Poll: Have you ever regretted accepting a project? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
| | Alexandranow 
Romania
Local time: 14:44
Romanian to English
+ ...
| what I regret | Sep 16, 2012 |
I have never regretted accepting a project, but it happened that I might regret that I accepted certain terms/conditions...(i.e. pricing, term of payment, behaviour...things like that)...
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 13:44
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Yes, a few times | Sep 16, 2012 |
For example:
- I accepted a project which involved working over the weekend; I refused other job offers meanwhile, then the weekend job didn't appear after all, and I was left twiddling my thumbs, having missed out on the others...
- A project which seems OK initially turns out to have formatting or other problems, for example PowerPoints which turn out to have hidden text which doesn't appear until the end, or tables where some bright spark has filled in each text box painstakingly... See more For example:
- I accepted a project which involved working over the weekend; I refused other job offers meanwhile, then the weekend job didn't appear after all, and I was left twiddling my thumbs, having missed out on the others...
- A project which seems OK initially turns out to have formatting or other problems, for example PowerPoints which turn out to have hidden text which doesn't appear until the end, or tables where some bright spark has filled in each text box painstakingly one by one, obliging me to do the same or resort to time-consuming conversion rigmaroles...
- The job turns up along with a style guide or glossary which I feel uncomfortable with...
- Some (ahem) person takes it upon themselves to "correct" or "improve" my work a posteriori...
etc etc etc ▲ Collapse
| | | |
I would regret accepting a job and be super angry if I was not paid for my work. Touch wood, never happened to me, but inevitably, from time to time, I have to deal with late (or very late) payers (sigh!).
| | |
|
|
|
Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 13:44
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Just recently I accepted a project which, at first glance, seemed to be of a more general nature. But then, towards the end of the last document, it turned into straight financial terminology - which I don't work in. Consequently I had to research pretty much every other term. Cobbler, stick to your trade. I definately will.
Other than this job, I only regretted having worked on a a couple of jobs, delivering high qua... See more Just recently I accepted a project which, at first glance, seemed to be of a more general nature. But then, towards the end of the last document, it turned into straight financial terminology - which I don't work in. Consequently I had to research pretty much every other term. Cobbler, stick to your trade. I definately will.
Other than this job, I only regretted having worked on a a couple of jobs, delivering high quality even before the deadline and then...the client decided to "withhold" some of the payment. That was last year. I'm still waiting for a reason and for my money... while turning down job after job this client keeps sending me. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Isabelle F. BRUCHER (X)
Belgium
Local time: 13:44
English to French
+ ...
| Yes, once or twice | Sep 16, 2012 |
In general, letting strangers into my home, as a sworn translator. Don't know why sworn translators are expected to do that. With pervert psychopaths in maffia-minded families, especially (summer 2010)... Strongly advise translators never to let ANY client in. Other kinds of mentally ill people running around too, like this mildly crazy guy who thought emigrating to Quebec would solve his problem (or was he just mentally retarded and a bit weird?...). Also a foreign lawyer who started bumping hi... See more In general, letting strangers into my home, as a sworn translator. Don't know why sworn translators are expected to do that. With pervert psychopaths in maffia-minded families, especially (summer 2010)... Strongly advise translators never to let ANY client in. Other kinds of mentally ill people running around too, like this mildly crazy guy who thought emigrating to Quebec would solve his problem (or was he just mentally retarded and a bit weird?...). Also a foreign lawyer who started bumping his head voluntarily onto the hanging ceiling lamp in my entrance hall... I forbade him to come back and sent him his translation by postal mail... Then he almost sued me because he thought I wouldn't return his translation and he didn't trust the Belgian postal system (like in the country he came from): a nightmare... Summer 2009, will never forget.... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | couple of times | Sep 16, 2012 |
and it was always my fault:
- the project seemed to be squeezed between other projects, but the other projects took longer than expected, so rush work!
- the client insisted to have the job done by me, so I had to re-organize my schedule and risked to make a mess.
- I went through a difficult time (some accidents prevented me from being "well-organized" as usual - and I did not check what I had to do during the following weeks, took a long job, and I had to ask a client ... See more and it was always my fault:
- the project seemed to be squeezed between other projects, but the other projects took longer than expected, so rush work!
- the client insisted to have the job done by me, so I had to re-organize my schedule and risked to make a mess.
- I went through a difficult time (some accidents prevented me from being "well-organized" as usual - and I did not check what I had to do during the following weeks, took a long job, and I had to ask a client to have a bit more time to finish everything.
Lesson learned now.... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 07:44
English to Spanish
+ ...
| How about “I don't remember ever regretting accepting a project”? | Sep 16, 2012 |
 ~
Except for friends, family members, benign spiders and dates (yes, in that order), I don't let anybody into my home.
Maybe I've regretted accepting a project that was seemingly technical (up my alley) or seemingly easy to handle (like pages of parts with measurements in inches to be converted into metric units), but I can't remember!
Now, after 20 years of playing Spanish translator in the ... See more~
Except for friends, family members, benign spiders and dates (yes, in that order), I don't let anybody into my home.
Maybe I've regretted accepting a project that was seemingly technical (up my alley) or seemingly easy to handle (like pages of parts with measurements in inches to be converted into metric units), but I can't remember!
Now, after 20 years of playing Spanish translator in the United States (sometimes handsomely paid for it), I have to say that sometimes I do regret accepting the conditions of a project. For example, I am working on a price list typeset in InDesign CS5.5. I don't mind the InDesign part, but I've had to convert most measurements from inches to millimeters and meters. That conversion takes more time and I should have factored that in into my budget. Oh, well, live and learn. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 07:44
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Small projects not worth the bother | Sep 16, 2012 |
My "regrets" mainly involve accepting small projects such as the translation of birth certificates that, even applying a high fee and the appropriate surcharges, don't seem to be worth the time needed to produce the translation, obtain notarization, and snail-mail to the client.
Solution:
Apply still higher fees, in the knowledge that I will in many cases be pricing myself out of the market for such jobs (which is fine since, to repeat, I find this kind of work to be more of a... See more My "regrets" mainly involve accepting small projects such as the translation of birth certificates that, even applying a high fee and the appropriate surcharges, don't seem to be worth the time needed to produce the translation, obtain notarization, and snail-mail to the client.
Solution:
Apply still higher fees, in the knowledge that I will in many cases be pricing myself out of the market for such jobs (which is fine since, to repeat, I find this kind of work to be more of a bother than it is worth; anyway, there are plenty of other translators happy to accept such projects at lower fees, so I don't see rejection as being in any way unethical).
I was about to refer to other cases in which I find, after accepting a project, that I've bitten off somewhat more than I can chew, but I can't say I regret accepting such jobs, especially when they involve high invoice amounts. In such circumstances, the worst case is simply that I spend more time on the project than I had intended. But in the end, I still get paid and the customer is still satisfied. So no regrets.
[Edited at 2012-09-16 17:31 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
You have to let them into your HOME?
Isabelle F. BRUCHER wrote:
In general, letting strangers into my home, as a sworn translator. Don't know why sworn translators are expected to do that. .
Couldn't you meet them at the notary, once they've sent you the documents and the translation is all nicely done?
It certainly doesn't work like that here in Portugal.
Too potentially stressful by far!!
| | | | | THANKS... GREAT DISCUSSION, EVERYBODY! | Sep 16, 2012 |
Thanks for answering the survey and for your great anecdotes! It makes Sunday work more bearable!
As for me...
So far, I have not regretted accepting any job, although at the time I suggested the poll I thought I would (for one specific project I was working on). The project didn't turn out to be that bad at all, it paid very well, on time, and it helped me make another satisfied returning customer.
... See more Thanks for answering the survey and for your great anecdotes! It makes Sunday work more bearable!
As for me...
So far, I have not regretted accepting any job, although at the time I suggested the poll I thought I would (for one specific project I was working on). The project didn't turn out to be that bad at all, it paid very well, on time, and it helped me make another satisfied returning customer.
Again, thanks for your great feedback everyone!
Happy Sunday! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Maria Dimitrova
Bulgaria
Local time: 14:44
Member (2011)
Bulgarian to English
+ ...
| Yes, couple of times | Sep 16, 2012 |
The last time I regretted accepting a job was when the client asked me on the phone whether I am available to translate an epicrisis. I have translated a lot of those and I accepted before having a look at it. And then it turned out it is the epicrisis of a 4-year old child, suffering from a very serious disease I, being a mother myself, couldn't stop thinking about the poor child, I had a terrible headache for two days, but of co... See more The last time I regretted accepting a job was when the client asked me on the phone whether I am available to translate an epicrisis. I have translated a lot of those and I accepted before having a look at it. And then it turned out it is the epicrisis of a 4-year old child, suffering from a very serious disease I, being a mother myself, couldn't stop thinking about the poor child, I had a terrible headache for two days, but of course, I did my best to translate the medical documents, hoping this might help the family find a suitable hospital abroad to cure their child.
Other regrets include accepting a seemingly nice text, in my field of specialization, which later on turned out to be written in some weird untranslatable English. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| Yes, quite frequently | Sep 16, 2012 |
I'm gradually learning the limits of my patience. Below are a few reasons for regretting that I accepted projects in the past:
- Unreadable PDF
- Extensive formatting
- Authors with an opaque or ungrammatical writing style that's difficult to figure out
- Low pay for a job that turns out to be very boring
If the money is right I put up with these frustrations, but when the pay is poor, I have really kicked myself for accepting the work. If I'm interested in t... See more I'm gradually learning the limits of my patience. Below are a few reasons for regretting that I accepted projects in the past:
- Unreadable PDF
- Extensive formatting
- Authors with an opaque or ungrammatical writing style that's difficult to figure out
- Low pay for a job that turns out to be very boring
If the money is right I put up with these frustrations, but when the pay is poor, I have really kicked myself for accepting the work. If I'm interested in the subject, I usually soldier on despite the challenges, but I'm getting so that I turn down more and more work. I'm able to do it because I have plenty of jobs that I love doing.
Last week I agreed to revise a 42-page translation, but it was so bad that I told the PM I couldn't continue. I was in excruciating pain from an abscessed tooth, so she let me off the hook. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | "Like" button | Sep 16, 2012 |
I wish there was a Facebook-style "Like" button in the forums. Great entries. Thanks again!
| | | | 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 regretted accepting a project? | 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 » |
| | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
