Poll: If you accept a translation test, what are your chances of getting the project? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "If you accept a translation test, what are your chances of getting the project?".
This poll was originally submitted by Puritad Thongpreecha. View the poll results »
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I think I have passed all the translation tests I have done over the years. Experience has taught me to negotiate the price before doing the test, because I have sometimes heard the client say after approving my test that I was too expensive. Now and then, though I have received an e-mail saying that my test was approved, work never materialized. Some translation tests seem to be doomed to the same fate as NDAs. Anyway, I see these tests as a good investment and they go both ways: the way it is ... See more I think I have passed all the translation tests I have done over the years. Experience has taught me to negotiate the price before doing the test, because I have sometimes heard the client say after approving my test that I was too expensive. Now and then, though I have received an e-mail saying that my test was approved, work never materialized. Some translation tests seem to be doomed to the same fate as NDAs. Anyway, I see these tests as a good investment and they go both ways: the way it is handled is usually a good indicator of how organized the potential client is… ▲ Collapse
| | | | Philip Lees 
Griekeland
Local time: 19:10
uit Grieks in Engels
The way this question is phrased renders it so ambiguous that the answer is meaningless.
Is it addressed to the answerer as an individual, i.e. If I, Philip, accept a translation test, what are my chances of getting the project?
Or is it intended to be the non-specific "you", i.e. If <any translator> accepts a translation test, what are their chances of getting the project?
As many people are likely to take a given translation test, but only one of th... See more The way this question is phrased renders it so ambiguous that the answer is meaningless.
Is it addressed to the answerer as an individual, i.e. If I, Philip, accept a translation test, what are my chances of getting the project?
Or is it intended to be the non-specific "you", i.e. If <any translator> accepts a translation test, what are their chances of getting the project?
As many people are likely to take a given translation test, but only one of them will get the project, the answers to the two questions will clearly be quite different.
Maybe that's why the answers are fairly uniformly distributed over the alternatives provided.
[Edited at 2025-07-07 04:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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An agency may send tests out to ten or a dozen translators.
The end client may ask for quotes from two or three agencies.
I have helped agencies with assessing tests, and they are sincerely looking for the best translator for the job, but quite a lot of tests may have been sent out, and there is only one job.
On the other hand, after the agency has invested time and effort in the selection process, the translator who does get the job has probably landed a large or... See more An agency may send tests out to ten or a dozen translators.
The end client may ask for quotes from two or three agencies.
I have helped agencies with assessing tests, and they are sincerely looking for the best translator for the job, but quite a lot of tests may have been sent out, and there is only one job.
On the other hand, after the agency has invested time and effort in the selection process, the translator who does get the job has probably landed a large or a long-term commitment.
Occasionally an agency will keep two or three other names for reference, to check up on for another job, or as a reserve, if the chosen translator is not available later on.
I accept tests, but I also know that they rarely result in jobs immediately. ▲ Collapse
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| Passing the test is not the biggest hurdle | Jul 7, 2025 |
I just completed a translation test for which I estimate a 25% chance that the reviewer will reject my translation because they expect it to be more literal. The agency doesn't have in-house expertise for Dutch.
I've had a client which approved my test, onboarded me with extensive documentation, seemed to appreciate what I wrote about their country, let me install the end client's app on my phone, and then never sent me a job. I've also joined a promising project requiring a collect... See more I just completed a translation test for which I estimate a 25% chance that the reviewer will reject my translation because they expect it to be more literal. The agency doesn't have in-house expertise for Dutch.
I've had a client which approved my test, onboarded me with extensive documentation, seemed to appreciate what I wrote about their country, let me install the end client's app on my phone, and then never sent me a job. I've also joined a promising project requiring a collective translation effort which ended after two paid practice projects.
Maybe it's more instructive to view it from the other side, although this was for a rather specialized job as a reviewer. When I was a language lead, at one point I rejected three applications in a row, including one from a translator I knew who was great at a different type of jobs. I started to wonder if our test was to strict. I even rejected one candidate who already had a contract with the agency as a copywriter. But eventually we hired 2 out of 7 applicants, who turned out to be excellent. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Yasutomo Kanazawa
Japan
Local time: 01:10
Member (2005)
uit Engels in Japannees
+ ...
99.9% they don't even bother to reply whether I passed the test or not. So, no free translation tests for me. And the remaining 0.01%? I either failed the test or passed the test but I didn't get the job because they told me that they have chosen to go with another translator.
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