Any other services like Sfera Studios that test translators?
Thread poster: Franjo Varšić
Franjo Varšić
Franjo Varšić
Croatia
Sep 15, 2017

Are there any other services like Sfera Studios where you can get work based strictly on taking a test, not experience or CV or anything else (besides Netflix)?

 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 23:17
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Only paid tests Sep 17, 2017

Sferastudios' tests are lengthy. If I remember correctly, there are 4 or 5 tests. And... getting work there is a "rat-race".

Liisa Gentalen
 
Franjo Varšić
Franjo Varšić
Croatia
TOPIC STARTER
. Sep 17, 2017

Thayenga wrote:

Sferastudios' tests are lengthy. If I remember correctly, there are 4 or 5 tests. And... getting work there is a "rat-race".


What do you mean? In what sense is it a rat race?


 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 23:17
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Rat race Sep 17, 2017

They post the projects on their website for all translators to grab them. If you're lucky, you'll receive a notification (mass mailing to undisclosed recipients) that a new project is available. If you're even luckier, then you'll get it...provided you receive a timely notification - which isn't always the case.

A few years ago I did work with them for maybe a month, or even less. Then I got tired of it and opted-out.

[Edited at 2017-09-17 09:27 GMT]


 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 19:17
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
Non sequitur Sep 17, 2017

Franjo Varšić wrote:

Are there any other services like Sfera Studios where you can get work based strictly on taking a test, not experience or CV or anything else (besides Netflix)?


I don't know of any services - video or otherwise - where you can get work "based strictly on taking a test".

My analogy is to the lamps shelf in a store, which usually includes a test socket. If those all those lamps had a sticker saying "Test me!" and you - as a customer - did it, still you wouldn't buy any more lamps than you needed, regardless of their brand (= experience, manufacturer's CV).


 
Franjo Varšić
Franjo Varšić
Croatia
TOPIC STARTER
. Sep 18, 2017

Thayenga wrote:

They post the projects on their website for all translators to grab them. If you're lucky, you'll receive a notification (mass mailing to undisclosed recipients) that a new project is available. If you're even luckier, then you'll get it...provided you receive a timely notification - which isn't always the case.

A few years ago I did work with them for maybe a month, or even less. Then I got tired of it and opted-out.

[Edited at 2017-09-17 09:27 GMT]


So there's some place where they post projects that are open to anyone?

I was under the impression that you get jobs assigned and that's that, if you get them you get them, there are no open projects to vie for.


 
jbjb
jbjb  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 00:17
Estonian to English
+ ...
big companies Sep 18, 2017

If big subtitling companies get a project in, say, Croatian, they send a notification to all Croatian translators - we have this and this project available. The first translator to answer, gets it.
Bigger languages suffer more than smaller ones because your chances of getting the work might be 1/30 for German (i.e. 30 German translators get the notification, one of them gets the work) but 1/5 for Croatian.

Most subtitling companies like testing to be sure of the translators
... See more
If big subtitling companies get a project in, say, Croatian, they send a notification to all Croatian translators - we have this and this project available. The first translator to answer, gets it.
Bigger languages suffer more than smaller ones because your chances of getting the work might be 1/30 for German (i.e. 30 German translators get the notification, one of them gets the work) but 1/5 for Croatian.

Most subtitling companies like testing to be sure of the translators and all majors like SDI, Deluxe (Sfera) etc who pay the lowest rates, need the tests to find fresh blood.
Collapse


Liisa Gentalen
 
Franjo Varšić
Franjo Varšić
Croatia
TOPIC STARTER
Who else should I contact? Sep 18, 2017

jbjb wrote:

If big subtitling companies get a project in, say, Croatian, they send a notification to all Croatian translators - we have this and this project available. The first translator to answer, gets it.
Bigger languages suffer more than smaller ones because your chances of getting the work might be 1/30 for German (i.e. 30 German translators get the notification, one of them gets the work) but 1/5 for Croatian.

Most subtitling companies like testing to be sure of the translators and all majors like SDI, Deluxe (Sfera) etc who pay the lowest rates, need the tests to find fresh blood.


Any recommendation on whom I might contact for work (with Croatian) besides SDI and Sfera?


 
jbjb
jbjb  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 00:17
Estonian to English
+ ...
media Sep 19, 2017

Mediatranslations should be a big company in the region.
Just watch some local stations and company names at the end


Liisa Gentalen
 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 23:17
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Not for everybody Nov 18, 2017

Franjo Varšić wrote:

Thayenga wrote:

They post the projects on their website for all translators to grab them. If you're lucky, you'll receive a notification (mass mailing to undisclosed recipients) that a new project is available. If you're even luckier, then you'll get it...provided you receive a timely notification - which isn't always the case.

A few years ago I did work with them for maybe a month, or even less. Then I got tired of it and opted-out.

[Edited at 2017-09-17 09:27 GMT]


So there's some place where they post projects that are open to anyone?

I was under the impression that you get jobs assigned and that's that, if you get them you get them, there are no open projects to vie for.


You have to sign up on their platform and create an account. Then they send you notifications of available jobs...like like they do to all service providers on their platform. Whoever is the fastest will get the job. The others just have to wait for the next "undisclosed recipients" email, and the rat race starts anew. That is, provided their server isn't down...which happens regularly, it seems.


 


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Any other services like Sfera Studios that test translators?







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