| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | $80 for translation and $23 for proofreading of 20,000 words...Is it a ridiculous offer? Thread poster: Doan Quang
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| Report the agency | May 24, 2016 |
Doan Quang wrote:
I thought that there is a misunderstanding, new PM, and/or rates for 2,000 words but he confirmed twice these rates are fixed for 20,000 words, that made me totally confused.
[Edited at 2016-05-24 08:07 GMT]
As I have also been contacted directly (not mass e-mails) through Proz by agencies/potential clients with similar ideas in respect to budget, it might be worth reporting them to Proz, as a Blueboard record with so many entries seems misleading and what they appear to be doing is not business.
[Edited at 2016-05-24 08:16 GMT]
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Did you check the client on the Blue Board?
| | | | Doan Quang 
Vietnam
Local time: 09:59
Member
English to Vietnamese
TOPIC STARTER | UK based company (LWA: 4.2 of 372 entries overall) | May 24, 2016 |
Robert Rietvelt wrote:
Did you check the client on the Blue Board?
Yes, it is the first thing I do whenever I receive a message/offer. This is a UK based company (LWA: 4.2 of 372 entries overall).
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 04:59
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Doan Quang wrote: Robert Rietvelt wrote:
Did you check the client on the Blue Board? Yes, it is the first thing I do whenever I receive a message/offer. This is a UK based company (LWA: 4.2 of 372 entries overall).
Can you check their IP in your visitor tab?
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Doan Quang
Vietnam
Local time: 09:59
Member
English to Vietnamese
TOPIC STARTER | business email address with domain name | May 24, 2016 |
Lingua 5B wrote: Doan Quang wrote: Robert Rietvelt wrote:
Did you check the client on the Blue Board? Yes, it is the first thing I do whenever I receive a message/offer. This is a UK based company (LWA: 4.2 of 372 entries overall). Can you check their IP in your visitor tab?
I cannot check their IP but the sender account linked with a company account on the Blue Board and sender uses a business email address with domain name of that company.
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 04:59
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| IP is checkable. | May 24, 2016 |
Doan Quang wrote: Lingua 5B wrote: Doan Quang wrote: Robert Rietvelt wrote:
Did you check the client on the Blue Board? Yes, it is the first thing I do whenever I receive a message/offer. This is a UK based company (LWA: 4.2 of 372 entries overall). Can you check their IP in your visitor tab? I cannot check their IP but the sender account linked with a company account on the Blue Board and sender uses a business email address with domain name of that company.
See the visit, copy the IP and check it on Google GeoLocation.
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This is a very big agency I believe, I have heard that they offer low rates, but what you are describing is quite another matter?!
Some of the comments are telling, especially the one dated 22 December 15!
[Edited at 2016-05-24 08:39 GMT]
| | | | Ilan Rubin (X)
Russian Federation
Local time: 05:59
Russian to English
| Obvious misunderstanding | May 24, 2016 |
The PM probably just doesn't know what he/she is talking about. They are probably mixing up number of words and number of characters or something like that. I really don't believe in annoying them and asking them to send faxes etc. Better to work out what the problem is, solve it, and get the job with an acceptable rate.
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Tell her that you unfortunately have to decline her offer because you're unavailable, but you would like her to help you with an urgent 60,000 words project in another combination language. If she asks more details, then tell her the total budget is $30.
I think she will understand.
For my part, I think this offer is much more than ridiculous, it is purely insulting.
Such companies don't have their place on Proz. The shame of this is that this PM is asking you to "think"... See more Tell her that you unfortunately have to decline her offer because you're unavailable, but you would like her to help you with an urgent 60,000 words project in another combination language. If she asks more details, then tell her the total budget is $30.
I think she will understand.
For my part, I think this offer is much more than ridiculous, it is purely insulting.
Such companies don't have their place on Proz. The shame of this is that this PM is asking you to "think" about it. In other words, she's asking you to consider the possibility of working for free.
Would she ask this from a UK based translator? I'm not sure... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Tell her to use Google Translate - and drop her | May 24, 2016 |
That is what I would do.
I would add my rate for UK agencies - a realistic one for the language pair and the work involved.
My asking price is GBP 90 for 1000 Danish source words - and I explain that I have clients who pay my rates, and that is how I make a living. Some clients pay more, and I don't work for a lot of UK agencies.
Then don't waste any more of your time, go and look for better clients.
Or report the agency on as many scam warning sites ... See more That is what I would do.
I would add my rate for UK agencies - a realistic one for the language pair and the work involved.
My asking price is GBP 90 for 1000 Danish source words - and I explain that I have clients who pay my rates, and that is how I make a living. Some clients pay more, and I don't work for a lot of UK agencies.
Then don't waste any more of your time, go and look for better clients.
Or report the agency on as many scam warning sites as you have time and energy for. ▲ Collapse
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Doan Quang wrote:
"No it is 20 000 words.
Is that okay?
Many thanks"
You have to ask? You'll be better off if you work pro bono for a charity organisation. At least you help others.
By the way, there are companies in the UK who pay decent rates. I have two UK-based clients who send me projects form time to time at decent rates. Just ignore them, they don't even deserve your answer.
In any case, I am still not convinced the PM knows what she is doing. It's like if I am suddenly coordinating a world forum on ocean floor exploration and have to deliver a speech to marine biologists. No need to say I will look ridiculous. She probably worked for a travel agency and just changes the job.
[Edited at 2016-05-24 13:04 GMT]
| | | | | Flog the horse until you're sure it's dead | May 24, 2016 |
Doan Quang wrote: Samuel Murray wrote: Doan Quang wrote:
How to reply to such a ridiculous offer? Assume there is a misunderstanding. I thought that there is a misunderstanding, new PM, and/or rates for 2,000 words but he confirmed twice these rates are fixed for 20,000 words, that made me totally confused.
OK, if you feel like pressing the point, instead of asking him to confirm what he's already said, ask him to confirm the same information expressed differently.
For example, instead of saying "do you really mean 20k words for $23?", to which he is almost certain to reply yes, ask him if he realises that is rate is the same as asking you to review 1,000 words for 60p (20,000 words for $23 = $1.15 per 1,000 words, and $1.15 is approx 60p in GBP), and whether he knows how long it takes to review and thousand words and whether he thinks 60p is fair recompense. In any country. (I usually reckon 1,000 words per hour, so he is basically offering you 60p per hour, which is another figure you could ask him to confirm.)
Edit to add: I've just worked out who it is (the lexical unit of large dimensions, right?).
Sharp as a razor, me. I'll leave the above in case anyone else finds it useful under any other circumstances, but given the company we're talking about, even if they have made a mistake, they still won't be paying a worthwhile rate, ever. Run as fast as you can in the opposite direction and never look back.
[Edited at 2016-05-24 14:17 GMT]
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Doan Quang wrote:
I have received a message via Proz on-site message for a project of 20,000 words from a UK based company (LWA: 4.2 of 372 entries overall), and job poster reconfirmed the word counts and budget.
'Thank you for getting back to me I can agree with$80 for translation however the most I can offer you is $23 for proofreading.
Have a think and get back to me.'
How to reply to such a ridiculous offer?
[Edited at 2016-05-24 05:31 GMT]
Waste no time. The meagre average in the UK is 7 pence per word, which is rougly 10 US cents. So you just move the decimal point two places to the right, and you can see the job is worth $2000, not $80.
I realize Proz.com can't just ban such ridiculous lowballers outright without incurring the wrath of the US's and the EU's anti-trust watchdogs, but this is beyond ridiculous, and I think we as translators in general should put pressure on staff to do something about this. There are way too many inquiries in which agencies are seeking ludicrously impossible bargains. So I want to go on the record right now saying this is unacceptable and needs staff attention.
| | | | Lincoln Hui
Hong Kong
Local time: 10:59
Member
Chinese to English
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Did you check the feedbacks themselves?
| | | | Olga Koepping
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:59
German to English
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| I got something like it today | May 24, 2016 |
Gabriele Demuth wrote: Doan Quang wrote:
I thought that there is a misunderstanding, new PM, and/or rates for 2,000 words but he confirmed twice these rates are fixed for 20,000 words, that made me totally confused.
[Edited at 2016-05-24 08:07 GMT] As I have also been contacted directly (not mass e-mails) through Proz by agencies/potential clients with similar ideas in respect to budget, it might be worth reporting them to Proz, as a Blueboard record with so many entries seems misleading and what they appear to be doing is not business. [Edited at 2016-05-24 08:16 GMT]
I agree, I got two emails through the Proz messaging system this week with rates that were not as low as that but still very very low, with crazy things like, 100000 words for Monday. Seems strange.
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