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Translation - art & business » Business issues »
payment problem
Thread poster: anders mansson
anders mansson
anders mansson
Germany
Local time: 04:57
English to Swedish
+ ...
May 16, 2007

after having finished and delivered a translation of about 1000 lines, my agency asked me in an e-mail how many lines the translation had. I wrongly answered 106 lines instead of 1006 lines. The agency then wrote an invoice to the client of this amount. 2 weeks later I made an invoice for my agency with the correct number of lines (1006) which they did not accepted. Question; who is right in this case? For this mistake I lost about 1000€ because I had left out a zero in my informal e-mail. Any... See more
after having finished and delivered a translation of about 1000 lines, my agency asked me in an e-mail how many lines the translation had. I wrongly answered 106 lines instead of 1006 lines. The agency then wrote an invoice to the client of this amount. 2 weeks later I made an invoice for my agency with the correct number of lines (1006) which they did not accepted. Question; who is right in this case? For this mistake I lost about 1000€ because I had left out a zero in my informal e-mail. Anybody has an idea/have experienced something similar?
Thanks ▲ Collapse
 
Evert DELOOF-SYS
Evert DELOOF-SYS  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 04:57
Member
English to Dutch
+ ...
Mistakes happen, and should be rectified May 16, 2007

A simple phone call/e-mail from the agency to the end client would, undoubtedly, solve this situation immediately, unless both have malafide intentions.

This particular agency is certainly not playing it by the book.
Insist that you will not let this go by unnoticed and (re-)send your invoice, this time by registered mail.

Good luck!
 
Erik Hansson
Erik Hansson  Identity Verified
Germany
Swedish
+ ...
Questions on the road May 16, 2007

Hej Anders,

I don't want to cast any suspicion on your client, but are you sure that your client's invoice was really based on the figure you gave them?

Also, when an agency asks a freelance translator about the amount of the text (often the case if the invoice from the translator will arrive some days later), it's often just to compare with their own results. Did nobody at your client's check out the real amount? In this case it's about 10 times the amount, which real... See more
Hej Anders,

I don't want to cast any suspicion on your client, but are you sure that your client's invoice was really based on the figure you gave them?

Also, when an agency asks a freelance translator about the amount of the text (often the case if the invoice from the translator will arrive some days later), it's often just to compare with their own results. Did nobody at your client's check out the real amount? In this case it's about 10 times the amount, which really makes me suspicious.

Insist on the full amount, and if it won't work, try to negotiate with your client and meet halfway.

Good luck!

Regards
Erik ▲ Collapse
 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 23:57
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
Just one question May 16, 2007

Ask them how much they would have paid you if your e-mail said 10006 lines.
 
Marcela Mestre
Marcela Mestre  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 23:57
Member
English to Spanish
Simply BRILLIANT! May 16, 2007

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

Ask them how much they would have paid you if your e-mail said 10006 lines.


I guess that the agency must have given the end client an estimate (of cost + time) before outsourcing the translation to you. Therefore, I believe that, provided there is bona fide, it is an easy situation to deal with. Just talk to the agency so that they talk to the end client as well. And stick to your invoice.

Good luck!
mm
 
Juliana Brown
Juliana Brown  Identity Verified
Israel
Local time: 22:57
Member (2007)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Don't forget May 16, 2007

to add a line in your new (accurate) invoice stating "Please disregard any previous invoices for this account", or something along those lines...Good luck. Also, I agree, a phone call often works best!
 
MariusV
MariusV  Identity Verified
Lithuania
Local time: 05:57
English to Lithuanian
+ ...
:) May 17, 2007

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

Ask them how much they would have paid you if your e-mail said 10006 lines.


A SUPER REMARK
 


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