Pages in topic:   [1 2 3] >
Why must I wait 24 hours before grading/closing a question?
Thread poster: kd42
kd42
kd42
Estonia
Local time: 13:44
English to Russian
Nov 4, 2020

I do not understand the logic behind the rule where I cannot close my Kudoz question sooner than 24 hour after asking. I sometimes deal with the requirements of lawyers, cops, transit camp wardens, security guards, etc. where the letter prevails over spirit, nobody remembers the origin of a silly rule, and the rule does more harm than good. In my humble opinion, the 24-hour rule is exactly such.

I do not ask to change anything in Kudoz, it is just an opinion.

Stay safe
... See more
I do not understand the logic behind the rule where I cannot close my Kudoz question sooner than 24 hour after asking. I sometimes deal with the requirements of lawyers, cops, transit camp wardens, security guards, etc. where the letter prevails over spirit, nobody remembers the origin of a silly rule, and the rule does more harm than good. In my humble opinion, the 24-hour rule is exactly such.

I do not ask to change anything in Kudoz, it is just an opinion.

Stay safe and have a nice day! :^)
Collapse


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:44
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Thanks but Nov 4, 2020

kd42 wrote:

... have a nice day!


Thanks, but I have other plans for today. But I agree with you about the 24-hour rule. I think there should be a 30-minute rule. On the (rare) occasions when I ask a Kudoz question, I need the answer NOW - not in the next 24 hours, and I would rather close it immediately as soon as I get an answer I can use.

[Edited at 2020-11-04 15:23 GMT]


kd42
Mervyn Henderson (X)
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:44
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
KudoZ isn't just about the asker Nov 4, 2020

kd42 wrote:
I do not understand the logic behind the rule where I cannot close my Kudoz question sooner than 24 hour after asking. I sometimes deal with the requirements of lawyers, cops, transit camp wardens, security guards, etc. where the letter prevails over spirit, nobody remembers the origin of a silly rule, and the rule does more harm than good. In my humble opinion, the 24-hour rule is exactly such.

If KudoZ was just a way for a translator to get an answer, I can see there would be nothing to be gained by leaving it open, except a pain. But KudoZ is also about the glossary, which is a feature to benefit the entire community. ProZ.com is an international site so 24 hours gives people in other time zones a chance to respond. That way, all relevant answers get into the glossary, making it more useful in searches. At least, I reckon that's the thinking behind it.


P.L.F. Persio
Tina Vonhof (X)
Robert Rietvelt
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Morano El-Kholy
Yolanda Broad
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:44
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Time zones Nov 4, 2020

Sheila Wilson wrote:

.... 24 hours gives people in other time zones a chance to respond.


That would depend on the language pair, wouldn't it?


 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 12:44
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
Not necessarily Nov 4, 2020

Tom in London wrote:

Sheila Wilson wrote:

.... 24 hours gives people in other time zones a chance to respond.


That would depend on the language pair, wouldn't it?


I am Dutch and live in Holland, but I also know Dutch translators living in the US for example. And what about the UK? There is an hour difference with the continent.

[Edited at 2020-11-04 16:19 GMT]


P.L.F. Persio
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Morano El-Kholy
neilmac
expressisverbis
Angie Garbarino
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:44
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Yes but Nov 4, 2020

Robert Rietvelt wrote:

And what about the UK? There is an hour difference with the continent.<


Added to which there are Italian/English translators in other places like the US and Australia.


P.L.F. Persio
 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 12:44
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
@Tom Exactly! Nov 4, 2020

Tom in London wrote:

Robert Rietvelt wrote:

And what about the UK? There is an hour difference with the continent.<


Added to which there are Italian/English translators in other places like the US and Australia.


They are living everywhere. That is why Sheila's answer makes sense.

[Edited at 2020-11-04 16:25 GMT]

[Edited at 2020-11-04 16:28 GMT]


P.L.F. Persio
Morano El-Kholy
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Josephine Cassar
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
neilmac
expressisverbis
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:44
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Why? Nov 4, 2020

Tom in London wrote:

Sheila Wilson wrote:

.... 24 hours gives people in other time zones a chance to respond.


That would depend on the language pair, wouldn't it?

Like Robert, I'm not really seeing why it makes that much difference.

It isn't just that languages like English, French and Spanish are spoken in various places around the world; translators are spread all over the world too. Even our clients don't stick to where you'd expect them to: I've done French to English translations for clients in Bulgaria and Japan as well as in the more obvious places. So a French to English question should stay open long enough to get input in from the UK, Australia, the US, and less obvious places. Even if it's something like German to Swedish, you might get a few translators who've relocated to the US, for example, who have valuable input.


P.L.F. Persio
Robert Rietvelt
Morano El-Kholy
Yolanda Broad
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Angus Stewart
Christine Andersen
 
kd42
kd42
Estonia
Local time: 13:44
English to Russian
TOPIC STARTER
Where does your opinion come from? Nov 4, 2020

Sheila Wilson wrote:
kd42 wrote:
I do not understand the logic behind the rule where I cannot close my Kudoz question sooner than 24 hour after asking. I sometimes deal with the requirements of lawyers, cops, transit camp wardens, security guards, etc. where the letter prevails over spirit, nobody remembers the origin of a silly rule, and the rule does more harm than good. In my humble opinion, the 24-hour rule is exactly such.
If KudoZ was just a way for a translator to get an answer, I can see there would be nothing to be gained by leaving it open, except a pain. But KudoZ is also about the glossary, which is a feature to benefit the entire community. ProZ.com is an international site so 24 hours gives people in other time zones a chance to respond. That way, all relevant answers get into the glossary, making it more useful in searches. At least, I reckon that's the thinking behind it.

Thanks a lot for responding.
Do you have stats when people reply? How many Kudoz become glossary entries? Their quality?
I bet nobody does. I also do not seem to be able to follow your logic -- 24 hours => useful glossary entries. Kudoz answers are not wine or salami, they don't become better with time.


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 12:44
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Everything goes into the glossary Nov 4, 2020

[quote]kd42 wrote:


Thanks a lot for responding.
Do you have stats when people reply?

No, but in my experience, busy translators need time to reply, and when askers are working on large projects, they should have time to wait for a really good answer.

How many Kudoz become glossary entries? Their quality?

All answers to closed questions can be found by searching. The value of Kudoz often lies in the discussion and the alternatives. Indeed, I have posted questions where I have used more than one answer in different sections of my text, and I have often wished I could give points to more than one person.

As far as quality is concerned, I think it may vary with language pairs, but I learned a great deal from Kudoz, and in Scandinavian languages the quality is high. I have been extremely grateful to colleagues who took time to search for answers and explain the difference between various suggestions.

I bet nobody does. I also do not seem to be able to follow your logic -- 24 hours => useful glossary entries. Kudoz answers are not wine or salami, they don't become better with time.

Remember, if the answer could be found easily inside half an hour, there would be no point in setting up a KudoZ question!
Besides, statistics tell you nothing about individual cases. You still have to see whether the term matches in your particular context.
However, I have occasionally found brilliant answers that were several years old. Once I was in despair about a translation involving railway points one night, deadline 8 am next morning... Until I found the perfect answer in KudoZ by googling! One of the reference links no longer worked, but someone had actually found a new one and replaced it.
Some idioms and concepts do not change much over time, even though new terms are constantly added.

If you don't like KudoZ, there are lots of other ways to find terminology. It was more difficult ten or fifteen years ago when I really used Kudoz, but I still have entries in my glossaries with notes to remind me that they came from respected colleagues via Kudoz.
That is just my point of view - but if you don't like KudoZ, ignore it!


Sheila Wilson
Michele Fauble
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Philip Lees
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Vera Schoen
Endre Both
 
kd42
kd42
Estonia
Local time: 13:44
English to Russian
TOPIC STARTER
I see your point, but I have a feeling you don't see mine Nov 4, 2020

Christine Andersen wrote:
If you don't like KudoZ, there are lots of other ways to find terminology. It was more difficult ten or fifteen years ago when I really used Kudoz, but I still have entries in my glossaries with notes to remind me that they came from respected colleagues via Kudoz.
That is just my point of view - but if you don't like KudoZ, ignore it!

Why do you think I don't like Kudoz?

[Edited at 2020-11-05 09:50 GMT]


 
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:44
Member (2008)
English to Spanish
+ ...
In my experience as an asker Nov 5, 2020

I learned my lesson back in 2009 when a helpful colleague posted the right answer 1 day and 8 hours later and saved me from a blunder.
https://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish-to-english/aerospace-aviation-space/3492107-aircraft-rocket-and-gas-turbine-engines.html

Sometimes in a rush I must use the be
... See more
I learned my lesson back in 2009 when a helpful colleague posted the right answer 1 day and 8 hours later and saved me from a blunder.
https://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish-to-english/aerospace-aviation-space/3492107-aircraft-rocket-and-gas-turbine-engines.html

Sometimes in a rush I must use the best available option, and then somebody comes up the next day with the perfect answer for the benefit of the glossary.

So, all in all, 24 hours is sensible both for the asker and the glossary.

[Edited at 2020-11-05 01:03 GMT]
Collapse


Vanda Nissen
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Sheila Wilson
Christine Andersen
Endre Both
Christel Zipfel
IrinaN
 
Vanda Nissen
Vanda Nissen  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 21:44
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
Exactly Nov 5, 2020

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Even our clients don't stick to where you'd expect them to: I've done French to English translations for clients in Bulgaria and Japan as well as in the more obvious places. So a French to English question should stay open long enough to get input in from the UK, Australia, the US, and less obvious places. Even if it's something like German to Swedish, you might get a few translators who've relocated to the US, for example, who have valuable input.


I live in Australia but English-Russian is not my only working pair, I also translate from Danish, Swedish, and Polish into Russian, and I know that I provide reliable and accurate answers in these pairs. So, it may make sense to wait for my input:).

[Edited at 2020-11-05 11:32 GMT]


Sheila Wilson
Christine Andersen
Michele Fauble
P.L.F. Persio
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Angie Garbarino
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 12:44
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Thank you Vanda! Nov 5, 2020

Vanda Nissen wrote:

....

I live in Australia but I English-Russian is not my only working pair, I also translate from Danish, Swedish, and Polish into Russian, and I know that I provide reliable and accurate answers in these pairs. So, it may make sense to wait for my input:).


Thank you for the Danish contributions - I have found several useful.


 
Vanda Nissen
Vanda Nissen  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 21:44
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
Thank you! Nov 5, 2020

Christine Andersen wrote:


Thank you for the Danish contributions - I have found several useful.


Thank you, Christine, and likewise - my husband works with Danish and English, and we both used your contributions.


 
Pages in topic:   [1 2 3] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Why must I wait 24 hours before grading/closing a question?






Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »
Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »