ProZ.com Translation Forums

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | follow-up :)

Orla Ryan — Mon, 01 May 2006 19:09:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Orla Ryan
Post title: follow-up :)

In the end, I met up with one agency while I was in NL and I spent the day at their office. I had a simply fantastic time. I even did some work while I was there, as a German-English job had come in and I had done some work for that client before. So they logged me into a PC and I worked away as per usual (with a couple of coffee breaks and wandering around chatting to everyone!).

Fair enough, I have been working with this agency for just over two years, I'm in contact with them every day on MSN so they know me pretty well by now.

As it was a Friday, we all went to a local restaurant afterwards where they treated me to dinner and one of the PMs gave me a lift back to the hotel. Some of them even met up with me that weekend to show me around Amsterdam and meet me for dinner, it really was the cherry on top of a great weekend. :)

So if the opportunity comes up - go for it!

[quote]Marjon van den Bosch wrote:

I will be going to my home country, the Netherlands, within the next 2 months, and also plan to visit some clients there and in Belgium. But I can also understand why some translators (and agencies) may not want to meet face to face, because as one agency in NL wrote me a couple of years ago, when I said "I will be in your area and would to love visit with you", he wrote back and said something to the effect of "yikes, how will it effect our wonderful virtual relationship?." Well, I did not get there as originally planned and did not visit.

But I still think it is a good idea!

Marjon

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | meetings

Fernando Tognis — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 20:52:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Fernando Tognis
Post title: meetings

I have been translating for three years and I met clients only two times in my whole career. The experience was really good. However, I could met them just because they lived in my city (Buenos Aires).
The best thing about meeting clients is that one can be more accurate as regards the style chosen for the translation. After talking to the client getting a look at their office, clothing and personality, the translator will find easier to create a tailor-made translation.
Best,
Fernando

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | Amen, Orla!

Marjon van den Bosch — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 17:19:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Marjon van den Bosch
Post title: Amen, Orla!

I will be going to my home country, the Netherlands, within the next 2 months, and also plan to visit some clients there and in Belgium. But I can also understand why some translators (and agencies) may not want to meet face to face, because as one agency in NL wrote me a couple of years ago, when I said "I will be in your area and would to love visit with you", he wrote back and said something to the effect of "yikes, how will it effect our wonderful virtual relationship?." Well, I did not get there as originally planned and did not visit.

But I still think it is a good idea!

Marjon

[quote]Orla Ryan wrote:

i'm going to the Netherlands later this month and I am definitely making a point of meeting 2 clients while I am there.

If you can, make the effort to meet them - it's usually not a problem for them to find 30 minutes to meet you for a coffee & a chat. It has paid off for me.

Because the nature of our job can be rather anti-social, I think it is important to get out of the house and put a face to the names. It is the same in other business sectors, why not for us? [/quote]

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | I meet people from these agenies whenever I can

Robert Zawadzki (X) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 16:05:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Robert Zawadzki (X)
Post title: I meet people from these agenies whenever I can

[quote]titi-at-home wrote:

It's a big exception when I meet a client of mine. My clients, most of them agencies, are located all over the world.

[quote]Robert Zawadzki wrote:

Some of them even expressly asked that I never contact clients directly (even when asking questions). [/quote] [/quote]

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | Why NOT to meet your client ...

Patricia Rosas — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 15:28:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Patricia Rosas
Post title: Why NOT to meet your client ...

Most of my clients live far away, and as many have expressed, I cannot afford to travel to meet them.

But last summer, a client came to Tucson, and she wanted to drop by with her husband. I spent all afternoon cleaning house, dressing (up), and making sure my new puppy would behave.

Just as they drove up, the normally blue Tucson skies let go with an incredible blast of rain. I rushed out with an umbrella and ushered them into the house...

As we were catching our breath, I looked down and my treasured client was standing in a puddle of puppy piddle ...

Things actually got worse after that, but I'll save that part of the story for another day.

She is great, and we are still on good terms, but from now on, I'd rather make my "good impressions" via e-mail!

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | Well...

Sandra C. (X) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 14:54:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Sandra C. (X)
Post title: Well...

I'm soon going to France for two weeks (back home, to visit my family) and I'm going to make a point of meeting one of my clients... because she's owed me 700 EUR for almost a year, now.
So there you go, I can't WAIT to meet HER! ;-)

Otherwise, if I had more money to travel, etc., I would probably try to meet my clients if I happened to be in the same area. However, to be perfectly honest, I don't think I would make a special trip to meet them, with the exception maybe of the ones I feel I've become friends with, even over the Internet (it happen).

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | thank Friday for globalization and powwows!

Hilary Hauck — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 12:43:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Hilary Hauck
Post title: thank Friday for globalization and powwows!

When I lived in Italy I knew all of my clients personally because that was where they lived too. Actually when I first started translating you would have to know them. Either you typed the file in their office or you typed it at home on a type writer (remember them?) and ran a print out to their office, that was before the age of running a floppy to them. It sounds like I have been translating forever if you think that nowadays you can work for clients anywhere in the world and delivery is quicker than riding your bike down the road, floppy in hand, but just since 1993.
Now I live in the States but whenever I visit Italy I visit people I still work for there.
I love the fact that I can work from the comfort of my home and communicate with the world, but it can feel like a really lonely business sometimes, e-mails can never take the place of real people ... so thank Friday for powwows! I'm looking forward to my first one in Pittsburgh March 22nd.

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | MY CUSTOMERS FIND ME

Mercedes Davila — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 12:32:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Mercedes Davila
Post title: MY CUSTOMERS FIND ME

[quote]ProZ.com Staff wrote:

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?".

View the poll here

A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: [url removed] [/quote]

In my experience as a Certified English Translator in Venezuela, my customers find me when they need a translation (in Venezuela any document in another language needs to be translated by an "Interprete Público" to be considered legal and binding) so naturally I have met them all and some have even become my friends and send me more customers. So far I have not been able to obtain a job through ProZ or the Internet, for that matter, though I've really work hard for it... but if the day comes...... I will surely try to meet them even if only through e-mails.

Mercedes Dávila

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | Don't forget trade fairs and similar events

Giles Watson — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 11:35:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Giles Watson
Post title: Don't forget trade fairs and similar events

It's obviously a good idea to meet clients if this is at all possible.

One way of doing this, particularly if you specialise in specific areas, is to attend trade fairs and the like.

For example, I visit the Vinitaly wine fair in Verona every spring, which enables me to meet hordes of clients (not to mention one or two other wine translators!) in a very short space of time.

Cheers,

Giles

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | These agencies are your clients Robert :-)

Wouter van Kampen — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 11:23:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Wouter van Kampen
Post title: These agencies are your clients Robert :-)

It's a big exception when I meet a client of mine. My clients, most of them agencies, are located all over the world.

[quote]Robert Zawadzki wrote:

Some of them even expressly asked that I never contact clients directly (even when asking questions). [/quote]

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | ...

Orla Ryan — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 10:28:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Orla Ryan
Post title: ...

i'm going to the Netherlands later this month and I am definitely making a point of meeting 2 clients while I am there.

If you can, make the effort to meet them - it's usually not a problem for them to find 30 minutes to meet you for a coffee & a chat. It has paid off for me.

Because the nature of our job can be rather anti-social, I think it is important to get out of the house and put a face to the names. It is the same in other business sectors, why not for us?

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | Generally yes

Henk Peelen — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 10:25:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Henk Peelen
Post title: Generally yes

Nearly all my clients are agencies and I think it's good to meet each other physically (just like your colleagues, actually it are colleagues), but not really necessary. It depends of course on the distance. Up to now I did meet about ten clients in The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

[Edited at 2006-03-02 11:13]

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | Neither is applicable

diana bb — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 10:04:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: diana bb
Post title: Neither is applicable

... due to the wording - 'Do you TRY...'

I don't TRY to meet them, I HAVE to meet my clients, because mostly I work directly with them.

[Edited at 2006-03-02 10:05]

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | why (agencies) don't want you to contact clients

hamani56 (X) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:56:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: hamani56 (X)
Post title: why (agencies) don't want you to contact clients

[quote]Robert Zawadzki wrote:

Some of them even expressly asked that I never contact clients directly (even when asking questions). [/quote]

...because if you do, they fear that you might take business from them. if the client can contact the translator directly, he'll be able to reduce the cost of the work and avoid the cost of intermediaries... but the latter are necessary, they organize the work, and distribute projects that may be too large for a single translator... and they handle administrative issues such as taxes and the like.

[Edited at 2006-03-02 15:00]

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | Perhaps "try" is vague

Latin_Hellas (X) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:44:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Latin_Hellas (X)
Post title: Perhaps "try" is vague

Generally, I agree with Henry. It amazes me that so many people so far have answered no, but judging by the comments, they answered as if the question were "do you actually visit clients ... ".

As a practical question, it may be impossible to meet with clients gained through remote means, but, in my experience at least, most of the best clients are won through person to person contact.

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | I did replied yes

Mariana Moreira — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:41:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Mariana Moreira
Post title: I did replied yes

In fact if the client is located nearby I certainly do and whenever he is in a foreign country and for some reason I visit it I always try to arrange a meeting.

I already had many good surprises:):) It pays off for a good partnership and cooperation to have a face linked to a name or an email address!!

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | I answered yes

Rosa Enciso — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:40:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Rosa Enciso
Post title: I answered yes

but in fact it is only true regarding my two main clients, because they live in the same town or in Germany.

It depends on the relationship you have with them. If you only work once for a company, I don't think you will have the idea of getting to know the people personally.

And unfortunately, the disadvantage of online business is that everything is getting more and more impersonal! Sometimes I have the feeling of only existing virtually, at least for them...

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | I work mainly through agencies

Robert Zawadzki (X) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:30:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Robert Zawadzki (X)
Post title: I work mainly through agencies

Some of them even expressly asked that I never contact clients directly (even when asking questions).

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | i would like to but the "global village" is much too vast.

hamani56 (X) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:28:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: hamani56 (X)
Post title: i would like to but the "global village" is much too vast.

[quote]ProZ.com Staff wrote:

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?".

View the poll here

A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: [url removed] [/quote]

I wish i could , but i don't try to visit my clients because they are thousands of miles away and they may not have the time for a friendly chat.
On the other hand, when you meet people, especially in conferences, you learn in a shorth period of time what you may not learn in months or years.
(now my philosophical side) People were created to meet each other, to discuss with one another, to love each other (with the heart i mean) and to exchange their mutual experiences.
Shangri-la in this earthly world is an illusion.
Eden in the next is not.

omar hamani,

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | If someone can tell me how to write it off...

KathyT — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 05:42:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: KathyT
Post title: If someone can tell me how to write it off...

..... as a legitimate business 'expense', then I'd love to have the opportunity of answering "Yes!!"

It would be a lovely way to see the world!! :-D:-):-D

I've met only a few of my clients, but have fairly good e-relationships with the rest, I'm happy to say.

It's no surprise to me that most people have answered "No." We are living in the age of globalization, after all!!

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | It depends on where your clients are

Kunik — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 05:01:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Kunik
Post title: It depends on where your clients are

[quote]Henry Hinds wrote:

That so far 70% have said no. Meeting and knowing your clients is the very basis of a good relationship. Without that, how can we provide world-class service? [/quote]

Many of my clients are located abroad. One day when I have earned enough money translating, I will make a trip around the world and meet them all. :):)

[Edited at 2006-03-02 05:02]

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | It amazes me...

Henry Hinds — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 04:23:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Henry Hinds
Post title: It amazes me...

That so far 70% have said no. Meeting and knowing your clients is the very basis of a good relationship. Without that, how can we provide world-class service?

Of course the way many of us have to work, it may be impossible even though we would like to. Perhaps the poll should be modified; instead of just yes or no, it could also offer the options thus:

Yes

If I could, I would, but I usually can't.

If I could, I would not care to.

No.

I'm lucky to know most of my clients, many personally and including their entire staff, and others I may only know by phone or e-mail, but the relationship is there. It really counts.

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients? | Where is the Poll?

Ines Garcia Botana — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:22:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: Ines Garcia Botana
Post title: Where is the Poll?

[quote]ProZ.com Staff wrote:

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?".

View the poll here

A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: [url removed] [/quote]

This is the first time I haven't found the polls! Is it possible?

A puzzled Inés

Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?

ProZ.com Staff — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:04:22 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?
Poster: ProZ.com Staff

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Freelance translators: Do you try to visit or meet your clients?".

View the poll here

A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: [url removed]