I applied for a job as a freelance editor with Glossika (thru ad in paper), jumped through numerous hoops, supplied writing and editing samples, 2 references and a ‘test’, which was actually a translation (the English was so badly written it was utterly unintelligible). ‘Monica’ (I think) said I did a ‘pretty’ good job but I never heard from them again. That was over a year ago. I was pretty naive I suppose, but I won’t ever do a ‘test’ again for anyone. It’s a strange way for a translation company to operate.
To be fair, many reputable companies do ask for tests, but usually if you present a resume with significant experience and have been in the field for quite awhile, the agencies will waive this requirement. I do not agree to do free tests for anyone, and I almost never lose out on job opportunities as a result. When I do, it’s usually a sign that the translation company is a little, er, insecure, and there will likely be other problems with the working relationship. In my case, I have 15 years in my field, hold a Ph.D., am rostered for the US Department of State as a translator and an interpreter, belong to the ATA, TTIG and the Institute of Linguists, and have significant foreign residence time. If I were an agency owner, I would be quite willing to take a chance (without a test) on any translator that has been doing business for that long and with those credentials, and apparently 99% of the companies out there feel that way, too.
[color=red]
Let’s put it this way: you can’t ask your dentist to do one filling for free, just to see how his work is.[/color] He is a certified and experienced professional, therefore you either accept his services or not. If he doesn’t use enough Novocaine, you go to another dentist next time. 
[color=red]But you pay the full amount of his bill regardless.[/color]
Hm, interesting: I just read through all the messages, and it seems to me these guys (or should I say 1 guy with many names) really needs a shrink…this guy is really messed up in the head. The following message was posted by GLOSSIKA:
Glossika did not hire these individuals for several reasons and has nothing to do with such accusations against Glossika. If anybody feels something is illegal about the company, then please contact us directly or our lawyers. If you feel that your suggestions would be helpful then contact us directly. This is a .tw website under the jurisdiction of Taiwan law.
Funny though that the message was posted “locked”, meaning no replies possible. As for their laywer; I actually already called the guy this Friday, and the conversation was interesting (and recorded). The laywer said that action could only be undertaken by a registered Taiwanese company… funny though that I checked with the Ministry, ans was told GLOSSIKA was not a registered Taiwan company. Even better; their so-called Tax-ID number wasn’t even registered either.
This means GLOSSIKA is a completely illegal company under Taiwan law, and they’ve got no leg to stand on for ANY legal action…
Therefore I urge all ( and I know there are many) translators and other professionals that werre either cheated and/or intimidated by GLOSSIKA to keep those emails coming at the silly kill_glossika@yahoo.com email address. (again please do not be disturbed by the email handle, but it seems GLOSSIKA already took a couple of dozen possible addresses with their name in it, so the choice was limited). So far there have been close to 40 emails, and they do help to build a case against these criminals.
Please do not be intimidated…htey are baned from several websites for a good reason…
More soon…
:-)[color=blue][/color][size=18][/size]
Just a quick summary of the names and aliases GLOSSIKA uses:
Fiona/Emily/XZin-something Campbell
(her bank account is registered under Chu bin bin though)
Michael/James/Peter/Jim Campbell
(his bank account of the bank account he uses in Latvia (former USSR) is not registered under that name though, more info later)
Please do tell us if you are aware of any more aliases (AKAs) you are aware of…
Keep up the good work!!
I have read some of the postings on your site regarding Glossika with interest.
Our company has a local subsidiary in Taiwan. Charlene, one of the ladies in our office did contact Glossika early this year to discuss possible outsourcing of material to this so-called “international high-quality” company.
The folks at Glossika however were the rudest people she has yet dealt with in Taiwan. The were extremely aggresive on the phone and very paranoid.
On the phone they pressed for detailed company info. Charlene used the English name for our company, IMS during these proceedings. Several minutes later she received a angry phone call from the people at Glossika, accusing her that our company is “not registered” and that she “is lying”
Needless to say she cut the conversation short and we never otsourced to Glossika. Later that day a fax (without return fax number or sender name) arrived with the following(QUOTE):
IMS
HOW COME AIN’T NOBODY EVER HEARD OF YOU?
For the records, contrary to glossika IMS is a real, Taiwan registered company, with its office on the corner of Fushing and Hsin-Yi Rd in Taipei.
We have close to 40 people here in our Taiwan office, our tax ID number does show up on the government computer, and we DO pay or taxes.
It’s amazing to hear about the absolute lack of manners of these peole. We, IMS, are also part of the service industry, but IMS does not allow its employees to be this abusive.
I fully endorse the recommendation not to work for, or outsource to Glossika
Odd, eh? I can’t find any function on the poster’s behalf to allow locking.
Nobody else find this odd…? Perhaps I don’t know how to lock postings, but truly there is no ‘lock’ button on this screen anywhere…
Ken
Dude, that’s a moderator function. I locked it because there are already too many freaking Glossika threads.
Actually, I do know a bit about MTI. They are a legitimate company duly registered to do business in Taiwan. Their offices are over Gold’s Gym (no secret about where they are). As far as I know, they are focusing on the higher-end translation market in Taiwan, which has probably earned them a few enemies among established firms (they have been operating only for 2 or 3 years in Taiwan, I think). The director, Marc Turkenberg, seems like quite a nice guy (even though he’s French [just kidding, don’t need another threatened libel suit this week!]) and certainly deals straight. I’ve heard that they sometimes pay a bit slowly, but I have also heard that they let people know that up front, so I don’t consider that to be “shady”. Probably just the result of expansion, and I understand they pay interest on any translators fees that aren’t paid promptly.
It’s interesting to note that although I have contacted MTI in the past about freelancing for them, when I felt I wanted a bit more money, and they weren’t able to offer it on that particular job, they merely, quite cheerfully, said, “May we keep your details on file for future work?” Don’t know about others, but I certainly haven’t received any threats from MTI, nor have they taken any other actions to try to harass me, such as sending the police over, reporting me to the tax authorities, and so forth.
Of course, since Segue is a public forum (albeit not really very widely read in Taiwan considering that most of its 23 million inhabitants don’t really have the English necessary! 
) anyone is welcome to post their own experiences. Just be ready to back up anything you say. I believe that I have ample evidence of everything I have said on this board, both concerning Glossika and MTI. (Romanization questions are specifically exempt from the preceding statement.) 
I’d love to know what ‘threats’ MTI or any other agency have made against translators. As freelancers we must stick together and share information so that we can avoid making the same mistakes others have made in the past, in trusting disreputable agencies. Please, “guest”, do post specifics, that is, if you have proof to back them up.
Given all you have said about MTI, Ironlady, one can hazard a guess at who “Guest” might be.
Oooh…I wouldn’t dare!! Juba, you baaaadd man, you!
I have the feeling that I’m somehow caught in the crossfire of some kind of puerile shootout among translation companies, although all the bullets (albeit rubber bullets!) seem to be coming from a single direction.
As I’ve said, I don’t want to have any trouble with anyone. I’m a mild-mannered grad student. But I was raised in the USA and by parents who taught me to defend myself and to stand up for what’s right.
[color=red]All the nice girl(s) and boy(s) at Glossika need to do is leave me, AND ALL OTHER FREELANCERS, the hell alone (see, I’m not even demanding a public apology for the childish antics I’ve seen during the last week[/color]
, even including the Taiwanese equivalent of ordering pizza in somebody else’s name – oh, sorry, guys, that one didn’t quite work out!).
I don’t mind going to an administrative hearing with the Tax Authorities. That’s because I’m completely legal. But I would certainly hesitate to mention the Tax Authorities if I were NOT completely legal. In fact, I would want to keep my head well down if that were the case for me.
I believe there is an old saying that goes,
[color=red]People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.[/color]
'Nuff said. Let’s get back to the good old days with discussions of 7-11 clerks, Romanization systems and recipes for mantou (speaking of which, I’d love a good recipe for those brown-sugar ones that you can buy in 7-11).
I love this thread! I’m not a translator and never dealt with this company, but I would love to add my 2 cents about this company, which sounds like the devil incarnate. Okay, so here it goes: Does anyone else find it just a little bit strange that Glossika sounds like swastika? A coincidence??? I think not!!!
Why don’t we make sure as many people as possible can recognize these nice folks at GLOSSIKA?
I don’t know what to make of the swastika, but I did notice Peter/Michael/Jim whatever, sports one of those Charlie Chaplin/Hitler (you choose) moustaches.
I ran into those nice folks at GLOSSIKA again during last week’s Oriented Happy Hours (sporting, of course, a different name again on his name tag). Courtesy of the Oriented folks please click on this link to have a look at one half of GLOSSIKA:
(Mr/Herr Glossika is the gentleman on the right) Unfortunately no pics of his sweet companion, but will try to arrange that too…
The message: BEWARE OF CHIZOFRENICS RUNNING AN ILLEGAL COMPANY
Goodness, did you want to see a photo of the lady? Here’s a pic that looks astonishingly like her:
proz.com/translators/31573?bs=1
Of course this person is “anonymous”…
Just so people don’t start pointing fingers, you can also look at my picture on the same Web site. Haven’t updated the details lately, but it’s good for a laugh. It was taken by some insane Taiwanese photographer for a book jacket years back (and I’m glad to say it was NOT used on the book!)
proz.com/translators/3596?bs=1
Goodness, I really have to update that. No longer have the Spanish-speaking husband around, so I’m not going into Spanish anymore. (I, like most professionals, only work into my native language. )
All publicly available information, Toots!
oh, no!!! Why did I click on that link to the picture. Now my bubble has burst. 
I had pictured Ironlady as a Pamela Anderson type sitting arms length away from the keyboard so her appendages don’t get in the way. There she would sit all day, dedicated to her work, and in the evenings it is all play. Formal dinner parties, caviar and champagne, where she secretly acts as an operative for a foreign government ( Mission Impossible style ). On her arm is a James Bond type that she treats like a toy, something to be discarded when his usefulness is at an end.
After a few secret meetings she return home to her apartment to resume her secret identity and mod. for Segue.
But now my picture of the life of Ironlady is shattered. Thanks for the reality check Terry.
Hey, man, get a grip. Like I said, that picture was taken by an insane photographer some years back.
I really DO look just like you described. Honest. Yeah. Mind if I use your description in my moderator bio? I couldn’t have summed up my life better.
awwww, don’t cry… 
[quote=“ironlady”]Goodness, did you want to see a photo of the lady? Here’s a pic that looks astonishingly like her:
proz.com/translators/31573?bs=1
Of course this person is “anonymous”…[/quote]
Damn, girlfriend’s got a tiara! :shock: And her handle is “Liebling”! Ausgezeichnet! I’m starting to breathe heavy…
Oh well that’s better then
Post a real picture then 
unless that would blow your cover .
The photographer was an evil spy with the “gold finger” crowd. :shock:
Just a thought… who does Hartzell (if that is his “real” name) work for? :?: What agency is he with :?: Is Ironlady with the same agency :?: and is Maoman fully recovered from when his chin hit the floor after looking at our friend with the tiara?
you know, i actually met mr glossika and his, um-whatever… twice!
both times he’s all like “let me ask you something, where do you see yourself in five years?” while his “wife(?)” is making strange faces and writhing like she has to pee or something.
and each time, i’m thinkin’ “hmm… there’s only like a an hour and a half hour of happy hour left. excuse me, i need to get to the bar. hey, it was nice talking to you. what’s your name again?”
and that mustache, geez! i know your reading this glossika, but wait before you go back to pulling out your hair… pull out the 'stache. it’s that bad.
your woman was trying to be kind when she said she liked it.
Monkbucket, I don’t think those are charitable remarks you have just made. They are very unkind, indeed. Oh-oh, wait, I’m not fit to be a Segue moderator, however, according to a communication from “James Campbell”, so I guess my opinions must be wrong on this one – so I guess your remarks are all right? Gosh, I’m getting SO confused!
I for one wasn’t bothered by either one of the crew from Glossika at the last Happy hour…er, unless you count The Mysterious “Fiona Chu” who introduced herself to me as a “freelance translator” wanting to know about translation in Taipei. She claimed wide-eyed innocence when I told her to talk to her lawyers instead, but slipped on the initial response to my first question, “Do you send harassing letters as a hobby, or is it part of your job?” (the reply was, “A hobby”!) Naturally about two minutes of inquiries were more than sufficient to ascertain that the Individual In Question was, in fact, the same Fiona Campbell/Monique Chu who is involved with Glossika.
But this Mysterious Female, whatever her true name is, certainly didn’t bother me long, and didn’t prevent me from getting to the bar or talking to anyone else. It’s too bad she seems to spend so much time impersonating people…her English was really very good, and I’m sure that she could make quite a lot of money just by translating (if she can do 7000 words a day as The Person Who Looks So Much Like Her on “ProZ” claims she can do – perhaps she could emulate that person and make a fortune! I’d sure love to be able to do 7000 high-quality words a day, but alas, I’m just a normal mortal. )
Oh well, back to spy school, kids. Rule Number One: make darn sure people don’t have your business card and a fairly good memory before you try to impersonate somebody else. And don’t do it the same day your threatening letter is delivered, for sure.
Ooh, sorry, no can do. If I let you see my True Visage, I would have to, well, not kill you (we are a benign, non-violent bunch) but condemn you to a fate worse than death, probably one that involves sticky balls or alphabet chanting (“ai, bee, shee…aitchee…un…”). You don’t want THAT, now do you?? :shock: