| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Translation agency refuses to send source file before accepting Thread poster: Alexandre Chetrite
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Hi,
Usually I never accept to start a translation before seeing the source file or at least a sample of it.
To me its common sense, but maybe not to this Indian translation agency which offers me to translate 200 000 words from English to French.
Please note that the company has bad LWA on the Proz.com forums (non-payments, late payments mainly).LWA's of 1 ,2. Interestingly enough this agency had good ratings but miore than 5 years ago.
Appare... See more Hi,
Usually I never accept to start a translation before seeing the source file or at least a sample of it.
To me its common sense, but maybe not to this Indian translation agency which offers me to translate 200 000 words from English to French.
Please note that the company has bad LWA on the Proz.com forums (non-payments, late payments mainly).LWA's of 1 ,2. Interestingly enough this agency had good ratings but miore than 5 years ago.
Apparently the new management team is not so good.
Therefore I asked for an advance payment (20%), which was refused.I believe it is a reasonable request from me given the bas LWA of the agency. I even went down to 10% and asked for intermediate payments every 30 000 words, but no answer regarding that. (the problem too is banking charges and fees for every intermediate payments.If the agency has to pay that every time, it could amount to a hefty sum)...
I asked to see the source file or at least a sample, and they answered me that I would need to do a sample test before and that this sample would be quite similar to what I would have to translate.
And to finish I asked for the deadline and didn't get the answer.(should I add that they didn't state which CAT tool to use?)
To me the risk of not being paid or having to sue this agency if I don't get paid or late is high
However the sum involved is appealing to me and the translation falls into my specialization area.
Moreover I told them I would be ok with signing a confidentiality agreement, but no answer regarding this point too.
What would you do and what do you think?
[Edited at 2014-11-24 10:22 GMT]
[Edited at 2014-11-24 10:23 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Karen Stokes 
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:28
Member (2003)
French to English
All business relationships are fundamentally about trust and communication. Neither seems to be evident here. Better to spend the time and energy looking for better clients in your chosen field, surely?
| | | | Iris Schmerda
France
Local time: 00:28
Member (2016)
French to German
+ ...
| Just forget about them! | Nov 24, 2014 |
Sorry, but I don't understand at all why you want to work for such a company.
Bad communication, bad LWA, no answer to your messages ...
I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole!
You want to translate 200 000 words for them ... you will probably do it for free. Moreover, with a project of that size you won't be available for other, more reliable clients for weeks/months.
Why take such a risk ????
| | | | | Don't touch it | Nov 24, 2014 |
Personally, I wouldn't even be considering working for a company with bad ratings and previous problems with non-payment, especially for a job of this size.
I also wouldn't commit to a job without seeing the source text, again especially for a job of this size.
Up to you, of course, but I think you are asking for trouble taking this on. I'm not sure why you are even considering it.
Rachel
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Alex Lago
Spain
Local time: 00:28
English to Spanish
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Your post is full of warning signs that this isn't going to end well, you say yourself you are only considering it cause of the volume of words, problem is 200000 words will take a lot of your time, time you won't be working for anyone else and if it all goes wrong you will be in a mess.
Listen to your own warning signs and don't accept this job.
| | | | | What advice would you give... | Nov 24, 2014 |
...in a situation such as yours (step back for a minute and take a long, hard look).
Bad BB rating?
No sample text?
No set deadline?
Admitted worries about collecting for the job?
HUGE job (as would be your loss of monies not collected AND potential income lost from legit jobs in the event of payment issues)?
LISTEN to your "inner businessperson" and RUN, RUN, RUN.
You'd be better off marketing yourself to REAL translation agencies i... See more ...in a situation such as yours (step back for a minute and take a long, hard look).
Bad BB rating?
No sample text?
No set deadline?
Admitted worries about collecting for the job?
HUGE job (as would be your loss of monies not collected AND potential income lost from legit jobs in the event of payment issues)?
LISTEN to your "inner businessperson" and RUN, RUN, RUN.
You'd be better off marketing yourself to REAL translation agencies if you have some free time on your hands. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:28
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Rachel Waddington wrote:
....... I'm not sure why you are even considering it.
Rachel
I agree
| | | | | The risk seems to be too high | Nov 24, 2014 |
Let's do the numbers: 200 000 words, 2 000 words a day (I am stretching it; you will have to attend other customers too, I presume), equals 100 days of you work, and your life. This is more than 3 months.
In my experience, the typical workflow is as follows:
1. Contact (either way)
2. Sign NDA
2. Translation test, if proper
3. Feedback
4. Provided succeeded, check on availability
5. Provided available, check on conditions
6. Provided ... See more Let's do the numbers: 200 000 words, 2 000 words a day (I am stretching it; you will have to attend other customers too, I presume), equals 100 days of you work, and your life. This is more than 3 months.
In my experience, the typical workflow is as follows:
1. Contact (either way)
2. Sign NDA
2. Translation test, if proper
3. Feedback
4. Provided succeeded, check on availability
5. Provided available, check on conditions
6. Provided agreed, source file or part thereof (PO, I would say, is optional, but most of the agencies do send it)
7. Actual work and delivery
8. Possible feedback
9. Payment
I only accept jobs without first checking the source text if the request comes from a steady customer and I now what kind of text it will be. And this practice is not risk free either, but at least you know this customer is not dealing with zoology (if you do business-related texts, for instance).
Coming back to the first point, it is just way over the top to put at risk three months of your income. It will not make you stronger, it can actually harm your business.
[Edited at 2014-11-24 11:23 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 00:28
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| Use the special file | Nov 24, 2014 |
All you have listed raises one red flag after the other.
When communication is already that poor at the beginning, then you can surely imagine what it will be like when it's time to get paid.
You've already wasted too much of your time...unpaid. Surely you know better things to spend your time doing and...do get paid.
Send all communication with this agency to File 13, also known as the "Del... See more All you have listed raises one red flag after the other.
When communication is already that poor at the beginning, then you can surely imagine what it will be like when it's time to get paid.
You've already wasted too much of your time...unpaid. Surely you know better things to spend your time doing and...do get paid.
Send all communication with this agency to File 13, also known as the "Deleted" file. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Aakash5555
India
Local time: 03:58
Member (2014)
English to Hindi
+ ...
| Not to proceed would be better | Nov 24, 2014 |
Your post is full of bad and dubious signs about the Agency. I would say that it would be better for you to avoid dealing with this Agency or you should at least ask for staggered payment schedule with some payment in advance. I have faced situations in the past where I had to literally run behind the client to get my payment. So, go ahead with caution.
| | | | | Don't work with them. | Nov 24, 2014 |
I would not work with them.
| | | | | No Indian clients for me | Nov 24, 2014 |
Have they even agreed to pay a decent rate? I usually get offers of $0.01 for Hebrew-English and it used to drive me crazy. Today I simply ignore them and wish no translator would accept these projects.
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From what you have written, this client is not worth trying... it is highly likely you will be left empty-handed and disappointed. I would never ever work under such circumstances!
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The translation industry, the only industry in the world where India subcontracts to Europe!!!
(It's not off-topic; just a way of saying "why the hell are you working for India in the first place?")
| | | | | Indians are hard-working people. Please respect them. | Nov 24, 2014 |
Frankie JB wrote:
The translation industry, the only industry in the world where India subcontracts to Europe!!!
(It's not off-topic; just a way of saying "why the hell are you working for India in the first place?")
And why wouldn't I be working with them? I don't have any preconceived ideas about Indians. They are hard-working people and I respect that. We are in a global economy.
A French freelance translator working with (and not for!) an Indian translation agency is not sub-contracting I believe.Its a business relationship like any other.
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