LinkedIn, one of the most professional social networking sites, has managed to get professional translators up in arms over a questionnaire that was actually a thinly veiled attempt to commandeer their services – for free. In an extremely detailed post on his blog, Spanish translator Matthew Bennett explains just how LinkedIn got into hot water with language professionals. The site sent out a mass email targeting translators, which they called “a user survey.” But by the third question, it was clear that its purpose was to get an idea of how willing translators would be to work on new language versions of LinkedIn – either for “fun,” or perhaps for a LinkedIn badge. A LinkedIn group called “Translators against Crowdsourcing by Commercial Purposes” has sprung up in protest, and as of today has 282 members. Bennett’s pointed post ends with a list of tough questions for LinkedIn, such as: “Would you also consider crowdsourcing your other departments - copywriting, marketing, accounting, legal advice and strategic planning?” Crowdsourcing, or using free, user-generated content, clearly remains controversial when it comes to language translation – and rightly so. Turn to a qualified language services provider such as Language Translation, Inc. for your language-related needs – and let us show you how good translation should be. Betty Carlson Sign up for our free language translation guides for more information about how to choose a quality translator. | 
