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Contracts/ down payments
Thread poster: Lioba Multer
Lioba Multer
Lioba Multer  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:11
English to German
+ ...
Aug 20, 2019

Does anyone know of a contract template I can use? As a freelancer I have a hard time getting paid or getting paid on time lately. Does anyone of you ask for a down payment and if so, what percentage?

Thanks!
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 14:11
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
@Lioba Aug 21, 2019

I wonder if a signed contract would make a bad-payer become suddenly a good payer and you don’t need a signed contract to take them to court (at least not in Europe), all you need is the emails exchanged.

Over the years I’ve asked down or advance payments (from 30% to 50%) to first-time clients if the job is over a certain amount (in my case €1,000). Some tend to disappear right away, others pay gladly...

Philippe Etienne
Sheila Wilson
Tina Vonhof (X)
Andriy Yasharov
 
Paweł Hamerski
Paweł Hamerski
Poland
Local time: 15:11
English to Polish
+ ...
It is always the buyer who draws up a contract, practically never the seller so Aug 21, 2019

why are you asking for a template?
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 14:11
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
There are better ways of doing business than relying on contractual clauses Aug 21, 2019

If you manage the risks correctly, there should be little need for contracts (at least those legalese ones) or advance payments for small jobs. Each job is relatively small, so if the client is legitimate and you do a reasonable job, then there should be no problem. I have to say that I've never felt the need to ask a B2B client for an advance for a "normal" job. It's different for B2C clients, who are happy to pay in advance, and for B2B clients who order a book-length translation. The latter w... See more
If you manage the risks correctly, there should be little need for contracts (at least those legalese ones) or advance payments for small jobs. Each job is relatively small, so if the client is legitimate and you do a reasonable job, then there should be no problem. I have to say that I've never felt the need to ask a B2B client for an advance for a "normal" job. It's different for B2C clients, who are happy to pay in advance, and for B2B clients who order a book-length translation. The latter would normally be the subject of staged payments, which may well include a partial advance payment. All these things can be tied down in a series of emails. But only if both partners are serious and honest. Nothing short of a court order will force the other type of partner to pay. ▲ Collapse


Carolina Finley
Tina Vonhof (X)
Cecily Bernard
Jianrong Sun
 
Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 09:11
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
ATA model contracts with explanations Aug 21, 2019

Lioba Multer wrote:

Does anyone know of a contract template I can use? As a freelancer I have a hard time getting paid or getting paid on time lately. Does anyone of you ask for a down payment and if so, what percentage?

Thanks!

Yes, the ATA has model contracts both for translators and for interpreters.
Please take a look at this page:
https://www.atanet.org/business_practices/services_agreements.php
There is an actual model contract here:
https://www.atanet.org/business_practices/model_translation_job_contract.php
And the same contract with detailed explanations here:
https://www.atanet.org/business_practices/translation_agreement_guide.pdf

I have used this model contract as the base to create my own translation service agreement. I use that document when I see the need, especially when starting doing business with a direct client and larger or long-term jobs are involved. Most direct clients appreciate the fact that I have a prepared contract form.

DZiW (X)
mughwI
 


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