Recommended professional insurance
Thread poster: Laurent Fel
Laurent Fel
Laurent Fel  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 22:57
English to French
+ ...
Sep 5, 2014

Dear all

What type of insurance coverage would you recommend to someone specializing in business/management/marketing? i.e. against which type of liability and up to which amount? Any company you would recommend?
Thank you.
Laurent


 
Ana Vozone
Ana Vozone  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:57
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
MFL (http://m-f-l.co.uk/default.asp?contentid=94) Sep 6, 2014

Hello, Laurent,

I would recommend the above company.

I have used their services for some years now, and have benefitted from a discount due to my ITI membership.

They will be able to advise you on the types of coverage.

Have a nice weekend!

Ana Vozone


 
Preston Decker
Preston Decker  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 17:57
Chinese to English
Ever been sued? Sep 6, 2014

As a follow-up, just curious, as I've thought in the past about this type of insurance but have so far held off, has anyone here ever had to actually use professional liability insurance in response to a lawsuit by an agency/client?

 
Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 15:57
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
None Sep 6, 2014

I, even more than Preston, consider such insurance to not only be of doubtful value but completely useless. For many years now whenever the subject of professional liability insurance comes up, which is does with some frequency, I ask the following question which I ask once again here:

Does anyone have knowledge of any case in which a translator has been sued for professional liability?

After more years than I can count, I have never received an answer.


 
Charlie Bavington
Charlie Bavington  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:57
French to English
Yup Sep 6, 2014


Does anyone have knowledge of any case in which a translator has been sued for professional liability?

After more years than I can count, I have never received an answer.


Well, a chap clearly cannot be expected to follow every single thread (especially chaps in America when it comes to the "UK" sub-section!), but here's an example I mentioned last year.

http://www.proz.com/forum/translation_in_the_uk/253210-uk_based_translators_risk_of_being_sued_and_company_type_sole_trader_vs_limited_liability.html#2172023


 
Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:57
Dutch to English
+ ...
Would you hear about it though? Sep 6, 2014

Does anyone have knowledge of any case in which a translator has been sued for professional liability?
After more years than I can count, I have never received an answer.


It's hardly something a translator would boast about, is it?


 
Ana Vozone
Ana Vozone  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:57
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Peace of mind for less than 8 euros a month... Sep 6, 2014

As I mentioned in my first post, I have had professional insurance for some years now.

The cost is around 90 euros for 600,000 euro coverage. I think that, at less than 8 euros a month, it is a pretty good deal!

I have never heard of translators being sued, but it could happen...

Below are some of the items included in the coverage:

Loss of or Damage to Documents
Liability for Loss of Documents
Libel and Slander
Infringement
... See more
As I mentioned in my first post, I have had professional insurance for some years now.

The cost is around 90 euros for 600,000 euro coverage. I think that, at less than 8 euros a month, it is a pretty good deal!

I have never heard of translators being sued, but it could happen...

Below are some of the items included in the coverage:

Loss of or Damage to Documents
Liability for Loss of Documents
Libel and Slander
Infringement of Copyright or Patents
Legal Defence
Assured’s Own Losses
Witness Expenses
Breach of Warranty of Authority

One more thing: I always remember the time when Larousse printed one of their dictionaries (in 1991), only to realize that they had misinformed the public about a highly poisonous mushroom type... What if this had been a translation?
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/29/garden/deadly-error-halts-sales-of-larousse.html

So, I am totally pro-insurance.

Have a nice weekend!
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Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 21:57
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
A reminder Sep 7, 2014

If you decide to take out insurance, do at least check that it will cover you. I paid for it for several years in France, only to discover that I had zero protection from being sued in courts outside France. About 50%+ of my clients were France-based. The others were spread around the world. When I moved to Spain I checked first and the same applies. I've only ever invoiced for €30 to Spain so it would clearly be a total waste of money.

Sod's Law means that if you have just one cl
... See more
If you decide to take out insurance, do at least check that it will cover you. I paid for it for several years in France, only to discover that I had zero protection from being sued in courts outside France. About 50%+ of my clients were France-based. The others were spread around the world. When I moved to Spain I checked first and the same applies. I've only ever invoiced for €30 to Spain so it would clearly be a total waste of money.

Sod's Law means that if you have just one client living outside your country of residence, then that's the client that will sue.
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John Farebrother
John Farebrother  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
French to English
+ ...
Translation? Sep 7, 2014



Below are some of the items included in the coverage:

Loss of or Damage to Documents
Liability for Loss of Documents
Libel and Slander
Infringement of Copyright or Patents
Legal Defence
Assured’s Own Losses
Witness Expenses
Breach of Warranty of Authority




Does it actually cover the work you do? Ie, liability for mistranslation? Under what circumstances is the legal defence available?


 
Ana Vozone
Ana Vozone  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:57
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Geographical limits: worldwide Sep 7, 2014

Jurisdiction limits: worldwide

And, yes, translation work is obviously included, as is interpretation work, any form of linguistic and/or transposition and adaptation work.... etc.

I am talking about the policy I have with the company mentioned in my initial post.

So, it is certainly not a waste of money in my opinion!

Definitely worth an email to different insurance companies to see what they offer. ITI (UK) initially recommended M-F--L and no
... See more
Jurisdiction limits: worldwide

And, yes, translation work is obviously included, as is interpretation work, any form of linguistic and/or transposition and adaptation work.... etc.

I am talking about the policy I have with the company mentioned in my initial post.

So, it is certainly not a waste of money in my opinion!

Definitely worth an email to different insurance companies to see what they offer. ITI (UK) initially recommended M-F--L and now recommend Towergate. I decided to stay with MFL.

Ana Vozone
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Laurent Fel
Laurent Fel  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 22:57
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Sep 10, 2014

Thank you all for your comments. This was helpful.

 
jyuan_us
jyuan_us  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 17:57
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
Peace of mind? Sep 10, 2014

Ana Vozone wrote:

As I mentioned in my first post, I have had professional insurance for some years now.

The cost is around 90 euros for 600,000 euro coverage. I think that, at less than 8 euros a month, it is a pretty good deal!

I have never heard of translators being sued, but it could happen...

Below are some of the items included in the coverage:

Loss of or Damage to Documents
Liability for Loss of Documents
Libel and Slander
Infringement of Copyright or Patents
Legal Defence
Assured’s Own Losses
Witness Expenses
Breach of Warranty of Authority

One more thing: I always remember the time when Larousse printed one of their dictionaries (in 1991), only to realize that they had misinformed the public about a highly poisonous mushroom type... What if this had been a translation?
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/29/garden/deadly-error-halts-sales-of-larousse.html

So, I am totally pro-insurance.

Have a nice weekend!



Will the insurance company unconditionally pay for the damages when a claim comes up? Will they have a lot of "Exclusions"? Will they require you to pay deductibles first?

You'd better look at the coverage documents carefully.


 
jyuan_us
jyuan_us  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 17:57
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
Right, all they cover is irrelevant Sep 10, 2014

John Farebrother wrote:



Below are some of the items included in the coverage:

Loss of or Damage to Documents
Liability for Loss of Documents
Libel and Slander
Infringement of Copyright or Patents
Legal Defence
Assured’s Own Losses
Witness Expenses
Breach of Warranty of Authority




Does it actually cover the work you do? Ie, liability for mistranslation? Under what circumstances is the legal defence available?


and they will not cover the issues that you are most concerned about, i.e. damages caused by translation errors.


 
Richard Foulkes (X)
Richard Foulkes (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:57
German to English
+ ...
Thanks Ana Sep 10, 2014

I've just got a quote from MFL myself and it seems like a no-brainer in view of the cost and cover provided. I've looked at getting PI insurance at various points in the past and in view of some of the work I do now, it would probably be a good idea! Thanks again for bringing it to my attention.

 
Ana Vozone
Ana Vozone  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:57
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Glad to be of help! Sep 19, 2014

Like you say, it is a no-brainer, in spite of all the skepticism!

 


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