🐈
» Groups » Writers & Translators » Forum » Re: Editing scam?
Page options
3687cebb
Community Member

Editing scam?

I'm in the United States. I've hired people overseas to do editing. They have these great references yet, when it comes down to editing they set the cursor down on a document and they don't move hardly at all for 10 or 15 minutes is this something other people of experience? And is this simply a method of ripping people off? Or is it just customary that you have to read the whole entire document before you start editing it?

11 REPLIES 11
robin_hyman
Community Member

Troy, if you hire experienced freelancers, why don't you trust them?  Are they not delivering by your deadline?  If they do deliver and you are satisfied with the results, why is this an issue?  Perhaps they open the document and need to get a glass of water before beginning.  Maybe the phone rings.  Maybe nature calls.  Whatever the case, have trust in your freelancer.  

kfarnell
Community Member


Troy M wrote:

I'm in the United States. I've hired people overseas to do editing. They have these great references yet, when it comes down to editing they set the cursor down on a document and they don't move hardly at all for 10 or 15 minutes is this something other people of experience? And is this simply a method of ripping people off? Or is it just customary that you have to read the whole entire document before you start editing it?


I'm not sure why being overseas is relevant, but I'm an overseas editor from your point of view.

 

What an odd question. Of course they have to read it first. Admittedly, if the document is over about 10k words I'll often edit errors that leap out while I'm doing the first read through, but I still need to have read the whole piece before I can really attack it. For example, you could have said the same thing three times and I'd need to spot that and decide where the best place for you to say that thing (and perhaps how) is. And I've been known to do few movements when considering some potential edits - or even looking something up to make certain it's correct. That's not ripping people off, it's doing a good job.

 

 

 

wescowley
Community Member

Yes, it is common to read, or at least scan, through the document before beginning the real editing.  I do it to get an overall understanding of the work before I dive in.  It's also common to sit on a page for a few minutes to work out the best way to make a change or to Google names/places to validate spelling.   

 

Speed depends on a lot of factors - quality and complexity of the writing, how much needs to be validated for spelling / accuracy, etc.

versailles
Community Member

Capture d’écran 2019-07-19 à 12.00.37.jpg

 

 

This measures the mouse/keyboard activity. If it's very low for 15 minutes, they are not doing much. I'm editing and I never stare at a screen for 10-15 minutes doing nothing.

 

 

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

Not doing much on screen.

 

Reading through, looking things up in books (because I haven't memorised all the style books I use, for starters), making notes on paper or on a separate screen to come back to... there are numerous reasons why people editing may not be going clickety-click all the time - especially at the start. That's without allowing time for thinking - I've never yet managed to edit a piece of fiction without having to at least once sit back for several minutes and try to work something out in my head.

 

But this is a good reminder why I avoid hourly-based projects.


Kim F wrote:

Not doing much on screen.

 

Reading through, looking things up in books (because I haven't memorised all the style books I use, for starters), making notes on paper or on a separate screen to come back to... there are numerous reasons why people editing may not be going clickety-click all the time - especially at the start. That's without allowing time for thinking - I've never yet managed to edit a piece of fiction without having to at least once sit back for several minutes and try to work something out in my head.

 

But this is a good reminder why I avoid hourly-based projects.


_______________________

+ 1000

r_satta
Community Member


Troy M wrote:

I'm in the United States. I've hired people overseas to do editing. They have these great references yet, when it comes down to editing they set the cursor down on a document and they don't move hardly at all for 10 or 15 minutes is this something other people of experience? And is this simply a method of ripping people off? Or is it just customary that you have to read the whole entire document before you start editing it?


It depends on many factors.
For example there was this time that I worked for 2 hours straight then I realized I was using the wrong contract to count the hours :facepalm: I didn't want to bother the client and I just left the counter going on for 2 hours (on the right contract this time), since I don't trust manual time requests.


Roberto S wrote:


For example there was this time that I worked for 2 hours straight then I realized I was using the wrong contract to count the hours :facepalm: I didn't want to bother the client and I just left the counter going on for 2 hours 

WAT?!

 

 

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless


Rene K wrote:

Roberto S wrote:


For example there was this time that I worked for 2 hours straight then I realized I was using the wrong contract to count the hours :facepalm: I didn't want to bother the client and I just left the counter going on for 2 hours 

WAT?!

 


I had 2 active contracts and it was my very first job on Upwork, I think, maybe the second one.
So i clicked "ON" to start counting the hours, but unluckily, after 2 hours, I realized I didn't select the right contract. So I deleted these 2 hours and I started counting them with the right contract this time, just that I idled for 2 hours more Smiley Indifferent Don't worry, I told the client my mistake before doing it.

Everyone will jump down my throat for this but ...

 

Over the last 12 or so months I've started doing hourly jobs. I have never used Time Tracker. Once the buyer and I have talked (schussed each other out and have a better understanding of what is really needed) I explain

 

- many clients have NDAs and I would be violating them if TT was taking shots of my computer

- thinking is at least 50% of any creative job ... and TT does not allow for and accommodate it

 

Clients not only understand - but agree and I've never been stiffed doing manual hours. I obviously supply notes on what was done.

 

I'm a professional. My clients are professionals. Trust, integrity, honesty, and quality are traits that are often limited to professionals vs. the 'get rich quick' buyer or FLer mentality.  And micro-managing is for the insecure and foolish ....

 

itranslatethings
Community Member

Hello Troy,

 

If you are suspicious that your editors might be slacking off, you could try doing a paid test job. I'm not a client, but I am a proofreader. I have gone through this sort of thing before, and I think it's actually a very clever idea to see if you have the right person for the job. 

 

It might also ease your nerves to hear that your editors could just be reading through the text. Everyone has different ways of getting the job done.

 

If you're really that worried, maybe you should express that concern to your editors. You ARE paying them after all, and from what I can tell, communication is pretty essential on Upwork!

 

Best of luck to you.