Poll: Who do you prefer working for? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 01:05
Spanish to English
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| Private clients | Dec 3, 2017 |
Why anyone would "prefer" to work with agencies rather than direct clients is a mystery to me.
As for officialdom, I used to work for the regional government here occasionally, but most departments now use a compulsory e-billing system which is a bit of a hassle, so I don't mind not workng with them any more either.
| | | | | I have no preference | Dec 3, 2017 |
Putting it in other words, my preference goes to the ones that give me interesting texts to translate, take their freelancers seriously, pay well and on time and are easy to work with. Some are agencies, some are end clients.
| | | | | OTHER: Clients who trust me | Dec 3, 2017 |
If I were to point out ONE common feature among the good clients - the ones I prefer to work for - it would be TRUST. They trust my work and my integrity as a professional, considering it to be what will help them meet their goals.
Some translation agencies actually believe that we have an objective in common: serving the end-client in the best and most economical way. They accept my rates and terms, and trust that I'll always be doing my best to give them the most bang for t... See more If I were to point out ONE common feature among the good clients - the ones I prefer to work for - it would be TRUST. They trust my work and my integrity as a professional, considering it to be what will help them meet their goals.
Some translation agencies actually believe that we have an objective in common: serving the end-client in the best and most economical way. They accept my rates and terms, and trust that I'll always be doing my best to give them the most bang for their buck. No matter what, I'll never let them down, they are my business partners.
Of course, on the other end, there are agencies that just want to get that darn job done, so they can make as much profit as they can from it. They impose their rates and terms, and sugarcoat these with pleasantries, hoping that I'll let them dump that "problem" - the job that stands between them and their profit - on my lap. In the rare cases when the sugarcoating works, it will usually be a one-night-stand.
What kind of private clients? Companies or individuals? Small or large companies?
It doesn't matter. Again, if they TRUST that I'll provide them with a cost-effective solution to their needs, we'll enjoy working together for as long as it lasts, be it a one-off translation, the only one they'll ever need, or a work relationship that will last decades.
Last week I did the sworn translation of a foreigner's driver's license, as he will be traveling here very often in the next few years. He was about as enthusiastic about my service as the founder of a company where I was the preferred translator for 20+ years.
Fellow translators are a special case. When they hire me (or when I hire them), it's because whoever is hiring TRUSTS the other to do something at least to the same standards as s/he would do it. Of course, I'll never let them down.
So I prefer working for people who trust me. I enjoy the chance to prove that I'd never betray anyone's trust, and will always do my very best for them.
One client of mine, who only has occasional demand for translation, and hence comes back only every couple of yours or so - either for his company or for private purposes - illustrated it very well when I asked him, "Which way would you prefer me to do it, A or B?" His reply was: "I am an expert in MY line of business. Part of my expertise involves finding expert providers for every ancillary service we need. You are my expert in translation. Do whatever you consider the best option, and send me the bill!" ▲ Collapse
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EvaVer (X) 
Local time: 01:05
Czech to French
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| Private clients, but... | Dec 3, 2017 |
enlightened ones, mostly my stable ones.
neilmac wrote:
Why anyone would "prefer" to work with agencies rather than direct clients is a mystery to me.
Because they know (er... are supposed to know) what translation is about. Have you never had nonsense demands from direct clients?
| | | | | No preference | Dec 3, 2017 |
I have no preference.
in the past preference was for private clients, now I work with both direct clients an agencies.
The agencies I work for are reliable and deal with all the "strange requests".
At the end of the day my preference goes for those who:
1) pay my rates
2) pay may rates on time
3) establish good work-relationships
| | | | Vera Schoen
Sweden
Local time: 01:05
Member (2008)
German to Swedish
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There are tasks I find tedious, like formatting or chasing end clients for answers.
I happily "pay" agencies to take care of those tasks.
The agencies I work with are all very professional and respond immediately should I have any questions. They also take care of all unnecessary discussions with the end client like: "Why is our company name suddenly ending with an s?"
| | | | Carl Carter
Germany
Local time: 01:05
German to English
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| Private clients? | Dec 3, 2017 |
I guess you mean customers who are not translation agencies, do you? There's a big difference between these remaining clients, the main one being their size and the frequency of the assignments you get. Personally, I don't do much work for private individuals, especially if they only have one page a year to translate, but I do do a lot of work for universities with a high volume of work, for example. So I would be clearer here in defining types of customers.
Regards
Ca... See more I guess you mean customers who are not translation agencies, do you? There's a big difference between these remaining clients, the main one being their size and the frequency of the assignments you get. Personally, I don't do much work for private individuals, especially if they only have one page a year to translate, but I do do a lot of work for universities with a high volume of work, for example. So I would be clearer here in defining types of customers.
Regards
Carl ▲ Collapse
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Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 19:05
English to Spanish
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| Too much ado about direct clients | Dec 3, 2017 |
Here in America, the mantra among colleagues (at least by reading the Chronicle, a publication) has long been to work for direct clients because they pay better, pay more, are easier to work with and (drumroll) they are the holy grail of the so-called “premium” market.
As if the premium market were the HBO equivalent in our profession…
If a fruitful relationship happens between a client and myself, borne out of mutual respect, trust, appreciation, and other common... See more Here in America, the mantra among colleagues (at least by reading the Chronicle, a publication) has long been to work for direct clients because they pay better, pay more, are easier to work with and (drumroll) they are the holy grail of the so-called “premium” market.
As if the premium market were the HBO equivalent in our profession…
If a fruitful relationship happens between a client and myself, borne out of mutual respect, trust, appreciation, and other common goals, does it really matter if the client is a translation agency (big or small), a government ministry, a small company or a mafia don (provided I don't know this last part)? Professional respect (which goes both ways, by the way) and payment are client agnostic. The $500 I receive for a job I've done for an agency is no worse than if I'd received it from a much-vaulted direct client. ▲ Collapse
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Of course not all of them, you'll have to screen them until you find the ones you like to work with.
My favorites are large agencies with very professional, friendly and competent PMs.
And like others have mentioned, they know the industry and know what they can expect from both end clients and translators.
Usually, they also have a dtp dept. to assist, if needed.
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 19:05
Member (2005)
German to English
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| People who treat me well | Dec 3, 2017 |
I don't care if you are a PM at an agency or a direct client. If you treat me with respect, and pay on time, I will happily work for you over and over again.
If you treat every project as a bargaining session to get my "best rate ever"; if you condescend to speak to the "staff"; if you can't be bothered to pay on time; then I won't work for you ever again.
I've tried out three new agencies this year. Two have failed.
| | | | | Public administration | Dec 4, 2017 |
International organizations, government institutions, and NGOs are the best, IMHO. They are working for the public good, and usually this means that their texts are interesting and progressive.
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Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 20:05
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| Agencies vs. Direct Clients | Dec 5, 2017 |
It's very common to hear colleagues saying direct clients are the best.
Ok, the rates are better. Period.
Agencies pay less, but unlike direct clients, they keep sending you jobs forever. Direct clients are mostly one-time clients or once-or-twice-a-year clients. Sorry, but you can't live with that. And even if you can, you'll have to negotiate terms and prices every single time and hope the client is a good and honest client every single time.
As to public agencies, in my coun... See more It's very common to hear colleagues saying direct clients are the best.
Ok, the rates are better. Period.
Agencies pay less, but unlike direct clients, they keep sending you jobs forever. Direct clients are mostly one-time clients or once-or-twice-a-year clients. Sorry, but you can't live with that. And even if you can, you'll have to negotiate terms and prices every single time and hope the client is a good and honest client every single time.
As to public agencies, in my country they are among the worst choices, for several reasons better not discussed here, although the rates may be the best. ▲ Collapse
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