Poll: Do you think it is acceptable for a client to apply fuzzy match discounts to your MTPE rate? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you think it is acceptable for a client to apply fuzzy match discounts to your MTPE rate?".
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I'd like to hear the logic behind this brilliant idea of discounting discounted rates.
Do you save time twice, firstly using MT, secondly using fuzzies?
All agencies I know apply MTPE rates on no-match segments only, and discounted full rate on fuzzies and 100%/reps.
Million-dollar question: what's the fuzzy match cut-off value below which MT output is substantially quicker to correct than fuzzies?
Philippe
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Would it be acceptable for a patient to ask their doctor for a discount on a checkup?
That’s how I feel about clients applying fuzzy match discounts to my MTPE rate.
Would it be fair to tell a mechanic which wrench to use?
That’s exactly how I feel when clients insist on certain tools for my work.
Should a student submit 20 essays just to find out there’s no scholarship awarded?
That’s the reality of filling out forms for jobs that never come.... See more Would it be acceptable for a patient to ask their doctor for a discount on a checkup?
That’s how I feel about clients applying fuzzy match discounts to my MTPE rate.
Would it be fair to tell a mechanic which wrench to use?
That’s exactly how I feel when clients insist on certain tools for my work.
Should a student submit 20 essays just to find out there’s no scholarship awarded?
That’s the reality of filling out forms for jobs that never come.
Should a driver hand their car keys to a stranger and hope for the best?
That’s what some “job offers” from scammers expect from us.
I could keep the list going... ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 00:42
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Yes, of course (if the translator is okay with it) | Jan 20 |
It is up to the translator to decide whether he wants to treat MTPE as a special type of fuzzy match (in which case no subsequent fuzzy match discounts should be applied) or as a special type of new segment translation (in which case the MPTE is simply the new no-match rate to which fuzzy match discounts are applied for segments that are fuzzy matches of previously newly translated segments). Fuzzy match rates alter the base rate (i.e. the rate for new or "no-match" segments). If your MTPE rat... See more It is up to the translator to decide whether he wants to treat MTPE as a special type of fuzzy match (in which case no subsequent fuzzy match discounts should be applied) or as a special type of new segment translation (in which case the MPTE is simply the new no-match rate to which fuzzy match discounts are applied for segments that are fuzzy matches of previously newly translated segments). Fuzzy match rates alter the base rate (i.e. the rate for new or "no-match" segments). If your MTPE rate is simply your new base rate, then there is nothing wrong with applying fuzzy match discounts to it.
The problem is that clients often do not tell their translators how they deal with MTPE and fuzzy match discounts, and expect the translator to just eventually discover how it works for them specifically. ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 00:42
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Philippe Etienne wrote:
What's the fuzzy match cut-off value below which MT output is substantially quicker to correct than fuzzies?
For me, if the CAT tool shows the TM difference, then it's 60%. If the CAT tool does not show the TM difference, then it's 80-90%.
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Gregor Trebec
Slovenia
Local time: 00:42
English to Slovenian
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... because it is not fair to the translator.
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Samuel wrote:
For me, if the CAT tool shows the TM difference, then it's 60%. If the CAT tool does not show the TM difference, then it's 80-90%.
Interesting.
Fuzzies not displaying differences in source certainly require much more time for corrections, because you need first to spot changes visually. I agree you'd be quicker applying MT up to a high match rate.
With CAT tools showing the TM difference, your match rate from which you would choose MT over fuzzies seems very low. If MT output is worth a 60% match, then MT should be charged like an 60% match, or 100% of full rate in most discount grids "offered" by agencies!
The only time I had the opportunity to see how MT compared to fuzzy matches in real life was a large MTPE project I contributed to 15 years ago (EN>FR), driving a few more nails to my coffin.
Fuzzy (and no match) segments were pre-filled with raw MT from an NMT system trained on human TMs from the same customer and with term bases to comply with, and we had a TM filled with human segments for reference. The idea was to follow the quickest route: leave the MT and correct it (or not), or apply the fuzzy match that popped up from the human TM and correct it. It appeared that I would apply fuzzies in most cases when the match rate was 80% and above, while leaving MT or starting from scratch most of the time when the match rate was 70% and below. Fuzzies and MT were competing in the 70-80% match range.
I derived from this result (taking into account very controlled MT conditions, hence an "optimal" MT output) that MT was worth a 70-80% match, or about 60-100% of full rate, which left enough space for negotiation!
Philippe
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Poll: Do you think it is acceptable for a client to apply fuzzy match discounts to your MTPE rate?
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