Cerna CVs and Freelancers

1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-3-7597-5752-4
Verlag: BoD - Books on Demand
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 84 Seiten

Considering that in the linguistic market some translators and interpreters without corresponding university degrees are active, it is easy to understand the demand of agencies for quality evidences. On the one hand, the stated requirements very often don't in any way prove that the agencies do indeed offer the necessary quality, and on the other hand must offend qualified linguistics with a university degree. Nobody asks a lawyer, architect, or surgeon for a CV before engaging him for a service. Besides, agencies try to pay the same (lowest) rates to any subcontractor, and this doesn't make the situation any better. Some agencies let non-professionals do the work or service required just because they offer best rates. This book explains the author's point of view.

L. R. Cerna is a graduate of the University of Heidelberg. He has published several books and articles under his pen names in the field of belles-lettres and in technical and industrial fields.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cerna, Luis R.

Leseproben

1. Terminology

In this publication, all professional/occupational/job title terms (like interpreter, translator, linguistic expert, etc.) are used as generic terms.

The book’s title contains two terms, CV and freelancer, with polysemantic meanings in many fields.

To avoid misunderstandings, a brief overview of the terms will be given prior to the corresponding definition.

Most English postings on the web seeking linguistic freelancers ask, inter alia, for a CV as the reader can see in the following specimen for “public viewing”:

Specimen

Job posting

English to German job offer, 320K words for translating, marketing (Message sent through *********.com) ***((agency))*** looking for English to German translators with relevant experience in the marketing domain. Volume: 320K words Timeline: from mid-September until mid-October, so we will need several translators on the team Time zone: European time zone is preferred but applicants from other time zones are welcome as well If interested, please provide the following information in order to be considered: your native language and country; your email address; your updated CV with relevant marketing experience; years of experience in marketing; your capacity for translating in words per day and per week; your rate per source word (not per hour) for translation in EUR or USD. A free test is mandatory. Selected candidates must sign our NDA prior to getting the assignment. Payment terms: 45 days end of month via bank transfer or *****. Contact: ***@***-***.com Thank you in advance! The ***((agency))*** Vendor Team

The following points are not as innocent as they may look:

Capacity for translating in words per day and per week: This means the freelancer is giving stand-by time free of charge to the vendor.

Rate per source word: Most freelancers do calculate with different rates for target words. The rate always depends on the language pair and direction. The language pair EN/DE means EN>DE has one rate X and DE>EN has a different rate Y. To make it clear: For translations from EN into DE, agency A shouldn’t believe that the rate is the same as for translations from DE into EN. In this case, the calculation never works (see point 5).

A free test is mandatory: Why? This is like asking a surgeon for a free operation as a test.

Candidate must sign our NDA: This is a dictate and not good at all for freelancers. Payment term: 45 days end of month: This is a violation of the Directive 2000/35 EC.

And some linguistic platforms offer mass mail distribution to their members for the purpose of making a deal with the freelancers (see below!). This shows a lack of knowledge and reflects perfectly the meaning of the Spanish idiom

Offer

Mass mail distribution on the web

Dear Translator, If you would like to send your CV to ***+ translation agencies registered at ***.com but can't afford the full price, consider investing $*** for emailing it to half of the translation agencies: https://*** If you get satisfied with the advertising campaign you may later order the mailing to the second half of the agencies using the same link. If you don't see the link right above - try turning off your ad blocker. After placing your order please e-mail us the following information by replying to this message (to *** at ***.com): 1) The text of your advertisement (a cover letter) (plain text or .html file). 2) The attachment (profile, brochure, CV etc.) (for example .pdf, up to 3 MB) - optional. 3) The subject of the e-mail message (for example, "Offering professional English to Spanish language services"). 4) The sender's name and e-mail address from which the message should be sent (for example, Best Translation Services 5) E-mail addresses of translation agencies which you prefer to have excluded from the mailing list (for example, your current customers). Before launching the mailing, we will first send you a sample message for you to verify if everything is fine. N.B. By registering in our directory, all translation agencies and all translators have agreed to be listed and contacted. P.S. Please note the full results of the advertising may not come immediately - some agencies may contact you in several years. Please don't hesitate to reply to this message may you have any questions

All mass mail distribution offers on the web are essentially quite similar.

1.1 CV

CV = abbreviation for Curriculum Vitae (GB), Resume (misspelled, USA) and Résumé (correct writing, USA). The difference to German

Hereinafter CV is used as a generic name for Curriculum Vitae, Resume and Résumé.

Table 1

Formal components for CV in different countries

Country

GB

USA

D

Photo

no

no

yes

Size

2-3 pages

1 page

ashap*

Age, sex, religion, family specifications, nationality

no

no

yes

Date, signature

no

no

yes

Legend: GB =Great Britain USA = United States of America D = Germany *ashap = as short as possible

Webster’s defines Curriculum Vitae as the course of one’s life. A brief account of one’s life. A brief statement including biographical data (for applications). And Résumé/Resume as a brief account of one’s education and professional experience. Webster’s New World Dictionary also as a summary of employment experience.

Oxford Advanced Dictionary: A written record of a candidate’s education and the jobs the candidate has done, that a candidate sends when applying for a job.

That means, the candidate applies for a job as an employee, no matter if as part-time or full-time employee. In this case only the quality of the

Considering that in the linguistic market some translators and interpreters without corresponding university degrees are active, it is easy to understand the demand of agencies for quality evidences. On the one hand, the stated requirements very often don’t in any way prove that the agencies do indeed offer the necessary quality, and on the other hand must offend qualified linguistics with a university degree. Nobody asks a lawyer, architect or surgeon for a CV before engaging him for a service. Besides, agencies try to pay the same (lowest) rates to any subcontractor, and this doesn’t make the situation any better. Some agencies let non-professionals do the work or service required just because they offer best rates.

1.1.1 Elements of a CV

Single elements of a CV (chronology starting always with latest element at the top) in English speaking countries:

Contact data

Personal Profile

Career objective

Work experience

Education

Skills

Interests

References.

A cover letter that stands out can be added.

The single elements of a CV in English-speaking countries in detail:

1.1.1.1 Contact data

Candidate’s name on first line, address, phone, e-mail below. Special letters should be transcribed (for instance ü = ue, ñ = n) and diacritical signs (for instance accents) can be excluded.

This is critical if the last name of a linguistic experts is

1.1.1.2 Personal profile

Also called Personal Statement or Creer Profile. Optional plus point describing the candidate and position he is seeking/applying for. It is an introductory paragraph at the beginning of the CV containing a short summary of background and career plans of the candidate. No more than 3 short sentences.

This makes sense for candidates applying for a workplace as employee.

1.1.1.3 Career objective

Optional plus point. It is a personal statement defining the specifics the candidate wishes to attain by means of professional work, the position the candidate desires. Objectives should state the candidate’s goal.

This makes sense for candidates applying for a workplace as...