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Poll: If not otherwise specified, what's your personal definition of “urgent"?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Nov 28, 2007

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "If not otherwise specified, what's your personal definition of “urgent"?".

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A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: http://proz.com/topic/33629


 
Maria Diaconu
Maria Diaconu  Identity Verified
Romania
Local time: 00:32
English to Romanian
Option missing... Nov 28, 2007

... urgent is something which must be done yesterday

 
mediamatrix (X)
mediamatrix (X)
Local time: 19:32
Spanish to English
+ ...
My definition: Nov 28, 2007

Urgent: Started today and finished asap therafter, in a time-frame consistent with the required quality of service.

'Urgent' jobs will often justify a productivity target of 6 to 8 thousand words per 24 hours (with words/hour or length of working day adjusted as necessary to meet that target).

Obviously a 100,000 word translation, however urgent, cannot be 'done' (as per the poll question) 'today'.

MediaMatrix


 
Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 23:32
Spanish to English
+ ...
If not otherwise specified Nov 28, 2007

my own definition is, any job requiring an excess* of 3,000 words for every 24 hours of time allowed.

[*Excess may be legally subject to surcharge (+50% or prevailing overtime rate).]

[Edited at 2007-11-28 15:09]


 
Alexander Kondorsky
Alexander Kondorsky  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 01:32
English to Russian
+ ...
Other: Must be done by its deadline Nov 28, 2007

My understanding is that an "urgent work" requires to work overtime or put in extra effort. In other words, urgent work is a work whcih has to be completed within a shorter time frame than it normally takes me to fulfill such work provided that I work at my regular speed.

 
John Cutler
John Cutler  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 23:32
Spanish to English
+ ...
Depends Nov 28, 2007

My personal definition of urgent is probably something that needs to be done today. I learned a long time ago, however, that everyone has their own definition. I was recently given a document, which doesn't have to be done for two more months, and told it was URGENT.

Now when people tell me something is urgent, I pin them down and ask them to define that for me.


 
Terry Richards
Terry Richards
France
Local time: 23:32
French to English
+ ...
What's the deadline? Nov 28, 2007

If it's urgent, it has a deadline agreed with the customer. If it doesn't, it isn't

 
Fabio Descalzi
Fabio Descalzi  Identity Verified
Uruguay
Local time: 19:32
Member (2004)
German to Spanish
+ ...
For tomorrow + time zone lag = mid-way between today and tomorrow Nov 28, 2007

I live in South America, my time zone is GMT-2 or GMT-3 according to the season.
My main clients are located in Europe, GMT+1 (or summer time)
So, there are 3, 4 or 5 hours time difference. That counts!
My "urgent clients" usually appear during the day - say, from 10 am till 6 pm local time here. And they ask their jobs to be done "for tomorrow early in the morning". If I have to deliver a translation at 8 am ECT, then I have to deliver it "tonight very late in the night", that
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I live in South America, my time zone is GMT-2 or GMT-3 according to the season.
My main clients are located in Europe, GMT+1 (or summer time)
So, there are 3, 4 or 5 hours time difference. That counts!
My "urgent clients" usually appear during the day - say, from 10 am till 6 pm local time here. And they ask their jobs to be done "for tomorrow early in the morning". If I have to deliver a translation at 8 am ECT, then I have to deliver it "tonight very late in the night", that is, about 3 to 5 am (according to the season).
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Elin Davies
Elin Davies  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Member (2008)
English to Welsh
+ ...
Depends on many factors Nov 28, 2007

What time I receive it, how many words and so on.

I get so many frantic emails with 'URGENT' stamped all over, I tend not to take them too seriously. Most of them I'm able to accommodate without breaking in to too much of a sweat, though usually by working into the wee small hours, and getting up at the crack of dawn to check it's come through at the other end in the morning.


 
David Russi
David Russi  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:32
English to Spanish
+ ...
Must be done right now Nov 28, 2007

Without an idea of volume, the only option that makes sense is "right now":

A three word job due tomorrow will not seem urgent, a three word job due right now will.

A 5000 word job due tomorrow will definitely seem urgent.


 
Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:32
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
Needs to be started right now Nov 28, 2007

As to when it is finished, that depends on how long it is. It also depends on whether or not one is already working on something else that is "urgent" and how much longer that will take.

I treat all my jobs as "urgent"; that is, I get to work and turn them out as soon as possible with no undue delay. That way, once they are done and out, I can kick back. Or if something truly urgent does come in, I can slide a job that is less urgent and do the one that is more urgent then go back t
... See more
As to when it is finished, that depends on how long it is. It also depends on whether or not one is already working on something else that is "urgent" and how much longer that will take.

I treat all my jobs as "urgent"; that is, I get to work and turn them out as soon as possible with no undue delay. That way, once they are done and out, I can kick back. Or if something truly urgent does come in, I can slide a job that is less urgent and do the one that is more urgent then go back to the first one.
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David Brown
David Brown  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 23:32
Spanish to English
URGENT! Nov 28, 2007

Parrot wrote:

my own definition is, any job requiring an excess* of 3,000 words for every 24 hours of time allowed.

[*Excess may be legally subject to surcharge (+50% or prevailing overtime rate).]

[Edited at 2007-11-28 15:09]


More than my daily limit is my definition. Same as yours. I worked in a hospital for over 25 years and after that there is not much "real"urgency for anything. Urgent is similar to "discount for bulk" when a large job has a fixed time limit and you have to work harder and longer to do it.


 
Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:32
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
Legally? Nov 28, 2007

Parrot said:

[*Excess may be legally subject to surcharge (+50% or prevailing overtime rate).]

What laws dictate "overtime pay" for freelancers?


 
Maria Diaconu
Maria Diaconu  Identity Verified
Romania
Local time: 00:32
English to Romanian
Good point Nov 28, 2007

Henry Hinds wrote:

Parrot said:

[*Excess may be legally subject to surcharge (+50% or prevailing overtime rate).]

What laws dictate "overtime pay" for freelancers?


Indeed...


 
Heidi C
Heidi C  Identity Verified
Local time: 18:32
English to Spanish
+ ...
Surcharge, definitely Nov 29, 2007

Parrot wrote:

Excess may be legally subject to surcharge (+50% or prevailing overtime rate).


Whatever the amount of time, it MUST include a surcharge


 
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Poll: If not otherwise specified, what's your personal definition of “urgent"?






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