| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Have you ever undertaken any pro bono work? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever undertaken any pro bono work?".
View the poll results »
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For:
Malaria Consortium
Translators Without Borders
Médecins sans Frontières
Online Volunteer Service/UN Volontaires
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The only time so far (everything crossed, touch wood, etc.) that I got stiffed was almost 20 years ago, by a lady who claimed her surname was Bono.
These days, I kinda smile about it, 'cos I reckon she was basically telling me all along she had no intention of paying
| | | | | I am very sceptical | Jun 15 |
I did some pro-bono jobs in the past, one of which was for a charity, that eventually never could be bothered to implement the translated website ...
Since then and since I lived in Geneva and got to know people working for NGOs, I have been very sceptical of pro-bono translations.
The staff of such organisations earn extraordinarily high wages, the bosses fly first class between Geneva and Zurich, have a top-notch car with driver and throw out the money left right and ... See more I did some pro-bono jobs in the past, one of which was for a charity, that eventually never could be bothered to implement the translated website ...
Since then and since I lived in Geneva and got to know people working for NGOs, I have been very sceptical of pro-bono translations.
The staff of such organisations earn extraordinarily high wages, the bosses fly first class between Geneva and Zurich, have a top-notch car with driver and throw out the money left right and center, but for a little translation, they try to find a naive idealist to do it for free, because it is charity after all.
Sorry, but I like money, too.
Having said that, I have done translations as a favour for friends and family, and that's ok with me.
[Bearbeitet am 2024-06-15 05:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Kay Denney 
France
Local time: 14:59
French to English
I have often translated bits and pieces for friends, and checked CVs and cover letters and the like in English.
I do occasional translations for the NGO I have volunteered with for the past 20 years. Not all that much because the volunteer work scratches a different itch.
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When I first started, I wanted to translate art texts but I only managed to get a few poorly paid jobs from agencies. I also occasionally worked pro bono for a small charity. After some months with them, one of the volunteers asked me if I could translate a short catalogue for a gallery in Pietrasanta, Tuscany.
A famous Italian author and translator, Aldo Busi, gave a speech on the opening night and, jokingly, said that the translation of the catalogue was "better than the original... See more When I first started, I wanted to translate art texts but I only managed to get a few poorly paid jobs from agencies. I also occasionally worked pro bono for a small charity. After some months with them, one of the volunteers asked me if I could translate a short catalogue for a gallery in Pietrasanta, Tuscany.
A famous Italian author and translator, Aldo Busi, gave a speech on the opening night and, jokingly, said that the translation of the catalogue was "better than the original". It certainly wasn't but his words had great effect: by the following Monday I had been contacted by three gallery owners, who later passed on my name to museums, galleries, publishers and other institutions up and down the country.
Very soon I had no time to work for the charity, so that was the end of that. I did a few little jobs for the Nashville Police Department, a most unlikely client, and have done a few other jobs since then. Little did I suspect that working for free for a charity would ultimately lead to me earning hundreds of thousands of euros from the direct clients I still work with today.
[Edited at 2024-06-15 13:14 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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I have never worked for Paul David Hewson.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 14:59
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
No, and I hope I never will. I've simply got no time for that.
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 15:59
Member
English to Turkish
Lieven Malaise wrote:
I hope I never will.
Are you afraid that someone might guilt-trip you into it or, god forbid, put a gun to your head to get you translate for free?
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 14:59
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Baran Keki wrote:
Are you afraid that someone might guilt-trip you into it or, god forbid, put a gun to your head to get you translate for free?
No, it would just mean that I've got time to do it, which wouldn't be good for my business.
| | | | | Translators without Borders | Jun 15 |
Ines Radionovas-Lagoutte, PhD wrote:
I did some pro-bono jobs in the past, one of which was for a charity, that eventually never could be bothered to implement the translated website ...
Since then and since I lived in Geneva and got to know people working for NGOs, I have been very sceptical of pro-bono translations.
The staff of such organisations earn extraordinarily high wages, the bosses fly first class between Geneva and Zurich, have a top-notch car with driver and throw out the money left right and center, but for a little translation, they try to find a naive idealist to do it for free, because it is charity after all.
Sorry, but I like money, too.
Having said that, I have done translations as a favour for friends and family, and that's ok with me.
Unless things have changed, those organisations that use TWB to get pro-bono translations have to pay TWB a fee, which I suppose is a lot less that what they'd have to pay the actual translators.
https://twb.translationcenter.org/workspace/manuals/page/frequently_asked_questions#:~:text=Although%20there%20have%20been%20rare,annual%20subscription%20fee%20of%20$500.
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Lieven Malaise wrote: Baran Keki wrote:
Are you afraid that someone might guilt-trip you into it or, god forbid, put a gun to your head to get you translate for free? No, it would just mean that I've got time to do it, which wouldn't be good for my business.
Or a sign that your business is doing well… Either way it sounds a bit harsh.
As I’ve said before, I do a lot of work for charity but I don’t like to talk about it.
It doesn’t include translation as I translate the wrong languages.
Although my favourite job is at a rate I wouldn’t normally get out of bed for. I hope you’re grateful, people of Sweden.🇸🇪
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consists in having done so many voice over/dubbing jobs/translations and never having been paid for an amount equivalent to about 12,000 €, in the 70s and 80s when still living and working in Italy.
The only real pro bono work I'm aware of I did in the early 80s during the chase for the „mostro di Firenze„ when I and my French, English and Spanish speaker colleagues were asked to record the audio for a video warning people coming to Italy to take care when visiting places in Tuscany.... See more consists in having done so many voice over/dubbing jobs/translations and never having been paid for an amount equivalent to about 12,000 €, in the 70s and 80s when still living and working in Italy.
The only real pro bono work I'm aware of I did in the early 80s during the chase for the „mostro di Firenze„ when I and my French, English and Spanish speaker colleagues were asked to record the audio for a video warning people coming to Italy to take care when visiting places in Tuscany. Oh, yes, and I remember doing a pro bono recording for some Italian ONLUS (non-profit organization), too, in the 90s. That's about all. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Stepan Konev
Russian Federation
Local time: 15:59
English to Russian
I don't care whether they charge fees or not. Neither I care how much an agency really charges their end client. Do you? Would you turn down an agency if you discover that they charge their client two times your rate? No. Because you agree to do the job for your rate, and nobody else's rate is your business. It's a matter of your free will.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 14:59
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Christopher Schröder wrote:
Or a sign that your business is doing well…
In my situation it wouldn't.
Christopher Schröder wrote:
Either way it sounds a bit harsh.
Why? I'm not saying I never donate to charity organizations. I just don't have time for volunteering work, be it translation or something else.
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