| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: What percentage of jobs do you deliver on time? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 12:01
Spanish to English
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| Pobody's nerfect | Apr 17, 2014 |
Christine Andersen wrote:
I haven't voted yet, but can't honestly claim 100% over the years.
... I have also asked for an extension on occasions when unexpected problems arise.
I take a pride in delivering on time, but I have to vote for 90 - 99%
Client deadlines are usually so tight that I'm sure I must have been late at some time or other, even if only slightly, although I usually deliver on time or ahead. However, the fact that I don't recall ever handing a job in late means that it must be a very rare event.
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The other 90% get delivered early
| | | | R. Alex Jenkins 
Brazil
Local time: 07:01
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
I've got a lot of faults, but delivering projects late is not one of them.
Did I hear someone mention the unequal ratio between tight delivery deadlines and late agency payments? Translators have to learn to be thick skinned - get those projects delivered under very tight deadlines, sometimes under very high levels of stress, but wait +60 days, sometimes +90 days, for payment. It's one of the things that I really dislike about freelance translating.
I'm happy with my li... See more I've got a lot of faults, but delivering projects late is not one of them.
Did I hear someone mention the unequal ratio between tight delivery deadlines and late agency payments? Translators have to learn to be thick skinned - get those projects delivered under very tight deadlines, sometimes under very high levels of stress, but wait +60 days, sometimes +90 days, for payment. It's one of the things that I really dislike about freelance translating.
I'm happy with my life and profession as a freelancer, but I wish customers would respect our commitment to getting jobs delivered on time and, equally, pay on time. ▲ Collapse
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Anthony Baldwin
United States
Local time: 06:01
Portuguese to English
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| I missed a deadline once | Apr 17, 2014 |
I was working for a large company with offices in London, UK, and California.
I had been working primarily with the California offices, and delivered a project according to what I believed was the deadline in California (in fact 4 hours early according to that time), but apparently it was supposed to have been delivered to London 6 hours before that...
Otherwise, I deliver on time. Always.
I don't always sleep, but I deliver on time.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 12:01
Spanish to English
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| Spoke too soon | Apr 17, 2014 |
I have just sent off a rush job which the client pulled out of the rabbit hat this morning and said he wanted delivered by 5.30; it was about 5 minutes late... does that count?
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 06:01
English to Spanish
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| Invasive question | Apr 17, 2014 |
Sometimes I get the feeling that some of these poll questions are spy questions. And I'm not your paranoid type: I don't care for UFOs or conspiracy theories.
I consider this question a bit disrespectful. Do you think I'm exaggerating? Consider other possible questions along that vein:
a) Have you ever screamed at an editor or reviewer on the phone for misunderstanding your instructions?
b) Have you evern hung up on a project manager because he was being an... See more Sometimes I get the feeling that some of these poll questions are spy questions. And I'm not your paranoid type: I don't care for UFOs or conspiracy theories.
I consider this question a bit disrespectful. Do you think I'm exaggerating? Consider other possible questions along that vein:
a) Have you ever screamed at an editor or reviewer on the phone for misunderstanding your instructions?
b) Have you evern hung up on a project manager because he was being annoying?
c) Have you ever been sued by a client?
See what I mean? ▲ Collapse
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Erzsébet Czopyk wrote:
I suggest the next question: how many clients are paying on time????
I've been delivering on time, mostly earlier, for 40 years I've been in the translation business.
The closest shave so far was 9 minutes before the deadline, and my assigned proofreader took the entire blame for that.
My general policy is that I prefer to deliver two days early than two hours late. I plan accordingly.
However many translation agency POs, NDAs, vendor agreements I see imposing unilaterally heavy pecuniary penalties on late delivery, starting from 5 minutes late, and growing exponentially, so that if a job is delivered two days late, the translator will get paid nothing.
I wonder if any of these same agencies would commit to, say, a 20% penalty for paying one business day later than agreed, growing exponentially to a 100% penalty for paying two weeks late.
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Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 06:01
English to Spanish
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José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote: Erzsébet Czopyk wrote:
I suggest the next question: how many clients are paying on time???? I've been delivering on time, mostly earlier, for 40 years I've been in the translation business. The closest shave so far was 9 minutes before the deadline, and my assigned proofreader took the entire blame for that. My general policy is that I prefer to deliver two days early than two hours late. I plan accordingly. However many translation agency POs, NDAs, vendor agreements I see imposing unilaterally heavy pecuniary penalties on late delivery, starting from 5 minutes late, and growing exponentially, so that if a job is delivered two days late, the translator will get paid nothing. I wonder if any of these same agencies would commit to, say, a 20% penalty for paying one business day later than agreed, growing exponentially to a 100% penalty for paying two weeks late.
I choose not to work with such translation agencies. Such unilateral pecuniary penalties show where the agency's priorities are, and they don't include building a relationship of trust with a translator or interpreter.
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Mario Chavez wrote:
I choose not to work with such translation agencies. Such unilateral pecuniary penalties show where the agency's priorities are, and they don't include building a relationship of trust with a translator or interpreter.
Quite often agencies have a lawyer write their T&C. Of course, that lawyer prefers having only slam dunk cases to deal with. So they write quite leonine NDAs, agreements, etc., and tell the agency, "In case there is trouble, I'll only be able to defend you if all your vendors have signed this. If you ever have any dispute with a vendor that has not signed this exactly as I wrote it, get another lawyer."
Once I did a training video job for an agency with whom I've been working all the time for years, one job per week in average. I translated it from EN into PT, and they got someone to translate it into ES. I had it dubbed in both languages. Then we translated all the PPT slides, which I edited into the video with fades, effects, etc. Finally, I authored that video into an interactive DVD, with automatic stops for discussions, menus, the works!
The PM was so thrilled about it that she asked me, Did you append your name to the credits?, to which I answered Of course I didn't! Have you forgotten that our NDA strictly forbids it?. She said, Oh, yeah, like everybody else, you must have a signed NDA with us filed somewhere.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 06:01
English to Spanish
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José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote: Mario Chavez wrote:
I choose not to work with such translation agencies. Such unilateral pecuniary penalties show where the agency's priorities are, and they don't include building a relationship of trust with a translator or interpreter. Quite often agencies have a lawyer write their T&C. Of course, that lawyer prefers having only slam dunk cases to deal with. So they write quite leonine NDAs, agreements, etc., and tell the agency, "In case there is trouble, I'll only be able to defend you if all your vendors have signed this. If you ever have any dispute with a vendor that has not signed this exactly as I wrote it, get another lawyer." Once I did a training video job for an agency with whom I've been working all the time for years, one job per week in average. I translated it from EN into PT, and they got someone to translate it into ES. I had it dubbed in both languages. Then we translated all the PPT slides, which I edited into the video with fades, effects, etc. Finally, I authored that video into an interactive DVD, with automatic stops for discussions, menus, the works! The PM was so thrilled about it that she asked me, Did you append your name to the credits?, to which I answered Of course I didn't! Have you forgotten that our NDA strictly forbids it?. She said, Oh, yeah, like everybody else, you must have a signed NDA with us filed somewhere.
Translators can always contest any leonine or byzantine clause in NDA or other agreements. If the request is reasonable, they'll make the necessary accommodations.
And I would have definitely pushed back to have my name on that DVD.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 12:01
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Email mysteries | Apr 18, 2014 |
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
I can't remember missing a deadline. I didn't think that was an option.
Once, about 15 years ago, I thought I had delivered on time but in fact I pressed the wrong key and sent my e-mail to the saved drafts folder instead.
Since reformatting my PCs last week, I am having the same issue with my mails. Some of them end up in the drafts folder instead of getting sent, others are apprently sent and also end up in the drafts folder and others simply seem to disappear. I'm having to ask all my clients for receipt acknowledgement until I find out why it's happening...
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| I tried it, and I'm invisible | Apr 18, 2014 |
Mario Chavez wrote: José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Quite often agencies have a lawyer write their T&C. Of course, that lawyer prefers having only slam dunk cases to deal with. So they write quite leonine NDAs, agreements, etc., and tell the agency, "In case there is trouble, I'll only be able to defend you if all your vendors have signed this. If you ever have any dispute with a vendor that has not signed this exactly as I wrote it, get another lawyer." Translators can always contest any leonine or byzantine clause in NDA or other agreements. If the request is reasonable, they'll make the necessary accommodations. And I would have definitely pushed back to have my name on that DVD.
Now and then I tried challenging some draconian clauses in agencies' T&Cs, and most of them, sufficiently frightened by their lawyer about the possible consequences of compromising on any such clause, replied, "In this case, we won't be able to use your services."
In Dec. 2008 one big agency in NYC contacted me about a large volume of sworn translations for Brazil, where they are regulated by law. Yes, I am licensed to do it. But first they needed me to sign their Vendor Agreement. I checked it out, and found 19 points where it clashed with the Brazilian law on sworn translations, which I listed on a report, explaining why. AFAIK their legal department is still analyzing it.
Many years ago, long before I ever got involved with video translation, I saw on TV an interview with Raquel Welch... speaking flawless Portuguese! Dubbing was so perfect, that I was wondering if she could actually do it. However how would she speak it absolutely accent-free? Compare that with Camilla Belle, an American actress who learned to speak PT-BR at home.
So when I got into video translation for dubbing, that particular Raquel Welch episode became my goal: to leave the spectator in doubt on whether that actor could really do it in Portuguese. Of course, it relies on both an adequate translation and superb voice talents.
I left some clips from my favorite samples here. Of course, all these dubbers and directors were among the best in the industry.
My climax took place one day in New Jersey, when I had the privilege of showing the dubbing work we had done in Brazil to the original actor. He was first puzzled, and then amazed, watching himself speaking a language that he didn't. He asked if we had used any DV tricks to sync his mouth movements so perfectly to his "Brazilian" speech.
So my idea is to leave that doubt with spectators. I - the translator - think that we, dubbers included, must remain invisible. The entire show must look and feel as if it had been locally made.
Subtitling is different, It's as if the spectator had a bilingual friend by their side, furiously typing the translation on the screen. However I don't care to have my name in the credits. As an 'invisible friend', they probably know me.
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