Giving Feedback on a MotaWord Translation

At MotaWord we want to be better and do better for our clients, translators, and proofreaders. No matter which community you belong to, giving and receiving both positive and constructive feedback allows our professional community to grow and flourish, no matter what perspective we are working with. When giving feedback, any two parties involved may view the same situation differently, whether they realize it or not. Feedback issues must be resolved for MotaWord to be able to achieve the high-quality, professional translations for which we are known and loved.

As an internal team, we at MotaWord thrive on feedback from our clients, translators, and proofreaders. Without this information, we are nothing. MotaWord believes managing the different perspectives involved in the feedback received on a translation is just as important as the quality and accuracy of the translation itself. We find that having an agreed-upon process for giving feedback on a translation will, more often than not, prevent unnecessary altercations and will help all individuals involved solve issues easily and uniformly.
Life is already stressful, and we at MotaWord are in the business of relieving stress for our clients and employees - not creating a source for it.

Any issue that may require feedback is easy to solve if there is an agreed upon process.

1. Be Clear and Concise
   Nothing is more gratifying than understanding another human being’s words and intentions. When we are specific, there is very little room for misunderstanding - only elaboration. The goal when providing any kind of feedback, whether it be positive or constructive, is to achieve a desired changed behavior. The receiver of your feedback will not understand what is problematic about a particular behavior if you do not spell it out for them in detail - we like to use the “explain it like I am 5 years old” rule. Part of the joy of working in a multilingual, cross-cultural environment is the misunderstanding, however, when addressing changed behaviors, it is important to be painfully clear in your words and intentions.

2. Be Action-Oriented: Create a Clear Path Forward
   At MotaWord, we believe in delivering feedback proactively. Address issues immediately. Feedback should not come as a surprise to anyone, and providing feedback as close to the event as possible is the best way to ensure full understanding and illicit changed behavior.

3. Breathe and Check Perspective
   We do not believe in being mean-spirited. Before you contact someone regarding their behavior, please take a moment to breathe and understand how your feedback may be received. Especially if the feedback is constructive, it is important to create safety and comradery before providing the feedback. If the person receiving the feedback does not feel comfortable, then the positive of constructive feedback you provide them will be ultimately unproductive. Check your bias. What is your motive for giving this feedback? Remind yourself why you are contacting this person and make sure the goal is to improve the situation and the person’s performance. Being harsh, critical, and offensive will accomplish nothing.

4. Have a Discussion
   Nothing is worse when it comes to feedback then the 1,2 punch approach. “You ruined this project, and I will not work with you again”. Do not have a negative, one-sided interaction. Even if all your feedback is constructive, and you can think of nothing nice to say, take a moment to start a conversation with the person about any assumptions both of you may have about the project needing feedback. Every person on this planet has external stressors in their life, and work should not be another source of stress. Engage in a two-sided discussion that leads to a game plan for improvement. Discuss no more than two issues per feedback session.

5. Follow Through
   This is where the MotaWord internal team comes in. Thanks to our strategy of working remotely, We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via our intercom widget on our website. Message us anytime with any feedback you may have regarding anything MotaWord. We are here to make high-quality translation seamless and effortless, and your cooperation with the above tactics will ensure a seamless working relationship that will benefit all involved.
   

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When feedback is provided to the MotaWord internal team, after an appropriate amount of time has passed, we will follow up with the associated parties utilizing the feedback given to us. Thank you to all of our clients, translators and proofreaders for making MotaWord the world’s fastest business translation platform.

Are you reading this as a client, translator, or proofreader? Click below to review MotaWord feedback tactics tailored to your specific interests with us:

Giving Feedback On a MotaWord Translation: For Clients Giving Feedback On a MotaWord Translation: For Translators Giving Feedback On a MotaWord Translation: For Proofreaders

Citations: BusinessNewsDaily, Entrepreneur, MindTools, Forbes