Almost ten years ago, we sent an invoice to a fantastic client (still a client, actually). It was for a small project and we sent the invoice via e-mail. A day or so later, the client got back to us and very sweetly pointed out that:
- The invoice contained another company's contact information
- The invoice referenced the wrong project
- The invoice thus had the incorrect amount due on it
Ouch. As you might imagine, we were working, in the early days, without an accounting invoicing system and had used a previous invoice (we had simply Word templates back in) and had thought we had substituted the information. Obviously, we had not done so correctly. That was the last time we issued an invoice without a database that keeps track of quotes, invoices and project information. We thoroughly researched many options and ended up purchasing TranslationOffice 3000, which we love (a review will be forthcoming). Our client was not mad at all, but we were beyond mortified. We apologized quickly and sent the correct invoice. We never did make the same mistake again.
Would you be willing to share your favorite mistake with us and our readers?
13 comments:
I'll never forget my first days using a CAT tool a dozen years ago, though it might be a mercy were that to be possible. At the time I had a day job in Germany, which was necessary to get a visa, and I was in the process of investigating translation environment tools for possible use internally, because the company's translation department was hopelessly inefficient with its copying and pasting between MS Word, Quark Xpress, PageMaker, FrameMaker, various HTML editors and God-knows what else. A "fuzzy match" was a completely unknown concept to everyone.
My first actual use of a CAT tool was a small job using Trados Workbench with Microsoft Word, and when fuzzy matches popped up, I thought "very good" and carried on without much inspection, because I had been told not to change what had been translated before. Those little numbers like "84" and "75" between the source and target text bits didn't mean anything to me. It was all a big rush, and I was utterly green in the world of commercial translation services, so I was proud of myself for delivering this disaster before the deadline. Imagine my horror when I discovered what I had done. With an "ordinary" translation (at that time this would have been overwriting the text in some editor) I would have proofread carefully and noticed any discrepancies, but I was rather too occupied with the new technology and didn't realize that the use of CAT particularly requires BAT (brain-assisted translation) in ways previously unfamiliar.
I've never forgotten that, and when I think of the risks facing translators who are new to CAT tools or who deal with various MT travesties, I do worry that such fundamental errors or "trusting the machine" will recur with serious consequences. Even with proper training, it takes time for consideration of these risks to become automatic.
Actually, I can relate to your experience. There was one time that I erroneously sent an invoice. The subject of the email and the file name of the invoice was for the same client. However, the invoice itself was incorrect. The name was incorrect but other details were fine. Thank God, the client understand and I resent the correct invoice.
@Kevin: thanks so much for the comment, great stuff. And ouch, what a cautionary tale in terms of technology that is. Thanks for sharing! We completely agree: entirely trusting the machine is a bad thing. Humans aren't obsolete (yet).
@Cassy: thanks for sharing, and it sure looks very similar to our big faux pas! Glad to hear that the client wasn't mad. :)
Well, it's not exactly a German translation error, but when bragging about having been brought up bilingually, don't tell people that you were aufgebracht with two languages. Aufgebracht doesn't mean brought up, it means being furious. I was sort of furious when I realized I had actually said that once.
Well, this wasn't exactly a translation error, but when bragging about having been brought up bilingually, don't tell people that you were aufgebracht with two languages. Aufgebracht doesn't mean brought up, it means being furious. I was sort of furious for a bit when I realized I had actually said that once.
Thanks for sharing. So the invoice you sent:
1) contained another company's contact information
2) referenced the wrong project
3) and had the incorrect amount due on it
But other than that the invoice was OK right? Good story!
@Kevin: hilarious story, I bet it certainly teach you a thing or two about CAT tools. My contribution: I remember the time I worked in one in-house project with other colleagues, sharing the office space. After a few hours of translating and exchanging queries in a very relaxed atmosphere, one of us asks a question, that seemed rather unusual for the rest, and seemed impossible to answer. When we went to her desktop to take a look at the text, we discovered that she has been translating the Style Guide which was part of the reference material.
@EP: thanks for sharing, that's a classic!
@Ron: yes, there was nothing correct with that invoice, for sure. Quite mortifying.
@GFernandez: this might have been one of the most hilarious stories we've ever heard. Quite annoying for the poor translator, though! Thanks for sharing your story.
I am so glad your client responded sweetly! Had to share this post on G+... it just got me giggling.
I have only worked for agencies - I'm still quite junior and only just into my second year of full time translation. The only stories I have are about my dealings with editors, but those aren't as entertaining. I'm sure I'll rake up more stories with more experience in the field!!
@Sarai: agreed, we were so happy when the client wasn't angry (we probably would have been angry if we'd been the client). Thanks for commenting, and good luck with your career!
Post a Comment