Client wants a refund, saying it's done by AI

[60e2e62d]

I've worked on a project where I translated a survey. This was not a hard task, but it took me over 3 hours to complete. My contract was based on an hourly rate. The client reached out to me. According to their proofreaders, it was poor and probably done by AI. They demand a refund before I was able to reach a resolution with them.

Here's the thing, I manually translated everything. I did research on certain terms, but I did not extensively use AI to translate this. Should I refund the money? Is not refunding the money worth the potential negative feedback?

[the-right-writer]

This requires clarification. Did you or did you not use any AI for this job?

Did the client tell you that you couldn't use AI? You are supposed to tell the client if you will be using AI.

If the proofreaders are saying the translation is poor, that is one issue. Being done by AI is another issue.

If you used AI, or didn't, I would offer to correct all errors and resubmit ASAP. -

The problem with programs is that they are not native speakers, and have a limited vocabulary and no understanding of context. If the writing was poor, that might be why they believe it was AI.

[60e2e62d]

Thanks for the reply. Here are the main ways AI contributed to the project:

1. When I was unsure what a word meant.

2. To proofread some sentences that looked off.

I mainly used Google search to research the terms I didn't know. The client didn't specify whether or not using AI was allowed.

The client would have checked the translations themselves, but they don't speak the language. A copywriter claims it was poorly translated or possibly done with AI.

[the-right-writer · Accepted solution]

I would tell the client exactly what you said here about the use of AI. If it were me, I would refuse the refund. Yes, the client can leave a negative review. However, if it is retaliation, then Upwork may remove it.

It's possible this is how the client perceives the project. It's also possible the client wants free work. I would explain how I did the job, and ask for specifics. Was the noun-verb usage incorrect? What about syntax? Make them tell you exactly what the issue was.

If they do not speak the language, and are using programs, it could explain a lot. Currently, there is no accurate, 100% reliable AI detector, but that doesn't stop a zillion companies from peddling the fix.

If you refuse, they can take it to a dispute. I rather doubt it will go that far, but there is no way to be sure. Upwork doesn't decide the dispute, they try to get both parties to come to an agreement.

Everyone, and every freelancer, has to decide how they will live life. I hate to see people lose money and self-respect when issuing a refund when they know they did the job correctly. I would not let someone intimidate me into a refund in your situation.

You are supposed to let the client know you are using AI. Yes, I know Upwork has AI stuff literally everywhere, but it also lets the client know, so there are no misunderstandings.

I don't understand why you would use an "AI" program for a sentence that looks "off." Why wouldn't you use a trusted language program? Are you aware, that to use AI as a check, is unwise? No one guarantees the information from AI is accurate, and often it is not. Any AI must be checked by someone who knows more than the LLM they scraped from the web, books, etc.  ChatGPT and all the chatbots are working from a predictive language base. If you don't know how to translate something, it will only get worse with the chatbots.

[60e2e62d]

Thank you for sharing your perspective. The conversation between the client and I seems to have fallen silent for now, although it doesn't feel we came to any agreement or conclusion so far.

To clarify the sentence: "To proofread some sentences that looked off," I meant to refer to the grammar of sentences. If a sentence did not sound well, I asked ChatGPT to proofread it. I have only done this a few times, trying to limit AI usage as much as possible.

[the-right-writer]

Again, if you want to check your grammar, use a program designed to do it. AI is not a grammar checker. What if it pulls up the wrong information? It does happen, all the time. That's why Upwork has all those jobs to correct chatbot documents.

While no grammar program is perfect, some make more mistakes than others. If you are translating into your language, you should have not been using a program, you should know how to use grammar in your native language. If you don't, find a program designed to check grammar.