| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Established translators going through a dry spell: has that ever happened to you? Thread poster: Vincent Lemma
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Sheila Wilson 
Spain
Local time: 23:25
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Regional thing | Nov 25, 2016 |
Tom in London wrote: Vincent Lemma wrote:
Sorry, I really don't catch the gist of your post and kindly invite you to address the matter with a different degree of professionalism.
I suppose some people just don't do irony. 
I think it's more likely that Vincent hasn't a clue what Marmite is .
| | | | Mervyn Henderson (X)
Spain
Local time: 00:25
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Satire, irony, whatever ... | Nov 25, 2016 |
... hopefully Tom and I took your mind off it for a while. Every little helps.
I don't know whether I should say this, but I've just received 50K of really easy stuff, most of it CAT repeats, and there's been a big management reshuffle by the customer, so they haven't a clue, and are even willing to pay me whatever I was paid before. Payment up front and six months to do it in, too, so I will be able to fit Gstaad in at Xmas after all. I was worried about that, because of course th... See more ... hopefully Tom and I took your mind off it for a while. Every little helps.
I don't know whether I should say this, but I've just received 50K of really easy stuff, most of it CAT repeats, and there's been a big management reshuffle by the customer, so they haven't a clue, and are even willing to pay me whatever I was paid before. Payment up front and six months to do it in, too, so I will be able to fit Gstaad in at Xmas after all. I was worried about that, because of course the Kardashians will be there. Minus a bit of bling, maybe, but it just goes to show everyone has their problems. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Marmite is everything that's wrong with the UK, condensed into one little jar.
[Edited at 2016-11-25 16:46 GMT]
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Kardashians = nothing. Pumped up lips. Terminal boredom. Even an evening with a jar of Marmite would be more interesting.
[Edited at 2016-11-25 16:48 GMT]
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Mervyn Henderson (X)
Spain
Local time: 00:25
Spanish to English
+ ...
| More interesting ... | Nov 25, 2016 |
... and a dashed sight cheaper!!! And you don't have to get past the bodyguards first.
| | | | John Fossey
Canada
Local time: 18:25
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
Robert Forstag wrote:
Many will scoff at such a thought, but sometimes cultivating new clients willing to pay your standard rates, brushing up your CV, getting a batch of snazzy new cards printed, attending expensive congresses, and similar activities simply don't work (at least not in the short term) and we all need to pay our bills....
So one thought would be to cultivate relationships with agencies where you can quickly get work at somewhat lower rates than you would typically charge (I'm not talking Indian-agency-low, but rather low rates that you can live with, that translate into a decent hourly rate, and that continue to bring in money.)
The idea would be to do this with select new clients only, and not to try to stimulate collaboration with your existing clients by offering them lower rates.
If all works out, you can then resort to such lower paying clients when times are tough. You can also make it clear in your communications with them that you are accepting lower rates than usual, and that your priority is always to work for your preferred rates. Doing this will both shape their expectations (i.e., they won't expect you to automatically accept any job they throw your way) and keep you from becoming entrapped in unwanted obligations (i.e., you won't feel obliged to accept work from these lower-paying clients in order to keep them happy).
No, not an ideal solution, but real life is filled with messy compromises, and the "stick to your guns" school of thought begins to lose its appeal when you're staring down the shutoff of your utilities, repossession of your car, or eviction from your home.
[Edited at 2016-11-25 14:41 GMT]
This may not make much professional sense, but unfortunately it makes a lot of business sense.
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Robert Forstag wrote:
Many will scoff at such a thought, but sometimes cultivating new clients willing to pay your standard rates, brushing up your CV, getting a batch of snazzy new cards printed, attending expensive congresses, and similar activities simply don't work (at least not in the short term) and we all need to pay our bills....
So one thought would be to cultivate relationships with agencies where you can quickly get work at somewhat lower rates than you would typically charge (I'm not talking Indian-agency-low, but rather low rates that you can live with, that translate into a decent hourly rate, and that continue to bring in money.)
The idea would be to do this with select new clients only, and not to try to stimulate collaboration with your existing clients by offering them lower rates.
If all works out, you can then resort to such lower paying clients when times are tough. You can also make it clear in your communications with them that you are accepting lower rates than usual, and that your priority is always to work for your preferred rates. Doing this will both shape their expectations (i.e., they won't expect you to automatically accept any job they throw your way) and keep you from becoming entrapped in unwanted obligations (i.e., you won't feel obliged to accept work from these lower-paying clients in order to keep them happy).
No, not an ideal solution, but real life is filled with messy compromises, and the "stick to your guns" school of thought begins to lose its appeal when you're staring down the shutoff of your utilities, repossession of your car, or eviction from your home.
[Edited at 2016-11-25 14:41 GMT]
Very good advice.
One of my favorite clients is also my lowest payer. Great PMs, very easy jobs (lots of email correspondence), prompt payment, but low rates. I don't blame them for this because I know they're receiving these jobs from another agency and there's simply not much meat left on the bone by the time it gets to me. I've never said goodbye to them, and have been glad of that fact many times. I turn down two thirds or more of the jobs they offer, but every now and then there will be a dry spell, and they'll send something I know I can get through quickly, and I'll accept gladly.
So I'm all with Robert regarding keeping at least one or two lower rate clients for a rainy day. The only note I'd add is that your lower rate clients should be among the best you have in terms of everything else. There are plenty of low payers who actually expect more work than other clients, agencies that will pay you a low rate and then ask you to review their insensible edits two or three times. Those are the ones to steer clear of.
In terms of the OP's original question, hang in there! As others have noted, there is really little rhyme or rhythm to this industry. If your six month figures have looked good YOY until this month, you should be fine. October was my worst month of the year, and November has been the best. Absolutely no reason why, just the way things worked out. Odds are very good that things will swing the other way for you in December.
[Edited at 2016-11-26 04:29 GMT]
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