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Hey guys, So I wanted to throw Wolfestone into the mix, specifically for translators. They're a company out of Wales in the UK, they pay via however you want I guess through the medium of British pounds, and they're all really lovely. I don't know the rates for translators, but I know for transcriptionists, my starting rate for them is 10 pounds per 15 minutes of audio, which I am totally fine with. http://www.wolfestone.co.uk/ I quite like these guys, they do need people who either have credentials or proof of fluency. They're only taking on like experienced transcriptionists from what I gather and don't have a test for that as they're still developing that side of the company, but they do have tests for their translation side, and the best part?  friendly  Please note they do operate at GMT time zone, so deal with that accordingly.
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May 8, 2014 21:30
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An Old Boot posted:I was looking around to see if there's any dedicated watchdog sites for freelancers, because there really should be. Looking up reviews for various transcription sites on the web gets basically a bunch of scattered hits, and always makes me wish there was a dedicated aggregate site, one that starts putting more pressure on companies like this. I know it's wishful thinking, but, at the same time, it seems like it'd be an incredibly useful tool for people who aren't aware of, say, this thread. I've seen the links in this thread to FreelancerWatchDogs, so not to step on any toes. There is a website I go to called CloudMeBaby which has people that primarily use MTurk, but also have subforums for cloud based writing. There have a posting requirement so people don't lurk and not contribute (I think it's like 2 posts a month), but the owners are very much in favor of having open communication and not hiding things from select users. It's been a huge problem with sites like TurkerNation, where there is a elite group of people who have access to the super secret forums where they can interact with requesters and get special qualifications, because they are paranoid of newbies taking all the work.
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May 8, 2014 22:06
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Mark Kidd posted:I can't contribute any time or writing to the idea for the forseeable future, but I wonder if a small crowdsource campaign couldn't raise $2,000 or $3,000 from people like me in order to pay freelancers a fair wage to help build out your site. They'd be writing from their own experiences so I bet you could get a good value. An Old Boot posted:Given that this is a huge deal all over the country, and in other countries, besides (I think there's a Canadian freelancer who's actually trying to start an organizing campaign for exactly this reason, I wish i could remember his name), it doesn't seem like it'd take much to get some traction with people outside of SA. Starting a Tumblr (as obnoxious as that sounds), and a Facebook page, wouldn't be a bad place to start. Mostly just informative blurb content and news on both of those/tracking site updates/etc, giving some mission statements and posting links to new articles in a weekly digest wouldn't be a bad idea. Huh, that might not be a bad idea. $2-$3k would be enough to pay for some starter blog content, but not enough to allow me or anyone else to work on the project full-time. That would put a damper on my ability to develop the site and market the funding campaign. Still, it would be awesome. Low 5-figure funds would allow myself and others to really dig in. I could start on developing an application to turn http://www.freelancewatchdog.com/ into a real database-driven site, with ratings, and submissions, and the whole nine yards. If someone with experience in this field would like to throw me some tips, or even some on board to work on fund raising, send me a message. I should at least take a look at how feasible the idea is.
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May 8, 2014 23:24
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An Old Boot posted:EDIT: Actually, if there's a way of at least drumming up an accurate timeline on what could be accomplished when, as well as how much it would realistically cost if contributors are actually getting paid, that'd go a long way towards proving that the site is serious, rather than just a nice idea. Maybe set up an 'action plan' thread on freelancewatchdog itself, so that we're not clogging up this one? I think if someone here is qualified to project manage this and put together a crowdfunding request, it would be entirely within the spirit of the idea for them to pay themselves a little bit too in order to produce a good result. If nothing like this has happened by August or September I might be interested myself, but I'd rather someone else rough out a budget and give them a little of my money. edit: Centripetal Horse seems to be on this wavelength and replied faster than me. $5,000 is two hundred $25 contributions. Mark Kidd fucked around with this message at 02:38 on May 9, 2014 |
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May 9, 2014 02:35
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I posted a thing in respects to possible methods of pushing the site forward/etc. I hope other folks contribute. My ideas are limited.  The involvement of graphic designers and web designers in the forum topics would be a good idea, too, since some companies really do take advantage of them. Illustrators that don't work for companies (or webcomic/printed comic sites), however, I'd leave out, personally, since that could invite in anime and furry artists working single, non-corporate clients, which is really a whole other thing in and of itself, and there's plenty of boards already dedicated to it. There'd need to be someone who knew what was what deciding to post before that came up, though, I'd think. obligatory  anime and furry and whatnot
Old Boot fucked around with this message at 04:12 on May 9, 2014 |
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May 9, 2014 03:39
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I applied for a position with Way With Words, and I was rejected due to failing their English test. I have a few problems with this, and I wanted to warn everyone about the issues I had. One, they are a canadian company, and the test has some UK-type spellings (favourite, organisation). I pointed out in my answers (you have to explain some of your answers) that if the transcription was being created for an American company they would prefer "favorite" etc. Two, they claimed in the instructions that the sentences did not contain grammatical or factual errors. Several sentences had multiple independent clauses with a conjunction, but they did not have a comma before said conjunction. Also, I was torn as to whether a missing Oxford comma constituted an error or not. Three, the sentences are, in some cases, written in a very obtuse manner. I did not know going in to the test whether or not an idiomatic inconsistency should be marked as an error. I don't know if there is some sort of appeals process, but I really feel that I was robbed on that one. In any case, I have until 8pm EST tonight to submit my test script for Daily Transcripts, so I'm not out of the game just yet.
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May 9, 2014 15:24
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Zorblack posted:Two, they claimed in the instructions that the sentences did not contain grammatical or factual errors. Several sentences had multiple independent clauses with a conjunction, but they did not have a comma before said conjunction. Also, I was torn as to whether a missing Oxford comma constituted an error or not. The fact that you recognize those sorts of things puts you leagues above some of my own transcribers for sure. BTW some of you have PM-ed me about sending resumes to my work email. My IT department got back to me and said I should be able to receive any emails that don't have zipped files attached to them, so fire away. edit: we're also Canadian friendly, though we can only direct deposit into American bank accounts, so you'd hafta be okay with snail-mail checks. Jedi Knight Luigi fucked around with this message at 18:40 on May 9, 2014 |
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May 9, 2014 17:30
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But snail mail is the best! It' the only thing that comes in that isn't bills and coupons for Big Macs! Also do you guys do PayPal at all?
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May 10, 2014 02:30
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Slightly Used Cake posted:But snail mail is the best! It' the only thing that comes in that isn't bills and coupons for Big Macs! I'm not sure on that, but I should have a definite answer for you by next Tuesday. My intuition is leaning more toward "no."
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May 10, 2014 02:41
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A slight bit of thanks to Slightly Used Cake, once I sign the paperwork I'm a transcriber. Transcriptionist?
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May 10, 2014 18:41
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Yay! Glad I could help :-) And welcome aboard!
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May 10, 2014 19:44
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Is Google Hangouts the same as Google Talk? Because just the welcome e-mail told me to get Google Talk but it all leads to Hangout 
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May 10, 2014 20:14
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Is the information in the OP still relevant? Transcription sounds fun, but I'm unsure exactly how to start.
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May 10, 2014 20:24
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Firstborn posted:Is the information in the OP still relevant? Transcription sounds fun, but I'm unsure exactly how to start. I think the starting pay rates may have changed, but everything in that little quote box I wrote still stands as far as I can remember. It can be fun, but it can be really mind-numbing as well. Do the little self-test I mentioned, transcribe some spoken word or comedy piece, and see if you still want to do this for money. If so, Focus Forward and Daily Transcripts are still probably your best bet for starting out. And yeah, it's transcriber or transcriptionist, interchangeably. I always stick both of them into my Craigslist searches when I'm trolling for clients. Transcriber seems to be more commonly used. EDIT: Actually, upon looking at it again, I do see one thing I disagree with now. For some reason, I slagged off on clients that pay an hourly rate. I think that may have been due to running into some shady ones at the time that would do things like insist an hour's worth of tape should only take an hour or something ridiculous like that. I can safely say that if you find a place willing to offer you an hourly rate and willing to pay you for actual work -- i.e. ones that understand an hour of tape usually takes around four hours of hard graft for a starting transcriber -- definitely cultivate that relationship. My favorite client right now pays hourly rates, and every time I do a per-minute job that turns into a slog I find myself becoming more and more willing to work for the per-hour guys. kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 20:42 on May 10, 2014 |
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May 10, 2014 20:36
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For reference, the e-mail DT sent me today cited the pay as being anywhere between $0.50 and $1 per minute for most projects.
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May 10, 2014 20:41
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I really consider $1 to be industry standard. There's been a fair bit of downward pressure on prices as more people have gotten into this line of work, but once you get some experience under your belt it becomes easier to find better-paying gigs. Your real goal is to get into as-broadcast work or develop a rep for speed and availability, though. As-broadcast is technical and pays well, and rush work can be pure gold if you can manage the turnaround times. I do work for an overseas news agency from time to time, and it's usually "we need this literally as fast as you can finish it" with a commensurate price tag attached.
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May 10, 2014 20:45
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I've never signed a confidentiality agreement before, so, quick question on that front. How do I fill out the second page? By: ___ Name: ___ "Undersigned" By: ___ Name: ___ For "Company" I assume the by and name should be the same on undersigned since it's me signing this thing, but what about the company section? Just leave that blank or what?
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May 10, 2014 22:07
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Yep! Also for you curiousity, the only time I have done a job for DT for less that $ 0.65 a minute was for very basic QC like adding time codes. Typically the very cheap stuff will also be very good audio with a lot of known NON-INTERVIEW stuff. Rush work starts at 1.25 these days with a less than 24 hour turn around, and ASAP is $2 a minute, but I've done it for as much as $3. And agreed about the hourly. When you have a company that is willing to work with you on the hourly, and understands that it's actually a skill you hone, then you're golden. I think the only time I've felt really cheated on rates was my by the page client who just didn't think certain pages counted, and oh that's not so full? Nope, no money. Was not sad to see the back of them.
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May 11, 2014 00:11
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Yeah, By: would be where you sign, Name: where you print your name. Once you sign your end, a rep from the company signs their end. They may send you a copy, or they may just keep it on file. It's basically to cover their rear end in case you decide to post "HEY GUYS I GOT TO WORK ON THE FINALE OF SURVIVOR AND YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO THE FINAL TWO ARE!" (Although, if you ever get to work on something that sensitive, you will sign an even nastier NDA. I regularly work for a Hollywood figure whose name you would all instantly recognize, but if I divulged even that name or what properties of theirs I've worked on, I believe they would legally be allowed to shoot me in the face with a bazooka. That part might not be legally binding, but I'm not about to test it.)
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May 11, 2014 02:24
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Do these companies actually care where you are located, or just where you are from? I am a United States citizen with a U.S. passport. Could I work for any of these transcription companies while I am traveling outside of the U.S.A.?
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May 11, 2014 02:31
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Despite having my resume which clearly detailed my home address, DT made double-dog sure that I was in the US by asking me in e-mail whether I resided in the US.
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May 11, 2014 03:00
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Kaz, any of the stuff in your quote you want me to edit, just write up a replaced bit for it and I'll slap it in no problem. Same with the other people I've quoted, for that matter. I like to keep this thread up to date, though I slack off sometimes. I also occasionally paste the whole thing into a document to share with non-goons, for that matter.
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May 11, 2014 03:16
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Nighthand posted:Kaz, any of the stuff in your quote you want me to edit, just write up a replaced bit for it and I'll slap it in no problem. Same with the other people I've quoted, for that matter. I like to keep this thread up to date, though I slack off sometimes. I also occasionally paste the whole thing into a document to share with non-goons, for that matter. Really, just delete "or suggests an hourly rate" on the third line after the "Anything to watch out for?" heading. Everything else is fine; even if the DT/FF pay rates might be a little off, they're good enough for examples.
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May 11, 2014 03:44
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Bit of a segue from what the thread is talking about right now, but as a heads' up there are over 300 3-star articles available on Textbroker right now.
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May 11, 2014 13:22
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Dear Transcribers, If you are asked in your assignment to do clean verbatim, do clean verbatim. If you are asked to paraphrase one concise question, do that. If you think it's non-interview then tag it dso and don't transcribe it. DO NOT continually debate with me about whether or not you think something is a question. If it's coming from the interviewer it's classed as a question. If it goes off topic it's non-interview. If you are part of QC you should know this distinction! Sigh, ah that's better. Yeah, this could only go here. Seriously though, for anybody dealing with issues, if you don't understand what QC is asking from you, ask for an example. We love giving examples. All right I feel better now.
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May 11, 2014 21:22
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Hello thread. I decided to try the transcription route for some extra spending cash. I emailed my application, and am now attempting the test. I'm a little confused. Here's what the site says for the footer: quote:Footer They contradict themselves. They say ALL CAPS, but then the example they give isn't in all caps. In addition, the test file is the Iron Chef America one. Here's the info for it: quote:TEST FILE INSTRUCTIONS The instructions say this re: the header: quote:Main Header I wasn't given a description. Should I just "wing it" and say "Iron Chef America Episode"? And lastly, should I include the .mov file name for all the "file name" portions, including when I put in the timecode? Or is that unnecessary? Edit: And man, that first sentence is a bitch...the first word or two is garbled from starting in the middle of Alton talking, and then he's like "looking down [WORD] number one." I cannot make out that [WORD] for the life of me...team? No, not team...something else. Almost sounds like "gym." DrBouvenstein fucked around with this message at 21:03 on May 12, 2014 |
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May 12, 2014 20:57
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The header is in all caps, i this case your description will be DESCRIPTION: DIALOGUE WITH (enter names) Don't include the file type extension. Use the footer in the sample. I'll let the boss know about the instructions, although honestly I think sometimes they just do that to see if you'll note the contradiction and ask questions. Also don't use [WORD] use [INAUDIBLE] and when you have gone through the whole file go back and check your inaudibles. I often find the answer to such questions about a sentence away. Alton is a pro so he repeats himself constantly for safety.
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May 12, 2014 21:18
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I just wanted to chime in that I just submitted that Iron Chef transcript on Friday, and I did cut some swathes of transcription out with a [NON-INTERVIEW] after he had some troubles with a missing results card and restarted the post-commercial break segment three times. Also, there were some small sections of stage direction type commentary that i thought were non-interview type stuff. If i was wrong, I would be more than happy to work on calibrating that sort of thing with a bit of guidance. For the footer, I followed the written instructions rather than trying to copy the look of the sample transcript. I also learned about pisco, silpats, and Alton's drinking habits in college. I might have rushed it a bit towards the end because I received the email telling me to take the test officially at 8 pm est the day before. I didn't read it until much later, so I didn't realize I had a 24 hr window. I had already blown a whole evening testing for Way with Words! 
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May 12, 2014 21:47
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Cool, thanks for the help. So for this Iron Chef, I used "DIALOGUE WITH ALTON BROWN AND KEVIN BRAUCH," since they are doing 99% of the talking. What should I do when I hear someone talking, but I have no idea who? just write it as "MAN NUMBER ONE" or something? It's someone from "off-camera" that isn't Alton or Kevin. Might have been Bobby Flay, but I'm not 100%. Edit: V V V No, towards the middle. Someone was asking for a time check. V V V DrBouvenstein fucked around with this message at 22:25 on May 12, 2014 |
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May 12, 2014 21:53
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DrBouvenstein posted:Cool, thanks for the help. Was it at the very end of the test, or was it the section where somehow Kevin and Alton became one person. I swear one sentence started with Kevin, paused for a moment, and then it started back up with what sounded like Kevin magically transforming into Alton. In reality, I'm guessing Alton was talking too far off mic, and it stopped picking up the full range of his dulcet tones until he readdressed it at the end of the sentence.
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May 12, 2014 21:58
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If it's crew, and you're sure it's crew just giving them direction like stand here do this, typically it's non interview. If it's Alston trying and failing, but not going off topic, just trying and failing that's interview. And when listing the names, every name you've listed unless we're talking a general tag like STUDENT or MALE and then you can put various typically. In this case though, include all the names you've listed. Oh and always list it like MALE 1: or FEMALE 1: if possible. Sometimes you wind up googling the lists, but often a not once you get in there are cast sheets so there's no guess work.
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May 12, 2014 22:23
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Thanks for the help. When I get some [NON INTERVIEW] intersparsed with the same speak that IS on-topic, how should I separate it? Like so? ALTON: On topic, on topic, stuff stuff stuff. This sentence is non-interview, talking to the crew. [NON INTERVIEW] And now we're back on topic. Or more like this: ALTON: On topic, on topic, stuff stuff stuff. This sentence is non-interview, talking to the crew. [NON INTERVIEW] And now we're back on topic.
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May 13, 2014 02:47
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ALTON: On topic, on topic, stuff stuff stuff. This sentence is non-interview, talking to the crew. [NON INTERVIEW] And now we're back on topic.this one is your best bet. Remember, always beter to put more than you think counts, and always tag it don't just not include it.
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May 13, 2014 04:16
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Today's transcription rant is brought to you by geriatric interviewees on sets with amazing sound recording quality, which means a barrage of digestion sounds, lip smacking, loud pained swallowing, phlegm, etc. Not to mention the inability to complete a thought or make much sense in general.
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May 13, 2014 15:01
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Crunch Bucket posted:Today's transcription rant is brought to you by geriatric interviewees on sets with amazing sound recording quality, which means a barrage of digestion sounds, lip smacking, loud pained swallowing, phlegm, etc. Not to mention the inability to complete a thought or make much sense in general. That's disgusting.
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May 13, 2014 16:45
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I immediately regret applying for a transcription job.  Not really, but obviously I can see there will be easier jobs, harder jobs, and just plain sickening jobs.
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May 13, 2014 17:32
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Crunch Bucket posted:Today's transcription rant is brought to you by geriatric interviewees on sets with amazing sound recording quality, which means a barrage of digestion sounds, lip smacking, loud pained swallowing, phlegm, etc. Not to mention the inability to complete a thought or make much sense in general. Bahaha! I know what you did! You prayed to the audio gods that people would learn how to loving record their poo poo like professionals, that'll teach you to hope. On a more serious not, I'm so sorry, there's nothing that's worse than lip smackers. *shudder*
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May 13, 2014 19:00
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How do you even tag those sounds?? I may need to know, I should be starting my first paid project today or tomorrow!
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May 13, 2014 20:17
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You usually don't have to tag sounds outside of a cough, laugh, sigh, or throat clearing. Once in a blue moon I'll get a project where the client wants all extra sounds or extra movement noted (like if they flail their arms around or something), but it's rare and in those cases they generally are not picky about the syntax. Stuff like [MAKES NOISE] [WAVES ARMS] and things like that have been totally acceptable for those projects.
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May 13, 2014 21:32
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Got an email from Daily Transcription saying I had some "odd formatting choices." I tried to follow the examples as best I could, but there was stuff in the clip that wasn't entirely covered in the example. Anyway, for content: IF I manage to snag some transcription work, what's a good combo of foot pedal/software? I scoffed at the idea at first, but just doing the sample clip and having to alt-tab over to pause/stop/rewind was tedious.
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May 13, 2014 22:33
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