| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Payment dilemma - would really appreciate advice! Thread poster: Sarah Jamieson
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Sarah Jamieson 
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:12
Member (2019)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Hi guys. I would really appreciate your advice I have just been offered a big job.
Translating 33 000 words FR-EN and then proofreading 37 000. I have been successful on a test translation. I have been offered a €500 payment upfront. I am a bit nervous about doing the rest of the work without payment.
I haven't worked for the client before. Would you suggest I suggest a weekly or a bi-monthly payment? It's a direct client so can't check on Proz blue board.
... See more Hi guys. I would really appreciate your advice I have just been offered a big job.
Translating 33 000 words FR-EN and then proofreading 37 000. I have been successful on a test translation. I have been offered a €500 payment upfront. I am a bit nervous about doing the rest of the work without payment.
I haven't worked for the client before. Would you suggest I suggest a weekly or a bi-monthly payment? It's a direct client so can't check on Proz blue board.
Thank you very much. Sarah. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Morano El-Kholy
Egypt
Local time: 21:12
Member (2011)
English to Arabic
+ ...
| Just a suggestion! | Jan 15, 2019 |
Can you propose to deliver your work in batches, and receive your payment immediately and before delivering the next batch?
Just a mere suggestion.
| | | | Sarah Jamieson
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:12
Member (2019)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Payment dilemma - would really appreciate advice! | Jan 15, 2019 |
Thanks. This is what I thought. I don't think I am unreasonable? Is it normally to ask for a weekly payment because this is what I would like. Especially with a huge project that will take all of my time.
| | | | B D Finch
France
Local time: 21:12
French to English
+ ...
| Staged delivery and invoicing | Jan 15, 2019 |
I never ask for or accept advance payment as I don't want to be scammed by being told a job is cancelled and then asked to repay an advance. However, I don't allow more than €300 to be outstanding from a new client before I receive the first payment. So, I would stage delivery and invoicing, ensuring that the first stage delivery and invoice comes to €300 or less and is payable within seven days. Subsequent deliveries and invoices can be for larger sums and payable within 30 days.
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Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 15:12
Japanese to English
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| Payment dilemma | Jan 15, 2019 |
The question here is how much the client is offering for both the translation work and then the revision.
A 33,000-word translation should fetch USD 3,300 at USD 0.10/word. Let's say you charge USD 0.035 /word for the 37,000 word text for revision (some people would admittedly charge by the hour) coming to USD 1,295. Is the client willing to pay USD 4,595 for both tasks? Is the client willing to provide a purchase order for this amount? I think the client should pony up half of the transl... See more The question here is how much the client is offering for both the translation work and then the revision.
A 33,000-word translation should fetch USD 3,300 at USD 0.10/word. Let's say you charge USD 0.035 /word for the 37,000 word text for revision (some people would admittedly charge by the hour) coming to USD 1,295. Is the client willing to pay USD 4,595 for both tasks? Is the client willing to provide a purchase order for this amount? I think the client should pony up half of the translation fee
(USD 1650) in advance. The same should hold once the revision work starts. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sarah Jamieson
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:12
Member (2019)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
You have all been a super support for an inexperienced translator
| | | | | Rings bells - maybe a scam. Watch out! | Jan 16, 2019 |
On a Facebook groupe "traducteurs professionnels URSSAF/AGEEA", another translator described a 37K-word document and was wondering if it were not a scam. I will be sending you a personal mail via ProZ mail indicating the name of the person associated with the job offer. That way you will be able to see if this might be a scam.
Whatever the deal here, a new client with a 37,000-word job is a rare bird indeed. That in itself should make you be very careful. if it turns out to be a bon... See more On a Facebook groupe "traducteurs professionnels URSSAF/AGEEA", another translator described a 37K-word document and was wondering if it were not a scam. I will be sending you a personal mail via ProZ mail indicating the name of the person associated with the job offer. That way you will be able to see if this might be a scam.
Whatever the deal here, a new client with a 37,000-word job is a rare bird indeed. That in itself should make you be very careful. if it turns out to be a bona fide offer, then so much the better. You might like to think as you are doing now, about how to protect yourself with regards to payment. The worst thing you could do is not be able to work for other clients during the period of time you work on this job and then this one turn out to be a total scam. So be very careful indeed.
Suggestions:
- get contact information (name, business address, telephone number, business registration information, etc) and check it out
- a job of this size could easily warrant a quick telephone call to discuss one or two details; an ideal opportunity to see if the telephone number is real and enables you to speak with the person you expect to talk to
- check the text itself. Does it start and finish at a logical point, in a logical way? Some of the scam texts sent for a would-be translation stop mid-sentence, or halfway through a paragraph, and you can find the text somewhere on the inter, with context, and decide for yourself how likely it is that your contact will be asking you to do the job
- is the contact a private individual, or a business?
- are the initials TM?
- is the text an "historic" one? (Not dangerous of itself, of course, just because it is how the general nature of the text is described on the FB group I refer to. Just suggesting that this may be a way to see whether you are talking about one and the same job).
Please see private message. I've provided one or two bits of info gleaned from the FB group so that you can see that you are not alone in having been contacted for what is very likely to be the same potential job.
[Edited at 2019-01-16 12:06 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| Agree with Nikki, and one more thing | Jan 16, 2019 |
Nikki Scott-Despaigne wrote:
On a Facebook groupe "traducteurs professionnels URSSAF/AGEEA", another translator described a 37K-word document and was wondering if it were not a scam. I will be sending you a personal mail via ProZ mail indicating the name of the person associated with the job offer. That way you will be able to see if this might be a scam.
Whatever the deal here, a new client with a 37,000-word job is a rare bird indeed. That in itself should make you be very careful. if it turns out to be a bona fide offer, then so much the better. You might like to think as you are doing now, about how to protect yourself with regards to payment. The worst thing you could do is not be able to work for other clients during the period of time you work on this job and then this one turn out to be a total scam. So be very careful indeed.
Suggestions:
- get contact information (name, business address, telephone number, business registration information, etc) and check it out
- a job of this size could easily warrant a quick telephone call to discuss one or two details; an ideal opportunity to see if the telephone number is real and enables you to speak with the person you expect to talk to
- check the text itself. Does it start and finish at a logical point, in a logical way? Some of the scam texts sent for a would-be translation stop mid-sentence, or halfway through a paragraph, and you can find the text somewhere on the inter, with context, and decide for yourself how likely it is that your contact will be asking you to do the job
- is the contact a private individual, or a business?
- are the initials TM?
- is the text an "historic" one?
Please see private message. I've provided one or two bits of info gleaned from the FB group so that you can see that you are not alone in having been contacted for what is very likely to be the same potential job.
[Edited at 2019-01-16 01:17 GMT]
Ask for a confirmation! Send the client your end price and ask him if he agrees.
Something like: 'Total price for this project is XXXX. Please confirm.'
| | | | | Rings bells - maybe a scam. Watch out! Why a historic text? | Jan 16, 2019 |
Hello Nikki
In your post, you mentioned the fact that it's about a "historic" text? Why should we be more careful about that?
Thanks for your reply.
Isabelle
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I've just edited my post.
My point about the text being "historic" is to mention that is how you have described the general nature of the text. My idea was that it could tie up with the text that Sarah has been contacted about. Historical texts are not dangerous in their own right, of course! Thanks for pointing that out, Isabelle, as that was how my list could be read.
| | | | | Rings bells… | Jan 16, 2019 |
… but I must say that a scammer asking for a test is a new one as far as I'm concerned. I don’t think I would be comfortable doing such a big job for a first-time client unless it was a well-known international organization. All this reminded me of a potential scammer who contacted me some months ago (https://www.proz.com/forum/scams/330230-potential_scammer.html). An... See more … but I must say that a scammer asking for a test is a new one as far as I'm concerned. I don’t think I would be comfortable doing such a big job for a first-time client unless it was a well-known international organization. All this reminded me of a potential scammer who contacted me some months ago (https://www.proz.com/forum/scams/330230-potential_scammer.html). Another thing, the upfront seems rather low to me (at my rates €500 would be 15% of my minimum translation total)… ▲ Collapse
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:12
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| good advice from everyone here | Jan 16, 2019 |
I would add: before you agree to do any work, make sure you have the client's registered business address and VAT no.
| | | | Sarah Jamieson
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:12
Member (2019)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
You have all been so helpful! Thank you so much. I have taken on the job but am proceeding cautiously. It is actually not a historic text but one from a French weightlifter! so far so good. Will report any problems later.
| | | | Marsha Conroy
United States
Local time: 14:12
French to English
In memoriam | Scam possibility | Jan 17, 2019 |
Be patient. I get these ALL THE TIME. In my experience, I will receive 3-10 almost-exactly-worded email requests over a short period of time from different people, all claiming to be offering a project of at least 35K words. This in itself raises flags. Then the enquirer states that they need this article translated from English into Spanish (which I don't translate) and "at least 2 other languages". To seal my suspicions, the enquirer then asks what language pair I translate and how much I cha... See more Be patient. I get these ALL THE TIME. In my experience, I will receive 3-10 almost-exactly-worded email requests over a short period of time from different people, all claiming to be offering a project of at least 35K words. This in itself raises flags. Then the enquirer states that they need this article translated from English into Spanish (which I don't translate) and "at least 2 other languages". To seal my suspicions, the enquirer then asks what language pair I translate and how much I charge. Don't bother with these.
So wait a bit. See if you are flooded with suspiciously similar requests in the following few days. If you do, don't waste your time.
The suggestions offered in this forum are very good. Pay attention to them! ▲ Collapse
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