Short Rant on Cheap Translation Agencies Thread poster: Anna Augustin
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Happy Monday everyone,
A translation agency I work for responded to my question on whether they have any more work for me. They said they weren't too happy with my quality, but when I completed their projects, I was free to decide whether to hand my work in as is for the agreed upon amount or proofread it myself for a few extra bucks.
I always opted out, because there was no deadline extension for proofreading your own work and as they are a translation agency with a few trans... See more Happy Monday everyone,
A translation agency I work for responded to my question on whether they have any more work for me. They said they weren't too happy with my quality, but when I completed their projects, I was free to decide whether to hand my work in as is for the agreed upon amount or proofread it myself for a few extra bucks.
I always opted out, because there was no deadline extension for proofreading your own work and as they are a translation agency with a few translators, I was sure that someone else is definitely more qualified to review my work. And their deadlines were absolutely ridiculous.
I kind of just want to vent about translation agencies that don't really care about their freelancers and try to cut costs wherever possible. I even had a translation agency cut 25% of the agreed upon amount because I handed in the files two hours late - because THEIR server for their remote computer I was supposed to use was down.
Just, ugh... Just another Monday at the office
But I am glad I have great clients with awesome projects and products. And those are the ones that make me happy to have chosen this job.
Do you have any (former) clients that were just a pain to work with? ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Fossey 
Canada
Local time: 17:24
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
Personally, I always proofread my own work (and always pick up a few mistakes I wouldn't want the client to see) and always endeavour to submit perfect work. Some clients check my work again, others publish my work as I submitted it. And I always ensure that delivery is on time. Once in a (very rare) while I have not been able to deliver because of a client server problem, in which case I sent the file by email to the PM, to make sure I wasn't late.
[Edited at 2018-09-17 13:01 GMT]
| | | | Anna Augustin
Germany
Local time: 23:24
English to German
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TOPIC STARTER | And Quantity? | Sep 17, 2018 |
Well, they paid less than half of what I usually ask, but I desperately needed the money, because of a non-payer.
At such a rate and with their offer to have it proofread by another translator, I "just" translated the file. And I am very certain that there weren't too many problems to begin with.
But at such a low rate, I cannot be bothered to proofread the entire thing again for what would have been 25% of my usual rate for proofreading (with no extension on the deadline). My time a... See more Well, they paid less than half of what I usually ask, but I desperately needed the money, because of a non-payer.
At such a rate and with their offer to have it proofread by another translator, I "just" translated the file. And I am very certain that there weren't too many problems to begin with.
But at such a low rate, I cannot be bothered to proofread the entire thing again for what would have been 25% of my usual rate for proofreading (with no extension on the deadline). My time and my service are worth more than that. But well, money is money. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | According to a Danish proverb, life's expensive if you're poor... | Sep 17, 2018 |
Over the years I have learnt that skimping on the quality I deliver often leads to trouble.
Either I drop the client entirely (which admittedly is easier to do now than it was once), or I deliver my best quality, no matter what. It is just too bitter if you have dashed off a translation for a low-paying client, and they find fault with it, justified or not. If you know for sure the translation was 100% in order, you can say so and send them packing. If they have the slightest justif... See more Over the years I have learnt that skimping on the quality I deliver often leads to trouble.
Either I drop the client entirely (which admittedly is easier to do now than it was once), or I deliver my best quality, no matter what. It is just too bitter if you have dashed off a translation for a low-paying client, and they find fault with it, justified or not. If you know for sure the translation was 100% in order, you can say so and send them packing. If they have the slightest justification, believe me, the cheapskates seem to pursue it and waste as much of your time on it as they can.
Many of the better clients accept an apology, correct the typo or whatever it was, and move on... Nobody's perfect, after all. Or they listen to a brief explanation of why you were right in the first place, thank you, and send more work.  ▲ Collapse
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| I want to sympathize ... | Sep 17, 2018 |
We all know there are "bad" (and also "cheap") agencies out there - and those of us who work with agencies can sympathize with the need to avoid those at all costs.
But from your description, it sounds like some of your issues are self-inflicted. You chose to work with this agency that 'paid less than half of what you usually ask', and because of this you chose to "just" translate and you chose not to proofread "with no extension" - which may or may not have resulted in errors and a... See more We all know there are "bad" (and also "cheap") agencies out there - and those of us who work with agencies can sympathize with the need to avoid those at all costs.
But from your description, it sounds like some of your issues are self-inflicted. You chose to work with this agency that 'paid less than half of what you usually ask', and because of this you chose to "just" translate and you chose not to proofread "with no extension" - which may or may not have resulted in errors and a less-than-satisfied client.
Personally, I just don't "choose" to work like that. Believe me - I, too, often feel pressured to have more steady work ( = more money coming in), but I've made sure to build (and keep) up a cushion of savings so that I don't end up in circumstances dire enough that I accept such low rates as you describe. If a translator isn't able to build up this kind of cushion, he or she should consider working/continuing simultaneously in another job (full or part time) until such a cushion is possible. That is what I and many others did, and a plan along those lines should probably be part of every translator's business strategy. Accepting low-paid jobs hurts you in the short run, but also hurts all of us in the long run.
And if I do take work at less-than-optimal rates, I still don't skimp on quality, i.e., my normal proofreading process (which always involves at least one "pass" through ALL of the translated text including a comparison with the source, although more often than not will involve two or three passes, the last of which may be "just" a review of the translated text). I simply would not accept a deadline that would require me to compromise on quality - UNLESS I have spelled this out for the client in advance, and the client fully understands the potential impact on the resulting work. At that point, caveat emptor.
So I really want to sympathize, but I simply can't imagine myself in your shoes. I sometimes want/need more work, too, I get that - and I don't mean to judge you - I just can't see myself making the particular choices you've made. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 22:24
Member (2007)
English
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| There's your proofreading and there's the final proofreading | Sep 17, 2018 |
Anna Augustin wrote:
Do you have any (former) clients that were just a pain to work with?
Certainly - I'm sure we all have. Fortunately, all of my pains are now "former" ones. But in the end, while they're our clients, we have a contract to uphold. We may not have actually signed a contract, but every client is entitled to expect to receive a polished piece of work for the mutually agreed rate. That means always checking your work - first against the source for any inaccuracies, omissions or additions, and then a second check of the target text alone just to make sure it reads fluidly at normal reading speed, without any ambiguities or source-language interference. I always add at least an MS-Word spell check and nowadays I do an extra check of proper nouns and numbers (having once written about a degree in Agriculture instead of Architecture  ).
AFAIK, the normally accepted arrangement with agencies is that they'll get the text checked again before submitting it to their client. If they don't do that then any last typo that has escaped me is their responsibility. It's important to have a second pair of eyes look at the text. If you've written something, you'll tend to see exactly what you meant to write. Your brain assumes it's error-free, and it's very difficult - if not impossible - for your eye to override your brain. Errors of the "from" vs. "form" type are particularly difficult to spot yourself. I tell new direct clients that the text really does need a final proofreading. I'll get it done - at their expense - or they can take responsibility for it (in which case, I've got that down in writing!). They almost always choose the cheaper option, of course.
| | | | | Proofreading one's own work | Sep 17, 2018 |
Anna Augustin wrote:
But at such a low rate, I cannot be bothered to proofread the entire thing again for what would have been 25% of my usual rate for proofreading (with no extension on the deadline).
I've been a translator for over 24 years. I worked for agencies a little when I started out and very occasionally otherwise. My clients are >95% private clients. For any client, I always proofread my work. For me, it's a matter of pride and pleasure. It turned into pride and prejudice ( ), so I called it a day.
Bucket-shop rates and long payment terms, all work submitted was proofread in-house by a native speaker. So far, so good apart from the rates, of course. Obviously, as it is obvious that this is part of the work, I had to proofread it thoroughly. It was also mentioned in the contract and that seemed a perfectly logical requirement. Stuff can get overlooked, but no piece you return should be full of typos for example. However, I'm not proud of the fact that it took me time to realize that the situation was quite perverse. AS the rates were so low, I had to do the work quickly. Very quickly. Furthermore, to be efficient, I had to work to the best possible standard to avoid having too many corrections at my own proofreading stage. I did not want the agency to return work after their in-house proofreading for the same reason. Pleasure and pride started to go out the window, as I was working for peanuts and to make money from it, I had to work quickly and it had to be as accurate as possible too to avoid spending more time on it post-in-house proofreading. I was a bit slow to catch on, but I finally realized that this principle meant that the cheaper the rate, the better I would have to work. That meant working myself into a low-rate trap. I pulled the plug on that one and ceased to work with them.
This is the first time I have ever heard of an agency suggesting that you can send it off as is and that the cost of proofreading will be deducted. That is unacceptable. An agency who dares to suggest you can send off a rough version for a cheaper price, without having expected you to proofread it correctly, is bad news. No pleasure in it for you, no pride in a job well done. You are better off without them. If you ever find yourself "[not being] bothered to proofread the whole thing again", it's a bad sign. It's time to get out.
We can all understand needing money, but even for poor rates, I found I couldn't bring myself to take shortcuts. The fact was, that it could only go that way if I continued. If I wished to continue providing quality work, that required time to translate, time to proofread and even if the time was physically there, the poor rate meant that it did not make economic sense to take that much time. When that happens, you need to get out too.
Sorry for my multiple edits, but I keep thinking of extra bits. Penny-pinching clients irritate me. When someone once said, you can do it quickly as I just need to be able to understand it approximately. It was a prelude to a request for a low rate. I replied that if they could only pay half the usual rate, I would be happy to make sure that half of the text was badly translated. I never heard from them again.
[Edited at 2018-09-17 17:59 GMT]
| | | | jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 17:24
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
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| Why didn't you deliver the file by email? | Sep 18, 2018 |
Anna Augustin wrote:
I even had a translation agency cut 25% of the agreed upon amount because I handed in the files two hours late - because THEIR server for their remote computer I was supposed to use was down.
You may still have been able to deliver it before it was due.
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| deadlines and proofreading | Sep 20, 2018 |
Two issues mentioned in the original post:
- I calculated the time I need to complete a project, and add extra time so as to ensure that I will deliver on time or ahead of time. I simply will not accept a deadline that I may not be able to meet, or barely meet, because my own reputation is at stake. I don't want a reputation of not being able to deliver as promised, or deliver shoddy work because I could not double check before sending.
- Imho, proofreading your work ... See more Two issues mentioned in the original post:
- I calculated the time I need to complete a project, and add extra time so as to ensure that I will deliver on time or ahead of time. I simply will not accept a deadline that I may not be able to meet, or barely meet, because my own reputation is at stake. I don't want a reputation of not being able to deliver as promised, or deliver shoddy work because I could not double check before sending.
- Imho, proofreading your work (checking once for language i.e. grammar, spelling syntax; once for translation, i.e. that all meaning has been conveyed correctly) is an integral part of translation.
I'm thinking that a version of these two policies might help prevent similar problems in the future. If implementing them, make sure to charge enough. It takes more time to check your work, and the increased value the customer gets in terms of quality and reliability means you're worth it. ▲ Collapse
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