| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: My favorite piece of information in the subject line of an email from a regular client is: Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Julian Holmes 
Japan
Local time: 20:25
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| Hey, let's do this! | Feb 7, 2014 |
Mario Chavez wrote: Julian Holmes wrote:
It starts:
"Hi, translator"
I'm put off already! So, I'm not alone in feeling surprise at this poll. Trust me, a better question would be What's the most off-putting piece of information you can find in the subject line of an email from a regular client?
@Mario
Niiiiiiiiice!
Let's get both the best and worst of e-mail openers. I'm sure we all have our own top 10 peeves and darling overtures.
Pleeeease. Pretty please. Someone suggest this as a poll! And, we can post the link to all our customers. 
| | | | Eser Perkins
Türkiye
Local time: 14:25
English to Turkish
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SITE LOCALIZER
B. D. Laux wrote:
Order number / PO number - it's very convenient when I write the invoice later
This is the piece of info that makes my life much easier.
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 13:25
French to English
| "Thank you for a great job of work" | Feb 7, 2014 |
That's my all-time favourite, especially when the body of the mail continues in the same vein.
I got one like that once, when I worked in-house. From a client who sent me the most technically-challenging translations ever, it was a nightmare and at one point he mentioned that he sometimes got the impression I really dreaded his mails. Well I did! But I told him that I appreciated our great working relationship, how he was always ready to answer our questions and would even amend th... See more That's my all-time favourite, especially when the body of the mail continues in the same vein.
I got one like that once, when I worked in-house. From a client who sent me the most technically-challenging translations ever, it was a nightmare and at one point he mentioned that he sometimes got the impression I really dreaded his mails. Well I did! But I told him that I appreciated our great working relationship, how he was always ready to answer our questions and would even amend the source when things weren't clear. That it was great to get feedback on our stuff and that I had learnt a lot working with him (well I mostly learned that complicated formats were to be avoided at all costs!). A while later I handed in the most complicated of projects I ever did for him. It took me ages because while I was on holiday the boss outsourced it to someone in India who did a word-for-word job. I had to redo it instead of proofreading it. We handed it in several weeks late and I felt terrible, then once he had finished his very thorough proofread he sent me the above mail. I immediately wrote back to ask him to send it again but copied to the boss, which he did. Lovely guy!
He was also the only client who asked whether I had any friends or family in London on the 07/07/07 bombings (I happened to be handing in a slew of files for him that day). ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I said "word count," but . . . | Feb 7, 2014 |
in fact it rarely appears in the subject line. So I'll go with Teresa and say "More work"!
For me, word count is the next most important piece of news, because I'm usually already committed and I want to know how big the job is. The next thing I want to know is the deadline. I don't care which of my source languages it's in.
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Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 13:25
Member (2006)
German to English
Julian Holmes wrote:
It starts:
"Hi, translator"
I'm put off already!
Okay, can only agree as well
| | | | Erzsébet Czopyk
Hungary
Local time: 13:25
Member (2006)
Russian to Hungarian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Marjolein Snippe wrote:
I quite like emails which say something like 'medical document' or 'equipment manual'. No very strong preferences - I do have my least preferred subject lines though (mostly used by one particular client) which reads URGENT!!!! PLEASE REPLY ASAP!!!! or SUPER URGENT!!!! AVAILABILITY?!!
ASAP or TRANSLATE THIS ASAP, with no context at all, just an attached file.
No wonder I have to call back and ask
- OK, but TO WHICH LANGUAGE YOU MEAN??
| | | | Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 05:25
Dutch to English
+ ...
Sometimes I get several jobs from different PMs in the same agency. The PO number is very important to find the e-mail I need and I also store the files (source files + translation) in separate folders by PO number.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 07:25
English to Spanish
+ ...
| If by favorite you mean off-putting... | Feb 7, 2014 |
Erzsébet Czopyk wrote: Marjolein Snippe wrote:
I quite like emails which say something like 'medical document' or 'equipment manual'. No very strong preferences - I do have my least preferred subject lines though (mostly used by one particular client) which reads URGENT!!!! PLEASE REPLY ASAP!!!! or SUPER URGENT!!!! AVAILABILITY?!! ASAP or TRANSLATE THIS ASAP, with no context at all, just an attached file. No wonder I have to call back and ask - OK, but TO WHICH LANGUAGE YOU MEAN??
Your example got the prize.
I tend to be quite miffed whenever I get an Urgent or ASAP job request. I don't do rush jobs anymore...except for my cat Oreo.
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I quite like to see in the subject line "Invoice paid" .....
Not all customers inform me when they pay, but it's nice to see that some of them care.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 13:25
Spanish to English
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Marjolein Snippe wrote:
... I do have my least preferred subject lines though (mostly used by one particular client) which reads URGENT!!!! PLEASE REPLY ASAP!!!! or SUPER URGENT!!!! AVAILABILITY?!!
I have one client who send maddening emails like that. Last month he kept sending me emails and SMS one weekend simply saying "your missing texts please", but did not reply to my replies asking "what missing files" (it turned out there weren't any, at least not from me). Sometimes he just sends a bunch of attachments to translate and/or revise with a cryptic "FOR MONDAY", which I also find quite annoying.
| | | | Anne Bohy
France
Local time: 13:25
English to French
B. D. Laux wrote:
Order number / PO number - it's very convenient when I write the invoice later
Same for me. Some clients send several jobs in a given period of time, and multiple e-mails for each ; I must be able to quickly sort out my emails.
| | | | Mariam Osmann
Egypt
Local time: 13:25
Member (2007)
English to Arabic
+ ...
| Words count and deadline, then PO number/reference | Feb 11, 2014 |
PO-(order number) | xxx Words for (date) @(time)
That the format I use when I am the outsourcer, and it contains more or less the information I get from most of my clients in the subject line.
When you are away from the inbox, then you are back and you have several messages/offers, this information of volume and deadline might suggest which one I would open first.
As to the reference number, it's great whenever I need to refer to this particular message for... See more PO-(order number) | xxx Words for (date) @(time)
That the format I use when I am the outsourcer, and it contains more or less the information I get from most of my clients in the subject line.
When you are away from the inbox, then you are back and you have several messages/offers, this information of volume and deadline might suggest which one I would open first.
As to the reference number, it's great whenever I need to refer to this particular message for classification, invoicing and other purposes.
Yes my least favorite in the subject line would be something like this "URGENT!!!!"
I hope outsourcers rethink it ▲ Collapse
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