Forum: MemoQ support
Topic: Make sure agencies leave "Homogeneity" switched OFF when running statistics in memoQ!
Poster: Michael Beijer
Post title: Thanks for the clarification!
[quote]Philippe Etienne wrote:
[quote]Rossana Triaca wrote:
Weighing rates according to internal fuzzy matches (or whatever name the CAT dujour calls it) has been the standard industry practice for several years now.
How this weighing is done (i.e., the discount matrix) is strictly a business matter between the involved parties, but unless they want to change it covertly after reaching and agreement I'd never consider it shady.
Bear in mind you can use different metrics to estimate the amount of work (as many do, charging by hours, pages, lines, etc.), and adjusted words are just that, one more metric... [/quote]
Granted, weighted wordcounts and "Trados grids" have been around for at least as long as I've been a translator. Michael may have brought some confusion comparing Homogeneity (Memoq)/internal fuzzy matches (Trados I think) with "weighted words", which means the product of the CAT analysis matrix with the "Trados grid" matrix, i.e. the basis of fees for translators accepting CAT discounts.
What Michael refers to is the Homogeneity checkbox in MemoQ - or the Internal fuzzy matches checkbox in SDL Trados -, whereby new segments are dynamically checked against previous segments of the same document, converting any new segment into a fuzzy match if it happens to be similar to an earlier No-match segment in that non-translated document.
Bottom line: lower weighted wordcounts.
And I understand how upsetting this thing is, because I imagine he's known the Trados-without-SDL era.
In my early days, Trados did not have such option. And it was just so pleasant to realise underway that in fact you would spend less time than anticipated on a translation. The benefit of "internal fuzzy matches" was in our pockets, not agencies'.
SDLX did have that option, and I avoided working with that CAT tool for that very reason.
When Trados was bought by SDL, this feature was brought to grid-version SDL Trados, and I would venture that it is now becoming a norm for agencies to check that fee-cutting option whatever the CAT tool.
Basically, it's a checkbox that decreases weighted wordcounts (compared to old Trados) with no other benefit whatsoever.
When that thing became widespread, I used to reply to agencies with not only wy own discount grid, but also two word rates, one with the option unchecked and another about 15% higher with the option checked. Now I can't be bothered, I just advertise the higher one.
Philippe
[Edited at 2015-08-20 18:59 GMT] [/quote]
Indeed, Philippe , I meant "homogeneity" (Memoq) / "internal fuzzy matches" (SDL), not "weighted word count" (e.g., as embodied in a so-called CATCount, which I use in TO3000 to calculate my total fee for a job).
I remember telling Kilgray that this would lead to problems for us translators (back when they introduced their "homogeneity" switch), years ago in the memoQ list, and I was right: unscrupulous agencies are using it more and more these days. And sadly, many translators don't know about or understand it, getting royally $cr€w€d in the process.
Michael
Topic: Make sure agencies leave "Homogeneity" switched OFF when running statistics in memoQ!
Poster: Michael Beijer
Post title: Thanks for the clarification!
[quote]Philippe Etienne wrote:
[quote]Rossana Triaca wrote:
Weighing rates according to internal fuzzy matches (or whatever name the CAT dujour calls it) has been the standard industry practice for several years now.
How this weighing is done (i.e., the discount matrix) is strictly a business matter between the involved parties, but unless they want to change it covertly after reaching and agreement I'd never consider it shady.
Bear in mind you can use different metrics to estimate the amount of work (as many do, charging by hours, pages, lines, etc.), and adjusted words are just that, one more metric... [/quote]
Granted, weighted wordcounts and "Trados grids" have been around for at least as long as I've been a translator. Michael may have brought some confusion comparing Homogeneity (Memoq)/internal fuzzy matches (Trados I think) with "weighted words", which means the product of the CAT analysis matrix with the "Trados grid" matrix, i.e. the basis of fees for translators accepting CAT discounts.
What Michael refers to is the Homogeneity checkbox in MemoQ - or the Internal fuzzy matches checkbox in SDL Trados -, whereby new segments are dynamically checked against previous segments of the same document, converting any new segment into a fuzzy match if it happens to be similar to an earlier No-match segment in that non-translated document.
Bottom line: lower weighted wordcounts.
And I understand how upsetting this thing is, because I imagine he's known the Trados-without-SDL era.
In my early days, Trados did not have such option. And it was just so pleasant to realise underway that in fact you would spend less time than anticipated on a translation. The benefit of "internal fuzzy matches" was in our pockets, not agencies'.
SDLX did have that option, and I avoided working with that CAT tool for that very reason.
When Trados was bought by SDL, this feature was brought to grid-version SDL Trados, and I would venture that it is now becoming a norm for agencies to check that fee-cutting option whatever the CAT tool.
Basically, it's a checkbox that decreases weighted wordcounts (compared to old Trados) with no other benefit whatsoever.
When that thing became widespread, I used to reply to agencies with not only wy own discount grid, but also two word rates, one with the option unchecked and another about 15% higher with the option checked. Now I can't be bothered, I just advertise the higher one.
Philippe
[Edited at 2015-08-20 18:59 GMT] [/quote]
Indeed, Philippe , I meant "homogeneity" (Memoq) / "internal fuzzy matches" (SDL), not "weighted word count" (e.g., as embodied in a so-called CATCount, which I use in TO3000 to calculate my total fee for a job).
I remember telling Kilgray that this would lead to problems for us translators (back when they introduced their "homogeneity" switch), years ago in the memoQ list, and I was right: unscrupulous agencies are using it more and more these days. And sadly, many translators don't know about or understand it, getting royally $cr€w€d in the process.
Michael