| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Agency asking for references Thread poster: Cristina Lo Bianco
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punam
Local time: 13:34
English to Gujarati
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| Absolutely, I too agree with you. | Mar 9, 2009 |
Silvia Barra wrote: Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
I have been in this situation many times and I always stated the truth: that I cannot give references from other customers because doing so would be against my NDAs with my customers.
Unless there is a genuine desire to start using your services, they agree with your rate and think that you are the best candidate for their jobs, I would not give them that information. Your qualifications, experience, and eventually the results of a translation test should be more than enough.
Good luck! I completely agree with Tomàs
| | | | | What goes around... | Mar 9, 2009 |
Mervyn Henderson wrote:
Interesting to see Susan's contribution as an outsourcer. I mentioned this on a similar thread once.
What does the outsourcer gain from standing reference for you? Nothing, apart from thanks.
What does the outsourcer lose? Time, and possibly even your availability next time, since you might well be tied up working for that very customer the outsourcer helped you get.
Mervyn
What goes around, comes around. Translators now and then refer their clients to us if they require a language pair that the translator isn't offering, for instance. Not necessarily the same translators, not necessarily balanced, but in the end I don't think I've ever felt cheated. I only give out references like these for translators with whom we've built a solid business relationship, and giving out that reference strengthens that relationship.
On an aside note: thanks is worth a lot more than you might think: it's paid out in advice, priority treatment when needed, explanations if I have trouble with something in your language... etc. Thanks are the grease that makes the whole machine run!
Another aside note: to me, WWAs are different I think - I base them on my own Willingness to Work Again, which is different from my being confident enough about someone's work to recommend her to a colleague when I know nothing about the text to be translated, for instance.
| | | | Andrea Riffo 
Chile
Local time: 08:34
English to Spanish
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Cristina Lo Bianco wrote:
1. Should I give them the name of PMs in the agencies I normally work with?
2. Will they contact them?
3. Should I give them their contacts?
4. Should I tell the PMs that they might be contacted about me?
5. Will the PMs in question get annoyed at me?
1. Definitely NOT without asking the PM first if it's ok. Not doing it is rude and I doubt it will be appreciated.
2. Beats me.
3. You mean giving your prospective client the contact info of your PM's clients? No. Definitely not. HUGE NO.
4. Ask them first if they're ok with being contacted about you and, if they say "go ahead", tell them you have given your prospective client their info.
5. My guess is not if they have given you the green light. If it catches them by surprise, though, who knows?
Greetings
Andrea
| | | | | Another outsourcer | Mar 9, 2009 |
Mervyn Henderson wrote:
Interesting to see Susan's contribution as an outsourcer. I mentioned this on a similar thread once.
What does the outsourcer gain from standing reference for you? Nothing, apart from thanks.
What does the outsourcer lose? Time, and possibly even your availability next time, since you might well be tied up working for that very customer the outsourcer helped you get.
Mervyn
I used to be a project manager at a translation agency. By providing a reference for a translator, my experience is that they're more likely to be willing to work with me if I'm not in a position to provide the translator with work all the time. (In many cases, we did not have enough work to provide anyone with full-time work except for the in-house staff.) But if a call came out of the blue, my normal response would be along the lines of "I'm extremely busy at the moment. Could you give me your name and telephone number please?" And I might or might not call them back.
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Arianne Farah
Canada
Local time: 08:34
Member (2008)
English to French
| WWA rating :-) | Mar 10, 2009 |
I simply refer prospective clients to the WWA section of my profile. This way they are not bothering current clients with phone calls/e-mails AND they know that they are "real" references - ie. I have worked for this client and he/she was pleased with the work provided and took time out of his/her busy schedule to say so.
A few more extras are that your references are current, your prospective clients can research your past clients - is this a big company with a good reputation or ... See more I simply refer prospective clients to the WWA section of my profile. This way they are not bothering current clients with phone calls/e-mails AND they know that they are "real" references - ie. I have worked for this client and he/she was pleased with the work provided and took time out of his/her busy schedule to say so.
A few more extras are that your references are current, your prospective clients can research your past clients - is this a big company with a good reputation or a one-time 2-bit company, all this without creating any confidentiality issues ▲ Collapse
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