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Incredible offer... Don\'t accept it!
Thread poster: Nina Khmielnitzky
Nina Khmielnitzky
Nina Khmielnitzky  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 19:30
Member (2004)
English to French
May 20, 2002

Hi all,

See the ad I just found on Proz :

aprox. 55.000 words from English into French



English>French

English>French

English>French

English>French



Technical translation of 50.000 to 55.000 words from English into French. We can pay $0.03 per French word. If you use Trados it would be a big help. Send your bids to [email protected]


... See more
Hi all,

See the ad I just found on Proz :

aprox. 55.000 words from English into French



English>French

English>French

English>French

English>French



Technical translation of 50.000 to 55.000 words from English into French. We can pay $0.03 per French word. If you use Trados it would be a big help. Send your bids to [email protected]



$0.03 per word! Why don\'t we pay the agency to have the honor to work for them while we\'re at it! Is that Canadian or American dollars? This job is worth about $7000 CDN, not a lousy $1500. What amazes me is that 3 translators already bid on it. Offers should be reviewed before being accepted by the site moderators. Offers under a certain rate should simply be refused!



Nina ▲ Collapse
 
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)  Identity Verified
French to English
+ ...
agree this is outrageous May 20, 2002

When I see these things, I often send a polite email objecting or pointing out the low rate and what they will get. I think we should make a listserv with a set letter of protest that translators sign as a group but with their names so these people know that we know what they are up to.

Cheers.
 
Nina Khmielnitzky
Nina Khmielnitzky  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 19:30
Member (2004)
English to French
TOPIC STARTER
It gets even worse.. May 20, 2002

I wrote to that woman asking her first if there was a mistake in the ad, but there wasn\'t. Here\'s what she answered:



\"I´m sorry that you consider my offer insulting but due to the country were I am that´s all I can offer. Let me tell you that a couple of times I have seen posts in that site were they offer even $0.02 per word. I

know that in the US most of the rates are between $0.10 and $0.16 but it is not that way in every country.\"



2 ... See more
I wrote to that woman asking her first if there was a mistake in the ad, but there wasn\'t. Here\'s what she answered:



\"I´m sorry that you consider my offer insulting but due to the country were I am that´s all I can offer. Let me tell you that a couple of times I have seen posts in that site were they offer even $0.02 per word. I

know that in the US most of the rates are between $0.10 and $0.16 but it is not that way in every country.\"



2 cents!? Can you imagine that? Who would work for such a fee? Don\'t these \"translators\" have a rent or a mortgage to pay? They would exhaust themselves for a slave rate. At that rate, Translator is not a profession anymore, it\'s cheap labour.



Jane, I totally agree with you; we should write a collective letter and sign it with our real names and send it to whoever posts such ridiculous offers. Also, moderators should block these offers.



Nina ▲ Collapse
 
Silvia Currò
Silvia Currò  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 01:30
Member (2003)
English to Italian
+ ...
yahoo.com May 20, 2002

I usually never answer bids where the address is such a generic one... a translator needs references as much as agencies do!

SB
 
Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 01:30
Spanish to English
+ ...
If I remember right, Jane, you asked about blackballing. May 20, 2002

We could open a forum list (without personal comments) and simply put down the names of such companies/persons and their offers. For reference purposes only, and we\'ll always be polite about it. This would help our colleagues a lot.
 
Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Local time: 19:30
SITE FOUNDER
this topic belongs in money matters May 20, 2002

Rates discussions go in \'money matters\'
 
phanyly
phanyly
Local time: 06:30
English to Vietnamese
+ ...
It actually is! Jun 5, 2002

I can understand your disappointment, but sadly it\'s viewed as \"normal\" or even high pay in some countries, for example Vietnam. This is what UNDP (The United Nation Development Programme)in Hanoi-Vietnam pays: 4$ per page (each page is approximately 300 words)=> 0,013USD/word.

Ys, it is too sad!
 
Alexandru Pojoga
Alexandru Pojoga
Romania
Local time: 02:30
Japanese to English
+ ...
yahoo Jun 20, 2002

Just discard when you see @yahoo.com



Isn\'t it obvious? Whether they\'re offering $.20 or $.02.



Do the translation, send it to [email protected] and then just keep reminding them about pay.
 


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