ProZ.com Translation Forums

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients? | Balance is everything

Mario Freitas — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 16:17:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: Mario Freitas
Post title: Balance is everything

[quote]Chris S wrote:
I'm not sure that formal and friendly are opposites.
[/quote]

A certain level of formality is necessary for professional purposes. If you exceed that level, you sound pedantic and it is quite unpleasant.
A certain level of friendliness is adviseable, but if you exceed that level, you'll sound 'artificial' and it is quite unpleasant.
Balance is everything.

[Edited at 2017-12-17 16:18 GMT]

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients? | They are not opposites.

Dénis Wettmann — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 06:33:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: Dénis Wettmann
Post title: They are not opposites.

[quote]Chris S wrote:

I'm not sure that formal and friendly are opposites.

[/quote]

I concur. Both are the standard in my communication style.

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients? | In between

Nina Khmielnitzky — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 12:57:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: Nina Khmielnitzky
Post title: In between

While still being polite, I will follow my client's lead. Since 99.9999% of my exchanges are made by email, if they address me by my first name, I do so too.
It's formal but friendly.

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients? | I voted friendly, but it depends what you mean

Christine Andersen — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 12:47:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: Christine Andersen
Post title: I voted friendly, but it depends what you mean

Straightforward and courteous, without standing on ceremony.

To some extent I try to reflect the client's approach. If a German opens the mail with 'Sehr geehrte Frau Andersen...' my answer is a little more formal than an answer to one of my favourite clients/colleagues who typically writes:

Hi Christine
Can you translate this file sometime next week?
When and how much?

Regards H

Most of my clients are Scandinavian or from the UK, and they may address me as 'Dear Ms Andersen', but most use my first name, at least when we get past the introductions, and Danes in particular use an informal tone and go straight to the point.

It is not quite the style I use with my real friends, but a sort of 'business friendly'.

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients? | Somewhere in between

Muriel Vasconcellos (X) — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 12:24:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: Muriel Vasconcellos (X)
Post title: Somewhere in between

But formal is often clearer. Attempts to be too friendly can be confusing. My best-paying client, an international organization, is *very* formal. I feel respected, yet I know they won't take any nonsense.

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients? | Somewhere in between

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 11:32:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: Somewhere in between

It depends. We tend to be more formal in Portugal than in other countries. I learned some years ago (a public relations course) that the golden rule in communication is reciprocity. So, I treat each message on its own merits and answer accordingly using my common sense...

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients? | Formal

Platon Danilov — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 11:08:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: Platon Danilov
Post title: Formal

The first contact with a new client is always formal. Later, we may go to somewhere in between or sometimes even to a "friendly" style. But on this stage I can't call such client a new one.

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients? | Other

The Shredder — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 08:46:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: The Shredder
Post title: Other

I'm not sure that formal and friendly are opposites.

But I get the point. I would say formal with direct customers, informal with serious agencies, and unprofessional bordering on the abusive with the spammers and cheapskates I only seem to get through ProZ.

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients? | Formal

Joohee Kim — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 08:22:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: Joohee Kim
Post title: Formal

The client is a business partner, not my friend. So I think I should be formal.

Also, it is important for Asian people to be polite. As you know, a lot of Asian languages have honorifics...

[Edited at 2017-12-15 08:22 GMT]

Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?

ProZ.com Staff — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 08:10:02 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?
Poster: ProZ.com Staff

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Formal or friendly: which do you most use with new clients?".

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