Taking a test Thread poster: Gregor Trebec
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Gregor Trebec
Slovenia
Local time: 08:15
English to Slovenian
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Oy!
Lately i am quiet lucky to pass the initial selection and take a test. I complete it way before the due date, like today. I know it has to be 100% but on this occasion in 300 words i later found out there's a mistake. A type-o, one letter. Is it bad? Don't they have proof-readers?
| | | | Joakim Braun 
Sweden
Local time: 08:15
German to Swedish
+ ...
Bean counters might have a different attitude, but mine is that a typo is forgiveable if the language shines and there are no mistranslations.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 08:15
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Gregor Trebec wrote:
On this occasion, in 300 words, I later found out there's a mistake.
If you had submitted a test translation and later find out that you had made a mistake, I would suggest you simply keep quiet about it and hope that they don't see it. If they do see it and ask you about it, you can try to downplay the significance of the mistake. If you notice a mistake within 1-2 minutes of submitting the test translation, you can try to pretend that you had accidentally sent them the wrong file by mistake, and ask that they ignore it and please accept the correct file.
Joakim Braun wrote:
Bean counters might have a different attitude, but mine is that a typo is forgivable if the language shines and there are no mistranslations.
My attitude is that a test translation must be absolutely perfect. With a test translation, you have to spend extra time to make triple sure that there are no mistakes in it. A typo in a test translation is a red flag for me. To me, a typo in a test translation signals that the translator did not see the typo despite the fact that he had spent a lot of extra time on proofreading the translation. So, he either does not know that it is a typo, or he is naturally imprecise.
Lately i am quiet lucky to pass the initial selection and take a test. I complete it way before the due date, like today. I know it has to be 100% but on this occasion in 300 words i later found out there's a mistake. A type-o, one letter. Is it bad? Don't they have proof-readers?
[Edited at 2025-12-01 16:09 GMT]
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 08:15
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Gregor Trebec wrote:
Lately i am quiet lucky to pass the initial selection and take a test. I complete it way before the due date, like today. I know it has to be 100% but on this occasion in 300 words i later found out there's a mistake. A type-o, one letter. Is it bad? Don't they have proof-readers?
Gregor Trebec wrote:
I am on invalidity pension right now. I have experience in translating websites about selling vehickles and machinery, general agriculture text and similar.
Potential clients may read your ProZ.com profile page and/or read some of what you had written on the ProZ.com forum, so I recommend you spend a bit of time making sure that what you post there and here are generally error-free and give a good impression of the quality of your work.
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A few years ago, despite having reread my test several times, I realised immediately after sending it that there was still a small typo. I decided to tell the client that I had made a mistake and sent an unedited version. He thanked me...
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 08:15
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Samuel Murray wrote:
A typo in a test translation is a red flag for me. To me, a typo in a test translation signals that the translator did not see the typo despite the fact that he had spent a lot of extra time on proofreading the translation. So, he either does not know that it is a typo, or he is naturally imprecise.
Absolutely. If I would have te select a translator for a job out of several translators that have submitted a test translation, the ones with a typo would be the first to go. I honestly wouldn't care about the rest of their translation. It's a basic requirement to be able to translate a short text without a single typo.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 08:15
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
A few years ago, despite having reread my test several times, I realised immediately after sending it that there was still a small typo. I decided to tell the client... He thanked me...
Yes, sometimes this approach also works
| | | | kd42
Estonia
Local time: 09:15
English to Russian
| Which type of typo? | Dec 2, 2025 |
Gregor Trebec wrote:
i later found out there's a mistake. A type-o, one letter.
Is this a typo that the spell check will detect?
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Gregor Trebec
Slovenia
Local time: 08:15
English to Slovenian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
kd42 wrote:
Gregor Trebec wrote:
i later found out there's a mistake. A type-o, one letter.
Is this a typo that the spell check will detect?
yes, it would detect it - instead of ''commercial'', i wrote cammercial. The file was in google docs app and it doesn't have spell check.
| | | | | Online version | Dec 2, 2025 |
Gregor Trebec wrote:
kd42 wrote:
Gregor Trebec wrote:
i later found out there's a mistake. A type-o, one letter.
Is this a typo that the spell check will detect?
yes, it would detect it - instead of ''commercial'', i wrote cammercial. The file was in google docs app and it doesn't have spell check.
The Google Docs online version, at least for Spanish, has a spell and grammar checker.
I guess it's just a matter of time until they announce it in other languages.
| | | | kd42
Estonia
Local time: 09:15
English to Russian
| Spell check is a must | Dec 2, 2025 |
Gregor Trebec wrote: kd42 wrote: Gregor Trebec wrote:
i later found out there's a mistake. A type-o, one letter. Is this a typo that the spell check will detect? yes, it would detect it - instead of ''commercial'', i wrote cammercial. The file was in google docs app and it doesn't have spell check.
| | | | Peter Motte
Belgium
Local time: 08:15
Member (2009)
Dutch to Flemish
+ ...
Samuel Murray wrote:
My attitude is that a test translation must be absolutely perfect. With a test translation, you have to spend extra time to make triple sure that there are no mistakes in it.[Edited at 2025-12-01 16:09 GMT]
I don't spend extra time on test translations.
Why not?
Because if it's extra time, you're not going to spend that time on the real translations.
Will your work be less good if you finally get the job?
You should spend the same amount of time on test translations as on translations for the actual job. That gives an accurate measurement of your capabilities.
You also have to be able to find out whether you CAN do the job in a reasonable amount of time. The test translation also gives you the change to find out whether this is the kind of job for you.
[Edited at 2025-12-03 17:28 GMT]
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jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 02:15
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| I wish everybody does the same as you do | Dec 3, 2025 |
Peter Motte wrote:
Samuel Murray wrote:
My attitude is that a test translation must be absolutely perfect. With a test translation, you have to spend extra time to make triple sure that there are no mistakes in it.[Edited at 2025-12-01 16:09 GMT]
I don't spend extra time on test translations.
Why not?
Because if it's extra time, you're not going to spend that time on the real translations.
Will your work be less good if you finally get the job?
You should spend the same amount of time on test translations as on translations for the actual job. That gives an accurate measurement of your capabilities.
Your point is very logical but it is against the reality. When working on a translation test, you are competing with your peers who would most likely spend twice the amount of time you would spend on it, which could give them an edge.
| | | | Peter Motte
Belgium
Local time: 08:15
Member (2009)
Dutch to Flemish
+ ...
| They will flunk later on | Dec 4, 2025 |
jyuan_us wrote:
Peter Motte wrote:
Samuel Murray wrote:
My attitude is that a test translation must be absolutely perfect. With a test translation, you have to spend extra time to make triple sure that there are no mistakes in it.[Edited at 2025-12-01 16:09 GMT]
I don't spend extra time on test translations.
Why not?
Because if it's extra time, you're not going to spend that time on the real translations.
Will your work be less good if you finally get the job?
You should spend the same amount of time on test translations as on translations for the actual job. That gives an accurate measurement of your capabilities.
Your point is very logical but it is against the reality. When working on a translation test, you are competing with your peers who would most likely spend twice the amount of time you would spend on it, which could give them an edge.
Well, you're probably right. And they will probably be fired sooner or later, and probably sooner than later.
And also: you run the risk of discovering that if you get the job, you won't be able to get a decent per hour rate out of it.
| | | | Gregor Trebec
Slovenia
Local time: 08:15
English to Slovenian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
First impresion is the key also with the girls...
Giving that there is no spell check and no proof-reader, what do they expect?
[Edited at 2025-12-09 09:11 GMT]
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