I've seen on here that a couple of you work for SDL. What are they like to work for, as a translator? (They could be my only chance of getting back to live in Sheffield...Some day!) PM me if you want to be discreet!! Ta!

excellent, you will have the time of your life

I had a bad experience with them in 2000. Colleagues were great, but too many "yes" men in management and the guy at the bottom always suffered for their mistakes!

Loyalty was not greatly evident.

Just my experience though.

Thanks, that's all I can ask for really - individual experiences to help weigh up the whole picture. I'd love to get back "home" but we'd have to give up a lot, too, so it's got to be well worth while!

I've heard they're a bunch of slave drivers...

Originally posted by Abdul
I've heard they're a bunch of slave drivers...

SDL - Slave Drivers Limited!!
Ay ay-- did you see what I did there??

Awww never mind..... I'll get me coat!

Hello :)

Like Sauerkraut I might work for SDL soon, but the opinions stated so far seem a bit contradictory. Actually, the negative views seem to prevail. Slave drivers, hm, maybe that is why they always mention stress in their job offers?! On the other hand, I have come to conclude that the entire translation business is exploitative by nature. It is a job demanding constant concentration, but is poorly paid in most countries. Well, at least those translation coordinators and project managers, who don't work nearly as hard and spend most of their time chatting in meetings, earn more ;)
raf2005, could you please elaborate on your experience. I would like to know why you think it is so great a place to work.

Greetz,
little_me

There is a wide variety of different positions throughout SDL, all with different requirements/pressures/benefits etc., so I'd caution against drawing any firm conclusions, positive or negative, from the responses you'll get here. The only way you'll get a realistic feel for whether SDL is right for you is at the interview stage.
Hope that helps.

Originally posted by chill
There is a wide variety of different positions throughout SDL, all with different requirements/pressures/benefits etc., so I'd caution against drawing any firm conclusions, positive or negative, from the responses you'll get here. The only way you'll get a realistic feel for whether SDL is right for you is at the interview stage.
Hope that helps.

Thank you, chill. Well, the interview stage will begin tomorrow as I have passed their entrance tests. I would be working as translator for their Agency unit, which seems particularly keen on speed and productivity, according to their Web site. I'm not sure I am ideal for that position as I am more into quality than quantity. Let's wait and see...

Congratulations on getting to interview stage, Little_me! Do let us know how you get on. Looks like I'll be staying in Germany for the time being but would still be very interested to hear how things compare.

Forgive my ignorance but who's SDL....?

I'm from an English speaking part of the country and aint to farmiliar with Sheffield...

Originally posted by sauerkraut
Congratulations on getting to interview stage, Little_me! Do let us know how you get on. Looks like I'll be staying in Germany for the time being but would still be very interested to hear how things compare.

Hi sauerkraut :)

The interview stage is over now, so I am waiting for their decision. There was one phone interview earlier on and one on-site meeting at their Munich office today (am a fellow kraut ;) ). The translation speed they expect is quite high, but all in all they seem to be ok so far.

Tschüs,
little_me

BobdaBuilder: SDL is a big translation/software company with offices all over the place, including (of most interest to me!) Sheffield - www.sdl.co.uk

Little_me: Thanks for the feedback. Ich drücke dir die Daumen!
We've decided we can't uproot the kids again to return to England at the moment, but will keep SDL on the back burner (as it were, and no offence to SDL!) They certainly seem to come closest to offering decent UK working conditions to us poor under-rated translators!