The ProZ Translation Bargain Basement? Thread poster: Dave Greatrix
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Dave Greatrix 
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:18
Dutch to English
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10,000 words Dutch>English Urgent.
Saturday morning delivery.
0.04 Euro cents per word.
Payment 45 days after invoice.
Aaaaaargh!
Can we not unite against these bloodsuckers and parasites???????????
I bet they are charging their client the recognised industry rate - unless of course they are outsourcing, in which case they should never have taken the job on in the first place.
... See more 10,000 words Dutch>English Urgent.
Saturday morning delivery.
0.04 Euro cents per word.
Payment 45 days after invoice.
Aaaaaargh!
Can we not unite against these bloodsuckers and parasites???????????
I bet they are charging their client the recognised industry rate - unless of course they are outsourcing, in which case they should never have taken the job on in the first place.
I wouldn\'t touch such a job with a barge pole - my views on \"if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys\" have already been aired in these forums.
My point is this - could you buy a Skoda at a Rolls Royce dealership??
ProZ should try to maintain a degree of prestige.
Can we at ProZ not adopt the same policy as Aquarius, where bids lower than 0.07 Euro cents are not possible?
I do not believe ProZ should turn into some sort of translation \"bargain basement\".
It serves nobody, only the scavangers who make quick bucks at the expense of the members who are prepared to work for such farcical rates and under such conditions.
Rest assured, the end client does not benefit, as they will be charged the industry rates - you can take that as written.
[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-11-05 09:20 ] ▲ Collapse
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blomguib (X)
Local time: 22:18
English to Flemish
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I\'ve definitely given up answering or even getting irritated when noticing that kind of \"offers\". It\'s just not worth it; paying that kind of money, inevitably leads to worthless translations and one can only hope that those people\'s reputation spreads as quickly as possible. It is true, however, that you sometimes wonder how they get by...
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I\'ve just made a bid and made it clear that 0.04 is way too low. I don\'t think I will get it but hopefully the outsourcer will get the message. Somebody else also made a bid so I hope it was also saying that 0.04 is way too low. I will let you know what happens.
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OlafK
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:18
English to German
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There is very strong opposition from ProZ members against any kind of \"market control\", including minimum rates. Many members are outsourcers as well. From their point of view the possibility of finding ever cheaper translators must be one the main advantages of this site.
But unfortunately sometimes the wording of these job postings is quite rude. They make you feel like some kind of labourer in the early days of industialisation. I\'ve come to the conclusion that they ca... See more There is very strong opposition from ProZ members against any kind of \"market control\", including minimum rates. Many members are outsourcers as well. From their point of view the possibility of finding ever cheaper translators must be one the main advantages of this site.
But unfortunately sometimes the wording of these job postings is quite rude. They make you feel like some kind of labourer in the early days of industialisation. I\'ve come to the conclusion that they can\'t possibly be looking for professionals like myself.
[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-11-06 00:29 ] ▲ Collapse
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williamson (X)
Local time: 03:18
Dutch to English
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| Opposite views. | Nov 5, 2002 |
Quote:
On 2002-11-05 12:35, OlafK wrote:
View A: There is very strong opposition from ProZ members against any kind of \"market control\", including minimum rates. Many members are outsourcers as well. From there point of view the possibility of finding ever cheaper translators must be one the main advantages of this site.
View B:
But unfortunately sometimes the wording of these job posti
... See more Quote:
On 2002-11-05 12:35, OlafK wrote:
View A: There is very strong opposition from ProZ members against any kind of \"market control\", including minimum rates. Many members are outsourcers as well. From there point of view the possibility of finding ever cheaper translators must be one the main advantages of this site.
View B:
But unfortunately sometimes the wording of these job postings is quite rude. They make you feel like some kind of labourer in the early days of industialisation. I\'ve come to the conclusion that they can\'t possibly be looking for professionals like myself who oppose a minimum rate?
Aquarius does not impose \"market control\" its cut-off feature of €0.07/word guarantees a decent rate.
Can it be concluded that everybody else but \"a professional like you\" must get the lowest possible rate? If you oppose minimum rates, than you must bear the consequences of your point of view.
How far can one go in outsourcing from client to freelancer to another freelancer to another freelancer, who is paid \"peanuts\".
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OlafK
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:18
English to German
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You misquoted me and completely misunderstood me. How can you add something to a quote that wasn\'t there? What\'s the purpose? I am on your side!
I don\'t oppose a minmum rate. I actually think it\'s a good idea.
In my posting I wasn\'t condoning bargain hunting, I just took the cynical view that it\'s one of the purposes of this site.
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williamson (X)
Local time: 03:18
Dutch to English
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| Oeps-The Age of Aquarius? | Nov 6, 2002 |
Oeps, sorry. But whereas many oppose a cut-off rate because it would chase away the cheapskates from Proz., I am in favour of it. If you look at the tool on Aquarius lower rates than €0.07 are not possible. Ther rates start at €0.07 and you can bid upto a maximum rate of €1.00 or more per word. Perhaps that is why Aquarius has less job offers. The 0.04$/word are filtered out.
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Chris Hopley
Netherlands
Local time: 03:18
German to English
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| cheapo batteries | Nov 6, 2002 |
Take a walk down any high street in any western country of your choosing and you\'ll find a whole range of products offered at a whole range of prices. You can buy no-name penlite batteries, for example, for EUR 2 for a ten-pack or you can buy Duracell for a helluva lot more (EUR 4-5 for two).
Try the cheapos out in your walkman and you\'ll soon experience the effects of a phenomenon known as a \'false economy\'.
The translation market is essentially no different. ... See more Take a walk down any high street in any western country of your choosing and you\'ll find a whole range of products offered at a whole range of prices. You can buy no-name penlite batteries, for example, for EUR 2 for a ten-pack or you can buy Duracell for a helluva lot more (EUR 4-5 for two).
Try the cheapos out in your walkman and you\'ll soon experience the effects of a phenomenon known as a \'false economy\'.
The translation market is essentially no different. The people who run cheapo agencies are akin to the \"Everything for a Pound\" or \"Knaakland\" style shops. If you can\'t supply goods at the prices they\'re looking to buy at, you just have to refuse to supply to cheap resellers.
However, if the cheap prices become the norm in a given marketplace, it\'s a sign that the market is saturated. The only thing to do is find yourself a new market or find a niche in the market, i.e. SPECIALISE, SPECIALISE, SPECIALISE.
[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-11-06 14:21 ] ▲ Collapse
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OlafK
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:18
English to German
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| Wij zijn in "Knaakland" , dus | Nov 9, 2002 |
I said before in another thread that abolishing the job section would be the best option (for us as translators) but that\'s not what ProZ is about.
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