Recruiting

How does this work for you? Do you use a test, or accept on a trial basis? Ever had someone steal a pro away from your group? Do you go out looking for help or sit back and wait for someone to come to you?

For those of you in large long-standing groups, how do you feel about the little amateur groups popping up all over livejournal and such? Their lower standards and laid-back attitudes make them much less scary for the eager volunteers. Or is that a good thing, since only the really confident/dedicated try for the 'strict' groups?

For you freelancers and small groups, do you accept help with an eye to compete with the established groups? Or do you go with a 'the more members, the more scanlations we can do' thought? Do you actually try to steal experienced helpers away from the big groups? When it works, is there any backlash? Do you have trouble turning away all the people eager to help, but too inexperienced/bad/slow to actually use? Or are you desperately in search of any help you can get?

I know every time I download a raw doujinshi from Perservation, I see their "translators wanted" post and I'm VERY tempted to offer. These are books I've been wanting to buy and scanlate myself. But my knee-jerk reaction is - "If the raws have been out for months with that 'translations wanted' sign and there's no scanlation yet, it's either because all the people who offered to translate it got turned down for not being good enough, or because they don't have time to actually use the translations people are sending them."

I thought about actually hiring cleaner, but people look at me funny when I bring it up. As if it's normal to pay for translations and weird to pay for cleaned/redrawn scans. I don't get it.

I don't know exactly how it works in my scanlation group (Aarinfantasy), since I'm not in charge of the recruitment...
I can tell you that when I asked to join as an editor I knew little about Photoshop and I had read some guides about cleaning manga, but no real experience. Yavannah pointed me to some very useful tutorials and kindly thought me everything else I needed to know. *hugs* When my first work was done, she told me that I could work with the team for more projects, if I wanted. I could say I was accepted on a 'one-chapter' trial.
Anyway, only experience can make a good editor and training the new editors requires lots of time and effort. That's why this isn't always possible, especially for small groups.

About hiring a cleaner/editor, I think this is in some sense more "illegal" than buying translations. Beware, this is just my personal opinion. I believe that scanlations aren't against the law because they're completely free and the manga aren't licensed in English speaking countries (if it's an English scanlation). That said, if you pay someone to clean/edit the pages, that means that someone makes profit from a "free" scanlation process and this doesn't sound good to me.
On the other hand, you can buy translations also for your own reading pleasure or whatnot. It doesn't mean you want to make a scanlation out of it. Of course if you do, my point is the same as above.

I tend a small group and I don't actively recruit people. I know there are a lot of groups in need of staff, so I don't want to deprive them of resources. So the people who help me out are typically individuals who have approached me first - often motivated people who have worked with other groups before. I don't believe in competing with other scanlation groups because it seems pointless. What on earth are we competing for, anyway? Popularity?? Comments?? That would be ridiculous! In the end, it's the original creator who deserves the real credit, not the scanlation group. Scanlators are simply facilitators, middlemen. Without the original creator, we're nothing.

Sometimes people volunteer to help, but they aren't quite able to deliver - it's a bit frustrating, but I don't mind too much. I'm grateful that they offer, anyway. Real life crops up and that's no one's fault. If someone were to offer their help and I thought their work wasn't up to scratch, I'd probably fix it up, credit them anyway - then see if they are interested in tips on improving. Sometimes people just don't have time to go through the tutorials and such, and they get kinda intimidated and annoyed when you attempt to give them advice. There have been times I've tried to 'assist' others, and I came away with the feeling that I was just being a huge pain in the neck XD Hey, maybe I was!

Scanlations are illegal, period. The unauthorised duplication and reuse of images is already a breach of copyright. It doesn't matter if money is involved or not. I don't see how paying for a cleaner/editor is any more 'wrong' than paying for a translation to be used in a scanlation - because the entire scanlation is illegal, anyway. Besides, there are online reading sites like Mangafox that make money off scanlations, you know. They get advertising revenue from fans who read manga that originally came from scanlation groups - and hell, there's nothing we can do about it. And then the fileshare sites get ad revenue when we upload releases to their site. So why should they be allowed to earn money, while the individuals who work on the actual scanlations must do it for love alone?

In the end, it's an individual choice as to whether people do it for money or not. Personally I would LOVE to be paid something (5cents a chapter download XD), but I just don't see it happening. The backlash and condemnation from fans would kill the group.

Um, I can't really speak for a single group because I've been apart of so many of them. But generally, the good groups have a test. Of course there have been people who stole staff, and usually we wait for people to come to us, but will always keep an eye out for people who seem like they would be interested.

I personally hate groups who do crappy scanlations. Now, these are not limited to the small amateur groups popping up all over lj. In fact, some of the amateur groups do a good job off the bat, and some established groups continue to punt out low-level garbage that looks like someone tried to translate it with a kanji dictionary and babelfish. I understand the odd translation error in a scanlation is to be expected (and I've been there many times myself), but the vast vast majority of these "laid-back" groups have 2-3 translation errors per page, and it just makes me want to chuck a "Japanese for dummies" book at them.

And honestly, people who are confident of their skills rarely try for the established groups. Established groups get a lot of cocky amateurs who are turned away because their translations read like, "Good morning! Rise up early okay? Here have eggs. What is milk?" (I'm not exaggerating...seriously, I'm not...) Very very rarely, there is a skilled applicant, but usually it is the quick learners who prove able to listen to instruction that make it in and are trained by the staff.

As for the Persevation group, I think that there is a 90% chance that they have not had a single good translation application. And this is probably not their fault for being too strict. Probably, they will get 1 offer per month, and it's someone who punts out awful awful babelfish translations. I mean, just hop over to the "One Stop Shop: Requests" forum and search for translator request threads. About 90% of them, even with the offer of points, get ignored. If you are interested in helping them, it wouldn't hurt to drop them a line. ^^

And yes, as others have said, scanlations are illegal so hiring cleaners is iffy. You are free to do it, but you'd have to keep in mind that you are doing something illegal (not that that has ever stopped anyone :P).

Sometimes individuals volunteer to help but are unable to deliver - it's a little frustrating, but I don't mind. In any case, I appreciate the offer. Nobody's fault it happens in real life. If someone offered to help and I thought their work wasn't up to par, I'd probably repair it, credit them anyway, and then see if they're interested in ideas on how to improve. Sometimes folks simply don't have the time to go through tutorials and the like, and they become scared and annoyed when you try to give them advise. There have been occasions when I tried to 'help' someone and came away with the impression that I was simply being a pain in the neck XD. Perhaps I was!
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In terms of competition, it depends on the specific situation and goals of freelancers or small groups. Some may aim to compete with established groups by offering unique services, higher quality, or specialized expertise. Others may focus on collaboration house of hazards and increasing their productivity by welcoming more members to contribute.

Whether through interactive elements that allow viewers to influence 2048 cupcakes the direction of the story or by blurring the lines between performers and spectators, these productions foster a sense of participation that is both immersive and empowering.

The idea of paying for services like cleaning and redrawing scans is not unheard of, but it may be less common in the crossover grid fan translation community, where volunteerism is prevalent.

I will inform you that when I applied for the position of editor, I had limited knowledge of Photoshop and had only read manuals on cleaning manga, but had no actual experience. Sometimes individuals offer to assist geometry dash lite, but are unable to do so; it's a little frustrating, but I don't mind too much. I appreciate their offer regardless. No one is responsible for the occurrence of real life. If someone offered their assistance and I felt that their work was subpar, I would likely fix it, give them credit regardless, and then inquire as to whether they would be interested in improvement suggestions. Sometimes people simply do not have the time to read the tutorials and similar materials, and they become somewhat intimidated and irritated when you attempt to give them advice.

The article I saw was interesting because of the presentation.
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