Páginas sobre el tema: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you inform potential clients you may not work with them if they have a low Blue Board score? Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
| Thayenga Alemania Local time: 04:18 Miembro 2009 inglés al alemán + ... Why should I? | Aug 26, 2016 |
Erik Hansson wrote: I fail to understand why I should inform them. If they are well-organised they surely know that they are on Blue Board, and also know about their score. There's no reason why I should have to explain my reasons for not entering into a business relationship with someone. It's like going to a bakery and telling the people that you don't buy your bread there because...I don't know, the person in the other bakery is your cousin. | | | Roy Chacón Colombia Local time: 21:18 Miembro inglés al español
I'm sure they know they have a bad Blue Board score. I sometimes risk agreeing to very small jobs, who knows? Maybe you can get a good client, it has happened to me several times. Of course, big project, bad ratings: polite reply, and instant flee. | | | Mario Chavez (X) Local time: 22:18 inglés al español + ... That's why there are so few lawyers! | Aug 26, 2016 |
Julian Holmes wrote: Because it has very little relevance to translation agencies and LSPs based in Japan. We do things differently over here. And, most Japanese customers are law-abiding citizens. I recently read an article in The Wall Street Journal about Japan and the very low number of lawyers per capita. The Japanese aren't as litigious as Americans or Europeans. Especially as the Americans (that's us!) are. Blessed be Japan! ![](https://cfcdn.proz.com/images/bb/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif) | | | Mario Chavez (X) Local time: 22:18 inglés al español + ...
Thayenga wrote: Erik Hansson wrote: I fail to understand why I should inform them. If they are well-organised they surely know that they are on Blue Board, and also know about their score. There's no reason why I should have to explain my reasons for not entering into a business relationship with someone. It's like going to a bakery and telling the people that you don't buy your bread there because...I don't know, the person in the other bakery is your cousin. …the person in the other bakery is your cousin twice removed. ![](https://cfcdn.proz.com/images/bb/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif) | |
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Mario Chavez (X) Local time: 22:18 inglés al español + ...
Mario Freitas wrote: That wouldn't be very professional. If a potential client has a score below 4.7 in the BB or no record at all there, you give them a polite excuse and flee. But telling them "Hey, I'm not working for you because you're no good" is not very professional or very smart, is it? I agree. Unless that prospect contacts me and asks why I keep declining their job offers, I see no reason to tell them why. Besides, being professional (to me) means using my time efficiently, and using it to tell others why I don't want to work with them is a waste of my time and theirs. | | | Mario Chavez (X) Local time: 22:18 inglés al español + ... Translation may not be reusable by third parties | Aug 26, 2016 |
José Henrique has provided with a great reason why translations aren't a commodity (and translators either). As some of us haven't had HR experience as such, it helps to develop a robust understanding of HR best practices as part of working as an independent professional. Well said, José Henrique! ![Great explanation about translation not being a commodity](https://res.cloudinary.com/proz/image/upload/v1472229467/v7ihuugk6zlkw8edf5mq.jpg) | | | Mario Freitas Brasil Local time: 23:18 Miembro 2014 inglés al portugués + ... A matter of opinion, experience or behavior? | Aug 26, 2016 |
Chris S wrote: Why not? Surely telling them why you won't work with them is the decent thing to do? Mario Chavez wrote: I agree. Unless that prospect contacts me and asks why I keep declining their job offers, I see no reason to tell them why. Besides, being professional (to me) means using my time efficiently, and using it to tell others why I don't want to work with them is a waste of my time and theirs. I guess it's all a matter of opinion. Perhaps there is nothing wrong with it. But most of the time I told someone something like "you're no good", the outcome has been pretty negative. The person naturally reacts as if they have been offended, and you don't want that in a professional environment. You can say "no thanks, I have no time for that", and get rid of it without the offense. After all, there is a slight possibility that client becomes a Top 10 in the future, and then you'll be out of their list due to a simple aggressive answer. Of course you can tell them why, if you wish, but I don't think you should say "bacause you are not qualified", "bacause you have a poor standing" or things like that. That's what I meant. Not only because of the "offense" thing, but also because they obviously know their position, and you do not have to remind them of it.
[Edited at 2016-08-26 17:05 GMT] | | | Manners and professionalism | Aug 26, 2016 |
Mario Freitas wrote: I guess it's all a matter of opinion. Perhaps there is nothing wrong with it. But most of the time I told someone something like "you're no good", the outcome has been pretty negative. The person naturally reacts as if they have been offended, and you don't want that in a professional environment. You can say "no thanks, I have no time for that", and get rid of it without the offense. After all, there is a slight possibility that client becomes a Top 10 in the future, and then you'll be out of their list due to a simple aggressive answer. Of course you can tell them why, if you wish, but I don't think you should say "because you are not qualified", "bacause you have a poor standing" or things like that. That's what I meant. Not only because of the "offense" thing, but also because they obviously know their position, and you do not have to remind them of it. I can tell them "you're no good" only after having worked with them and having myself unquestionable facts to back such assertion. If they have a bad WWA I can point out that, in view of my lack of evidence otherwise, they will be treated as a high risk customer, therefore being required to pay something up front, so that we will SHARE that risk equitably. SHARING is a buzz word in present times. Anyone not willing to share anything, jokes on Facebook included, is entitled to be regarded with suspicion nowadays. This is an absolutely normal business procedure. Try renting a car or getting a hotel room anywhere on this planet without a credit card that is valid there. They'll always demand a cash deposit before giving you the keys. | |
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Thayenga wrote: It's like going to a bakery and telling the people that you don't buy your bread there because...I don't know, the person in the other bakery is your cousin. If you went to the bakery purposely to trash them then of course that's uncalled for. But if they keep coming to your door trying to sell you bread then I see nothing wrong with a politely-worded refusal and explanation of why you'd rather not eat their bread (because 200 other people came down with food poisoning after eating it. What do you have to say to that, Mr. Baker? Mr. Baker, "......" I thought so. Bye!). | | | Mario Freitas Brasil Local time: 23:18 Miembro 2014 inglés al portugués + ...
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote: I can tell them "you're no good" only after having worked with them and having myself unquestionable facts to back such assertion. Exactly. But since the question was about potential clients, and when we can't (or don't want to) work for them, it's a whole different story. We must be respectful when we don't have unquestionable facts to back the assertion.
[Edited at 2016-08-27 02:33 GMT] | | | Erzsébet Czopyk Hungría Local time: 04:18 Miembro 2006 ruso al húngaro + ... LOCALIZADOR DEL SITIO
In a polite way send a short notice mentioning I am a member of the community and in order to protect the community values and the efforts of ProZ.com, I offer the option of pre-payment. This way I worked for an outsorcer banned from the ProZ.com and finally left them a positive entry. Usually I follow te Blue Board of the agencies I work for and maybe the saddest story of them is the one agency, whom I left a very positive entry after our collaboration. Since them they have a mass ... See more In a polite way send a short notice mentioning I am a member of the community and in order to protect the community values and the efforts of ProZ.com, I offer the option of pre-payment. This way I worked for an outsorcer banned from the ProZ.com and finally left them a positive entry. Usually I follow te Blue Board of the agencies I work for and maybe the saddest story of them is the one agency, whom I left a very positive entry after our collaboration. Since them they have a mass of negative entries, finally (just few days ago, so the poll is very actual to me) I sent them an e-mail, asking what happened, why they have so much negative responses. "I am still following your Blue Board and just would like to ask what happened to your office, being so kind and punctual in the past… It makes me so sad. In the beginning I though it may happen one or two times but now it seems this is systematically happens… Greetings from Budapest," I received the following kind reply: "I do not understand what is happening either as I do not know half of the people that are complaining.... We pay everyone who works for us and delivers gooed work within the deadline so nothing is going on. We are still growing. How are you? Kind regards" And the fact is, I sent them in May an e-mail, saying that because of their BB, I would like to receive a pre-payment. So the collaboration is still active and who knows what will happen...
[Edited at 2016-08-30 05:28 GMT] ▲ Collapse | | | Erzsébet Czopyk Hungría Local time: 04:18 Miembro 2006 ruso al húngaro + ... LOCALIZADOR DEL SITIO excellent policy | Aug 27, 2016 |
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote: I recently realized that having been a human resources manager led me to have policies covering most everything in business. Translation requires work before payment, and it's not a commodity. If I do a translation for ABC Corp. and, for any reason, they change their mind while the job is under way, I can't sell it to XYZ Corp. nor anybody else. It will be scrap. Likewise, while ABC Corp. may have read comments on my translation work for other clients, they can't be 100% sure of the quality and timeliness of my delivery until they see it. I have a pretty good track record as a translator. If the client has an equally good record as a payer, okay, we'll swap my work for their money when time comes. If the client has NO record, like many individuals who approach me out of the blue with an occasional translation job, I have my arbitrary unsecured credit limit: BRL 500 (~USD 165 now). If the total amount is below that limit, I'll take the risk. If it's above that, I explain to them that we must share the risk: 50% up-front. Scammers scram; goodwill customers pay immediately. If the client has a BAD record on the Blue Board, the same rule applies, with a lower threshold: BRL 200 (~USD 65 now). I'll give them ONE chance within that limit. If the total order value is higher, I'll demand 100% up front. Two cases. Once I took a chance on a client who had ONE WWA=1 entry. It was not a translation company, they were in the entertainment industry. As I ascertained later, that entry - which they were unaware of - was the result of a new external vendor having re-outsourced the job to someone who delivered completely useless work, and late, therefore not deserving nor receiving any pay. For a couple of years, while a humongous project lasted, it was by far the most profitable client I had. Now I have a case under way. A translation agency that is sinking in the Blue Board mud. They were a WWA=5 once, now their WWA is going from an overall high 3 to a 12-mos. low 1. They had tried to hire me several times in the past, but were unlucky. They always did so when I was loaded above the lid. Finally, last month, I did a first $30-ish proofreading job for them. We agreed on COD payment, so they wouldn't waste money on hefty Brazilian interest rates (abt. 17% monthly). They didn't pay, said they were used to pay in 30 days. Okay, I'll wait till then. However I'm ready to add one more nail to their coffin, I mean, another WWA=1 to their Blue Board record next week. Quite frankly, $33? In spite of credit cards, think I never left home in the USA (where they are located) carrying less than $50 in cash. Ever since, I've already turned down two jobs they offered me. No point in growing a delinquent bill. Nevertheless, answering the OP question, if they first settle their pending debt and then pay me 100% in advance, I'll certainly work for them, any time. I will do this in the future. Thank you for posting this. | |
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This is VERY serious | Aug 27, 2016 |
Erzsébet Czopyk wrote: In a polite way send a short notice mentioning I am a member of the community and in order to protect the community values and the efforts of ProZ.com, I offer the option of pre-payment. This way I worked for an outsorcer banned from the ProZ.com and finally left them a positive entry. Usually I follow te Blue Board of the agencies I work for and maybe the saddest story of them is (name deleted), whom I left a very positive entry after our collaboration. Since them they have a mass of negative entries, finally (just few days ago, so the poll is very actual to me) I sent them an e-mail, asking what happened, why they have so much negative responses. "I am still following your Blue Board and just would like to ask what happened to your office, being so kind and punctual in the past… It makes me so sad. In the beginning I though it may happen one or two times but now it seems this is systematically happens… Greetings from Budapest," I received the following kind reply: "I do not understand what is happening either as I do not know half of the people that are complaining.... We pay everyone who works for us and delivers gooed work within the deadline so nothing is going on. We are still growing. How are you? Kind regards" And the fact is, I sent them in May an e-mail, saying that because of their BB, I would like to receive a pre-payment. So the collaboration is still active and who knows what will happen... I've underscored something important above. Unless this is an unusually large translation agency where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and the latter has no idea on where the left toe is to scratch it, someone is lying here, and possibly playing Proz - in spite of its overwhelming care to avoid it - as an accessory after the fact for slander. Don't agencies get a chance to state their side of the case to Proz when they disagree with a WWA entry before it's published? Otherwise an agency I'm kinda chummy with may ask me (and other translators) to enter bad BB scores to a competitor who's been poaching their clients with lower rates... though we've never worked for that slick agency!
[Edited at 2016-08-29 14:08 GMT] | | | Recent Blueboard trends | Aug 28, 2016 |
Teresa Borges wrote: If a potential client has a low Blue Board score, I won't work with them, sometimes I'll tell them why...
I have been contacted by Proz staffs recently regarding my past Blue Board scores I gave to certain problematic translation agencies. I understand that Proz.com is going to clean up bad Blue Board rates for benefits of translation agencies/clients. It means that poor Blue Board ratings will be rarely seen and be referred to in our later job services. Soonthon L. | | | Páginas sobre el tema: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Do you inform potential clients you may not work with them if they have a low Blue Board score? Pastey | Your smart companion app
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