Use by agency of translator CVs in bidding for tenders
Jehanne Henin Belgium Local time: 01:43 Member (2010) English to French + ...
@ Traductorchile
Nov 18, 2010
traductorchile wrote:
1) If some other agency won the tender then it must have been thanks to a lower bid, because I can't believe that translators with the same or a better background than me in environmental issues would charge less than 0.05 euros. If that is the case, then I will have no respect for EU tenders as most probably they are in search of poor quality whatever the price.
Or maybe thanks to a higher bid? Seriously, there are so much criteria and conditions taken into account when awarding a tender, it is totally wrong to assume the decision is founded only on the price. And by the way, I work almost exclusively for the EU (through the intermediary of several agencies) and I can assure you my rate per word is much much higher than 0.05€.
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Nicole Schnell United States Local time: 16:43 Member English to German + ...
Agree with Jehanne
Nov 18, 2010
Jehanne Henin wrote:
traductorchile wrote:
1) If some other agency won the tender then it must have been thanks to a lower bid, because I can't believe that translators with the same or a better background than me in environmental issues would charge less than 0.05 euros. If that is the case, then I will have no respect for EU tenders as most probably they are in search of poor quality whatever the price.
Or maybe thanks to a higher bid? Seriously, there are so much criteria and conditions taken into account when awarding a tender, it is totally wrong to assume the decision is founded only on the price. And by the way, I work almost exclusively for the EU (through the intermediary of several agencies) and I can assure you my rate per word is much much higher than 0.05€.
Triple your 5 cent and maybe they will start taking you seriously. EU projects are not for bottom feeders and/or beginners.
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I strongly feel that a good agency has a lot of added value to offer, to the end client as well as to the translators. If an agency bids for a tender, it is not just offering the services of its translators. It also offers its own organisational skills, know-how, network, etc.
Nicole's comment also applies to agencies: EU projects are not for bottom feeders and / or beginners.
My guess (correct me if I'm wrong) is that there are quite a few highly experienced translators who would be at a beginner's level when acting as an agency. Not saying, Sara, that that applies to you as you seem to know what you are talking about. But it might explain why few freelancers who are really good at what they do want to step out of their comfort zone and risk their professional reputation with a high-stakes project that they would love to translate, but not coordinate.
Translating and managing translations are two different things. You need to do both right to win a tender and then keep all parties involved happy throughout the job.
Don't just regard an agency as a source of work that takes a cut on your profits. Regard them as a business partner who take care of another part of the job. Then check whether you would want them as a business partner.
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