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Netflix Hermes test
Thread poster: Magdalena Adamus
Andrejs Gorbunovs
Andrejs Gorbunovs  Identity Verified
Latvia
Local time: 12:19
Member (2013)
English to Latvian
+ ...
All the whining in this thread Apr 8, 2017

Don't worry, you're not special

Where you failed, others succeeded, and Netflix will have their service providers in any case.

I think that the American football video was a good option to include since Netflix content is often US specific or specific in general (for example, the AD&D scene in the first episode of Stranger Things, which was also part of my test), which means that a good translator has to
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Don't worry, you're not special

Where you failed, others succeeded, and Netflix will have their service providers in any case.

I think that the American football video was a good option to include since Netflix content is often US specific or specific in general (for example, the AD&D scene in the first episode of Stranger Things, which was also part of my test), which means that a good translator has to adapt and do his/her research. Wishing to translate subtitles only for content that you are very well familiar with is, in my opinion, lazy at least.

If the test is too "unfair" in your opinion, don't worry, somebody else has passed the same test with flying colours and taken your piece of work, life is a competition
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Marina Nikic
Marina Nikic  Identity Verified
Austria
Local time: 11:19
English to German
+ ...
Where do I find my test results? Apr 8, 2017

Does anyone here know how I will receive my test results? I took the test last week and as far as I can remember they told me I have to access the same URL I took the test. Unfortunately I can't seem to find this particular URL, everytime I click on the most recent Hermes URL I end up at the introduction site.
Does anyone know whether they will send me an email or text message with the appropriate link?

Thanks in advance!


 
NorbertS
NorbertS
Romania
Hermes SMS Apr 8, 2017

Hello everyone,

I am new to this. I wanted to make a Hermes account two days ago, but I newer got the SMS witht he hermes number.
What should I do? Does any know the support email address?


 
Magdalena Adamus
Magdalena Adamus
Poland
Local time: 11:19
English to Polish
TOPIC STARTER
Evaluation details Apr 8, 2017

Jan Truper wrote:

Plus, I find the whole thing a bit kafkaesque ... I do not assume we will be given details on the score.

[Edited at 2017-04-08 06:51 GMT]


Don't count on that. They will do the same thing that every LSP does about tests details - they'll become confidential. I totally get that - endless conversations with each failed candidate fighting for every point would be pure hell.


 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 07:19
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
It was a test, not a fun ride Apr 8, 2017

Jan Truper wrote:

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

I think it was well-devised.


The German test I did was not, in my opinion.
The multiple choice part contained some answers that were too similar in nature; sometimes none of the German answers really hit the mark.
The "find the error in the subtitle" part contained a small mistake by the spotter, but that was none of the options given.
Most of all, I hated the fact that the video window could not be resized or separated to put it on a different monitor -- I had to put on reading glasses and move my head close to the screen like an idiot.

Plus, I find the whole thing a bit kafkaesque ... I do not assume we will be given details on the score.


My point was that the test (I took the EN-PTBR one) - as devised - addressed some critical skills a professional subtitling translator will use often.

Not all actors - as a matter of fact, few - will always say it as clearly as IMHO Eva LaRue and James Spader do it in EN, regardless of the role they play. I guess every language has its Rocky Balboa roles.

Nevertheless, an immense global crowd of bilingual or sesquilingual people worldwide can't stop dreaming about the privilege of getting paid to be the first to watch closely and translate the next Friends or Seinfeld series. Quite frankly, I've translated more than my share of pretty dull flicks, including a bunch of quite disgusting ones.

If any question is improperly stated, offers no unquestionably correct alternative, or includes more than one right option, it is easy to exclude it while scoring, or use it to oust those who merely guessed relying on luck.

The time limit, IMHO, was quite fair, as I am admittedly a 'slow' video translator, since I originally came from the translation-for-dubbing realm, having adapted my initial m.o. for subtitling. So no qualified candidate should complain about the time constraint, which I guess was adopted to prevent candidates from easily outsourcing the test.

The size of the window is the industry standard. Normally a subtitling translator will get a 640x480 video with some logo overlay, to thwart any intent of leaking it to YouTube or torrent servers. It's a working copy, not intended for fun. Audio - of course - should always be kept pristine.

In any case, the test is Netflix's very own choice on the method for selecting translators. It is not regulated by any law, and they'll have to live with whatever results they get it. Nobody is forced to take this test, nor work for them.

As I noticed that it does indeed address a few tricky situations a professional subtitles translator will often face, I considered it well-devised. Like any test, it shouldn't be expected to be easy nor fun.


 
Matthias Ott
Matthias Ott
Germany
Local time: 11:19
English to German
+ ...
Sfera testing environment Apr 8, 2017

The test was nothing more (and nothing less) than the typical proficiency test developed by Sfera, which has been used by a bunch of vendors before. Even Netflix used it when they were looking for new translators last year. It's not the first time they are reaching out to freelance translators directly and therefore I'm sure they won't "cut out the middle-man". As project management is a real hassle they will gladly leave it with the vendors.

Anyway, the whole testing thing seems be
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The test was nothing more (and nothing less) than the typical proficiency test developed by Sfera, which has been used by a bunch of vendors before. Even Netflix used it when they were looking for new translators last year. It's not the first time they are reaching out to freelance translators directly and therefore I'm sure they won't "cut out the middle-man". As project management is a real hassle they will gladly leave it with the vendors.

Anyway, the whole testing thing seems be a bit ill-conceived as a lot of people i know were encountering technical problems (including myself), don't know where to look for the results and so on and so forth...
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Roberto Popolizio (X)
Roberto Popolizio (X)
Italy
Local time: 11:19
English to Italian
you are lucky Apr 8, 2017

MattOtt wrote:

The test was nothing more (and nothing less) than the typical proficiency test developed by Sfera, which has been used by a bunch of vendors before. Even Netflix used it when they were looking for new translators last year. It's not the first time they are reaching out to freelance translators directly and therefore I'm sure they won't "cut out the middle-man". As project management is a real hassle they will gladly leave it with the vendors.

Anyway, the whole testing thing seems be a bit ill-conceived as a lot of people i know were encountering technical problems (including myself), don't know where to look for the results and so on and so forth...



You could take the test at least!

I have tried countless times to apply to this test and every H number they send me is not valid. Moreover, the tech support is nonexistent, just a series of useless pre-generated emails.

As a matter of fact, i'm impressed that so many people here on Proz were able to take this test. Everywhere else I see thousands of people stuck like me. This thing was supposed to take minutes, it ended up as a waste of hours.

Ridiculous.


 
Franjo Varšić
Franjo Varšić
Croatia
. Apr 8, 2017

Andrejs Gorbunovs wrote:

Don't worry, you're not special

Where you failed, others succeeded, and Netflix will have their service providers in any case.

I think that the American football video was a good option to include since Netflix content is often US specific or specific in general (for example, the AD&D scene in the first episode of Stranger Things, which was also part of my test), which means that a good translator has to adapt and do his/her research. Wishing to translate subtitles only for content that you are very well familiar with is, in my opinion, lazy at least.

If the test is too "unfair" in your opinion, don't worry, somebody else has passed the same test with flying colours and taken your piece of work, life is a competition



How are you gonna research the text in 10 minutes?

I don't know, but I'd bet my left foot that no Eastern European language has any words that correspond to football terminology. The translator is forced to make stuff up in 10 minutes, which in no way replicates how things would be done normally.

You could say it makes sense in that a person may be forced to come up with new terminology during normal work for Netflix, but most Europeans probably don't even know the rules of football.


What were some of the other videos that appeared?

Was the football video per chance from Last Chance U?

[Edited at 2017-04-08 14:08 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-04-08 15:49 GMT]


Ana Wilkes
 
Roel Verschueren
Roel Verschueren  Identity Verified
Austria
Local time: 11:19
English to Dutch
+ ...
Registering and login in for Netflix Hermes test Apr 8, 2017

Hi,

I have been reading all the comments on this subject, and find the system Netflix has set up pretty straight forward.

Netflix asks you to register in order to take the test.
Once this is done, they send you 2 SMS with two important codes (can take up to 4 hours before receiving them):
the first is your H-code (H followed by a number)
the second is a five minute valid password you'll need to confirm your registration. After that,
when you go t
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Hi,

I have been reading all the comments on this subject, and find the system Netflix has set up pretty straight forward.

Netflix asks you to register in order to take the test.
Once this is done, they send you 2 SMS with two important codes (can take up to 4 hours before receiving them):
the first is your H-code (H followed by a number)
the second is a five minute valid password you'll need to confirm your registration. After that,
when you go to: hermes.nflx.io/h/H234543 and replace H234543 with your own H-code, you'll be asked to login:
Enter your H-code in the login field again and enter the last 4 digits of the mobile phone number on which you received your H-code as password.
You can start your test.

I finished mine today, I have spread the test over two days for work reasons with no problem, and I found the platform pretty user-friendly. I had no problem answering the questions and handling the subtitling system.
As to the evaluation (test results)... I will be waiting for the announced 10 working days to receive an answer, login the same way I did to do the test, and check if Netflix administrators left a message or not on my personal page.

Netflix

Good luck to those who seem to have problems,
Warmest regards,

Roel Verschueren

[Bijgewerkt op 2017-04-08 16:33 GMT]

[Bijgewerkt op 2017-04-08 16:37 GMT]

[Bijgewerkt op 2017-04-08 16:40 GMT]

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Franjo Varšić
Franjo Varšić
Croatia
...calculating the time they take... Apr 8, 2017

I'm reading this article

http://www.guidingtech.com/65689/become-netflix-translator-hermes/

and it says:

"The HERMES test consists several multiple-choice questions with a time limit on each in order to understand a candidate’s understanding of English, their subtitling proficiency, calculating the time they take to translate phra
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I'm reading this article

http://www.guidingtech.com/65689/become-netflix-translator-hermes/

and it says:

"The HERMES test consists several multiple-choice questions with a time limit on each in order to understand a candidate’s understanding of English, their subtitling proficiency, calculating the time they take to translate phrases into their language and identifying errors."

Do they really score you based on how quickly you translate the phrases into the target language??? I've never heard this mentioned anywhere.
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Erzsebet Basch
Erzsebet Basch  Identity Verified
Hungary
Local time: 11:19
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Results for Netflix Hermes test Apr 9, 2017

I agree with, the system and the test are straightforward, although more than 10 business days have passed since I took the test and I still don't see my results.

 
Andrejs Gorbunovs
Andrejs Gorbunovs  Identity Verified
Latvia
Local time: 12:19
Member (2013)
English to Latvian
+ ...
It's not for everyone Apr 9, 2017

Franjo Varšić wrote:

How are you gonna research the text in 10 minutes?

I don't know, but I'd bet my left foot that no Eastern European language has any words that correspond to football terminology. The translator is forced to make stuff up in 10 minutes, which in no way replicates how things would be done normally.



[Edited at 2017-04-08 14:08 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-04-08 15:49 GMT]


Well, you have much more time than 10 minutes for subtitling test (10 minutes is for multiple choice).

Besides, if you are unable to do something, have you thought about the fact that you should not do it?
Maybe translating Netflix is not for you?

I see that people with experience in subtitling have a mostly positive opinion of the test, while you try to fish for information on what the test might have instead of just taking it.

The fault is with you this time, not with Netflix or American Football.


 
Roel Verschueren
Roel Verschueren  Identity Verified
Austria
Local time: 11:19
English to Dutch
+ ...
Time limits for test Apr 9, 2017

Franjo Varšić wrote:

I'm reading this article

http://www.guidingtech.com/65689/become-netflix-translator-hermes/

and it says:

"The HERMES test consists several multiple-choice questions with a time limit on each in order to understand a candidate’s understanding of English, their subtitling proficiency, calculating the time they take to translate phrases into their language and identifying errors."

Do they really score you based on how quickly you translate the phrases into the target language??? I've never heard this mentioned anywhere.



I found the time limit a stress factor when I read about it at first. After having done the test, I found it however very useful. First, the three multiple choice tests (10 min. each) gave me more than enough time to give the answers, second, the two times 40 minutes for the subtitling allowed me plenty of time to recheck my answers and still have time left before ending the test.
It was useful to me just to see to what extend I would be interested in doing this kind of work, and if the payment for eventual future work would be worth while in function of hours spent.
But, probably this kind of work is not for everyone. One must like it, be challenged by it, and be interested in it.


 
Elena Pizzetti
Elena Pizzetti  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 11:19
Member (2014)
English to Italian
+ ...
Hermes test Apr 9, 2017

I took the test last Monday. The result should appear on everyone's dashboard, I know some translators are already seeing their results in percentage (80%).

Andrejs, I see your point, but the competition you talk about, in this case, is also between people who got the football video and people who don't, and they all have the same amount of time. Your position would make more sense if everyone had the same exact test. I didn't get the football video and feel I was very lucky not to.
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I took the test last Monday. The result should appear on everyone's dashboard, I know some translators are already seeing their results in percentage (80%).

Andrejs, I see your point, but the competition you talk about, in this case, is also between people who got the football video and people who don't, and they all have the same amount of time. Your position would make more sense if everyone had the same exact test. I didn't get the football video and feel I was very lucky not to. It's not about being a better or worse translator, technical content requires more research, and therefore more time, than non-technical content. We all want to make the best in this test, finding the best way to translate each sentence and adapt the tone of the dialogues, proofread and make every detail perfect to prove our talent, and the time given is just ok for the videos I got (actually, I wasn't able to proofread the first one because the time was up), but if you also have to research several technical terms and rules of a sport you have never watched, you need more time, and you don't have that much time in this test, while in a normal paid task you would take your time to do your accurate researches.
Of course there were also some difficult parts in the videos I got (I believe they were from "The Characters" and "Chelsea Does"), including a couple of puns and two American advertising characters that needed to be adapted in a funny way in the target language, but I believe the football video would require even the most experienced translator more time to research the terms, and therefore leave less time to make every other detail perfect.
If they want to offer different tests, then it would be fair if a little more time was given. Then it would be true that only the skills in translation and research would make the difference, because no matter the subject, everyone would be able to work on the translation as they would on an actual job, without being so rushed and having to give up on refining other details that are instead pretty much all the applicants who get the other videos have to focus on.

I also found, like someone already wrote, that in the first sections of the test there were often two answers that were both correct, one was maybe more literal than the other, or longer than the other, and it was not always easy to spot the "correct" one. This problem was also evident in Sfera's test, but I guess a couple wrong answers in these sections will happen to everyone and will not influence too much the final result.

The technical issues were terrible, the day I had planned to take the test the login form didn't work because the digits in the user's ID were more than those they had built the form for. For some days one section of the test didn't work for most users. I still don't know if the second part of my test was actually submitted, because the "submit" button didn't work and when the time was up an error appeared. I see it as "completed" on my dashboard, but I don't know if the answers got through. I sent an e-mail to the support team 5 days ago and still haven't received any answer. I suppose they got way more tests than they were prepared for, due to the crazy amount of articles about this test that are being shared everywhere.

Regarding the individual vs. vendor profile: I collaborate with two agencies, but I took the test as an individual. I would like to see if something comes up from Netflix and then I hope we can just give our H number to the agency or update our Hermes profile in the future. If the rates the article talk about are true, it's crazy to think that professional translators who already work with agencies will continue to work for the old, low rates, while potential users totally new to the market can take the test as individuals earning x3. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens (hoping Netflix will release a statement clarifying some of these points).

Good luck to everyone!

[Edited at 2017-04-09 08:40 GMT]

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Gianni Pastore
Gianni Pastore  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 11:19
Member (2007)
English to Italian
A little OT... Apr 9, 2017

...but what do you think of the system requirements for the test? I registered and all only to discover that I couldn't start the test because my OS is Win7 (Win 8+ required) and I have an internet speed slower than 20Mb/sec. How disappointing!

 
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