| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6] > | Help! Quoted source word count is 1/3 of the actual word count! Thread poster: Dylan J Hartmann
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One way a professional agency would handle the situation
Dear [Name of End Client's Rep],
We regret to inform you that unfortunately there has been an unintentional mistake and both, the word count and the time to complete the translation, have been underestimated.
The proper estimated word count turned out to be approximately 3 times the original estimate.
We respectfully ask you to kindly accept our revised estimate below, so our value... See more One way a professional agency would handle the situation
Dear [Name of End Client's Rep],
We regret to inform you that unfortunately there has been an unintentional mistake and both, the word count and the time to complete the translation, have been underestimated.
The proper estimated word count turned out to be approximately 3 times the original estimate.
We respectfully ask you to kindly accept our revised estimate below, so our valued translator, who has been satisfactorily translating your documentation for several years, can not only deliver the translation in time, but can also be fairly compensated for his work.
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Estimated word count: 30,xxx words
Fee: $ X,XXX.xx
Delivery date: XX/XX/2015
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We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you in advance for your undestanding.
Please let us know your response at your earliest convenience.
Very truly yours,
[Name of Agency's Rep]
[Edited at 2015-08-23 17:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Unreasonable conditions are just that: unreasonable | Aug 23, 2015 |
FarkasAndras wrote: Rudolf Vedo CT wrote:
There is also the issue that most legal systems take a very dim view of unjust enrichment. The agency cannot just sit gleefully by as they knowingly profit from your incorrect assumption, much as a landlord cannot just say nothing while watching a tenant make improvements to the landlord's property, and then fail to credit or reimburse the tenant afterwards.
I'm not sure why everyone seems to think that the boss of this agency is going to buy a villa in the Bahamas off of the profits of this job. The most likely scenario (almost a certainty) is that when the agency got the price quote from the OP, they gave a price quote based on that to the end client. The end client gave it the nod and the project went ahead. They are unlikely to get more money for this job than what was in that original quote. In other words, instead of profiting off of this situation, the agency is left to explain to the client that they cannot meet the deadline they agreed to. That is embarrasing enough, and might even lead to them losing that client. They might not want to add insult to injury by trying to renegotiate the price with the end client after the original deadline.
Mistakes happen. They shouldn't, but they do. No one can be expected to translate 21 000 words for free because the translator was inexperienced with source word counting in Thai and the agency didn't even bother to check the word count themselves. Nevertheless, I recommend to any colleague to include some caveat in their negotiated deals that makes clear that if, during the project, the word count turns out to be false, the price must be renegotiated based on the actual word count. That'll force agencies to double-check officially!
And why did the agency insist on a source word count - even the translator was aware of how difficult it is to get the correct source word count. And nevertheless, they insisted. The least they should have done is double-check the count Because it is difficult and therefore any mistakes would certainly have repercussions for all parties involved.
If a firm price for a project is required before the start of the project, it should be based on a thorough analysis of the original text and possibly an estimated target word count. Even a base price that could be adjusted upon conclusion of the translation (maybe within a defined range of 20%). Something that makes sure the translator doesn't get gypped/jipped.
Again, an agency needs to make sure they have a reasonable and correct offer from the translator. But that's often the problem with cheap, unprofessional agencies. They want the job from the end client. Better to have it than not have it, no matter how small their piece of the cake is. No checking involved, just a few emails back and forth and that's it.
And another: the poster said he accepted the project because he liked the recommended price per word - I am not quite clear on that - on the one hand, the agency is seen by some here as not familiar with source word counts but they are insisting on a price per source word?! And they don't know how to do the source word count? Really? Well, the whole thing spells unprofessional practices on the side of this agency.
And, not that that's the case, most probably, but did the poster who did at least two separate source word counts receiving different results double-check if he was doing the counts on the same documents?
If so, whatever "machine/software" counted the words, must have been set wrong or simply unable to do this correctly.
In any case, the agency must check the word count themselves. The translator could have claimed it to be 50 000 source words.
If you can't arrive at an adequate firm price estimate from the source word count or, in any case, at an adequate firm price before the start of a project, then don't do it.
If you agreed to do something, it will have to be followed but not when honest mistakes discovered throughout the project and caused by very unreliable software would result in completely unreasonable conditions. Any agency and end client who expects his translation from a professional translator should be in agreement with that.
Instead, the agency calls the translator unprofessional. He told them about the unfortunate mistake right after he found out and consulted colleagues on how to proceed professionally. He had even told them before the project how difficult it is to get a correct source word count. And still, they insisted, hm, makes you think.
He's the one who carried out projects for them in the past, successfully, at mutually agreed pricing. And now he's simply unprofessional. ....
[Edited at 2015-08-24 03:40 GMT]
| | | | Angela Malik 
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:33
German to English
+ ...
| Let me be perfectly clear | Aug 23, 2015 |
Bernhard Sulzer wrote: Angela Rimmer wrote:
My partner happens to be a lawyer (in the UK)...In his opinion, the law would consider the document and not the word count to be the basis of the contract -- even if a word count was explicitly given as the basis for the quote. HOWEVER, he said that the translator would be able to argue that given the nature of the translation profession, it is common practice for parties to renegotiate the terms if mistakes are identified, anomalies are discovered (...), etc. And therefore the agency [is] not being reasonable when they refuse to renegotiate the terms. That would then be considered a mitigating factor in favour of the translator, which would then lessen his liability. But ultimately the agency would be within their legal right (however unethical) to expect the full 30,000 words for the original price...
From what the poster told us, the agency asked for a source word count. They agreed to pay for the translation of a document with 9000 source words. words. Imagine the opposite. Say the price was negotiated on the basis of a word count of 30 000 words. Later it turns out it's only 9000. Would you expect the agency to pay you for 30 000 or 9000 words? And what do you think they would do?
I am absolutely with you that it is not professional nor is it fair to expect the translator to translate an extra 21,000 words for free. In fact, I consider it unethical. If I were the translator, even taking the legal opinion above into consideration, I would provide 9000 words and withdraw from the project if the agency refused to renegotiate the terms for the extra 21,000 words. They would have to take me to court if they wanted the extra words for free. Since the likelihood of them suing me would be low, I'd strike them from my list of clients, withdraw from the project and let that be that.
Now in terms of the quote being based on a word count: when he was explaining the legal position as he saw it, my partner used a taxi as an example. Here in the UK, taxi fares are generally based on mileage. So say someone asks for a quote for a taxi from A to B, a distance of 50 miles. The taxi company calculates £2 per mile and provides a quote of £100. The passenger agrees to the quote, maybe even pays in advance over the phone, and the taxi picks him up and off they go. If during the trip a road is closed and there is a diversion that adds an extra 20 miles to the journey, the taxi driver cannot insist on extra money for the extra miles, nor can he stop when he travels 50 miles and kick out the passenger even though they have not reached destination B. The contract was for the journey, not the mileage, although the mileage was used as a basis for the quote. The court may view the diversion as a mitigating circumstance, but that would not relieve the driver of his contractual obligation to get the passenger from point A to point B at the agreed price.
But please let me be perfectly clear, I'm on the OP's side, I think the agency is being unfair, unreasonable, unprofessional and unethical, and if I were him, I'd tell them to take their 21,000 words and find another translator if they expect me to complete the job for free. No 'bitter fruit' for me, thank you very much.
[Edited at 2015-08-23 19:13 GMT]
| | | | | Depends on how you do your quote | Aug 23, 2015 |
I think this probably depends on how you exactly formulate your quote.
If I am not sure about the word count (because e. g. the source text isn't completeley ready yet or only exists in another source language than French yet) I put XXXX € for maximum XXXX source words, every additional source word XXXXX €.
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| Of taxis, miles, mile-counters etc. | Aug 23, 2015 |
Angela Rimmer wrote:
Now in terms of the quote being based on a word count: when he was explaining the legal position as he saw it, my partner used a taxi as an example. Here in the UK, taxi fares are generally based on mileage. So say someone asks for a quote for a taxi from A to B, a distance of 50 miles. The taxi company calculates £2 per mile and provides a quote of £100. The passenger agrees to the quote, maybe even pays in advance over the phone, and the taxi picks him up and off they go. If during the trip a road is closed and there is a diversion that adds an extra 20 miles to the journey, the taxi driver cannot insist on extra money for the extra miles, nor can he stop when he travels 50 miles and kick out the passenger even though they have not reached destination B. The contract was for the journey, not the mileage, although the mileage was used as a basis for the quote. The court may view the diversion as a mitigating circumstance, but that would not relieve the driver of his contractual obligation to get the passenger from point A to point B at the agreed price.
I see your point there Angela, but you will admit the analogy doesn't totally suit our case.
I can see how you wouldn't have to pay extra if there's no other way to get to your destination because of a closed road and you had paid the taxi company in advance. You're not dealing with the driver himself, you paid ahead to a company who then had you picked up. I am sure it happens often that there are new construction zones or road closings, but a 20 mile detour seems excessive in any case, but I'm not arguing it. If you paid in advance, I am sure that companies cover themselves for this kind of incident - maybe by arriving at higher prices/rates for paying ahead, online. Or I would expect the taxi company to know exactly what's going on with big road construction problems and I would expect them to have some legal caveat that either allows them to add charges or to reject the ride and refund the money - somewhere in the small print. No taxi company wants to go belly-up because the authorities decided to have all people going from A to B drive an extra 20 miles. Especially if it's for a longer time.
But here's what we have in our colleague DJ's case: The path is actually clear for 30 miles from A to B. No roads are closed. Problem is the driver thought it was only 9 miles according to information obtained by (let's call it) a "mile-counter" which erroneously quoted a distance of 9 miles, but when he had driven 5 miles and stopped by at a cafe to double-check, they told him he was way off and B was still 25 miles away. Now that's not going to happen to anyone who knows the exact distance between A and B. Not to a taxi driver with reliable road information.
But here's where this analogy gets tricky. We're not just talking about 2 entities involved but three - the translator, the agency, and the end client. There should however be no argument as far as the relationship between the agency and the end client goes. As a translator, you are only dealing with the agency. The agency is responsible for their dealings with the end client, as harsh as that sounds but that's it. When you're an agency, you better make sure everything is clear, counted right and on the level. And at this point, who knows what the agency quoted the end client.
So, DJ is not the company charging the end client. He's the actual "driver" if you will who should be paid for how much he works. Granted, there is no employer - employee relationship between the translator and the agency, but he has an agreement that is based on facts as calculated by the "source word counter." The fact that both agreed on was 9000 source words. Neither the translator nor the agency got it right, although the agency has a bigger interest in the correct word count because what if the end client comes back again to the agency and then they find out they have to pay about 3 times as much for something that they got so much cheaper the first time around. In other words, the agency didn't verify the word count or says they didn't despite the fact that DJ warned against source word counts. And they think it's okay to charge the end client and pay the translator so little for this project. Not a good strategy going forward.
The agency needs to deal with the end client. They can explain what happened. A professional client will understand. Does it look good for the agency? No. But now is the time for damage control.
As far as the relationship between DJ and the agency is concerned, going the extra mile(s) for them without extra pay is not advisable. Neither is forwarding DJ's email to the end client for the agency. Totally wrong. They can ask DJ for a statement if needed to verify their claim vis a vis the end client to appear professional, as far as that's possible.
So, who's to blame for the mess? Both, translator and agency, but the translator did warn against source word counts which should have triggered the agency's verification of facts. They are the ones responsible for verifying word counts and translator rates before making an offer to the client. It's certainly strange that the agency would have a rate in mind but no idea of calculating the words. Usually, agencies have a general idea about how much they want to pay for a project (total), not just per word because how else can they really negotiate a per-word rate they can accept?!
If one of them makes an honest mistake, they should work this out fairly and squarely. It might be difficult but it's always possible. If anyone should take the hit it's really the agency. They're the ones with the reputation to lose versus the end client. They are as much at fault as the translator. But with good will, anything can get worked out.
Angela Rimmer wrote:
But please let me be perfectly clear, I'm on the OP's side, I think the agency is being unfair, unreasonable, unprofessional and unethical, and if I were him, I'd tell them to take their 21,000 words and find another translator if they expect me to complete the job for free. No 'bitter fruit' for me, thank you very much.
Definitely!
[Edited at 2015-08-24 00:46 GMT]
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 12:33
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
| How to count the words | Aug 24, 2015 |
I don't know Thai, but if there is no space between words the only way to derive a reasonable source word count would be counting text volume in characters and divide this by the average word-length for the language.
| | | | jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 05:33
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| The agency should have known the word count or the time needed | Aug 24, 2015 |
and if you ask you to quote on a job, the volume of which they have already known, they are playing tricks with you.
| | | | | simplest solution? | Aug 24, 2015 |
It has obviously been too late now for quite some time, but wouldn't the easiest solution at the beginning have been to write back, apologize, and offer them two options:
(1) Everyone withdraws from the contract as though it never existed: You deliver nothing and they pay nothing. (They then find a new translator or this is carried over to their client in a domino effect. No one is going to like that, but it is a reasonable outcome under the circumstances.)
(2) In combination ... See more It has obviously been too late now for quite some time, but wouldn't the easiest solution at the beginning have been to write back, apologize, and offer them two options:
(1) Everyone withdraws from the contract as though it never existed: You deliver nothing and they pay nothing. (They then find a new translator or this is carried over to their client in a domino effect. No one is going to like that, but it is a reasonable outcome under the circumstances.)
(2) In combination with this proposal, you make a new offer based on the initial rate per word and scheduling expectation but on the basis of the actual volume.
This leaves it up to them to propose Option 3, which would consist of Option 2 minus a discount for the trouble caused and based on how effectively they are able to renogotiate with their client (not your problem and not your business, but essential for what price they will be interested in paying and what price would no longer be interesting to them). You could then accept or reject this counter-offer and it's back to business as usual.
Delivering them 9000 more or less useless words at three times the estimated budget and then demanding full payment from them does not seem like a very appropriate reaction. Translating 27,000 words at a third of the estimated budget at a feverish pace to get as close to meeting the deadline as possible seems like an equally inappropriate reaction.
Now Option 1 means you will get nothing for the work done before noticing the problem and (very) theoretically they might be able to sue you for damages of some kind, but practically speaking that doesn't seem like much of a danger (international case, error of fact, prompt notification). ▲ Collapse
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Dylan J Hartmann
Australia
Member (2014)
Thai to English
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MODERATOR TOPIC STARTER | Still too early to tell | Aug 24, 2015 |
I really appreciate the amount of support I've been shown in this thread... I've not responded, because I'm still waiting on a reply!
I sent that email Saturday, another email today asking for a response and still haven't heard back.
So, I accepted another (relatively small job) and will continue will my normal processes until this agency decides to act professionally.
I think it's easy to devalue ourselves as translators, yet we're all highly educated, hi... See more I really appreciate the amount of support I've been shown in this thread... I've not responded, because I'm still waiting on a reply!
I sent that email Saturday, another email today asking for a response and still haven't heard back.
So, I accepted another (relatively small job) and will continue will my normal processes until this agency decides to act professionally.
I think it's easy to devalue ourselves as translators, yet we're all highly educated, highly trained individuals working in a cut-throat industry. It's easier, I find, to compare these situations to the work of an auto mechanic. We often take our car to get fixed for what seemed to be a straight forward repair or service. During this, the mechanic finds something else wrong with the car (not originally quoted for), and most will accept the mechanic's opinion and proceed with the necessary repairs. Some may be stubborn and demand the car to be returned with only their specified repairs performed, with full knowledge that the car is less than ideal. The rare customer will demand their car be towed elsewhere. In this situation, it is unheard of to leave the first mechanic without being paid. Why should translators, as highly educated and trained as we may be, allow this to happen?
This analogy goes the same for deadlines, has your mechanic ever worked for 20 hours straight to meet a 9am deadline?
Nonetheless, I am very open to negotiate the completion of the job, but not for less than it's worth (after a small discount)!
Best regards,
DJH ▲ Collapse
| | | | Phil Hand
China
Local time: 17:33
Chinese to English
| Good luck with it | Aug 24, 2015 |
Sounds like you're handling it the right way. I think what Michael W said above was absolutely right.
| | | | | Any updates? | Sep 12, 2015 |
What was the final outcome with this? How was the matter resolved?
| | | | | I'd like to know too | Sep 13, 2015 |
Mark Sanderson wrote:
What was the final outcome with this? How was the matter resolved?
Yes, please let us know.
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Dylan J Hartmann
Australia
Member (2014)
Thai to English
+ ...
MODERATOR TOPIC STARTER
I'm still waiting on the issue to be resolved.
I'll fill everyone in by the end of the week!
Thanks for the continued support and concern.
DJH
| | | | Dylan J Hartmann
Australia
Member (2014)
Thai to English
+ ...
MODERATOR TOPIC STARTER | Job cancelled, on 'amicable terms'. Email correspondence below | Sep 30, 2015 |
Dear Dylan:
Thank you for your email.
We have received the client’s feedback on your request to raise the fee. Here is their reply for your reference:
"Secondly, for services rendered above S$3,000, XXXX University makes us go through a tender process that might take quite some time, and it might result in the job actually going to someone else. If possible I would like to keep the price below $4,000. Please let me know if this is at all possible on yo... See more Dear Dylan:
Thank you for your email.
We have received the client’s feedback on your request to raise the fee. Here is their reply for your reference:
"Secondly, for services rendered above S$3,000, XXXX University makes us go through a tender process that might take quite some time, and it might result in the job actually going to someone else. If possible I would like to keep the price below $4,000. Please let me know if this is at all possible on your end."
Please let me know if your decision as to whether you want to keep the current price and still wants to charge your revised rate.
Frankly speaking, your rate is quite high, given the fact that you charge $xx.xx/English word. All local Thai people charge only $0.07/English word maximum; some even further lower for such a big job. Many others do not charge by English word, but just charge per page, say, $10 per page.
After receiving your request, I happened to look at the files for the first time, only to find there are not many words on each page in the files except the few bigger files.
The fact is that you were given all the files to quote on, and you should have gone through them carefully. Even though you used different computer, you should be able to see the text on each page as to whether it is heavy or not heavy. What is funniest is that you had done this job for a couple of days when you suddenly found something wrong and came to me saying ‘hey michael, I did not calculate the no of words correctly.’ What should I say about? How should I feel?
FYI, we did not charge the client much on our own profit on top of your fee. That’s why we were given this job maybe.
I really don’t think your new charge is feasible, as Thai to English translation in Singapore is very hot, and there are a few companies specialized in Thai translation. Any increase in the current fee may result in the job being taken by one of these companies. If you insist, you may have done what has been done in vein.
Pls let me know whether you want to deliver this job at the original price or give it up at all.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
rgds
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Dear XXXXXX,
Your criticisms aside, this was a mistake on my behalf that I have admitted and apologised for. However, the fact that you've only just opened the files now doesn't look very professional on your behalf. The impression of most linguists in regards to our predicament is that the agency should have well known how much the project should have been worth before assigning it. So while I'm at fault, you're also to blame. Moreover, asking whether I'm willing to complete the job at the original price seems like you're trying to take advantage of this situation.
Honestly, due to the horrid formatting of the source, it was very difficult to gauge a source word count by viewing the files alone. It took several days to alert you of the matter because that was the point that I reached the first of the large files (chapter one).
My rate is set, it's a standard rate for a native English linguists, and I am constantly being assigned work at up to $0.xx per target word. I am willing to provide a discount, admitting my mistake, but will not stoop as low as you have requested. If your client wants a sub-standard translation, then find someone who will work for $0.06 per word, or $10 a page.
As our working history together has been long and fruitful, and with this being the first test of its strength, as a measure of good faith, I'll be willing to work within the clients budget of $4,000 as a set fee.
The second reason I am willing to discount on this occasion is that I like the content and it's rare that I receive jobs within my field.
As hinted above, I regret that this incident has soured our relationship, and upon confirmation I'm ready to continue the project.
Sincerely,
Dylan J Hartmann
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Dear Dylan:
Thank you for your quick reply.
You can say I am also at fault, but whether we can get a job or not totally depends on the market rather than me. In order to make our price competitive, we normally ask the translators to quote and mark up a little thereon. If we quote the client based on our standard, we would not have been able to get this job, because as I said in my previous email, competitioin for Thai translation is very keen. There are a few Thais operating a few translation agencies in Singapore focusing on Thai-English translations, and the operators themselves can handle the jobs by themselves, like we can handle the jobs from Chinese to English by ourselves. So it’s impossible for us to compete with them.
Since you quoted US$47.40 + 1180 = $1227.40, what we needed to do is just add up 20% and quote the client
Another reason we don’t go through the thai version is that we are UNABLE to calculate the number of words like you. And it makes no sense we go through all the pages and come up with a price which may be quite high or quite low. We can only RELY ON the translators to give a price. In this sense, we are in a unfavorable position as compared with the above Thai-operating companies.
Regarding the fee set by client $4000, I think there is a misunderstanding; firstly, it is in SGD, rather than USD; secondly, it’s S$3000, rather than S$4000, a typo.
If you want to try S$3000 for your own fee, we will mark up 20% thereon, and submit it to client, which may either approve it or reject it. We don’t know.
Does it make sense? Pls let me know.
Rgds
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Dear XXXXXXXX,
I am also trying to remain as unemotional and practical as I can in solving this matter.
We are all working towards a similar goal, and achieving it is also my priority. I also appreciate your being frank regarding this matter.
Right now we need to sort out the rate and either agree to proceed or to cancel.
As you’re being frank, I will also be frank. I make on average between USD $x,000 - x,000 per week from translating Thai-English at the rates which I mentioned. This job at first was expected to take approximately 1 week, which was within my schedule. By accepting a large job like this I had to refuse multiple small ones, worth close to $x,000. This is why it makes no economic sense for me to continue working on the job at less than the rates that I presented. I’ll be losing money, in fact.
Regarding business-sense and long-term collaborations with a potential client, I agree this is important, but we must not set a precedent undermining ourselves in terms of the price.
My final offer is: $0.xx per word = $US 3,923
If the client cannot accept this, I’m afraid I can’t go any lower.
I have included my CV, if this is of any help, and they can make their own decision.
Many kind regards,
Dylan
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Dear Dylan:
Thank you for your frankness and sincerity.
We have forwarded your updated fee to the client for their consideration and decision.
As I said in my previous email, our request may result in this job being cancelled by the client, in which case, you have done all the translation in vein and we have nothing to earn.
Anyway, I will keep you informed of any development at this end.
Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Rgds
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Dear XXXXXXXX,
Yes, the consequences of sticking to this price are understood.
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards,
Dylan
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Dylan:
A few more words on our relationship:
I have no intension to take advantage of you but just want to get this job done in a way a professional company does. As I said just now, we did not check the original document because it’s meaningless for us to give any price that may be totally unrealistic. We are human beings, and living in the society. What we are doing must be feasible and realistic. If we want to succeed in doing a thing, we must follow the trend and master the rules. Our sole purpose is to obtain the job and make a penny out of it.
I had no intension to hurt you or harm you in my previous email. I am just business-like, and let you know what the current situation is, and what may happens if you insist on revising the fee.
Here I want to emphasize again: You asking for a revised fee involves a risk for this job to be cancelled by the client, and you will receive no payment at all.
Please realize that this is the last thing I expect to happen, but in this world everything is possible. We are just small potatos, and have no power to control it.
For your own sake, as well as for our own benefit, I would suggest you eat this bitter fruit and expect more business from this client which is XXXXXXXX University in the future, as well as from us.
Anothing thing to take into account is that some clients have just the budget for a project. If the budget is exceeded, they may give up the intention to get it done. Likewise, our previously quoted fee may be just within the client’s budget, that’s why we were given the job. If the fee is eventually comes to more than S$3000, they may consider dropping the project.
For us, we will continue to work with you given the fact that we have been working with each other friendly and effectively in the past year. So you may rest assured that no matter whether we benefit from your work on this job, we will continue to approach you for other jobs in the future.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
rgds ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jenae Spry
United States
Local time: 02:33
French to English
There are some things I would have done differently but you did a good job in being clear about the situation and you also discovered some important information. Your client had confirmed that they are doing nothing more than marking up your price. I'd also like to point out that this means they aren't being a proofread. Perhaps this is standard practice in your language combination but it's not standard industry practice. The purpose of an agency is to serve as a sort of shield. The agency quot... See more There are some things I would have done differently but you did a good job in being clear about the situation and you also discovered some important information. Your client had confirmed that they are doing nothing more than marking up your price. I'd also like to point out that this means they aren't being a proofread. Perhaps this is standard practice in your language combination but it's not standard industry practice. The purpose of an agency is to serve as a sort of shield. The agency quotes the job, gets the files translated and edited and handles issues from the client. I have to ask, if they're not providing any of those things, why aren't you going after direct clients instead? Agencies do serve a purpose but it does not appear this one does.
I'm sorry you had to find out in such an expensive way. ▲ Collapse
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