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Am I right to be angry if an asker selects an answer without considering peer comments?
Thread poster: Rad Graban (X)
Rad Graban (X)
Rad Graban (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:28
English to Slovak
+ ...
Jun 8, 2011

Czech speaker translating into Slovak asks a question. Very similar languages but not exactly the same. S/he chooses someone else's answer despite my answer having three agrees from peers.
I'm really not the KudoZ 'point-grabber' but it has got me raging. Should I just get over it?


 
Stanislav Pokorny
Stanislav Pokorny  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 07:28
English to Czech
+ ...
No right, IMHO Jun 8, 2011

Rad Graban wrote:

Czech speaker translating into Slovak asks a question. Very similar languages but not exactly the same. S/he chooses someone else's answer despite my answer having three agrees from peers.
I'm really not the KudoZ 'point-grabber' but it has got me raging. Should I just get over it?


Hi Rad,
it is the asker's sole privilege to select the answer he/she finds best. Maybe the answer that got selected fits the context better or there is another reason for why the asker picked exactly that answer.
We may speculate but the final decision is always with the asker.


 
Bilanda Ban
Bilanda Ban  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 07:28
English to Croatian
+ ...
You have your right to be angry... Jun 8, 2011

However, don't lose any sleep over it
If this has happened to you for the first time, I understand why you might be surprised or angry, but this actually happens a lot.
It's happened to me on several occasions and I know it's nothing personal.
Sure, it left me confused a couple of times, but I really don't care anymore. How am I supposed to know what the askers were thinking (unless they explain their choice)?... See more
However, don't lose any sleep over it
If this has happened to you for the first time, I understand why you might be surprised or angry, but this actually happens a lot.
It's happened to me on several occasions and I know it's nothing personal.
Sure, it left me confused a couple of times, but I really don't care anymore. How am I supposed to know what the askers were thinking (unless they explain their choice)?
You don't mention why this bothers you so much - is it because you are 100% sure that the answer you provided was the only correct answer, and the chosen answer was not, or are you angry about something else?
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Rad Graban (X)
Rad Graban (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:28
English to Slovak
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
I can see your point but... Jun 8, 2011

as much as I do understand asker's prerogative to choose the answer most suitable for his/her context, I very much doubt that a non-native speaker can do it. Czech and Slovak might be very similar languages, but they are not the same. The two languages are developing separately now and you should know that the younger generation got a problem with understanding other language.
I was born in 1971, studied in Brno and would never dare to translate INTO Czech.
R.
Stanislav Pokorny wrote:

Rad Graban wrote:

Czech speaker translating into Slovak asks a question. Very similar languages but not exactly the same. S/he chooses someone else's answer despite my answer having three agrees from peers.
I'm really not the KudoZ 'point-grabber' but it has got me raging. Should I just get over it?


Hi Rad,
it is the asker's sole privilege to select the answer he/she finds best. Maybe the answer that got selected fits the context better or there is another reason for why the asker picked exactly that answer.
We may speculate but the final decision is always with the asker.


 
Ildiko Santana
Ildiko Santana  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 22:28
Member (2002)
Hungarian to English
+ ...

MODERATOR
No reason to be angry Jun 8, 2011

Should I just get over it?


Of course! Why get angry to begin with? If you could care less about those virtual points, this should not affect you in any way. I witness this almost every day but my reaction is surprise or disbelief, definitely not anger. (I get disappointed but not 'raged' when these randomly selected answers are saved in the glossary). If your translation was, in fact, correct and the asker chose an incorrect version, (s)he will have to deal with that later when the job comes back with corrections from the reviewer or, worse, from the end client. If not now, then the next time. I believe in natural selection. Those who ask obviously do so because they do *not* know the answer. When later on they decide that they *do* know and pick a wrong answer despite the peer grading, they are taking the risk of (eventually) being eliminated from the clients' database. Same goes for those who give incorrect answers. They can collect all the points they want, that does not mean they get all the jobs they want; quite the contrary. I don't believe any reputable agency would rely on the KudoZ ranks alone when selecting providers, and for us it takes consistent quality translation and not consistent accumulation of points to obtain and keep good clients. So why get angry? Let them choose as they please. More work for those who do know what they're doing.


 
Stanislav Pokorny
Stanislav Pokorny  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 07:28
English to Czech
+ ...
Some notes Jun 8, 2011

Rad Graban wrote:
The two languages are developing separately now and you should know that the younger generation got a problem with understanding other language.

I don't think the situation is as drammatic as you describe it. Mass media tend to exaggerate.

I was born in 1971, studied in Brno...

My beloved home town...
...and would never dare to translate INTO Czech.

Just like I would never dare to translate into English or German. However, how do you know that the asker is not bilingual?

Anyways, as the other posters wrote earlier in this thread, don't lose any sleep over it. There are things in the world that are much more important.

[Upraveno: 2011-06-08 20:45 GMT]


 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 07:28
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Temporary disappointment comes with the territory Jun 8, 2011

No need or reason to be angry about it. This is the nature of the system and you have to live with it. Just forget about it and think that you did your best to help the asker!

[Edited at 2011-06-09 05:25 GMT]


 
imatahan
imatahan  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 02:28
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Not worthy Jun 8, 2011

Some days ago a creature asked a question I knew was in the Spanish test I've just performed.

Someone gave a wrong answer, a literal translation of an expression, that was completely wrong.

I put the right answer, went to the discussions and explained it too.

But she choosed the wrong one.

It is a real pitty because other translators go to the search in order to solve their doubts.

Couldn't we have a quality review in KudoZ?
... See more
Some days ago a creature asked a question I knew was in the Spanish test I've just performed.

Someone gave a wrong answer, a literal translation of an expression, that was completely wrong.

I put the right answer, went to the discussions and explained it too.

But she choosed the wrong one.

It is a real pitty because other translators go to the search in order to solve their doubts.

Couldn't we have a quality review in KudoZ?

I didn`t get angry, but annoyed with the situation, and didn`t say a word, of course. It`s her privilege to choose the answer.

Sometimes I think the friendship induces the choice. When someone chooses determined colleague(s) very often, and their answers aren`t the best or sometimes don`t even fit, it makes me think...

when I meet some people making questions I avoid answering.
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Bilanda Ban
Bilanda Ban  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 07:28
English to Croatian
+ ...
That changes the whole deal. Jun 8, 2011

From what I can tell, this is a pretty obvious case of a literal translation, right?
So, whether this person is indeed bilingual or not is secondary in this case - the main thing is that his/her translation skills are amateurish, to say the least.
You can always discuss the matter with the asker - if he/she is willing to listen.


 
Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: unedited since 1 day
Stanislav Pokorny
Stanislav Pokorny  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 07:28
English to Czech
+ ...
Agreed Jun 9, 2011

BBan wrote:

From what I can tell, this is a pretty obvious case of a literal translation, right?
So, whether this person is indeed bilingual or not is secondary in this case - the main thing is that his/her translation skills are amateurish, to say the least.
You can always discuss the matter with the asker - if he/she is willing to listen.


Couldn't agree more on this one.


 
Nicole Schnell
Nicole Schnell  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 22:28
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
The literal translation Jun 9, 2011

The asker is encouraged to choose the answer that was the most helpful one. If for example the literal translation or a mere explanation helped him to finally understand the term in question, then he should award the answerer who enlightened him, no matter how the translation ended up in his translation later on.

Should such a raw version end up in the glossaries, oh well, that's a different story...


 
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 13:28
Chinese to English
I'm sure you're right Jun 9, 2011

I don't quite know why everyone is jumping on the original poster to challenge whether his answer really was the best (/most useful/appropriate/whatever). Seems a bit rude to me.
Let's do Rad the courtesy of assuming that he knows what he's talking about, and that he offered the best answer for this question, and an inferior answer was chosen.

The answer to your question is still, NO!

First - it's just Kudoz. It's not that important.

Second - remember
... See more
I don't quite know why everyone is jumping on the original poster to challenge whether his answer really was the best (/most useful/appropriate/whatever). Seems a bit rude to me.
Let's do Rad the courtesy of assuming that he knows what he's talking about, and that he offered the best answer for this question, and an inferior answer was chosen.

The answer to your question is still, NO!

First - it's just Kudoz. It's not that important.

Second - remember what Kudoz is. It's a form of "crowd sourcing", a bit like Wikipedia. With this kind of system, the whole point is that there are minimal quality controls. Any given entry/answer may well be incorrect, but over time it builds up into a highly accurate, growing database.

Obviously it's nice to answer a question well and be rewarded with Kudoz points, but the day you let Kudoz ruin your mood is the day you need to give up coffee!
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David Wright
David Wright  Identity Verified
Austria
Local time: 07:28
German to English
+ ...
Glossaries Jun 9, 2011

I don't know about anyone else, but unless I'm certain the word in the glossary is indeed the right one I have a look at what else was suggested. To be honest, there is a lot of cr...p in the glossaries that one has to be careful about!

 
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Am I right to be angry if an asker selects an answer without considering peer comments?






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