| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | Poll: Do you ever reject projects? Please share. Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | Niraja Nanjundan (X) 
Local time: 09:02
German to English
| Sometimes, mainly for three reasons | May 1, 2008 |
I reject projects
- if the client expects me to charge a very low rate
- if the deadline is unreasonable
- when I don't have any experience in that particular area of specialisation
Obvious reasons, I suppose.
| | | | Andrea Riffo
Chile
Local time: 23:32
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Same as Niraga | May 1, 2008 |
And I add another reason:
- If I am already up to my neck in work and cannot take on any more for the time being
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When I don't have time to take another project
When the subject is beyond my specialisation
When I don't like subject (actually this didn't happen yet, but once I wished I refused that particular project and would not take something similar again)
Anni
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| Same as above .... Niraja and Andrea | May 1, 2008 |
As for reason Andrea cited . I lost a long time client as a result.
If you have similar experience, please share.
I think that's unreasonable in their part because I'm a freelancer and not their slave.
On the other hand, in the world of supply-and-demand capitalism that bounds to happen and reasonably acceptable.
Of course I always up to my neck in assignments. One loss is complimented by many others.
Cheers!
[Edited at 2008-05-01 13:43]<... See more As for reason Andrea cited . I lost a long time client as a result.
If you have similar experience, please share.
I think that's unreasonable in their part because I'm a freelancer and not their slave.
On the other hand, in the world of supply-and-demand capitalism that bounds to happen and reasonably acceptable.
Of course I always up to my neck in assignments. One loss is complimented by many others.
Cheers!
[Edited at 2008-05-01 13:43]
[Edited at 2008-05-01 13:48] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 23:32
Member (2005)
German to English
+ ...
| For the standard reasons mentioned above | May 1, 2008 |
And the additional reason: the client acts oddly:
I rejected a job last night after the person waffled on the subject matter. When told that I didn't do legal, she said she'd made a mistake and the subject was financial.
It was also an after hours phone call, with an implied deadline of the following morning.
And nothing, absolutely nothing, interferes with the bedtime story.
| | | | Dilek Yigit
Belgium
Local time: 05:32
Member (2006)
Turkish to English
+ ...
| Almost never but "umm..." | May 1, 2008 |
For me, it is almost never except when a non-regular client says:
"Um...I need this project of 8-10K words for tomorrow/the day after... um... and the rate is a little low for this particular client but some other projects from this client will probably follow... um..."
I simply hate hearing unreasonable deadlines and rates; so I never hesitate rejecting them.
In other cases, I am always ready to be up to my neck ... See more For me, it is almost never except when a non-regular client says:
"Um...I need this project of 8-10K words for tomorrow/the day after... um... and the rate is a little low for this particular client but some other projects from this client will probably follow... um..."
I simply hate hearing unreasonable deadlines and rates; so I never hesitate rejecting them.
In other cases, I am always ready to be up to my neck
Dilek ▲ Collapse
| | | | | reasons for rejecting projects | May 1, 2008 |
- too busy already
- unreasonable rate
- unreasonable deadline (but this is very often remediable)
- subject outside specialty or interest
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 20:32
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Two more reasons | May 1, 2008 |
I once rejected a radical religious text for ethical reasons.
I also rejected several proofreading requests because the translation was beyond awful. If the job would come from a regular client I would inform the client about this issue. Otherwise I decided to be too busy all of the sudden...
| | | | Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 21:32
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I reject projects when I consider I will not finish them before the deadline, this is, 4000 words to be translated within 3 hours....having some texts for the same day.
I reject projects when the client has lost the file of a 127 pages document in Microsoft Word and wants me to deliver them the translation again for free. Why? They lost the file. Easy! No need to argue. No more arguments. They lost the file.
| | | | Mike Hunter (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:32
English to Flemish
+ ...
| Urgent clients | May 1, 2008 |
Dilek Yigit wrote: For me, it is almost never except when a non-regular client says: "Um...I need this project of 8-10K words for tomorrow/the day after... um... and the rate is a little low for this particular client but some other projects from this client will probably follow... um..." I simply hate hearing unreasonable deadlines and rates; so I never hesitate rejecting them. In other cases, I am always ready to be up to my neck Dilek
Hi Dilek
As a translation manager that one sounds familiar....We also turn down work on similar grounds. You know the Friday afternoon phone call, they want 8 languages including some really obscure ones, its 10K with a Monday morning deadline. The assumption being that I just love to work weekends looking for translators, who in turn don't mind working all night on Sunday.
Rule 1: if we quote, they'll disappear, and the deadline isn't suddenly so urgent.
Cheers
Mike
| | | | mystymy
Local time: 23:32
Spanish to English
+ ...
| almost the same reason plus... | May 1, 2008 |
My reasons for turning down a project run along the same lines as the responders of this poll.
-too busy with other projects
-extremely low price
-subject not in my area of expertise
but I will also turn down a project for difficult clients, unless the pay is very good, sometimes you do not want the extra hassle with difficult people
rarely do I turn down because of deadline, if the price is good, I mean really good, I will take it. But lately... See more My reasons for turning down a project run along the same lines as the responders of this poll.
-too busy with other projects
-extremely low price
-subject not in my area of expertise
but I will also turn down a project for difficult clients, unless the pay is very good, sometimes you do not want the extra hassle with difficult people
rarely do I turn down because of deadline, if the price is good, I mean really good, I will take it. But lately only a few clients want to pay a rush fee. ▲ Collapse
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I normally accept all kinds of jobs, independently from the rate or the subject. I adore translation, so I adapt myself to any kind of text and do it more for pleasure rather than for money.
The reasons I would reject jobs are:
- Too much work / No time
- No colleagues available to help me
- Immoral / unethical topics
- A date/appointment which for me is really important (birthday, anniversary, Christmas) and was planned before get... See more I normally accept all kinds of jobs, independently from the rate or the subject. I adore translation, so I adapt myself to any kind of text and do it more for pleasure rather than for money.
The reasons I would reject jobs are:
- Too much work / No time
- No colleagues available to help me
- Immoral / unethical topics
- A date/appointment which for me is really important (birthday, anniversary, Christmas) and was planned before getting the new project.
[Edited at 2008-05-01 16:40] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | For all these reasons and 1 more | May 1, 2008 |
I absolutely hate short deadlines and when the client thinks that we don't have our own life, that we don't need to eat, sleep and rest and even tries to pay low rates with the excuse that "it is a special customer and he is going to send more work" (his/her client may send more work but I don't have any guarantee that my client isn't going to send this work to other translators and it was I who had to stay up all night..), I immediately say "no". Fortunately, this normally doesn't happen with m... See more I absolutely hate short deadlines and when the client thinks that we don't have our own life, that we don't need to eat, sleep and rest and even tries to pay low rates with the excuse that "it is a special customer and he is going to send more work" (his/her client may send more work but I don't have any guarantee that my client isn't going to send this work to other translators and it was I who had to stay up all night..), I immediately say "no". Fortunately, this normally doesn't happen with my regular customers.
Another reason is when I'm contacted all of a sudden by someone I don't know who is in a rush and immediately agrees with my rates. I said no a couple of times because I "had a feeling" and when I checked in Blue Bloard these companies were very badly rated. I'm glad I didn't accept the job. This kind of approach always makes me suspicious.
Apart from that, I never reject any job, I don't mind working on weekends and late in the evening when it's for a regular client with whom I have a good relationship. Sometimes it's not for the money I'm going to earn with that particular job (when I'm very, very busy I would prefer to rest a bit than to accept one more job), but it's to help my customer.
[Edited at 2008-05-01 17:05] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Joan Berglund
United States
Local time: 23:32
Member (2008)
French to English
Agencies seem to think we would be happy to hear that their cheapest clients may be sending us a lot more work? Is there some reason to think I would like working a lot for bad pay even better than working once in a while for bad pay? Yes, I have turned down work for all the reasons above, especially if two or more are true at once, like unreasonable deadline and bad pay, which often go together.
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