| Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10] > | How bad is declining job after accepting it Thread poster: Annett Roessner
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Annett Roessner 
Australia
Local time: 19:54
Member (2017)
English to German
Hi all,
This morning I accepted a large job (almost 10,000 words) from an agency and an end client I have been working with for a while. They generally don't let you have a look at the translation before accepting it. This is usually not an issue because the work is either marketing or HR related. I accepted the text thinking the content would be similar (HR related) to what I did in the past. However, this is almost entirely out of my comfort zone. It's basically a long list of qua... See more Hi all,
This morning I accepted a large job (almost 10,000 words) from an agency and an end client I have been working with for a while. They generally don't let you have a look at the translation before accepting it. This is usually not an issue because the work is either marketing or HR related. I accepted the text thinking the content would be similar (HR related) to what I did in the past. However, this is almost entirely out of my comfort zone. It's basically a long list of qualifications (from trainers that train horse trainers to very technical trade qualifications). They are all based on the American education system that I am not very familar with. So far, I have only completed perhaps 100 segments (maybe 700 words) after working on it basically all day. I'm also not very confident in the work I did.
So, even if I magically manage by working around the clock to get this translation completed on time I don't think that the quality will be good enough. So either way I would let the client down.
Would it be absolutely teribble if I told the agency that I wish to decline the translation. I have never done this before. I don't even care if I don't get paid for what I have done so far.
I'm looking forward to your input.
Please be kind.
Best,
Annett ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 11:54
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| Don't run away | Dec 7, 2023 |
Ask for more time to complete the job (given the specific character of your text that request seems to be justified) and do the best you can.
It would look really bad if you ran away in the middle of a project you accepted.
| | | | | Discuss with the client | Dec 7, 2023 |
For your situation, I think it is best to try to discuss it with your client. Tell the truth to them.
In my opinion, it all boils down to 2 scenarios:
1. If you are confident you can finish the job, tell them you need more time. Tell them that the materials are pretty challenging for you, but since you promised to deliver the job, you need more time to not compromise on quality.
2. Let them know if you are not confident that you can finish the job. Apologize if needed f... See more For your situation, I think it is best to try to discuss it with your client. Tell the truth to them.
In my opinion, it all boils down to 2 scenarios:
1. If you are confident you can finish the job, tell them you need more time. Tell them that the materials are pretty challenging for you, but since you promised to deliver the job, you need more time to not compromise on quality.
2. Let them know if you are not confident that you can finish the job. Apologize if needed for taking the job without much consideration about the source difficulty.
I usually also accept jobs without much consideration, but only for jobs within my circle of competence. I know the jobs that I will finish, no matter what.
I usually ask to see the source materials first for the jobs I am unsure of. If I am not comfortable with it, I will politely decline. You have to know your limits.
Trust me, any client will be better disappointed that you cannot work on their jobs than you cannot finish their assignments. The former will maintain your good relationship with them, while the latter significantly risks it.
I hope this helps. Warm regards from your across-the-sea neighbor
[Diedit pada 2023-12-07 06:12 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:54
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Probably the least-worst option | Dec 7, 2023 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Ask for more time to complete the job (given the specific character of your text that request seems to be justified) and do the best you can.
Yes, and also point out that this is what happens if the freelancer is not given sight of the text or a sample of the text when the offer is made. I wouldn't accept a vaguely described job without that.
Doesn't sound like a client who cares about their work, to be honest.
Regards,
Dan
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| Don’t just carry on | Dec 7, 2023 |
I think Lieven’s advice is dangerous. You must talk to the client and tell them you are struggling. They can then decide whether to find someone else or ask you to do the best you can.
You should, of course, have realised it was too hard when you first saw the file, and that was the time to turn it down, but you live and learn. Good luck!
| | | | | Let them know | Dec 7, 2023 |
The best way forward is probably to let them know that you have concerns regarding the quality, as you do not have detailed knowledge of the education system in the US. Let them decide whether they will reassign or apply a knowledgable proof-reader. If they do reassign, I would decline any fee for the job conducted so far.
You should be prepared to complete the job if that is their wish, otherwise you will harm your relationship with this agency. I believe that agencies considers re... See more The best way forward is probably to let them know that you have concerns regarding the quality, as you do not have detailed knowledge of the education system in the US. Let them decide whether they will reassign or apply a knowledgable proof-reader. If they do reassign, I would decline any fee for the job conducted so far.
You should be prepared to complete the job if that is their wish, otherwise you will harm your relationship with this agency. I believe that agencies considers reliability to be almost as important as quality.
[Edited at 2023-12-07 07:40 GMT]
[Edited at 2023-12-07 07:55 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:54
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Just tell them what you said | Dec 7, 2023 |
Just tell them honestly what you said yourself:
Annett Roessner wrote:
....... I accepted the text thinking the content would be similar (HR related) to what I did in the past. However, this is almost entirely out of my comfort zone......
...and ask for more time.
Also: by googling/asking on Proz, you may be able to find a glossary of the terms used in the source document.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 11:54
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Christopher Schröder wrote:
I think Lieven’s advice is dangerous.
It depends on your approach. I also sometimes struggle with a text, but that doesn't mean that I will return the job. Most terminology is out there and if you really can't find it, that's a good time to contact your client to ask for help with the terminology or to make a list with all terminology you're not sure of and send it with your translation. Worked evey single time in the past 23 years.
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 11:54
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Ask for more time to complete the job (given the specific character of your text that request seems to be justified) and do the best you can.
It would look really bad if you ran away in the middle of a project you accepted.
Maybe she doesn’t want to spend more time for the same amount of money?
This is largely client’s fault for always keeping the file secret until assigning.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 11:54
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| You have to cancel | Dec 7, 2023 |
Annett Roessner wrote:
I accepted the text thinking the content would be similar (HR related) to what I did in the past. However, this is almost entirely out of my comfort zone.
This is a risk that both you and your client know about and have accepted: the risk that it would turn out that you are not qualified to translate the text, and that you would have to cancel.
You have a duty to your client to cancel as soon as you realize that you would be unable to do the work to the required standard. You may have to write a grovelling apology, but you can't do this job. You should have cancelled the job within minutes after receiving it, in fact.
Even if translators are allowed to see the source text, they sometimes misjudge the text and realize after a while that they would not be able to do the translation, and although this is not good for business, you still have a duty towards the client not to attempt to do a job that you know you are woefully unqualified for.
[Edited at 2023-12-07 09:06 GMT]
| | | | | Better that they find another translator | Dec 7, 2023 |
I would tell them what you said here and that it would be better for them to assign it to someone else. Agencies themselves occasionally cancel or postpone jobs, so I don't see why we should hold ourselves to a higher standard, particularly not if they don't let you see the text or a sample first. You had reason to believe it was something you could do, and they didn't warn you this was different. In the future, I would be sure to ask for access or a sample before confirming. I only skip that st... See more I would tell them what you said here and that it would be better for them to assign it to someone else. Agencies themselves occasionally cancel or postpone jobs, so I don't see why we should hold ourselves to a higher standard, particularly not if they don't let you see the text or a sample first. You had reason to believe it was something you could do, and they didn't warn you this was different. In the future, I would be sure to ask for access or a sample before confirming. I only skip that step when it's for a smart speaker manufacturer whose translations I have edited since 2018 because I know their products and systems now.
I don't agree with those who say it could harm your relationship with the client. We are all humans, not machines, and these things can happen. There is no need to make a conflict out of this. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 12:54
Member
English to Turkish
| Take Lieven's advice | Dec 7, 2023 |
If they're a regular client and you charge rates as high as your profile suggests in the timezone you're in, it makes no sense to lose a client.
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 11:54
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| On translating lists | Dec 7, 2023 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Most terminology is out there and if you really can't find it, that's a good time to contact your client to ask for help with the terminology or to make a list with all terminology you're not sure of and send it with your translation.
Most translation agencies would NOT appreciate it if the translator were to send them a list of paragraphs that they are unsure of or did not know how to translate or could not find the translation for. In Annett's case, she'll either have to send back over half of the 1500 paragraphs with question marks, or send back a translation that she knows is 90% bad.
That said, it's possible that the client doesn't care about precision, as long as the text sounds reasonably "German" to a German reader.
But even in such a case, translating a list takes much longer than translating paragraphs of text. If I had to translate a list of 10 000 words, even if I know the translation of each of those words, it would still take me 5-10 times as long as it would have taken to translate paragraph text totalling 10 000 words, and I would not be able to work 8 hours a day (due to fatigue -- you basically have to reset your brain every time you move to the next line).
There is also the difficulty that English is very flexible w.r.t. qualification names, in that it can write nouns separately without the reader having to understand the relationships between the words, whereas in German it is important to actually understand what a qualification name means before you can reliably translate it.
This is the type of translation, I suspect, where simply editing a machine translation may be better for the client's purposes. Annett should perhaps explain this to the client and get their permission to translate the text more loosely, i.e. in a way that may not be 100% grammatically correct in German but which would be useful for the client's purpose.
[Edited at 2023-12-07 09:10 GMT]
| | | | Hayley Wakenshaw
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:54
Member (2018)
Dutch to English
| This is more common than you might think | Dec 7, 2023 |
There have been a couple of occasions when I have misjudged a text and realised after translating a little of it that it was not the right text for me. In both cases, I immediately contacted the PM and very apologetically said that I didn’t feel I would be able to translate it to a high standard. In both cases, the PM thanked me for my honesty, gave the job to someone else, and that was that.
Good PMs and good bureaus want to make sure their clients get the best translations possi... See more There have been a couple of occasions when I have misjudged a text and realised after translating a little of it that it was not the right text for me. In both cases, I immediately contacted the PM and very apologetically said that I didn’t feel I would be able to translate it to a high standard. In both cases, the PM thanked me for my honesty, gave the job to someone else, and that was that.
Good PMs and good bureaus want to make sure their clients get the best translations possible. But if some of the texts I’ve revised are anything to go by, many translators are not honest about their limits or capabilities. So a good PM will appreciate a translator who is honest about what they can and cannot do.
I can only imagine that if you’d not even seen the text before you started, the PM would be even more understanding. I would explain what has happened to the PM as soon as possible so their own deadlines aren’t jeopardised.
Personally, I would NOT attempt to translate the text. If it turns out that you can’t do a good job even after spending hours researching terms, it could negatively impact your relationship with the client, and they might even withhold payment. Even if you can actually translate the text decently with a lot of research, you’ll end up with a very poor hourly rate for your work (and a sore bum from sitting at your desk for so long!).
[Edited at 2023-12-07 11:02 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 12:54
Member
English to Turkish
| It must be wonderful to be a native English translator | Dec 7, 2023 |
Hayley Wakenshaw wrote:
But if some of the texts I’ve revised are anything to go by, many translators are not honest about their limits or capabilities. So a good PM will appreciate a translator who is honest about what they can and cannot do.
So you're able to demonstrate such poor translations to the PMs, because everybody in the world can speak and understand English. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to do the same with Turkish to a Danish or American PM. Some people get away with murder..
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