Translation - art & business » Getting established »
Purchasing e-mail lists of agencies
Thread poster: Andy S
Andy S
Andy S
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:40
German to English
May 11, 2009

I am contemplating the purchase of a list of e-mail addresses of translation agencies from a website which offers this service.

If anyone has gone down this route I would be interested to know whether (without naming names)

(a) The list was up to date,
(b) Whether the list owners had obtained permission to market the addresses (i.e. was it legal?) and
(c) What other information was provided, e.g. contact name, phone numbers, addresses and any other useful... See more
I am contemplating the purchase of a list of e-mail addresses of translation agencies from a website which offers this service.

If anyone has gone down this route I would be interested to know whether (without naming names)

(a) The list was up to date,
(b) Whether the list owners had obtained permission to market the addresses (i.e. was it legal?) and
(c) What other information was provided, e.g. contact name, phone numbers, addresses and any other useful info.

TIA

Andrew ▲ Collapse
 
Sally Loren
Sally Loren
Germany
Local time: 22:40
German to English
+ ...
Generally not a brilliant investment May 11, 2009

Hi Andrew,

In my view, purchasing e-mail lists of agencies is a waste of time and money. Personally, I get very irritated by people sending me unsolicited applications. I only translate from German/French to English and make that plain on my website. But I still get lots of applications (which go straight in the bin) from people translating from all sorts of foreign languages. I have NEVER given anyone permission to put my e-mail address on any list, yet still get bombarded with the... See more
Hi Andrew,

In my view, purchasing e-mail lists of agencies is a waste of time and money. Personally, I get very irritated by people sending me unsolicited applications. I only translate from German/French to English and make that plain on my website. But I still get lots of applications (which go straight in the bin) from people translating from all sorts of foreign languages. I have NEVER given anyone permission to put my e-mail address on any list, yet still get bombarded with the stuff.

Working for agencies can be OK, but the prices are always going to be lower than if you have direct customers and the client contact is zero. And you will have questions like we all do. There are good agencies out there, but there are a lot of poor ones. How are you going to know from a list?

My advice: invest in a decent website, advertise in publications, such as member magazines for professional translator organisations and network, network, network...

Regards

Sally ▲ Collapse
 
Elías Sauza
Elías Sauza  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 14:40
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Compare May 11, 2009

You can compare the price of such list with the Proz.com membership. A membership here provides you access (among many other benefits) to the Blue Board where you can find thousands of agencies and ratings of those agencies from translators (this is a great advantage IMO).

Good luck
 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:40
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Not a good idea May 11, 2009

You will probably just spam around... I delete a dozen such emails (I call them spam too) every day and only answer those who actually did some research on what we do.
 
Anjo Sterringa
Anjo Sterringa  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 22:40
English to Dutch
+ ...
Waste of time and money May 12, 2009

Invest your time and money targeting your potential customers - you could do worse than becoming a ProZ member and checking out larger agencies here.

Edited:
I should have checked your profile first. This is not about "getting established" but I suppose you are looking to broaden your client base. The same applies though.

[Edited at 2009-05-12 12:17 GMT]
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jorge Rodrigues[Call to this topic]
Rita Pang[Call to this topic]
James Heppe-Smith[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Purchasing e-mail lists of agencies







Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

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 »