HR French site

[enid]

so you win the race Susan - well done!

[roxytoo]

I've just signed up for HR and also for the FREE french site but am told unless I pay £20 to get a 'proper' translation they won't /can't put it live as at the moment being a native french speaker they don't understand my translation! (they must have put it up as I believe it used to be £15)

Now I thought it was supposed to be free and this is the email I got from the French translator

''If you can and want to manage the translation of your advert into French yourself

Then please do so from your existing English advert.

You can easily switch back and forth between your English and French advert through the “edit French advert/éditer votre annonce anglaise� button which features on all pages of your advert in the top right.

You will have to fill in all the “free text boxes� of your French advert as you did in its English equivalent, whereas all database driven information supplied on your English advert (photos, availabilities, rental rates and all boxes ticked) will be translated and uploaded automatically for you''

nothing there about if its not right I have to pay £20!

am i right to be disgruntled?? I can understand it won't be exactly correct but I am sure its 'understood' .At a later date I may get the opportunity to do it properly but wanted it live now!

[paolo]

I think, understandably, they only want very good French on their ads - imagine if you went to an English site and found the sort of English you get from Babelfish translations. I would run a mile.

I suppose it comes down to your interpretation of "''If you can...manage the translation of your advert into French yourself". In their opinion, you can't!

[roxytoo]

but then it's not free is it

[la vache!]

I don't think £20 is too much to pay for a good translation. You would have to pay a lot more to get it done privately, and then you will have the French version to cut and paste to your own website! I would feel positively gruntled

[Giddy Goat]

Just got H-R's latest newsletter. Thinking about listing on the French site while it remains free, but it would take me forever to translate it myself and reach the required standard. Their translation fee now stands at £25, so before I commit, I'm wondering if I could ask those of you who are already 'live' on the French site if you have had any nibbles yet please?

Merci!

[Paul Carmel]

Not a jot........Nothing........Not even a goat's nibble.......In fact I will go as far as to say no! But hey for 25 quid you get a free translation that you can copy and paste onto other site's..............Is this freeloading?

[Giddy Goat]

Hi Paul! Thanks for that; I'm sorry the site's a bit of a fizzer as yet. Hopefully there'll be some human amuse-gueules (relax, I looked it up!) soon. You've reminded me - a very good point re having the translation to apply elsewhere at some future time. Freeloading? Good question - lets get the lawyers onto it!! I'd have paid for it but...

Alexia....
Fluffy....

[Alan Knighting]

Jane,

The moral bit. It would be paidforloading not freeloading.

The legal bit. If was still a lawyer I would love to advise on the questions. Who owns the copyright of the original text? Did that ownership change, and to whom, when the text was published by H-R? Did the ownership change, and to whom, when the text was translated? To H-R French site? To the translator? Who was paid for the translation? Do you now share copyright? I could keep my billing time-clock running very quickly with this sort of thing and then say "we need councel's opinion".

My lay opinion. You've paid for the translation, you've saved it and you will use it.

Fluffy

[Giddy Goat]

I suspected as much Fluffs, which is why I thought you'd like to consider the question. Curly one, wot?! Thank goodness it's just hypothetical at this stage and I hope it stays that way.

[paolo]

I have had nothing but it is for an overpriced property in Marrakech, so I don't really expect anything. But I think that £25 for a good translation is a snip. Make sure you fill all the extra fields at the bottom to get your money's worth!

[alexia s.]

Excellent advice, Alan.
Jane, I have been away from home (& my computer) until now, so didn't have a chance to think about your translation........ except, how will you know if it is a good translation?

[Clexane]

Believe it or not we just got a booking from H-R french site. I had to look at it three times because I could hardly believe it myself. It was for two weeks in high season from a Swiss family obviously in the French part.

Still got to put it into our availability calendar but just had to rush back and let you all know - it is the first thing we have ever got back from the site! What was the prize for the first booking through this site ????

[Clexane]

Oh ... I just saw that susan had an enquiry ... did that turn into a booking or is the trophy ours????

[la vache!]

Clexane,
you have the trophy well done! My (one and only) enquiry was for the May half term holiday which was already booked...