| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Have you ever had a rude client? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
| | | Yes, but I'd rather not share. Let me explain... | Jul 7, 2008 |
I expect we've all had our fair share of rude clients, but I'm not keen to share, for several reasons that come straight to mind.
One is that I prefer not to mull over unpleasant moments.
Another is that I don't like slagging off those very people who allow me to make a living. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. And the immense majority of my clients are understanding, charming, generous with their time, helpful, and, golly they even give me money. I would never want ... See more I expect we've all had our fair share of rude clients, but I'm not keen to share, for several reasons that come straight to mind.
One is that I prefer not to mull over unpleasant moments.
Another is that I don't like slagging off those very people who allow me to make a living. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. And the immense majority of my clients are understanding, charming, generous with their time, helpful, and, golly they even give me money. I would never want one of those clients to think that I was saying rude things about them behind their backs. Plus it's not always a case of "us and them": plenty of translators, even if it's only a question of farming out a translation in an emergency, are clients at times.
I am sure that there are lessons to be learned from stories about rude clients (if only about how to deal with them, or deal with the fury that may be generated in ourselves, anger management if nothing else), but today I'm not feeling very forthcoming. For once, I'm not ready to have a moan or a rant!
[Edited at 2008-07-07 16:31] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Buck
Netherlands
Local time: 23:07
Dutch to English
| One instance stands out in my mind | Jul 7, 2008 |
I won't be naming names. A client once phoned and wanted a translation for the following day. Some X pages (I can't remember how many). I asked if I could see the text before confirming, because X pages is not always X pages - it's usually more!! The client got upset when I asked to see the text. "Why do you keep asking to see the text?" Basically: Either you can translate it or not. I said it was so I could get a better idea of how long it would take to translate it. The client slammed down the... See more I won't be naming names. A client once phoned and wanted a translation for the following day. Some X pages (I can't remember how many). I asked if I could see the text before confirming, because X pages is not always X pages - it's usually more!! The client got upset when I asked to see the text. "Why do you keep asking to see the text?" Basically: Either you can translate it or not. I said it was so I could get a better idea of how long it would take to translate it. The client slammed down the receiver.
I am always polite and it surprises me how some people can get upset by something so trivial. Life's too short. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | The ultimate insult | Jul 7, 2008 |
After working as a freelancer for 8 years the ultimate insult is "this was not translated by a native speaker". This is usually stated without providing the evidence, which (when I have calmed down) I ask for. If the evidence is provided I go through the "mistakes" in detail. If it is not provided I refuse to accept the insult and insist the invoice is paid in full.
| | |
|
|
|
Amy Duncan (X) 
Brazil
Local time: 18:07
Portuguese to English
+ ...
I'll preface this by saying that all of my many clients have been just great except for one, who shall remain unamed. This person was always rude and condescending, and then turned out to be dishonest, too. I discovered this when the person in question deposited my "payment" with what turned out to be an empty deposit envelope. That was it as far as I was concerned...I quit.
Amy
| | | | Laureana Pavon
Uruguay
Local time: 18:07
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
MODERATOR | People who have no idea what translating involves are usually the rudest | Jul 7, 2008 |
"Why so expensive? I could easily translate the manual myself if I had a bit of time..."
Sigh.... I bet I'm not the only one who's heard this
I'm editing this to add that this, of course, does not refer to any of my actual clients but just a few individuals who for some reason or another wanted something translated and in the end either decided to do it themselves or not to do it at all.
... See more "Why so expensive? I could easily translate the manual myself if I had a bit of time..."
Sigh.... I bet I'm not the only one who's heard this
I'm editing this to add that this, of course, does not refer to any of my actual clients but just a few individuals who for some reason or another wanted something translated and in the end either decided to do it themselves or not to do it at all.
[Edited at 2008-07-07 17:32] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | We have great customers | Jul 7, 2008 |
All our customers are kind, sensible, professional and reliable payers. A few words are enough to the good reader.
| | | | Brandis (X)
Local time: 23:07
English to German
+ ...
| so far I know of two kinds of rudeness.. | Jul 7, 2008 |
Hi! those that are highly polite and rude and those rude from the beginning, of which the first kind come usually with large projects and try to cut here and there with due legal backup ofcourse, the other type smaller projects, over night finishing sometimes within a few hours. It can be very frustating to get a mail every minute with abusive text, that is when I warn to stop, they become quiet and I take further measures that I get my work paid. In all the years both types together come to abo... See more Hi! those that are highly polite and rude and those rude from the beginning, of which the first kind come usually with large projects and try to cut here and there with due legal backup ofcourse, the other type smaller projects, over night finishing sometimes within a few hours. It can be very frustating to get a mail every minute with abusive text, that is when I warn to stop, they become quiet and I take further measures that I get my work paid. In all the years both types together come to about 8-9 customers that keep coming randomly. The communication of the first type is very polite and also requesting but not begging at the same time educating, hinting yet not authoritative. This is the most dangerous type. Brandis ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| It depends... | Jul 7, 2008 |
... on what you call rude. I feel a customer who does not reply my e-mails is rude, for instance. But they are usually only potential customers, because for me, rudeness is a sufficient reason to stop any contact or future collaboration with that customer or potential customer.
| | | | Juan Jacob
Mexico
Local time: 15:07
French to Spanish
+ ...
| Rude, yes, twice. | Jul 7, 2008 |
"What payment? You did a translation for us? No, you didn't, we don't know anything about that. Bye."
Period.
Yes, quite rude.
| | | | | I will only mention one... | Jul 7, 2008 |
...client, the owner of an Italian religious publishing house, which was extremely rude to me from the very first time he contacted me, and began insulting me (without even knowing me or my job) based on my geographical origin!
He got instantaneously nice when he heard I was translating for free a book which he was interested in (it was my choice to translate it for free for my original clients) and as soon as I told him that this book was not intended to be free for him but only fo... See more ...client, the owner of an Italian religious publishing house, which was extremely rude to me from the very first time he contacted me, and began insulting me (without even knowing me or my job) based on my geographical origin!
He got instantaneously nice when he heard I was translating for free a book which he was interested in (it was my choice to translate it for free for my original clients) and as soon as I told him that this book was not intended to be free for him but only for my original client, he got extremely rude again.
This guy is well-known for exploiting translators, paying them a miserable tariff or not paying at all.
It took all my self-control to avoid to send him where we use to ideally send rude people in Italy (about the same concept probably all over the world ).
Needless to say that I never worked for him before and/or after. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sanmar
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:07
Dutch to English
Some years ago I had a client who once asked me to translate 300 technical terms out of context. I knew that the job was going to take me at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours if I included time to research some of the terms, i.e. not really worth my while financially but ok...he was (at that time) a regular client. I tried to negotiate a slightly higher rate for this work and as we were talking on the phone I heard him say disparagingly (presumably to someone else in the room (??) but loud enough for me to ... See more Some years ago I had a client who once asked me to translate 300 technical terms out of context. I knew that the job was going to take me at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours if I included time to research some of the terms, i.e. not really worth my while financially but ok...he was (at that time) a regular client. I tried to negotiate a slightly higher rate for this work and as we were talking on the phone I heard him say disparagingly (presumably to someone else in the room (??) but loud enough for me to hear) 'these people...' followed by a loud sigh etc. Needless to say this client really went down in my estimation... ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:07
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam | The client wouldn't want any explanations | Jul 7, 2008 |
I once translated an article for an agency, whose client was a well-known newspaper. There were one or two points in it which I felt required some explanation in translator's notes.
The woman at the agency was very rude about this. Obviously the xxxx newspaper's News Bureau would not want a text with notes in it!
Not only was I working in a news-gathering organisation, the BBC Monitoring Service, myself at the time, but I had spent six months in its News Bureau, so I knew she was w... See more I once translated an article for an agency, whose client was a well-known newspaper. There were one or two points in it which I felt required some explanation in translator's notes.
The woman at the agency was very rude about this. Obviously the xxxx newspaper's News Bureau would not want a text with notes in it!
Not only was I working in a news-gathering organisation, the BBC Monitoring Service, myself at the time, but I had spent six months in its News Bureau, so I knew she was wrong about this. I told them not to send me any more work.
They paid me, but went bankrupt a few months later. I was not surprised. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Gina W
United States
Local time: 17:07
Member (2003)
French to English
| Wanting to see the text is not trivial | Jul 7, 2008 |
Buck wrote:
I won't be naming names. A client once phoned and wanted a translation for the following day. Some X pages (I can't remember how many). I asked if I could see the text before confirming, because X pages is not always X pages - it's usually more!! The client got upset when I asked to see the text. "Why do you keep asking to see the text?" Basically: Either you can translate it or not. I said it was so I could get a better idea of how long it would take to translate it. The client slammed down the receiver.
I am always polite and it surprises me how some people can get upset by something so trivial. Life's too short.
I agree with you that life is too short, but wanting to see a text before commiting to accepting an assignment - particularly one with a tight deadline - should be a given, not something that any client should question.
I gather that you handled it well, and in a professional manner.
| | | | | I got the rudest of all | Jul 8, 2008 |
One client (who was banned from proz, because he scammed translators and was extremely rude with them) was my absolute worst experience. Old timers know him well... Well, he talked on and on about the superiority of his origins and expected me to approve him. I just wanted to finish the job, get paid and get the hell out of there, so my comments remained neutral and professional (stick to the topic of the translation was my motto). He demanded I provide him with a good grade in the BB. Once the ... See more One client (who was banned from proz, because he scammed translators and was extremely rude with them) was my absolute worst experience. Old timers know him well... Well, he talked on and on about the superiority of his origins and expected me to approve him. I just wanted to finish the job, get paid and get the hell out of there, so my comments remained neutral and professional (stick to the topic of the translation was my motto). He demanded I provide him with a good grade in the BB. Once the payment cleared, I was quite honest and told exactly what happened. That's when all hell broke loose! He said my name reminded him of concentration camps, that my work was a disgrace (he praised me for it when I turned it in) and said, and I quote, that if I had any class, I should refund him. He was totally delusional. He even went as far as sending me a bogus formal notice by email to force me to remove my comments. Fat chance! I had his client's name in the file he sent me, should I need to inform them of his behaviour and make him loose his business.
Anyways, I'm glad it's over! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Have you ever had a rude client? | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
| | TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
