| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > |
Some 3000 words within the next couple of hours and your best rate to boot! Thread poster: Narasimhan Raghavan
|
|---|
I give below the posting for a job.
"I urgently need around 3000 words translated (probably in the next couple of hours) from German to English. Interested colleagues may send their application to xxxx@aaaaaa with job number kkkkk and your best rate in the email subject line. No spam or unrelated emails please".
The nerve of it! I would like to give fitting reply to such shameless demand. Any suggestions? Give free rein to... See more I give below the posting for a job.
"I urgently need around 3000 words translated (probably in the next couple of hours) from German to English. Interested colleagues may send their application to xxxx@aaaaaa with job number kkkkk and your best rate in the email subject line. No spam or unrelated emails please".
The nerve of it! I would like to give fitting reply to such shameless demand. Any suggestions? Give free rein to your feelings.
Regards,
N.Raghavan
[Edited at 2008-03-04 01:40] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| What people think of translators | Mar 4, 2008 |
This "job" offer seems to reflect what many people think of translators, that we're walking dictionaries, we can translate 50k words a day, we don't really need to eat or sleep, and that our job is so easy, any bilingual person can do it.
I'm sure this person will find someone that's willing to take this "job" under these conditions. But after seeing the end translation, he'll probably hire a real translator to do the job for a decent rate.
| | | |
Brandis (X)
Local time: 12:23
English to German
+ ...
Narasimhan Raghavan wrote: I give below the posting for a job. "I urgently need around 3000 words translated (probably in the next couple of hours) from German to English. Interested colleagues may send their application to xxxx@aaaaaa with job number kkkkk and your best rate in the email subject line. No spam or unrelated emails please". The nerve of it! I would like to give fitting reply to such shameless demand. Any suggestions? Give free rein to your feelings. Regards, N.Raghavan [Edited at 2008-03-04 01:40]
[Edited at 2008-03-04 08:33]
| | | |
Ralf Lemster 
Germany
Local time: 12:23
English to German
+ ...
Hi Narasimhan,
The nerve of it! I would like to give fitting reply to such shameless demand.
Not worth your time.
Any suggestions?
Delete straight away - takes just a click, and saves your nerves.
Give free rein to your feelings.
Never a good idea in business...
Cheers, Ralf
| | |
|
|
|
Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 12:23
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| The client has a need... | Mar 4, 2008 |
Narasimhan Raghavan wrote:
"I urgently need around 3000 words translated (probably in the next couple of hours) from German to English. ..."
The nerve of it! I would like to give fitting reply to such shameless demand.
What's the problem? The client has an urgent need for translation. He is desperate. He realises that unscrupulous translators are likely to take advantage of his situation by charging him an arm and a leg. So he makes a plan -- he makes it clear that price is still a consideration. And he asks, please, I don't want to receive an endless number of résumés like I got the previous time.
So what is this about nerve? Fancy yourself a god? Do you want clients to kneel, beg, crawl, and supplicate? Why do you feel offended when potential clients do not accord you with the holy respect that you so vainly believe you are entitled to?
I don't know... I'm just asking (while shaking my head in disbelief).
| | | |
Jan Willem van Dormolen (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 12:23
English to Dutch
+ ...
I also always shudder at the term "best rates", but then I think: why? What's wrong about that term? After all, the word 'best' is actually quite meaningless. My best rates are the rates that I want to be paid. If that's the same as what the agency is willing to pay, bingo. If not, too bad.
Now, if this job offer had actually contained a rate, such as the ones that I've seen lately in other job offers, THEN you would have had a point. But simply "We have a very urgent job, but please don't... See more I also always shudder at the term "best rates", but then I think: why? What's wrong about that term? After all, the word 'best' is actually quite meaningless. My best rates are the rates that I want to be paid. If that's the same as what the agency is willing to pay, bingo. If not, too bad.
Now, if this job offer had actually contained a rate, such as the ones that I've seen lately in other job offers, THEN you would have had a point. But simply "We have a very urgent job, but please don't charge us any odd number" seems to me quite reasonable. ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| Misunderstanding? | Mar 4, 2008 |
"I urgently need around 3000 words translated (probably in the next couple of hours) from German to English. ..."
The question is whether the 3000 words are to be translated within the next couple of hours, or whether they probably will be available for translation within a few hours. After having read Samuels note I think it means the latter.
Do you remember the duck pond?
Regards,
Harry
| | | |
| Come on, the sentence cannot mean what you say | Mar 4, 2008 |
In that case, the outsourcer should have indicated a deadline. He has not. What is one to make of it? Far from asking him to kneel before translators, I am protesting at the cavalier way he treats the translators. And best rate! We know only too well what it means.
I would tell him to go and stick the job into something best unnamed.
By the way, I do remember the duckpond, as I had, after all, mentioned it at that time!
Regards,
N.Raghavan
[quote]Harry Bornemann wrote:
The question is whether the 3000 words are to be translated within the next couple of hours, or whether they probably will be available for translation within a few hours. After having read Samuels note I think it means the latter. Do you remember the duck pond?
| | |
|
|
|
Brandis (X)
Local time: 12:23
English to German
+ ...
| I shall then go for a swim.. | Mar 4, 2008 |
Halo there, why does anyone want to waste their time and that of a customer and also in the fora. Most outsourcers are crazy, last week I had one such issue, almost 150 mio word count in excel sheets inventory etc., but they did not know the word count and did not want to pay for the repeats, ( abbreviations) and the numbers are taken out and finally they did not believe in trados word count we have supplied. Now all of them are... See more Halo there, why does anyone want to waste their time and that of a customer and also in the fora. Most outsourcers are crazy, last week I had one such issue, almost 150 mio word count in excel sheets inventory etc., but they did not know the word count and did not want to pay for the repeats, ( abbreviations) and the numbers are taken out and finally they did not believe in trados word count we have supplied. Now all of them are sitting there doing human couting till the end of their lives. Customers are a difficult subject. Brandis ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| Relax, no reason to waste life on being angry ;) | Mar 4, 2008 |
If it was a posting, asking for quotes - ignore it. If it was a direct email to you, politely reply, that this and this amount of words takes that and that duration of time to translate, and it costs this and this amount of pennies. If they don't realise it - that's their problem. If they insist on their conditions - tell them politely "bye bye" - and that's their problem too. Case closed.
No reason to get grey hair over this ... See more If it was a posting, asking for quotes - ignore it. If it was a direct email to you, politely reply, that this and this amount of words takes that and that duration of time to translate, and it costs this and this amount of pennies. If they don't realise it - that's their problem. If they insist on their conditions - tell them politely "bye bye" - and that's their problem too. Case closed.
No reason to get grey hair over this
Anni ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| Notorious best rate... | Mar 4, 2008 |
I feel it all depends on the way we - the translators -look at it. I do not see any problem in quoting what I feel is my beat offer for each particular situation.
And I do not see anything wrong with the cited offer: it is polite enough. As for the deadline - it can be discussed later.
What I see in this message is the fact that the outsourcer is desperate and looking for help. Why has 'the best rate' become such a red rag?
| | | |
| Maybe ask him? | Mar 4, 2008 |
Narasimhan Raghavan wrote:
Come on, the sentence cannot mean what you say
In that case, the outsourcer should have indicated a deadline.
How could he determine a deadline if he does not even know exactly when the source text will be available?
Since you are the only one knowing the job poster, maybe you could ask him to get your point (or not)?
By the way, I do remember the duckpond, as I had, after all, mentioned it at that time!
That's why I searched it in the forum and inserted the link!
| | |
|
|
|
Tatty
Local time: 12:23
Spanish to English
+ ...
| The translation is to be done in the couple of hours | Mar 4, 2008 |
Hi Harry,
The translation has to be done in the next few hours, it isn't an equiry to see whether the translator is free in the next few hours.
| | | |
| Last Friday I was offered a 50% urgency surcharge... | Mar 4, 2008 |
Last Friday afternoon, a good client from an agency mailed to me and probably all the other translators he could think of in my pair, or at least those who might do law.
He asked politely whether we had time at the weekend... and wanted several thousand words translated ASAP, and by Monday morning at the latest, and had negotiated a 50% urgency surcharge for working at the weekend. The text could be shared if necessary...
I had to decline the offer this time, but when i... See more Last Friday afternoon, a good client from an agency mailed to me and probably all the other translators he could think of in my pair, or at least those who might do law.
He asked politely whether we had time at the weekend... and wanted several thousand words translated ASAP, and by Monday morning at the latest, and had negotiated a 50% urgency surcharge for working at the weekend. The text could be shared if necessary...
I had to decline the offer this time, but when it is put that way, I do think about it, and I have in the past spent weekends and holidays working - then I can afford to take time off later.
Someone on this site once said translation can be either good, fast or cheap. If you're lucky, you may get two of those options, but never expect all three at once.
Delete all mails from anyone who does, and forget them!
▲ Collapse
| | | |
| interesting news | Mar 4, 2008 |
Tatty wrote:
Hi Harry,
The translation has to be done in the next few hours, it isn't an equiry to see whether the translator is free in the next few hours.
Hi Tatty,
Thanks for the information - now I am curious how do you know?
| | | |
| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
