Integra - John Doe

Posted: Jan 29, 2014

Anyone familiar with the Integra platform? I was hoping that I would be using EditScript, since Nuance makes the Dragon platform. 157 lph, 99% accuracy, with 60 days to meet production standards. And I've read some of the horror stories on FIESA. That said, I'm not looking for 18 years of job security, more like 18 months. For the past few months, I have been working for Acusis. Despite the horror stories regarding Indian-QA companies, they've been relatively good to me. That said, ever since Christmas, volumes at Acusis have been consistently low, since my primary account is split between 4 other vendors, and the backup account is their own platform with mind-numbingly difficult dictator. I now have to get up at 4:00 a.m., partly because I was told that volumes were a little more higher during early mornings (so far, only about a 100 line difference), and partly because I needed a work schedule that did not butt heads with my class schedule (I'm taking classes at ITT Tech). I HATE getting up that early, especially on Saturday, where I have an a.m. class that takes up half the day. Sleep is disrupted, and my study habits are negatively impacted. So I applied to Nuance, they offered me a full-time position (something I didn't expect) on a Probity/Integra account. I told them about my class schedule and they were willing to work around it (most MT companies would be less sympathetic). One of the reasons I applied there was because they are the company that make Dragon, I figure if I get in good with them now, maybe they'll remember me when I get my NSA degree and get an IT position with them. Plus, I figure there's probably a good chance that they'll eventually absorb Acusis anyway at some point. But a couple days ago, Acusis agreed to train me in a tertiary account. They have generally treated me well, and the last full-time position I was offered (Amphion) didn't pan out well (basically, Amphion made me sink tons of money into programs to ensure that my workstation was up to snuff, and once this process was complete, they pretty much tossed me aside like yesterday's garbage). But it would be foolish to turn down Nuance's offer, given the way the wind is blowing. Any MT position is ultimately going to be a placeholder until ITT's Career Advisors can find me something more tangible (they don't work with freshmen), but I don't want to burn any bridges. So basically, how tough is it to meet the FIESA standards on Integra (EditScript has always been the easiest platform for me)? How do I pick one company without alienating the other? How viable is Nuance for a student with clear plans to leave the MT industry in the next year or two anyway?