| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Fax indispensable for Interpreting Services Thread poster: Jesús Marín Mateos
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Dear colleagues,
This is the second time I have been approached by a company re interpreting services enquiring whether I could provide a fax number for them to fax their requests to me. I am not an agency and do not operate as such and therefore have not got a fax machine. I tried to persuade them that contact through my mobile or e-mailing me was the best option but it feels this is no good for them.
To be honest I am not going to buy a fax machine to receive a fax per year since I... See more Dear colleagues,
This is the second time I have been approached by a company re interpreting services enquiring whether I could provide a fax number for them to fax their requests to me. I am not an agency and do not operate as such and therefore have not got a fax machine. I tried to persuade them that contact through my mobile or e-mailing me was the best option but it feels this is no good for them.
To be honest I am not going to buy a fax machine to receive a fax per year since I don't know how often they'll need me. Secondly if I buy a fax machine I need to have a person at home receiving the faxes and confirming whether I am or not available (some kind of secretary). It all seems akward....any similar experience...suggestion....free fax machine (just joking!!!).
Many thanks. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Are you talking of translation or interpreting? | Jun 22, 2004 |
For interprting no fax machine is required. For translation perhaps. It is one thing for the laymen to confuse between translation and interpretation. But professionals like us have no excuse to have such confusion.
Regards,
N.Raghavan
| | | | Magda Dziadosz 
Poland
Local time: 01:46
Member (2004)
English to Polish
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| Not necessarily a joke...:) | Jun 22, 2004 |
Jesus Marin wrote:
...suggestion....free fax machine (just joking!!!).
Hi Jesus,
free fax machine is not a joke, really. You can try e-fax or similar services where you receive a fax number which you can give to your customers and whenever they send you fax, you would receive it by e-mail. It's free as long as you can accept a number in any country (mostly US numbers), if you want to have a numeber in selected country, usually you have to pay.
Also, if you have a modem, you can set your computer to recive faxes.
Just a few thoughts,
Magda
| | | | | Fax machine to receive requests | Jun 22, 2004 |
Narasimhan Raghavan wrote:
For interprting no fax machine is required. For translation perhaps. It is one thing for the laymen to confuse between translation and interpretation. But professionals like us have no excuse to have such confusion.
Regards,
N.Raghavan
Dear Narasimhan,
I did mean for interpreting...obviously not to interpret through the fax machine but to receive requests.....
Thanks anyway.
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| Technicalities | Jun 22, 2004 |
Magda Dziadosz wrote: Jesus Marin wrote:
...suggestion....free fax machine (just joking!!!).
Hi Jesus, free fax machine is not a joke, really. You can try e-fax or similar services where you receive a fax number which you can give to your customers and whenever they send you fax, you would receive it by e-mail. It\'s free as long as you can accept a number in any country (mostly US numbers), if you want to have a numeber in selected country, usually you have to pay. Also, if you have a modem, you can set your computer to recive faxes. Just a few thoughts, Magda
Thank you Magda. I have looked into e-fax but I feel this company (or any other) doesn\'t want to send a fax to the States for me.....
I do have a modem (actually two modems) but I don\'t know how to do this. I have heard that you need some special software to do it not only the modem. Would you be so kind as to direct me to some more information if you happen to know?
Many thanks.
| | | | | Try this one. | Jun 22, 2004 |
Jesus Marin wrote: Magda Dziadosz wrote: Jesus Marin wrote:
...suggestion....free fax machine (just joking!!!).
Hi Jesus, free fax machine is not a joke, really. You can try e-fax or similar services where you receive a fax number which you can give to your customers and whenever they send you fax, you would receive it by e-mail. It's free as long as you can accept a number in any country (mostly US numbers), if you want to have a numeber in selected country, usually you have to pay. Also, if you have a modem, you can set your computer to recive faxes. Just a few thoughts, Magda Thank you Magda. I have looked into e-fax but I feel this company (or any other) doesn't want to send a fax to the States for me..... I do have a modem (actually two modems) but I don't know how to do this. I have heard that you need some special software to do it not only the modem. Would you be so kind as to direct me to some more information if you happen to know? Many thanks.
Hi Jesus.
I have a free fax to e-mail service here in UK through www.yac.com . The sending side pays the charges.
Pavlos.
| | | | CMJ_Trans (X)
Local time: 01:46
French to English
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| as interpreter, may I offer a plausible explanation? | Jun 22, 2004 |
Very often, meeting documents come in the form of hard copy and there is no computer file. I don't know about you but I like to get my hands on as many preparatory documents as I can, preferably before an interpreting assignment, so I am quite happy to take delivery by fax. It is quicker than the post and better than waiting till you turn up on the meeting day.....
Maybe that was their reasoning?
PS: My fax machine is bog-standard and did not cost a fortune. I find I still use it for... See more Very often, meeting documents come in the form of hard copy and there is no computer file. I don't know about you but I like to get my hands on as many preparatory documents as I can, preferably before an interpreting assignment, so I am quite happy to take delivery by fax. It is quicker than the post and better than waiting till you turn up on the meeting day.....
Maybe that was their reasoning?
PS: My fax machine is bog-standard and did not cost a fortune. I find I still use it for all sorts of purposes but then I do have a very complicated lifestyle (which I am not about to divulge here!) ▲ Collapse
| | | | Magda Dziadosz
Poland
Local time: 01:46
Member (2004)
English to Polish
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| There might be other good resons to use a fax | Jun 22, 2004 |
Narasimhan Raghavan wrote:
For interprting no fax machine is required. For translation perhaps.
Hi Narashimhan,
It is not unusual to send and receive PO, invoices and other documentation related to an assignment by fax. The reason is that in some jurisdictions scanned signature is not valid, but faxed is. Don't ask me why....;)
For some technical reasons I haven't had a ground telephone line for 2 years, thus was relying on mobile phones and e-mail only. One would think it is absolutely enough these days, but still at least once or twice a year I just HAD to use a fax or lose a good biz - in all cases it was about paperwork related to translation/interpreting, not a text to be translated itself. I used e-fax and...a friend, who was so lovely to send or receive faxes on my behalf.
And to Jesus again:
I will try to check the software for you - I used it many years ago, with the Windows version which is now long forgotten but there must be newer versions. Or maybe some other collegues will know?
Magda
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Judy Rojas
Chile
Local time: 19:46
Spanish to English
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| You can receive faxes in your PC | Jun 22, 2004 |
If you have a modem in your PC, try installing one of the many freware or shareware fax programs. Connect your modem to you phone line and you can receive/send fax messages through your PC.
HIH,
Ricardo
| | | | DGK T-I
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:46
Georgian to English
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| free (non-subscription) e-fax numbers (0870) for the UK too, not just the US | Jun 22, 2004 |
JM wrote:
Thank you Magda. I have looked into e-fax but I feel this company (or any other) doesn't want to send a fax to the States for me.....
I've got one.
(It's also possible to pay a subscription for a completely local number and the facility to send faxes, if preferred - and if you don't pay a subscription you receive some advertizing faxes, but not an unbearable number).
I do have a modem (actually two modems) but I don't know how to do this. I have heard that you need some special software to do it not only the modem.
There are a number of free, shareware or purchase fax programs (as Ricardo says) that can send and receive faxes via a datafax telephone modem ( the same as most modems used to connect to dial-up internet) eg: progams such as 'Winfax'. As far as I'm aware the computer usually needs to be switched on to receive faxes "directly" as faxes, unlike e-fax type services which send the fax to the e-mail mailbox of your choice.
Some e-mail box services such as Yahoo (I think) can be set up to send alerts to a mobile phone when a message arrives, for a small fee per alert/message. I guess if an address/box was only used for receiving faxes (so it didn't attract junk mail), and kept open, that would enable you to know when the fax had come in (if you need to know and are away from your computer & base). The thing which would stop that working would be alerts for junk mail (which you were paying for alerts for) - I don't know whether that could be avoided, eg: by getting alerts and using an address from a paid ISP/e-mail account, etc, without spending too much. Just an idea, if it's viable....(although personally I don't need to go to those lengths - arranging out of office alerts - to receive faxes, but if someone did...)
Best wishes
Giuli
(Eng Rus Geo)
[Edited at 2004-06-27 12:40]
| | | | LuciaC
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:46
English to Italian
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| Is it such a big deal? | Jun 22, 2004 |
As you say, faxes are rare these days but I couldn't do without my phone/fax/answering machine. It works with normal paper and makes nice photocopies. It takes messages or faxes when I am out and I can call it when I am out/abroad and listen to the messages. It really wasn't expensive and I could deduce it from my tax return.
I agree that it is even more convenient to receive faxes through e-mail, but I find this machine quite useful.
Ciao
Lucia
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Hi Jesus
I've been using e-fax for more than two years now. I seldom receive faxes (maybe 6 times a year) and more seldom I have to send any.
I took the free option, when I need to send one I just go to the post-office and pay a little bit more than what it would cost if I had a fax machine at home, but I don't need to buy it.
They asked me to chose a country, I asked for Canada because I needed it there at that moment. They gave me a number from the US (in other words..... See more Hi Jesus
I've been using e-fax for more than two years now. I seldom receive faxes (maybe 6 times a year) and more seldom I have to send any.
I took the free option, when I need to send one I just go to the post-office and pay a little bit more than what it would cost if I had a fax machine at home, but I don't need to buy it.
They asked me to chose a country, I asked for Canada because I needed it there at that moment. They gave me a number from the US (in other words...you wan't always have what you ask for).
I know several people who really use it a lot, and they have a number in America and another one in Europe (you give a different e-mail for each one).
For my needs it has been really satisfactory. When people from my country ask for my fax and that I give them a foreign number, they are quite surprised, but they don't say that they are not going to send the document. In any case they can't reproach me that I don't have a fax. It has also surprised clients who try to understand and know whom they are dealing with, because they don't understand why my phone number is different.
https://www.efax.com/en/efax/twa/signupFree
Note that the "Plus" version is not free, but it might be what you need.
The software that you'll need to be able to read the faxes is downloadable in the site.
[Edited at 2004-06-22 21:22] ▲ Collapse
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| The title of the thread confused me | Jun 23, 2004 |
The requests can be for anything. It can be for translation too. Having a fax is covering more needs. Fact is, it is for transmitting requests and the requests, let me repeat, may be for anything.
Regards,
N.Raghavan
Jesus Marin wrote:
Dear Narasimhan,
I did mean for interpreting...obviously not to interpret through the fax machine but to receive requests.....
Thanks anyway.
| | | | Lia Fail (X)
Spain
Local time: 01:46
Spanish to English
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| Shop service | Jun 23, 2004 |
Hi Jesus
For the few faxes I receive it's not worth my while even installing the software, and how can one fax a signed document anyway, unless you have a scanner?
Many shops in ES provide the service (send and receive), in my case it's a local Foto Sistema shop. They call me when a fax arrives (must be clearly identified with my name), and I pick it up at a convenient moment. They will also send faxes, and scan documents so I can send them by email (cheaper than faxin... See more Hi Jesus
For the few faxes I receive it's not worth my while even installing the software, and how can one fax a signed document anyway, unless you have a scanner?
Many shops in ES provide the service (send and receive), in my case it's a local Foto Sistema shop. They call me when a fax arrives (must be clearly identified with my name), and I pick it up at a convenient moment. They will also send faxes, and scan documents so I can send them by email (cheaper than faxing abroad).
This solution suits me perfectly, as it seems logical to minimise investment in equipment, a question of space and money. The fax I bought some years ago has been packed away, I used it SO infrequently that I just kept forgetting how to use it:-). I have not felt the need for a scanner either, and just prefer to use the local shops. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sol
United States
Local time: 19:46
Spanish to English
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| Check with your telephone company | Jun 23, 2004 |
I don't know if they have it where you live, but here I use the phone company's "complete mail" system, that uses my regular phone line, the one I use for voice conversations. It allows me to retrieve my messages and faxes via email, or over the phone. I actually disconected the second phone line since I got this service, so I save money and don't miss a call. The automatic service answers if you don't get the phone by the 4th ring, or if the line is busy. You can call to check your messages... See more I don't know if they have it where you live, but here I use the phone company's "complete mail" system, that uses my regular phone line, the one I use for voice conversations. It allows me to retrieve my messages and faxes via email, or over the phone. I actually disconected the second phone line since I got this service, so I save money and don't miss a call. The automatic service answers if you don't get the phone by the 4th ring, or if the line is busy. You can call to check your messages from anywhere in the world, and if you call from a fax machine, you can get your faxes right then and there. And as I said, you can also get them via e-mail. This system spares you from needing an answering machine, a fax machine, an extra phone line and a secretary. Not bad for 10 dollars a month or so. ▲ Collapse
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