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Agency docked 50% of agreed price on discovering use of SDL Language Cloud after delivery

Wieder Gerhard

I just delivered a translation for which I used SDL Language Cloud to provide me with a first-draft rough translation which I then carefully checked and edited segment by segment to create “my” translation.

Following delivery, the agency cancelled the original purchase order and issued a second one for 50% of the previously agreed price, arguing that I had delivered a machine translation (MT) which they cannot justify vis-à-vis their client.

The agency refuses to accept my argument that I used MT merely as a (legitimate) productivity tool to provide me with a rough skeleton as a starting point for my work.

I would be interested in finding out whether other colleagues out there share my opinion that it is for me as a translator to decide which tools I use, and whether they have encountered similar problems.

I would also be interested in the standpoint of RWS on this issue. I certainly haven’t seen any warnings about being penalised for using the software.
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    Hi Gerhard,

    I agree with you absolutely - it's entirely your business which tools you use to produce your translation (unless you have instructions to use a particular one, of course, but that's a different issue). What matters is that you deliver a quality translation on time. I don't use SDL Language Cloud but I do use DeepL for the same reasons, namely to give me a draft as a starting point to work with. There are some jobs where I can get the translation done much faster and others where the time saving is minimal. However, even then, DeepL provides me with inspiration and gives me ideas I might otherwise not have had. Like you, I'm fully aware that every segment still needs careful checking and very often editing. These are very useful tools but they're not (and can't be expected to be) perfect. You have to know how to use them properly, and that is your personal expertise that you've built up over the years. And in my opinion that expertise should be recognized and properly paid for. If the agency isn't your bread-and-butter customer, I would be seriously tempted to reconsider your relationship with them.

    That's my 2 cents worth, anyway!

    Martin
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    Hi Gerhard,

    I agree with you absolutely - it's entirely your business which tools you use to produce your translation (unless you have instructions to use a particular one, of course, but that's a different issue). What matters is that you deliver a quality translation on time. I don't use SDL Language Cloud but I do use DeepL for the same reasons, namely to give me a draft as a starting point to work with. There are some jobs where I can get the translation done much faster and others where the time saving is minimal. However, even then, DeepL provides me with inspiration and gives me ideas I might otherwise not have had. Like you, I'm fully aware that every segment still needs careful checking and very often editing. These are very useful tools but they're not (and can't be expected to be) perfect. You have to know how to use them properly, and that is your personal expertise that you've built up over the years. And in my opinion that expertise should be recognized and properly paid for. If the agency isn't your bread-and-butter customer, I would be seriously tempted to reconsider your relationship with them.

    That's my 2 cents worth, anyway!

    Martin
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