| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | What would count as a monolingual English credential? Thread poster: JaneD
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JaneD 
Sweden
Local time: 12:21
Member (2009)
Swedish to English
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I've just seen an English-English job posted on the site, involving rewriting an existing text. This is the kind of project I undertake quite often, as I regularly help clients improve non-native or unclear texts. However, this particular job posting requires a credential.
I don't have a credential in any of my languages, and when I see jobs from Swedish or French into English that require a credential, it doesn't bother me. In this case, though, I am rather miffed by the fact that ... See more I've just seen an English-English job posted on the site, involving rewriting an existing text. This is the kind of project I undertake quite often, as I regularly help clients improve non-native or unclear texts. However, this particular job posting requires a credential.
I don't have a credential in any of my languages, and when I see jobs from Swedish or French into English that require a credential, it doesn't bother me. In this case, though, I am rather miffed by the fact that I am unable to apply for a job posting in my own native language.
I've looked at a few other people's credentials for this "pair" and they mostly seem to be English degrees, which I am not about to undertake.
However, I do have both a degree and an MA, taken at UK universities, in other subjects, but using the English language and including the writing of something like 40,000 words of dissertation/thesis.
I wonder whether these qualifications would be acceptable to show the level of my command of English - what do other ProZians think? What is the official opinion of site staff?
Failing this, are there any good courses you could recommend that would definitely count? This type of job doesn't come up very often on the ProZ board, but it has made me reconsider whether official recognition of my English ability would help me better market this aspect of my services. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lionel Kempf
France
Local time: 12:21
Member
English to French
+ ...
| Re:What would count as a monolingual English credential?" | May 16, 2012 |
well, I would expect that university diplomas in english should be enough of a credential really. Usually those credentials are required from non mother-tongue speakers, but don't really apply if your mother-tongue is english.
Otehrwise, have a look at the web site of the IOL, they have a number of exams purely linked to english language which you should be able to pass without restarting your studies, considering you've been a professional linguist for a number of years.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 12:21
Spanish to English
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| Educational qualifications | May 17, 2012 |
In an interview, I might ask the odd cultural question , just to double check the candidate's in-depth knowledge, such as "in which direction were the blind mice running"? (no googling allowed!)
However, in principle, your degree and other academic studies would be suitably worthy credentials. And if you are Swedish, your spoken English may even be more readily understood by other native speakers than my own Scottish twang!
| | | | Jocelyne S
France
Local time: 12:21
French to English
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I've been irked by this very issue a number of times. I'm also a native English speaker with three degrees from English universities and I've occasionally seen postings for which I cannot apply as I do not have an English credential (I do in French to English).
I think that clients do themselves a disservice when they require a credential for English-only jobs listed on the site as very few native linguists have a credential listed in their mother tongue (many are certified in one o... See more I've been irked by this very issue a number of times. I'm also a native English speaker with three degrees from English universities and I've occasionally seen postings for which I cannot apply as I do not have an English credential (I do in French to English).
I think that clients do themselves a disservice when they require a credential for English-only jobs listed on the site as very few native linguists have a credential listed in their mother tongue (many are certified in one or more language pairs but not for a single language).
I don't actually apply for many jobs via the site so I don't plan to invest in mono-lingual English certification, but I will continue to find such postings annoying! ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 12:21
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Liza's bucket | May 17, 2012 |
neilmac wrote:
In an interview, I might ask the odd cultural question , just to double check the candidate's in-depth knowledge, such as "in which direction were the blind mice running"? (no googling allowed!)
I don't know, but do you know what Liza wanted the bucket fixed with (again, without googling)?
| | | | JaneD
Sweden
Local time: 12:21
Member (2009)
Swedish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Tough question | May 17, 2012 |
@Neil - Actually I am from the UK originally, I just live in Sweden - but I couldn't remember the three blind mice rhyme properly at all! (I thought they were running *away* from the farmer's wife, but apparently not...)
@Jocelyne - Yes, it's really annoying, isn't it? I don't quote for many jobs here either, these days, but occasionally one piques my interest.
I suppose it's another one of those instances where a specific case doesn't necessarily fit the boxes... See more @Neil - Actually I am from the UK originally, I just live in Sweden - but I couldn't remember the three blind mice rhyme properly at all! (I thought they were running *away* from the farmer's wife, but apparently not...)
@Jocelyne - Yes, it's really annoying, isn't it? I don't quote for many jobs here either, these days, but occasionally one piques my interest.
I suppose it's another one of those instances where a specific case doesn't necessarily fit the boxes available to tick when advertising a job. Clients think they are narrowing the field to get the best response while in fact they are narrowing the field so much they are excluding at least some of the best responses.
The reason it's made me start to think about obtaining some form of monolingual certification is that I know that whoever advertised this job won't be alone in having this attitude. Anyone who wasn't a language professional might easily imagine that the best person for a job in a given language would have a qualification in that language. ▲ Collapse
| | | | JaneD
Sweden
Local time: 12:21
Member (2009)
Swedish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Ooh, that's nasty | May 17, 2012 |
Samuel Murray wrote: neilmac wrote:
In an interview, I might ask the odd cultural question , just to double check the candidate's in-depth knowledge, such as "in which direction were the blind mice running"? (no googling allowed!) I don't know, but do you know what Liza wanted the bucket fixed with (again, without googling)?
Guess who's going to be going round all day humming "there's a hole in my bucket"? And no, I can get as far as "With what shall I mend it?" but I can't remember what with. Argh.
| | | | Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:21
Hebrew to English
| I used to have an English monolingual credential... | May 17, 2012 |
ProZ decided my BA in Linguistics was an English monolingual credential and verified it thus, but I changed it myself as I didn't want it classified as a monolingual credential (yes it was a degree in English Linguistics but there was a fair amount of translation modules to it).
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Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:21
Hebrew to English
| Verification process seems quite warped | May 17, 2012 |
I've seen ESOL examination certificates verified as translation credentials, which they most definitely are not.
| | | | Edward Potter
Spain
Local time: 12:21
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Blind mice and buckets | May 17, 2012 |
Yep, slip in those cultural bits.
What was Little Miss Muppet eating? And Little Jack Horner?
Larry, Moe and Curly would approve if answered correctly.
| | | | LEXpert
United States
Local time: 05:21
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
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| Re. Little Miss Muffet | May 17, 2012 |
Edward Potter wrote:
Yep, slip in those cultural bits.
What was Little Miss Muppet eating? And Little Jack Horner?
Larry, Moe and Curly would approve if answered correctly.
Being able to recite these nursery rhymes from memory after many years is all well and good, but I'd be even more impressed with someone who could accurately explain what "curds and whey" consist of.
| | | | Alison Sparks (X)
Local time: 12:21
French to English
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the bucket needed straw, and later on water, which took us back to the beginning again. However, we used to suggest all sorts of other things depending on the mood or inventiveness of the singers. Poor Henry was always on a loser!
Likewise I thought the mice ran "after the farmer's wife"
My favourite in childhood was a ditty of my father's.....
Life is butter, but a melon
... See more
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Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 11:21
Member (2007)
English
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| Translation education vs credentials | May 18, 2012 |
Ty Kendall wrote:
I've seen ESOL examination certificates verified as translation credentials, which they most definitely are not.
I think you may be mixing two areas of the profile. The one called "translation education" should clearly not be used for monolingual certificates of any kind. However, the "credentials" can be linguistic or translation. See the FAQ: http://www.proz.com/faq/2455#2455
Seeing as how a monolingual credential cannot logically be translation-oriented, surely an exam. showing the required linguistic proficiency to teach the language is valid. That's how I see it, anyway.
You've raised a good point, Jane. Perhaps credentials need to be automatic for monolingual "pairs" that match native language(s). I know it doesn't necessarily follow, but if we are professional translators as we claim to be, surely we should be assumed to be proficient in our native language(s), shouldn't we?
Sheila
| | | | JaneD
Sweden
Local time: 12:21
Member (2009)
Swedish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Good suggestion | May 18, 2012 |
Sheila Wilson wrote:
Perhaps credentials need to be automatic for monolingual "pairs" that match native language(s). I know it doesn't necessarily follow, but if we are professional translators as we claim to be, surely we should be assumed to be proficient in our native language(s), shouldn't we?
Sheila
Yes, this is the kind of thing I was thinking of.
What level of competence is required in one's native language to obtain a "credential" and how can we demonstrate it short of having taken a degree in that language? And is this something that other ProZians think would be useful?
| | | | Kirsten Bodart
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:21
Dutch to English
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| Nursery rhymes | May 18, 2012 |
Rudolf Vedo CT wrote: Edward Potter wrote:
Yep, slip in those cultural bits.
What was Little Miss Muppet eating? And Little Jack Horner?
Larry, Moe and Curly would approve if answered correctly.
Being able to recite these nursery rhymes from memory after many years is all well and good, but I'd be even more impressed with someone who could accurately explain what "curds and whey" consist of.
Indeed. Nursery rhymes are all well and good, but I am not confident I would remember them in my own language (Dutch). Maybe if I had children I could brush up on them as well as English ones, but what do you do with those who haven't brushed up on them?
On the other side curds and whey... Isn't that the stuff that is there when milk separates or curdles and what they actually make cheese from? (only the curds)
As to proficiency: you could expect that those who are native and are translators are proficient in their own language, however, I see EU translators and some of them are not really. They are native, but I would not call their language flawless. Then again, how will a degree in English make you more worth it than someone who has 20 years of editing experience?
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