Quote:
Originally Posted by theducks
It is more than just 'not care'. The Office is after the workers to get it done 'faster' as they probably under bid to get the job in the first place.
(Fast) Proofing OCR takes someone who can glance at the language written and say 'That just looks wrong' and slow down (if the boss permits  ) and discover Why. I don't think I could do this for other than my native language. Could you?
Shame on the BPH's for not caring about a quality e-product. Shame on the author (or agent) for permitting a cr*p quality release with their name on it. |
Yes, the proofing issue--catching stuff that slides past your eyes, and you instinctively see that something's wrong--is a huge problem. You cannot realistically expect to do that in a second language. We did Matilde Asensi's books some years back, and I struggled doing QA on her books, for the same reason. {shrug}.
The bigger problem is that nobody at the BPH's bothers to check the work, which, after all,
is their job. Proofing the conversions isn't the job of the conversion house (I mean, in a fundamental sense, I don't mean, performing QA on your own work). Certainly not for the money that's being paid. If and when eBook production pays what print layout/design pays, then that may change, but when the average eBook is made for less than the price of dinner for two in Los Angeles, sans booze, or the price of a cut-and-color in a NY salon, then, hell, no, we're certainly not proofing the damn things.
(<begin mini-rant here> The existence of word-processing has convinced the average person that "ebook layout" is the same as typing. This is the only explanation I can find for the ridiculously cheap pricing for ebook creation, which isn't a 1-hour job.</end rant>)
@ Albert: I thought you did, indeed, but couldn't recall if it was your primary gig, or if the work had been pushed on you, etc., so I did not include you in my list, not wanting to get it wrong. ;-) I certainly wouldn't ignore you! I know we both suffer similarly, LOL!
Hitch