills can be assessed based on a much shorter text; 50 or 100 words would be enough. Actually, I now offer this to direct clients on my new website; curious to see what that will bring!
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I haven’t been asked to do a test (paid or not) for a long time, but if I’m really interested in a job or in working with a particular translation agency, I'll be happy to do a test, providing we have already agreed on price and payment terms and there is no deadline set for the test, so I can do it at my own pace. I would rather do a translation test than sending diplomas, references and the like and having to fill endless forms. When a potential client asks for work samples, I direct him/h... See more I haven’t been asked to do a test (paid or not) for a long time, but if I’m really interested in a job or in working with a particular translation agency, I'll be happy to do a test, providing we have already agreed on price and payment terms and there is no deadline set for the test, so I can do it at my own pace. I would rather do a translation test than sending diplomas, references and the like and having to fill endless forms. When a potential client asks for work samples, I direct him/her to the ones included in my profile portfolio... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | More than ten | Sep 1, 2023 |
A sample can be any length - a novel or two, for example, might suffice for a publisher. A paid translation test can also be any length.
So an unpaid translation test is presumably what the question is about. I don't do them myself but many years ago I used to look for translators for clients of mine. Candidates were told they could add an unpaid test to their application form if they wanted to. If the test was chosen carefully enough, it was normally possible to see who was best af... See more A sample can be any length - a novel or two, for example, might suffice for a publisher. A paid translation test can also be any length.
So an unpaid translation test is presumably what the question is about. I don't do them myself but many years ago I used to look for translators for clients of mine. Candidates were told they could add an unpaid test to their application form if they wanted to. If the test was chosen carefully enough, it was normally possible to see who was best after no more than 100 words. Sometimes even just the first ten words would give an idea. The tests were generally made up or carefully adapted for the purpose.
I often didn't even get half way through before rejecting many if not most of the candidates. When you go through them, you're weeding out the worst, not looking for the best - which is simply the last one you're left with.
In Italy, 1500 keystrokes (about 230-250 words) is considered the minimum for non-literary translations and double that is normal. Literary translations can be between five and ten times as long. Personally, I think all this is excessive and it certainly puts off potentially interesting candidates, as I found when looking for translators.
To anyone asked to do a free translation test, I would say ask the client if they'll accept 200 words for a non-literary assignment. In my experience, the chances are the client will say yes.
[Edited at 2023-09-01 18:20 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Nikolay Novitskiy 
Russian Federation
Local time: 14:45
Member (2018)
English to Russian
| 10.000 or more | Sep 1, 2023 |
Well, 10.000 words is more than enough for a free test. And yes, in some special circumstances the count may be increased up to 40.000 words - when the client is concerned with the quality. And of course, it's a big achievement for a translator to do such a large free test... an achievement worth mentioning in their portfolio (if the NDA allows it)!
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 10:45
Spanish to English
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Although I no longer do translation tests, somewhere between 200 to 400 word seems reasonable.
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 04:45
German to English
| An hour's worth | Sep 3, 2023 |
The word count can vary depending on the individual. Some people claim they can translate 1000 words/hour, others 300. When I still did translation tests, I weighed the benefits of spending an hour on a test compared to taking a nap. As I grew older, I tended more to taking a short repose.
| | | | Bangyou Xiang
China
Local time: 17:45
Member (2019)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| 2,000 in book translation in China | Sep 15, 2023 |
The poll result indicates that over 80% of respondents agree a free sample test should be under 300 words. That's maybe a common sense in commercial translation industry.
But in the book translation sector in China, this can be as many as 2,000 Chinese characters (1,200 English words) for a 100,000-word book. This might mean a day's free work. Despite the low translation rate (80 RMB or so per 1,000 characters), it's still competitive. What's it like in your country?
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 10:45
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Books are different | Sep 15, 2023 |
Bangyou Xiang wrote:
But in the book translation sector in China, this can be as many as 2,000 Chinese characters (1,200 English words) for a 100,000-word book. This might mean a day's free work.
Book translators are a different species from business translators. Different rules apply. When people ask here, we just blindly assume that they're business-to-business translators.
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