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Deciphering Handwritten Arabic
Thread poster: Fattoush
Fattoush
Fattoush  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 12:30
Arabic to English
Jan 14, 2013

What do you suggest when the job requires you to read practically illegible handwriting, particularly when it's crucial to write clearly as in Arabic. Do you decline the job? Do you discuss the problem with the employer? Do you guess the words?
 
ahmadwadan.com
ahmadwadan.com  Identity Verified
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 19:30
English to Arabic
+ ...
يعتمد Jan 14, 2013



لا مجال للتخمين. إما أن أقبلها أو أرفضها. إن قبلتها يكون القبول مشروطا باتفاق مع العميل بالمساعدة أو ترك علامات معينة تعبر عما هو غير مقروء.

تحياتي
 
Fattoush
Fattoush  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 12:30
Arabic to English
TOPIC STARTER
Helpful Jan 14, 2013

Thank you, Ahmad. That's helpful.
 
Ruth Braine
Ruth Braine  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:30
Arabic to English
Agree Jan 15, 2013

I agree with Ahmad. I generally just decline, but that's partly because I don't think I'm very good at deciphering poor handwriting and a native Arabic speaker would be able to do a better job and decipher things I can't. It doens't seem right for me to mark things as illegible which another person would be able to read. And if I take on a job which is challenging but possible I try and charge a slightly higher rate than usual, as the job will take considerably longer and it's much harder wor... See more
I agree with Ahmad. I generally just decline, but that's partly because I don't think I'm very good at deciphering poor handwriting and a native Arabic speaker would be able to do a better job and decipher things I can't. It doens't seem right for me to mark things as illegible which another person would be able to read. And if I take on a job which is challenging but possible I try and charge a slightly higher rate than usual, as the job will take considerably longer and it's much harder work. The client doesn't always accept, but it really isn't worth it otherwise! ▲ Collapse
 
Steve Booth
Steve Booth  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:30
English to Arabic
+ ...
if it is too difficult to decipher Jan 27, 2013

then i will reject it, however if most of it is legible I accept and mark down on the translation where it is illegible. I have done quite a lot of handwritten material over the years and probably only turned down about 10. This approach has always been accepted by the various agencies

On one occasion I suggested a native Arabic speaker may have more joy in deciphering the text as I could only make about 20% of the words out. About 2 days later I then received a typed out version... See more
then i will reject it, however if most of it is legible I accept and mark down on the translation where it is illegible. I have done quite a lot of handwritten material over the years and probably only turned down about 10. This approach has always been accepted by the various agencies

On one occasion I suggested a native Arabic speaker may have more joy in deciphering the text as I could only make about 20% of the words out. About 2 days later I then received a typed out version for me to translate into English after the agency had got someone else to read and decipher the handwriting.

What i find harder to do than handwritten Arabic script is when the text is written in colloquial Arabic but transliterated using roman script. That is something i try and avoid as much as possible especially when it is sourced from Northwest Africa

To get round the extra time needed I always try to charge by my hourly rate or give a quote based on that rather than the word rate.

[Edited at 2013-01-27 19:02 GMT] ▲ Collapse
 


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Deciphering Handwritten Arabic






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