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Off topic: Just received a jaw dropping offer...
Thread poster: Ayano Quentin
Ayano Quentin
Ayano Quentin  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 13:05
English to Japanese
+ ...
Mar 4, 2013

Hello. I've just received a message from an agency in India and would like to share this with you guys. They are looking for someone who translates rental agreements / lease contracts from Japanese to English, and this is what they offer:

"For the proposed requirement, the price is set as $6 USD /page. If interested, kindly revert me back with your profile"

I thought it was outrageous (humiliating more precisely)! Has anyone had a similar experience?

... See more
Hello. I've just received a message from an agency in India and would like to share this with you guys. They are looking for someone who translates rental agreements / lease contracts from Japanese to English, and this is what they offer:

"For the proposed requirement, the price is set as $6 USD /page. If interested, kindly revert me back with your profile"

I thought it was outrageous (humiliating more precisely)! Has anyone had a similar experience?



[2013-03-04 13:38 GMTに編集されました]
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Alexander Onishko
Alexander Onishko  Identity Verified
Russian to English
+ ...
This may have sense only if... Mar 4, 2013

Yedoite wrote:

Hello. I've just received a message from an agency in India and would like to share this with you guys. They are looking for someone who translates rental agreements / lease contracts from Japanese to English, and this is what they offer:

"For the proposed requirement, the price is set as $6 USD /page. If interested, kindly revert me back with your profile"

I thought it was outrageous (humiliating more precisely)! Has anyone had a similar experience?



[2013-03-04 13:38 GMTに編集されました]


This may have sense only if they provide you with the template and you only need to insert the new tenant's name.


 
Jean Lachaud
Jean Lachaud  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 00:05
English to French
+ ...
All the time Mar 4, 2013

From China, India, you name it.

It is not worth the bandwidth to discuss those, even list them.


 
Anna Bednarska, MA MCIL
Anna Bednarska, MA MCIL  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:05
English to Polish
+ ...
Similar offer:) Mar 4, 2013

I think it's quite typical for offices based in India (I don't want to generalise, though).
The "best" rate I was offered was USD 1 (!) for one page of EN-DE proofreading - considering the fact that neither of these languages is my mother tongue...


 
Theo Bernards (X)
Theo Bernards (X)  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 06:05
English to Dutch
+ ...
This would be my response Mar 4, 2013

Yedoite wrote:

...

"For the proposed requirement, the price is set as $6 USD /page. If interested, kindly revert me back with your profile"

...



[2013-03-04 13:38 GMTに編集されました]


"Thank you for your enquiry. You must have me confused with an elephant. Apparently, they like peanuts. I don't."


 
Natalia Mackevich
Natalia Mackevich  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:05
English to Russian
+ ...
Ignore! It's cheaper. Mar 4, 2013

The best solution (in my opinion) is to ignore such offers. They come from those who is not willing to listen to your arguments, because there are enough hungry little "monkeys" around fighting for their peanuts. Just don't waste your precious time!

 
Daniela Iñiguez
Daniela Iñiguez  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:05
English to Spanish
+ ...
Disrespectful - Ignore them and warn others. Mar 4, 2013

I agree with the rest of the colleagues. It's outrageous, but, unfortunately, very frequent.
I'm not sure if such a thing already exists, but would like to propose a list of "agencies" that working translators / interpreters should stay away from. A unified front is imperative.


 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 00:05
Spanish to English
+ ...
What is troubling is precisely that... Mar 4, 2013

...these operations obviously manage to find persons--including many through sites like this one--that are more than happy to accept such rates. This is yet another instance of the double-edged sword of these kinds of sites, whose wide open doors allow anyone to set up their profiles and make claims regarding their professional competence (and that place no floor on offers either). In short, the sky is the limit regarding claims of competence and the pit is bottomless regarding the offers made b... See more
...these operations obviously manage to find persons--including many through sites like this one--that are more than happy to accept such rates. This is yet another instance of the double-edged sword of these kinds of sites, whose wide open doors allow anyone to set up their profiles and make claims regarding their professional competence (and that place no floor on offers either). In short, the sky is the limit regarding claims of competence and the pit is bottomless regarding the offers made by buyers of allegedly professional services.

But we all know this by now, don't we?

As for India, I think it absolutely fair to generalize that rates paid by agencies there could fairly be characterized as dreck by any truly professional translator living in a developed country. In 10 years, I've never seen or personally received any offer from an Indian agency that remotely approached acceptability.

[Edited at 2013-03-04 15:11 GMT]
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Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 00:05
Spanish to English
+ ...
Such a forum exists Mar 4, 2013

Daniela Iñiguez wrote:

I agree with the rest of the colleagues. It's outrageous, but, unfortunately, very frequent.
I'm not sure if such a thing already exists, but would like to propose a list of "agencies" that working translators / interpreters should stay away from. A unified front is imperative.


There is a an "Unacceptable Translation Agencies Naming and Shaming" Group on LinkedIn. You are welcome to apply to join.


 
nrichy (X)
nrichy (X)
France
Local time: 06:05
French to Dutch
+ ...
Well... Mar 4, 2013

we now know how it comes that some colleagues are incredibly happy to receive 0.04 or 0.05 for each word they translate.

 
Luis Saavedra
Luis Saavedra  Identity Verified
Local time: 06:05
German to Italian
+ ...
Speed is the answer Mar 4, 2013

not a bad offer if you "proof read" 10 pages in one hour!

 
lisa kramer taruschio
lisa kramer taruschio  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:05
Italian to English
Hilarious Mar 4, 2013

I don't know which is funniner--the offer or the poster's English. God help the poor soul who gets this translator of legal contracts. But then, they can always 'revert' back to the courts, I guess. Seriously, folks, I agree with all of you--this is shameful. And I also agree that a united front against price scalping like this is necessary, although I very much doubt it will happen. The only consolation is that birds of a feather flock together: i.e. such a bad offer is bound to be taken up by ... See more
I don't know which is funniner--the offer or the poster's English. God help the poor soul who gets this translator of legal contracts. But then, they can always 'revert' back to the courts, I guess. Seriously, folks, I agree with all of you--this is shameful. And I also agree that a united front against price scalping like this is necessary, although I very much doubt it will happen. The only consolation is that birds of a feather flock together: i.e. such a bad offer is bound to be taken up by equally bad translators. The rest of us recognize this for what it is.Collapse


 
Daniel Bird
Daniel Bird  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:05
German to English
Proof... Mar 4, 2013

...of something I’ve always suspected - the international property market is only viable as a charity case.

 
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 12:05
Chinese to English
I've had one reasonable job... Mar 5, 2013

Robert Forstag wrote:

As for India, I think it absolutely fair to generalize that rates paid by agencies there could fairly be characterized as dreck by any truly professional translator living in a developed country. In 10 years, I've never seen or personally received any offer from an Indian agency that remotely approached acceptability.

[Edited at 2013-03-04 15:11 GMT]


...from an Indian company. But I agree, we have to generalise just to save ourselves some time. These days, all offers from India go straight to the wastebasket unread.


 
Ayano Quentin
Ayano Quentin  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 13:05
English to Japanese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you all for your input Mar 5, 2013

I appreciate your taking time to respond to my post.

No offense, but I wonder if there is a possibility of the rate of "$6 USD /page" feeds a family in some part of India hence they wouldn't hesitate offering such rate?


 
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