| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] > | What a cheek!!! Thread poster: Laurent Di Raimondo
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| Totally agree @Robert | Mar 13, 2023 |
Robert Rietvelt wrote: Laurent Di Raimondo wrote:
"Hello, [sic]
We have received a new project in the en-US_fr-FR language pair:
Service: Translation
WC: 4532,3 words
Rate: 0.06 EUR [sic]
Deadline: 07/03 11h CET
Field: Marketing/Photography
TAO: Trados
Would you be available to handle it?
Kind regards". It looks to me as a normal job notification. Yes, low rate (I have seen worse though), but like Jean suggested, you could negociate.
Why [sic] after hello, it is perfectly polite in my opinion
Also, I have many wonderful French clients, paying me like a clock, what is wrong with French agencies? I really don't understand
| | | | | Food for thought??? Oh, you mean fast food. | Mar 13, 2023 |
Laurent Di Raimondo wrote:
I just wanted to explain that we should never miss out on any opportunity to earn more respect and consideration and defend our dignity and bread-and-butter job as translators.
...
The great Mark Twain once wrote: "Who puts up with being treated like cattle can not complain about being slaughtered sooner or later".
Food for thought...
Laurent, this food is somewhat stale. These points are rather obvious.
| | | | | Cheeks, slaps across the face.. | Mar 13, 2023 |
Sadek_A wrote:
There is clearly a vibe of fires burning inside, and among, many translators here recently in face of abuse by companies/clients, only to be "peed-on out" with a lame "it helps to turn the other cheek".
Perhaps, the best approach is "to turn the other cheek" and then sue for both cases?
To avoid any misunderstanding, this option comes from a joke I've come across recently.
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Ice Scream wrote: Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
Why don't you clearly state that you don't work with French agencies, LSPs or clients on your profile like I do? I noticed you haven't mentioned this on your profile. This would at least curb some of those inquiries which you consider them obnoxious. As though they'd actually read and take note? Whenever I see profiles where people lay out loads of terms and conditions and say they don't work for peanuts, it just looks amateurish to me. I'd avoid them even if I were a high-end customer.
I don't know what other people think of profiles with loads of terms and conditions, but at least I have been able to avoid the hassle from clients who cannot (or maybe not willing to) pay my set rate, so I guess I can safely say that many people who access my profile actually read and take note of my terms and conditions. This strategy has been working, since I rarely get job offers or inquiries from countries listed on my profile after l started listing them on my profile.
Does a profile which says that I will work for any desired rate you propose for anybody, anywhere, 24/7 look professional? I don't think so.
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 15:59
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Ice Scream wrote:
Whenever I see profiles where people lay out loads of terms and conditions and say they don't work for peanuts, it just looks amateurish to me.
It is. It's like an ice cream vendor with a statement on his truck that he won't be serving annoying children or elderly people who pay too slow.
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Lieven Malaise wrote: Ice Scream wrote:
Whenever I see profiles where people lay out loads of terms and conditions and say they don't work for peanuts, it just looks amateurish to me. It is. It's like an ice cream vendor with a statement on his truck that he won't be serving annoying children or elderly people who pay too slow.
Fending off annoying children (=clients who does not want or cannot pay my rates and try to get what they want) or elderly people who pay too slow (=60 or 90 days payment terms) is not unprofessional at all. We are business owners, and business owners have the right to set their own business rules. Does a sign on a wall "We have the right to refuse service to any customers" in a store sound unprofessional to you?
I have not chosen those particular agencies or clients from certain countries out of a hat, but from my experience that they cannot pay what I'm offering. FYI, I was once offered a job by an Indian agency, told them my rate, and they accepted it. After delivering the job, the agency was very satisfied with my work, and at the end of our last email correspondence, he was very honest in telling me that if they could afford to pay the rate I offer all the time.
I just want to avoid wasting time on negotiating by emailing back and forth with people who cannot meet my requirements, that's all. This would be saving both my time and their time where you know that the job order will not materialize because we cannot both agree on prices.
[Edited at 2023-03-18 09:19 GMT]
| | | | Baran Keki 
Türkiye
Local time: 16:59
Member
English to Turkish
| What an Arse Cheek!!! | Mar 21, 2023 |
Just saw this today, the rates wouldn't change even if you translated into or from Martian... I wonder how much they're paying for PMTE jobs. This is a 'London' agency and their BB page is full of 5 star reviews from EU translators.
[Edited at 2023-03-21 10:18 GMT]
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 15:59
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Baran Keki wrote: Just saw this today, the rates wouldn't change even if you translated into or from Martian... I wonder how much they're paying for PMTE jobs. This is a 'London' agency and their BB page is full of 5 star reviews from EU translators. [Edited at 2023-03-21 10:18 GMT]
Also : "The earnings depend ... and is ..." ???
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| Are you a new translator? | Mar 21, 2023 |
The agency’s email is the sort I receive often from agencies I don’t work with on a regular basis. It wouldn’t bother me in the least to receive a similar offer, and if I was not interested I would simply ignore the message.
Your response, on the other hand, I found extremely rude and unprofessional. Reading it on this public forum would give me pause before deciding to work with you as I would not want to walk on eggshells for fear of a major meltdown like this one for somet... See more The agency’s email is the sort I receive often from agencies I don’t work with on a regular basis. It wouldn’t bother me in the least to receive a similar offer, and if I was not interested I would simply ignore the message.
Your response, on the other hand, I found extremely rude and unprofessional. Reading it on this public forum would give me pause before deciding to work with you as I would not want to walk on eggshells for fear of a major meltdown like this one for something else so minor. Frankly speaking, I would delete your post if I were you and just chill. We are all in business and the offense you took was clearly not intentional.
Cheers. ▲ Collapse
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Baran Keki wrote:
I know that Italians don't mind working cheap,
How many Italians do you know? Please avoid generalization.
Another Italian
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 16:59
Member
English to Turkish
Angie Garbarino wrote:
How many Italians do you know? Please avoid generalization.
Another Italian
Other than those posting on these forums. But I've heard more than once that a staggering number of Italians vied for jobs offered at 2 or 3 cents per word on the Proz job board. I couldn't, and still can't believe it myself, but the replies I got from your compatriots on these forums were invariably to the effect that the majority of those translators are living with their parents, or they're students or housewives or retirees etc. Apparently the cost of living in most places in Italy can't compare with that of Amsterdam, but what do I know?
Apologies if this upset you. And yes we shouldn't generalize, but how do you explain a large number of people in an EU country applying for jobs offered at such low rates and why is it that the BB pages of Indian agencies boast a good number of entries from Italian translators?
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 15:59
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| Decent rates ? | Mar 22, 2023 |
Baran Keki wrote:
Apologies if this upset you. And yes we shouldn't generalize, but how do you explain a large number of people in an EU country applying for jobs offered at such low rates and why is it that the BB pages of Indian agencies boast a good number of entries from Italian translators?
Perhaps they negotiated decent rates ?
I don't know any Indian agencies, but a few years ago I completed the on-boarding process for a thai agency (when I was for a short time thinking COVID would screw up my translation life). I still haven't worked for them, but once in a while they offer me jobs at a word rate of 0.08 euros. I'm not a geographical expert, but I think that's far from bad for an agency from that part of the world.
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 16:59
Member
English to Turkish
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Perhaps they negotiated decent rates ?
I don't know any Indian agencies, but a few years ago I completed the on-boarding process for a thai agency (when I was for a short time thinking COVID would screw up my translation life). I still haven't worked for them, but once in a while they offer me jobs at a word rate of 0.08 euros. I'm not a geographical expert, but I think that's far from bad for an agency from that part of the world.
I haven't worked with Indian agencies either, but I think I have a pretty good idea about the figures they have in mind when they ask your 'best rates'.
That Thai agency must be one of the few exceptions.
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Baran Keki wrote:
Other than those posting on these forums. But I've heard more than once that a staggering number of Italians vied for jobs offered at 2 or 3 cents per word on the Proz job board. I couldn't, and still can't believe it myself, but the replies I got from your compatriots on these forums were invariably to the effect that the majority of those translators are living with their parents, or they're students or housewives or retirees etc. Apparently the cost of living in most places in Italy can't compare with that of Amsterdam, but what do I know?
Apologies if this upset you. And yes we shouldn't generalize, but how do you explain a large number of people in an EU country applying for jobs offered at such low rates and why is it that the BB pages of Indian agencies boast a good number of entries from Italian translators?
Ok, trying to explain:
1) Cost of life in Italy is absolutely not cheap. just for example, in Milan and Rome, renting a small apartment, can cost up to 2000 per month. So not cheaper than Amsterdam or Paris or even Lisbon.
2) We (Italians) tend to argue and complain more than other nationalities, this is the reason why you read those posts by Italians, BUT
3) Over the years, I saw people from all over the world (Spain, France, England, even Switzerland) offering their services at very low rates (0.02-0.03).
So again do not generalize, not sure in your culture, but for me your post naming Italians is offensive and very politically incorrect. Just like OP's post about French agencies. We live in a world where being politically correct is important.
[Edited at 2023-03-22 14:30 GMT]
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 16:59
Member
English to Turkish
| Thank you Angie! | Mar 22, 2023 |
Angie Garbarino wrote:
Ok, trying to explain:
1) Cost of life in Italy is absolutely not cheap. just for example, in Milan and Rome, renting a small apartment, can cost up to 2000 per month. So not cheaper than Amsterdam or Paris or even Lisbon.
2) We (Italians) tend to argue and complain more than other nationalities, this is the reason why you read those posts by Italians, BUT
3) Over the years, I saw people from all over the world (Spain, France, England, even Switzerland) offering their services at very low rates (0.02-0.03).
So again do not generalize, not sure in your culture, but for me your post naming Italians is offensive and very politically incorrect. Just like OP's post about French agencies. We live in a world where being politically correct is important.
[Edited at 2023-03-22 12:06 GMT]
Thank you for your comprehensive reply, it all makes sense now. I was apparently misinformed by your colleagues who were 'complaining among themselves'.
Unfortunately, I was born, raised and live in a third world country where the concept of 'political correctness' is non-existent. We don't have PC or wokeness here. Culturally we're lagging at least 50 to 100 years behind the affluent West, so please do forgive our crude manners. But thanks to the internet, we're learning. Watching a TV series on Netflix the other day, I learned that the Vikings had black female warrior chiefs that led them back in the dark ages... Who knew!
[Edited at 2023-03-22 18:19 GMT]
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