| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Obviously Wrong Answer Thread poster: Amani Harrison
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C.M. Rawal 
India
Local time: 04:58
English to Hindi
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| I too was frustrated in the beginning | Nov 18, 2009 |
I too was frustrated in the beginning when a wrong answer was selected against my perfectly right answer.
There were some other provoking incidents also where a question asked by a particular person usually got closed within no time without waiting for others to agree/disagree or submit their answer.
However, I continued and within a period of two years, I am happy to see my name on top of the list in my pair.
So, I don't see any reason to give up.
| | | | | More than a game | Nov 18, 2009 |
Krzysztof:
If this were just a game, I think wrong answers would be easier to overlook. I would just take my lumps and move on. But, part of what drives me bonkers is that knowledge that this cockeyed terminology is being included in contracts, corporate reports and other important documentation. In some cases, companies will be communicating this information to investors and/or other stakeholders. That is maddening.
| | | | Paul Cohen
Greenland
Local time: 22:28
German to English
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| If KudoZ becomes a total joke, then we become the butt of that joke | Nov 18, 2009 |
Amani Harrison wrote:
If this were just a game, I think wrong answers would be easier to overlook. I would just take my lumps and move on. But, part of what drives me bonkers is that knowledge that this cockeyed terminology is being included in contracts, corporate reports and other important documentation. In some cases, companies will be communicating this information to investors and/or other stakeholders. That is maddening.
Yes, it is maddening at times. Chasing KudoZ points is more than just a puerile game or a fun way to help people -- we are also competing for clients here.
You are right -- many of these obviously wrong answers are related to contracts and corporate results and other important legal documents, and even directions for drug dosages, etc. This is serious business! Someone may lose their court case or lose a hand or overdose on a dangerous drug because of a poor translation. And ProZ is the enabler behind it all.
"Don’t take it so seriously!" "Everyone has to start somewhere!" "We have an obligation to help our fellow translators!" I’ve heard these arguments before.
But the other side of the coin is that if someone is totally out of their depth, and you notice this, it should be possible to convey that message in an appropriate and professional manner. In fact, speaking up is probably the only professional thing to do.
We can tell an answerer that his or her response "doesn't sound like English," but we are not allowed to say "You claim to be a native speaker of English but you obviously do not master the language and your English is riddled with errors like this one." Or “It says on your profile that you work in this field but you seem to be unfamiliar with this subject matter. Perhaps you would care to pass on this job to a more qualified colleague?" No personal attacks, please.
How to chastise an answerer who constantly comes up with off-the-wall and inappropriate answers? Use the “disagree” button. You don’t even have to enter a comment. Or, if you feel the need to write something, you can just say “no”. We are not allowed to be much more direct than that.
And how do we convey our displeasure to askers who consistently choose wrong answers? That’s a far bigger problem.
Ideally, since we are all adults and, at least theoretically, all professional colleagues, it should be possible to enter a post-grading protest vote with a comment like "This is blatantly wrong”. But it is also against the rules to make any such comments to the asker, either before or after grading. In fact, comments about an asker's motivation for posing a question or choosing an answer are strictly verboten. Period. We’re not even allowed to ask if they own a dictionary or have ever heard of Google. Those are the rules -- and they are vigorously enforced.
And there is no appeals process if an obviously wrong answer has been chosen.
Amani, you’ve stumbled across one of the major problems on this website. This is supposedly a venue for professionals, yet little has been done over the years to alleviate the problem of dubious answers, or even blatantly wrong answers, despite the fact that they reflect poorly on us all.
Yes, it’s more than just a game (although it can be highly entertaining). If KudoZ becomes a total joke, then we and our potential customers become the butt of that joke.
Let’s not forget that KudoZ points are the main criterion used to rank members in the directory. If an agency chooses someone with more points than you and that person turns out to be an absolute disaster, then you can imagine how willing that agency will be to look farther down in the directory.
The blind leading the blind? Yes. And sometimes it’s the quick-shooters-from-the-hip leading the blind! The directory still does not make it possible to readily differentiate between askers with an excellent acceptance rate and point-grabbers with an embarrassingly low acceptance rate, despite repeated requests by members to introduce such a feature to the directory.
Wow, this is turning into quite a rant!
My advice: Take a deep breath, Amani. You are not responsible for the wrong answers. You did not create this system, and if you find it highly frustrating, as I do at times, you might want to take a break from KudoZ from time to time. That's my approach. Ultimately, you may attract fewer customers through this site if you have fewer KudoZ points, but by eschewing KudoZ for longish periods, you’ll actually have more time to focus on your work. And if you are an excellent translator, you will eventually have no lack of clients, with or without KudoZ points.
All the best,
Paul
| | | | | The point about personal comments is that they are irrelevant | Nov 19, 2009 |
I do so sympathise with Paul!
But telling askers and answerers that they are idiots or worse will not solve the problem. Recommending a specific dictionary or posting a good link can be uderstood as: ´Why don´t you use a dictionary like the real professionals???´
It can be part of the game to work out permissible ´insults´ like: ´´Your answer fits in context A, but the question is about context B, which is different because....´´
This may actually hint that: �... See more I do so sympathise with Paul!
But telling askers and answerers that they are idiots or worse will not solve the problem. Recommending a specific dictionary or posting a good link can be uderstood as: ´Why don´t you use a dictionary like the real professionals???´
It can be part of the game to work out permissible ´insults´ like: ´´Your answer fits in context A, but the question is about context B, which is different because....´´
This may actually hint that: ´Anyone but an idiot could see the difference a mile off!´ - but it is fully permissible as a peer comment.
Entries can in fact be added after the question is closed, and good explanations are always welcome. People who contribute frequently build up a picture of themselves through their answers. Are you the helpful, constructive colleague, or are you the type who just shouts at everyone who does not see things your way?
That is why moderators remove irrelevant comments that cloud the issue, and honestly, do not reflect well on the pepole who make them either.
Illustrations and a little humour are allowed, as long as one keeps to the point.
As for myself, I can be as malicious as the worst. But I keep my fingers off the keyboard until I have cooled down. (Otherwise I make so many typos that no one can read my comments anyway... )
Icy politeness and convincing arguments are not half as easy to shake off as stock insults. And at least a linguistic answer may help the next person who looks in the glossary. It will also be remembered by those who see it in the years to come - KudoZ questions stay permanently on the site!
I show the world how courteous and clever I want them to think I am, not what I am really like!
[Edited at 2009-11-19 09:33 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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