[Glossika] The Glossika Thread

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
61

I have been advised by the former head of the Fujen University Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation Studies that translation work undertaken by a foreigner, for pay, but WITHOUT supervision, [color=red]without insurance coverage, and without a fixed, regular monthly salary[/color], is NOT considered “work” and as such is not illegal under the laws of the Republic of China, providing that the individual in question pays all applicable taxes. I suppose this would mean accepting cases from companies who are able to issue the necessary tax documents, not from individuals (which is probably why private English teaching wouldn’t fall under this category).

In past years in Taiwan, I’ve filed taxes for income from freelance translation work (sorry, Glossika, not THIS year!! :laughing: ) and the nice tax ladies have even helped me to select hte appropriate category for tax (the gao3fei4 category allows you to exclude the first NT$180,000 income from translation or writing work).

Maybe Richard could elaborate on this point a bit?? I would suppose that this person knows what she’s talking about, but it would be nice to have an official legal opinion.

62

Has anyone ever had a good relationship with this company? I’d like to hear from one freelance translator who’s actually turned in work and been paid for it.

If at least one can step up, then at least we can give Mke/James/Fiona/Whatever some credit for perhaps at one time or another holding the intention of becoming an upstanding, legal, forthright translation agency. But I’ve checked everywhere on Proz.com and on Segue and can’t find a single person with anything good to say about them (except themselves, of course).

If, on the other hand, not a single translator has ever had a good experience with them, we can safely conclude they entered the business from the beginning with the intention of screwing everyone involved.

And thank God for free speech on forums like this one, where people have the opportunity to let others know about agencies like this… despite the following comment from Mike on Proz.com:

[quote=“Mike on Proz.com”]Kevin,

We understand now. Do not call yourself American; you neither understand nor stand for American values.

You’re deceitful, lying, dishonest, unegalitarianistic, prejudiced, undemocratic, repressive (of free speech), untrustworthy, devious, insincere, and indirect.

These are all opposite of American values. You are a communist and a virus in America. Let those in China be communist and leave them be. This YangJS is an egocentric child. But you know better. Of course, you have the right to express brotherhood with your compatriots, but you should not act like a communist, especially on American soil.

Why have you not posted all of Glossika’s remarks in the forum? You are not democratic and there is a constitutional right to FREEDOM of speech in a FREE country. We have done nothing but defend ourselves and provide proof and yet you even dare mock. Shame on thyself!

Post this email there too, if you want. Everyone may then understand how insincere you are and how you cannot be trusted.

Michael Stevens [/quote]

By the way, for anyone interested in further reading, please just do a quick search for “Glossika” on www.proz.com.

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I do in fact know a translator who turned in work and was actually paid for it, but s/he is now a member of the “strange coincidences” club. Hmmmm… seems very strange to me because payment in full should indicate that either the agency was satisfied with the work, or at the very least there was no lingering bad feeling on their part…? I understand they pay freelancers in Taiwan using bank transfers, too…so traceable!

(BTW, it is NOT me, I have [color=red]NEVER[/color] worked for Glossika, nor have I been “turned down” for employment by them, despite their protestations to the contrary.)

64

Hm, I don’t know, but to me it seems that the folks from Glossika are describing themselves quite accurately with:

(except that they forgot the word schizophrenic, LOL)

:laughing:

65

[color=green]Below the Glossika “policies” they send out to their translators just for reference. After having read through these “policies” and asked them some questions, I decided it wasn’t my piece of cake. As a result I was threathened over the phone by them. Since I don’t want to be woken up by the guys in uniform like some of the other people here I prefer to leave my name for the time being. [/color]

POLICIES

[color=blue]We negotiate the price of each project with the client and translators are paid a percentage of that price usually ranging from 70 to 80% of the budget [/color] [color=green](if they are indeed paying their translators that much, how do they do their proofing? I wonder…)[/color]. If you want to do an assignment we post, you need to be the first to respond. Projects are usually started within a few hours of sending out a request. Many of our translators are standing by for new assignments. Not all of our assignments are sent out by request as we have regular translators regularly on call for new assignments and they take priority assignments. [color=green]wow [/color]

Send us a sample of your work so that you can be placed higher up on our priority list [color=green](hm, would those be the complete case samples without pay mentioned above?)[/color]. For example if we get more than one response back at the same time, of course the assignment goes to the person we value more highly. If you get the opportunity to do translations for us, we can easily assess the quality of your work [color=green] (how? I mean without QC?)[/color] and you will be placed accordingly in our priority list.

Our policies include:

  1. There are two ways of sending translations back to us: Substitute original text with target language, or write target language below each paragraph of source text. We will specifically tell you if we require the second method. The first method is to maintain the format and structure of the original document especially in outlined material like business plans and contracts and this is the format we prefer.

  2. We expect translators to have the ability of manipulating and managing tables, charts, arrows and lines, etc. in Microsoft Word. It is not difficult to learn. Most of the text found inside tables and charts can be replaced

66

Both myself and a friend of mine had a run-in with these people a few months ago. I contacted them after reading an add in the Taipei Times I think it was, where they were looking for translators (it seems they are always looking for translators, now I know why)

The rate they offered was < 1 NT per word for a european language. When commented on that their tone became very aggresive. The following is lifted from their first and final reply to an email my friend sent them:

[color=red]Do not respond to this email unless you are seriously intend to take this project. Please read our policy[color=darkblue]see listing above???[/color].[color=red] Payment isnot based by the word , but on average 60% higher than Englsih [/color]projects…
[color=red]We don’t check the prices around here; we set them[/color]
[color=darkblue](oops, dear me)[/color][color=red]…revenues average NT$750k per month, and we maintain a large percentage of the Taiwan market…If you would like to compare, do you make more than NT$750k per month? If you do, then be prepared to be replaced…[/color]

They also gave notice in the same email my friend forwarded to me the honor of “being removed from their mailing list–for last laughs” Please note that I have just copied and pasted from some emails forwarded to me, and found it interesting enough material to share this information with you on this forum.

Hm, I don’t know, anybody have any good suggestions about these people?[/u]

67

Geezz…if [color=red]those[/color] are their policies for people who work for them, I’m thankful that I didn’t bother to submit samples (so, I suppose that puts me “farther down” the list of priority translators?? How far down do you have to be to get a threatening letter, I wonder?? :laughing: )

I’ve worked for a wide variety of agencies in the past 15 years as a translator, and I’ve never heard anything even nearly as amusing, even absent the grammar and usage issues. :smiley: Truly amazing. I especially like the part about how they don’t have the ability to spell check certain languages – if they can’t even spell check it, how can they know if it’s a correct translation? :unamused: :unamused: :sunglasses: :frowning:

I always thought a translation agency got a commission for a couple of things they had to do. Those would be: 1) attract clients and get jobs; 2) coordinate with the freelancer and offer support when appropriate; and 3) take responsibility for the quality of work that goes out under their name. Well, fortunately in the translation world, quite often the end user has no idea whether the translator or agency has done a good job… :laughing:

68

hey ironlady –

i think u should be able 2 see that from the way they ask for translators or writers – here’s one from proz.com website last month. would u really wanna work 4 people who treat u like this before u even start?

[color=blue]Project #2

We’re looking for IT industry technical writers for product manuals written in English (NOT TRANSLATED). We provide access to specifications, photoshots, (the actual product in some cases), and open communication with the engineers and designers of these products.

Our clients usually provide previous manual samples for you to ascertain their company’s writing style. This project is most specifically for the digital camera market.

We’re looking for somebody who is a NATIVE English speaker (or non-native if you have great amount of experience and samples to prove that). [color=red]Some responses from last Friday’s post were horribly written, and certainly not by native speakers (for example: i can’t you the proof cause i do’nt have the copy), we’re just going to throw these out. [/color][color=green](like this copy is well written???)[/color]

[color=blue]And need I emphasize this? Don’t send your same 'ole translation services cover letter, because this is not a call for your translation services. Please take a moment to read what we’re asking for.

Please send your resume and detailed experience to translation@glossika.com. Please also indicate your pricing (per target word) for about a 50-page manual. Provide samples of your previous products you have written. [/color] [color=green]sorry i never wrote any ‘products’![/color]

[color=red]or they could just reword the ad to read: if u like to be abused and looked down on, write to us, but u r probably not good enough anyway.[/color]

69

Who do these idiots think they are?

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The part I like best is how they come after me with NO evidence at all, then demand that everyone posting here back up every statement. :laughing:

chhau-tou-hu (is that Taiwanese? :smiley: ) you’re certainly right about their ads. If that’s how to “win translators and influence clients”… well, I don’t have an MBA or anything, but I guess I missed something in dealing with my own clients for so many years. I usually only take that kind of tone after some ridiculous agency has e-mailed me 4 times asking me to update their Rolodex for them.

The main problem I have with the Glossika affair is what people have called the “schizophrenia”. If you are a small company, you are a small company. Period. An intelligent person plays this as an advantage: personalized service, etc. etc. instead of trying to impersonate a million different people and, most particularly, [color=red]using other people’s names without permission[/color] to try to trap third parties. This is reprehensible behavior and, when proven, probably actionable in court. [color=red]I believe they call it “fraud”[/color], right (using another person’s name or, particularly, professional reputation, without that person’s permission)?

Much more serious stuff than would appear on the surface.

The question is: [color=red]has anyone ever made an even slightly negative comment to Glossika, either on a forum or in a PRIVATE E-MAIL TO THAT COMPANY, and not experienced repercussions[/color] as a result? If you have, let me know, because I have some names of people who are on the “GHL”, the Glossika Hit List, may not yet know they are so honored.

And yes, I know about the private e-mail part for sure, as “Mike” kindly re-posted a private e-mail from one of their translators on the ProZ thread. This finally allowed me to understand why that person had been targeted specifically. It’s really amazing what you can put together given a bit of time, isn’t it?

[color=red]I think I was wrong in thinking I was caught in a cross-fire between agencies. I think they’re really targeting individuals based on negative feedback from those individuals[/color]. That is, when they can find the people in question…however, I don’t eliminate the possibility that they would like to hurt their competitors too, if possible. :unamused:

71

Ok, we know these people treat translators like shit, but any stories about how Glossika treats their clients ?

My guess is, with threats and lies… “Glossika style”

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Fried bean curd.

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Fried bean curd.[/quote]

Ha! The poster’s name is “fried bean curd” ‘chha tou-hu’, but ironlady quoted it as ‘chhau tou-hu’ “stinky bean curd”, which is also a popular dish.

74

It turns out the the lawyer representing the young lady at Glossika has very recently decided to jump ship and discontinue representing them. I guess maybe he only recently found out that the company was completely illegal?

And they said there was no such thing as a smart lawyer… Can’t say that I blame him.

75

Hmmmm…well, if a lawyer won’t take their money, I wouldn’t think they had much of a case (pretty much what I’ve believed from the beginning…)

Methinks [color=red]an apology from Glossika [/color]might be appropriate in my case, and for the other freelancers who have been harassed…

76

I’m gonna be a famous translator! I know it!
Actually, now that I think about it, I do remember being at a cocktail party and having some guy ask me if I knew what I’d be doing in five years. I don’t remember what he looked like, but I do remember asking myself which episode of Oprah or which business/networking book he got that line from. Now I feel crushed knowing he uses this line on everyone.

77

Here’s the latest from Glossika’s (not ever) attorney. English translation is mine.

受文者：朱彬彬即雅捷企業社
Recipient: Chu Pin-pin [Zhu Binbin]
泰瑞‧
Terry

日期：中華民國九十一年十一月七日
Date: November 7, 2002
字號：九一金字九一一九四號
Number: 91 Jin 91194

主旨：為函告明理法律事務所並未受任處理朱彬彬即雅捷企業社與泰瑞間之爭端案，情查照。
Summary: Notification that Mingli Law Office will not handle legal disputes of Chu Pin-pin with Terry. Please note content.

說明：
Explanation:
一。朱彬彬即雅捷企業社（下稱雅捷企業社）於民國（下同）九十一年十月三十日以汐止龍安郵局所發第二十七號存證信函副本，收悉。

  1. Chu Pin-pin dba Yajie Enterprise Company (hereinafter referred to as “Yajie”) [color=red][nb. this is Glossika’s Chinese name][/color] sent a postal “double-registered letter” from the Hsihchih Long’an Post Office on October 30, 2002, of which we have receipt.

二。謹按明理法律事務所及負責人陳XX律師並非雅捷企業社之常年法律顧問，亦未曾受委任處理雅捷企業社與泰瑞間之任何法律事件，故並無權炫限或立場介入或處理，如右述存證信函所敘述之事件。
2. As [color=red]Mingli Law Offices and its responsible person Chen XX, Esq. has never been the normal legal representative of Chu Pin-pin or Yajie Enterprise Company[/color], and has not been retained to handle any legal dispute between Yajie and Terry, it has no right nor reason to enter into or handle this matter [OK, I didn’t bother to look up the legal terms for “right or reason”, so shoot me! that’s the idea], as laid out in the aforereferenced double registered letter.

三。據此，爾後有關雅捷企業社與泰瑞間之任何往來文書（包括但不限於律師含，存證信函等），請無庸再以副本通知本事務所，以免滋生誤會及造成不必要之困境。

  1. Therefore, hereafter in the case of any correspondence (including but not limited to attorney’s letters or double registered postal letters, etc.) referring to the legal dispute between Yajie and Terry, copies should not be sent to this law office, to avoid misunderstandings and possible difficulties.

[signed]

So the ambulance chasers don’t want to represent them either…guess there wasn’t much of a case. I’ll be watching the front pages of the Taipei Times, the 中國時報and 聯合報 for the same bilingual apology that was demanded of me. At least I didn’t make any false accusations nor set off a string of “coincidences”…

78

This from ProZ:

Every freelancers, esp. thoese from China, Mainland,

I honestly hope everyone learn a lession from the disbute from my battle with Glossika. For the agencies like Glossika, when dealing with them, sharpen your weapons, do not give up, make comprise during negotiation. They will be ousted if the behave dishonest, and maltreat you.

I love my country and people. Just read my postings, find out their sick tricks, not many. 坻蠅祥徹森ㄐWe can do without them!!!

While I don’t condone Glossika’s behavior, translators with English-language skills such as this would probably cause me brain damage too. So how can people like this get contracted by Glossika to do translation work when they would obviously fail any test given to them by a native English speaker? This is clearly pidgin English, and (playing devil’s advocate here) if this person submitted a translated text to me in a test that appeared to be native English, but submitted this Chinglish crap when he was contracted to do a job for me, I wouldn’t pay him either.

79

Wow! A Taiwanese website that’s a veritable hornet’s nest of whining and complaining. Like the typhoons you’re so famous for! I’d like to address my comments to the infamous Mr & Ms Glossika:

Bravo!!! If I had a use for the translation industry, you’d get my vote (but not my work). You’ve obviously set very high standards for your company, and have created quite a buzz simply by calling a spade a shovel. If a guy’s work sucks, or you just don’t like him, or don’t feel like paying him, just take that man right off the list! Makes sense to me. So what’s the story here at Segue? Is there really such a surplus of mediocre unhappy translators, that you’ve nothing better to do than gabble amonst yourselves in web forums? Or is this whole thread the work of only one or two? Come on now, there must be enough work for everybody to go around, even those less talented like Glossika, so let them be!

Well, that’s the way it looks from over here on the other side of the world. Thanks for the opportunity to contribute. All the best to everyone struggling to achieve their goals. May five years bring you closer.

Weird company name by the way. GLOSSIKA. I’ll remember it. Like a cross between glossary and eureka (or swastika?). Perhaps not such a brilliant move by your competitors to headline it so?

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Thank you for your valuable analysis of the matters relating to Glossika that are being discussed on this bulletin board. It can often be difficult for us in the legal and educational professions to distinguish the wood from the trees. By conducting our debates in public we hope to attract such considered and insightful analyses as you have been able to provide. I am glad to see our efforts have borne fruit.

Hexuan LL.B.

Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Sardonicism, Commissar of Oaths, Notorious Publican, and Part-time Heavy Drinker