| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | job placed last thing on Friday, due Monday, no confirmation of rate Thread poster: Eva Middleton
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Please advise - I don't know what to do with this - I was contacted by an agency late Friday afternoon, requiring a 1200 word translation to be done by Monday morning. The agency is one I worked for in the distant past but not in recent years.
They sent me the document to look at, I confirmed I could do it and stated my rate.
They replied saying thanks and listing the Trados matches (with no indication of rate reduction but why else would they list these?) whilst askin... See more Please advise - I don't know what to do with this - I was contacted by an agency late Friday afternoon, requiring a 1200 word translation to be done by Monday morning. The agency is one I worked for in the distant past but not in recent years.
They sent me the document to look at, I confirmed I could do it and stated my rate.
They replied saying thanks and listing the Trados matches (with no indication of rate reduction but why else would they list these?) whilst asking me to deliver an unclean Trados file. Now, I have two rather large problems with this - a) I don't generally give reductions for repetitions and b) I don't use Trados. My rate was also not confirmed in the reply.
I did of course email the PM straight back pointing all this out, but have had no reply - it was by then quite late in the evening.
What do I do? I really don't want to let anyone down and have never ever missed a deadline or messed an agency about in many years as a translator, but as things stand I think there is a chance I'll do this work and not get paid as it won't be be exactly what they asked for. I usually use Wordfast but I wouldn't for this as it's a complex table where only some cells are to be translated, so I would do it manually. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | try to call them | Oct 29, 2011 |
I am almost sure they have a website with a telephone number there.
| | | | | goes to answerphone | Oct 29, 2011 |
Thanks Vadim, I just tried to ring them but it just goes to an answerphone.
I have also sent an email to the general contact address on the website and one through Proz.
[Edited at 2011-10-29 09:03 GMT]
| | | | Theo Bernards (X) 
France
Local time: 10:09
English to Dutch
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| Walk away Eva | Oct 29, 2011 |
Hi Eva, been there, done that, won't wear that T-shirt again.
Unless you have a solid purchase order from the agency I wouldn't start translating it. The way you describe it, there are too many uncertainties and variables and imho that is not enough to assume the assignment is awarded to you.
If an agency manages its assignments in such manner, you have every reason to believe that trying to get your payment from them will resemble extracting a tooth from a wild animal ... See more Hi Eva, been there, done that, won't wear that T-shirt again.
Unless you have a solid purchase order from the agency I wouldn't start translating it. The way you describe it, there are too many uncertainties and variables and imho that is not enough to assume the assignment is awarded to you.
If an agency manages its assignments in such manner, you have every reason to believe that trying to get your payment from them will resemble extracting a tooth from a wild animal with your bare hands... ▲ Collapse
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| It seems that | Oct 29, 2011 |
for them Saturday is in fact Saturday, i.e. they do not actually work on weekends (strange enough).
I had such a client once, he did not answer my email about the price/terms of cooperation. In 3 days I was asked (in a rather rude way) about the results of my work! In a friendly manner I told them that no confirmation had been received. They just set another deadline (i.e. added 2 days to the previous one).
Sometimes such things occur, and I am almost sure they will a... See more for them Saturday is in fact Saturday, i.e. they do not actually work on weekends (strange enough).
I had such a client once, he did not answer my email about the price/terms of cooperation. In 3 days I was asked (in a rather rude way) about the results of my work! In a friendly manner I told them that no confirmation had been received. They just set another deadline (i.e. added 2 days to the previous one).
Sometimes such things occur, and I am almost sure they will answer your email on Monday. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Wait for the confirmation | Oct 29, 2011 |
Eva Middleton wrote:
Thanks Vadim, I just tried to ring them but it just goes to an answerphone.
I have also sent an email to the general contact address on the website and one through Proz.
I would wait for the confirmation - it's not professional on their part to just place the job and not pay attention to the vendor's questions. If they were too busy getting out of the office Friday evening, with such an urgent job pending... well, that's not your problem. As far as I am concerned, all details should be confirmed before you start the work.
In such cases, my best clients always call me and never leave my questions unanswered.
I would write them first thing Monday morning, asking for a purchase order (confirming my rates, with or without discounts for repetitions - that's up to you to negotiate), and stating the earliest time I could do it. When they wrote, you were available to discuss any details - so it is definitely not your fault if they indeed need it Monday morning, but weren't professional enough to make sure that all parties involved are satisfied.
Besides, your worry that you might not be paid (because nothing was actually confirmed) is legitimate.
Enjoy the weekend
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 09:09
Member (2007)
English
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| No confirmation = no job | Oct 29, 2011 |
Hello Eva,
It's difficult because you don't want to feel you've let them down - I understand that entirely. But actually, they've let you down, haven't they? They initiated a process to hire a translator, then failed to take it through to its completion. If they end up on Monday with an irate client, it's not your fault at all. We see time and time again on this forum tales of woe from translators who went ahead with jobs before full confirmation was received - and then found they w... See more Hello Eva,
It's difficult because you don't want to feel you've let them down - I understand that entirely. But actually, they've let you down, haven't they? They initiated a process to hire a translator, then failed to take it through to its completion. If they end up on Monday with an irate client, it's not your fault at all. We see time and time again on this forum tales of woe from translators who went ahead with jobs before full confirmation was received - and then found they weren't going to be paid. The bottom line is that a job cannot be started until final confirmation of all terms has been received.
The situation we have here is:
a) you haven't agreed on payment terms (if they want a reduction, they haven't specified how much, and you certainly haven't agree to this);
b) you are not in a position to deliver the requested file format, and they haven't agreed to an alternative.
Of course, you should do everything you reasonably can to contact them, but they are the ones who are at fault here. The best you can do is to arrange things so you are free to work on this on Monday morning when they get back into work mode and look at their emails. If it takes you until Tuesday morning to do the job, so be it - they'll just have to get an extension from their client.
That's the way I see it, anyway. Of course, you could always spend a few minutes looking through it so you can iron out any probable problems now e.g. researching terms, sorting formatting. It does look as though they want you to do the job, after all.
Sheila ▲ Collapse
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Such an attitude is rather a vivid sign that they can be as responsive as they are now when you will ask them to pay
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| decent agency AFAIK | Oct 29, 2011 |
In defence of the agency - they've got an excellent BB record and were always fine to work with in the past, so I am not too concerned that they might mess me about, providing I deliver what they want, when they want it.
The translation was originally due by Tuesday morning but as I am unavailable on Monday I told them I'd do it by Monday morning (which they are aware of, they responded to that email, and I explicitly said that I am not around on Monday and would need to do it all ... See more In defence of the agency - they've got an excellent BB record and were always fine to work with in the past, so I am not too concerned that they might mess me about, providing I deliver what they want, when they want it.
The translation was originally due by Tuesday morning but as I am unavailable on Monday I told them I'd do it by Monday morning (which they are aware of, they responded to that email, and I explicitly said that I am not around on Monday and would need to do it all over the weekend).
I think I might do some of it over the weekend and then see what Monday brings... I can always squeeze a bit more in during Monday evening :-/.
It's just such a nuisance as I would be able to do it very leisurely and in peace this weekend, whereas doing it Monday evening is not ideal at all. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 10:09
Member (2009)
English to German
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| No confirmation - no job | Oct 29, 2011 |
Hi Eva,
I do understand that you don't want to let anybody down. However, if you have received neither a confirmation for the job and your rates nor any reply to what you have pointed out to the PM (no reductions, not using Trados), then you should forget about this job.
Since it's Saturday already, actually a working day for both agencies and freelancers, and you have received no reply from the PM, it seems like they're actually taking the weekend off - closed "shop", ... See more Hi Eva,
I do understand that you don't want to let anybody down. However, if you have received neither a confirmation for the job and your rates nor any reply to what you have pointed out to the PM (no reductions, not using Trados), then you should forget about this job.
Since it's Saturday already, actually a working day for both agencies and freelancers, and you have received no reply from the PM, it seems like they're actually taking the weekend off - closed "shop", which is a little strange.
If this agency was really in you getting the translation done and delivered to them by the quoted dealine, then wouldn't say keep the communication flowing?
And, as Vadim has pointed out, there also might be the same silence when your invoice become due.
When was the last BB entry made? Recently? the reason I ask is because I'm dealing with a late-paying agency at the moment, but their most recent entries (this month) all reflect that they're paying promptly, even before due date. Food for thought?
Also, keep in mind that if/when there's no response from this agency, you will have spent your weekend working for...no pay.
[Edited at 2011-10-29 11:22 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 09:09
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| You're being too nice, Eva! | Oct 29, 2011 |
Eva Middleton wrote:
I think I might do some of it over the weekend and then see what Monday brings... I can always squeeze a bit more in during Monday evening :-/.
It's just such a nuisance as I would be able to do it very leisurely and in peace this weekend, whereas doing it Monday evening is not ideal at all.
You're putting yourself out. Why? It's their fault (however nice they are) that you can't start until Monday. And you had already told them you are unavailable Monday. So, you start when you ARE available. If it was due Tuesday morning, then Tuesday late or Wednesday first thing will be soon enough, I'm sure.
Sheila
| | | | | You can't even deliver what they want, can you? | Oct 29, 2011 |
As I understand it, you're not actually in a position to deliver what they specifically requested anyway. So what, exactly, are you planning to deliver? Something they don't want and/or can't use?
I see where you're coming from, I have a couple of regular clients where I'd definitely make the effort to cobble something together a similar situation. But that would be for regular clients. Not for someone I last worked for years ago. People change, staff change, economic imperatives ch... See more As I understand it, you're not actually in a position to deliver what they specifically requested anyway. So what, exactly, are you planning to deliver? Something they don't want and/or can't use?
I see where you're coming from, I have a couple of regular clients where I'd definitely make the effort to cobble something together a similar situation. But that would be for regular clients. Not for someone I last worked for years ago. People change, staff change, economic imperatives change, ownership even changes. They might well have been brilliant... years ago. Let's face it, if you do nothing on the grounds there was no final decision on either rates or the actual deliverable, and they get the hump, what have you lost? Not much, apart from perhaps another potential job you can't do in a few years time.
Leave it, and enjoy the weekend. ▲ Collapse
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| I'll sit it out | Oct 29, 2011 |
Sheila and Charlie, I've now come to my senses and of course you're both completely correct.
I won't do any of it unless I hear from them. Aside from the (rather important) rate issue - I can't deliver what they want and it's not my fault as I never implied I could; I tried my best to communicate this, the rest is up to them.
[Edited at 2011-10-29 12:35 GMT]
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 10:09
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Slapdash SOP | Oct 29, 2011 |
Eva Middleton wrote:
They replied saying thanks and listing the Trados matches ... whilst asking me to deliver an unclean Trados file.
That sounds like a sloppy, informal sort-of-tenuous-confirmation-ish reply to me.
Nevertheless, as 1200 words isn't an awful lot, unless I were otherwise busy over the weekend, and if the job was in a WF Classic doable format, I'd probably bash it out and deliver a clean and uncleaned copy, explaining that I don't use Trados.
Re: (with no indication of rate reduction but why else would they list these?)
Hmm... that bit sounds like they intend to haggle you out of at least some of your fee post-delivery...
[Edited at 2011-10-29 16:31 GMT]
| | | | | 1.200 words is not that much | Oct 29, 2011 |
I would not stop a job this size because of an apparent confusion with the rate for CAT matches. Translate the document and discuss this on Monday, once the customer feels served. If this job meant that you would have to work all weekend, I would understand your concerns, but for a job that probably will not take you more than 3 hours... I would simply go ahead, deliver it and discuss the administrative side of things later.
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