| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | "Cancellations" or getting booked for a time-sensitive job that... never arrives Thread poster: Adieu
|
|---|
Sheila Wilson 
Spain
Local time: 21:05
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Time to put a stop to it? | Dec 31, 2020 |
Adieu wrote: Kay Denney wrote:
It sounds like these people are bullies, you'll need to stand your ground if you want them to respect you. If they don't want respectable translators, you'll need to find other work! ...after receiving an after the fact reschedule-again email for a 3rd due date now, with all three involving me being awake at 6 AM my timezone, I think maybe you have a point.
Until now, they've had everything their own way. They have you at their beck and call practically 24 hours a day, for the same fee as a non-urgent job arriving in normal working hours. They aren't necessarily bullies; they're just a business making full use of available resources. But they have no respect for you because you haven't insisted on being respected, and the playing field is getting more and more tilted in their favour every day. Time to put a stop to it?
No, there are no industry standards at all. You need to devise your own terms, notify the client of them, and then enforce them. Cancellation fees are notoriously difficult to enforce -- the client hasn't received anything so they don't take well to being invoiced. Tough, you could say, but keeping your client happy is important if you want to continue in the relationship. One thing you can most certainly do is devise a schedule of higher rates for inconvenience of various types. Rush jobs and out-of-hours jobs are all charged at a premium to my clients. Maybe just 25% higher for urgent jobs, maybe involving rescheduling other jobs around the urgent one; 50% more if I also have to work a bit late, cut lunch short, etc; 100% more if I have to work late into the evening, cut out breaks entirely or work when I really don't want to. A job that's scheduled for 6 am, in my book, would certainly attract a high rate. If it failed to arrive at 6 am and then arrived at 10 am, it would still be charged at the higher rate. If I didn't manage to invoice for it at all, I'd mention my discontent to the client. If it happened again, I'd want to think again about the future with this client and maybe discuss it with them. The one thing you really can't afford to do is just let it go, as though it's a normal state of affairs.
| | | |
Sheila's first paragraph says it all. It's s part of the learning process. In this business we learn all the time. As a self-employed professional there are some great advantages but there are also disadvantages.
This incident has brought to your attention a modus operandi with this client that is not balanced. It happens but it should not be integrated into the mechanics of your agreement, either by contract or by custom.
Take a look at the agreement you have. I bet th... See more Sheila's first paragraph says it all. It's s part of the learning process. In this business we learn all the time. As a self-employed professional there are some great advantages but there are also disadvantages.
This incident has brought to your attention a modus operandi with this client that is not balanced. It happens but it should not be integrated into the mechanics of your agreement, either by contract or by custom.
Take a look at the agreement you have. I bet the agency has a form of protection if you were to fail to produce the goods. You must have that too. It's only fair. Not all is fair in love and war but this is neither ; it's a business relationship and this part needs correcting. Redress the balance.
[Edited at 2021-01-01 12:09 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | of course, but... | Jan 1, 2021 |
Nikki Scott-Despaigne wrote:
it's a business relationship and this part needs correcting. Redress the balance.
[Edited at 2021-01-01 12:09 GMT]
they'll just go somewhere else, which, to me, would be a blessing in disguise... 
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
I'm going to politely push back a bit, but I am in no hurry to break the relationship.
They actually pay pretty decently.
Although if this trend continues, I might stop clicking on revision jobs.
| | |
|
|
|
| You need to do what feels best for you | Jan 1, 2021 |
Business is a letter of compromise too, of course. I have had a number of experiences similar to the one you describe. With good clients, if it happens from time to time, it is not necessarily a disaster. If it happens a lot, then over time, I have found myself dropping a client or two along the way.
In more than 25 years translating, time is a big issue, I find. If I waste my time, that's my business. If a client wastes my time, I consider it is time I could have worked for someone... See more Business is a letter of compromise too, of course. I have had a number of experiences similar to the one you describe. With good clients, if it happens from time to time, it is not necessarily a disaster. If it happens a lot, then over time, I have found myself dropping a client or two along the way.
In more than 25 years translating, time is a big issue, I find. If I waste my time, that's my business. If a client wastes my time, I consider it is time I could have worked for someone who would have paid me or time I could be spending living my private life.
Over the years, here are areas to which I have made significant changes, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly :
- bad payers : dropped
- big jobs : down payment of at least 30%
- interpreting jobs : 50% upfront, non-refundable if cancelled within X time from the job
- refuse most proofreading and revision jobs from unfamiliar sources as quality of text and time issues often make these jobs hard to do anything but break even
- always be as clear at the outset about what expectations are on either side for good and for bad
- be flexible (not contradictory to the previous item)
- know what I'm aiming for with each client relationship and be prepared to adjust to protect and preserve that - and myself
The reverse is true. I have to put myself in the line too and be prepared to cover situations where I might fall short. It's humbling but necessary. Risk management for us involves setting up best practices we can stick to allowing that margin for stuff going pear-shaped.
Communication is key too, obviously. Perhaps getting on the phone to explain the outcome to your client might help too. A forfeit for late reception or cancelled jobs might be worth considering.
[Edited at 2021-01-01 16:19 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 14:05
Dutch to English
+ ...
Adieu wrote: Kay Denney wrote:
It sounds like these people are bullies, you'll need to stand your ground if you want them to respect you. If they don't want respectable translators, you'll need to find other work! ...after receiving an after the fact reschedule-again email for a 3rd due date now, with all three involving me being awake at 6 AM my timezone, I think maybe you have a point.
You shouldn't have to get up at an ungodly hour for any job. I usually explain the time difference, often 7 or 8 hours in my case, and the fact that for that reason I cannot manage a same-day return to the client right away before I even accept the job. Lack of sleep does not produce a good translation.
| | | | Tony Keily
Local time: 22:05
Italian to English
+ ...
| First come, first served | Jan 4, 2021 |
I've always worked on that basis and always talk about availability in terms of "Right now, I could deliver on...." Here in Italy there is a lot of pressure to "book" availability, but with a bit of friendly goodwill you can normally negotiate your way around this, maybe promising to notify the company in question if you become unavailable.
I can see your situation is different, though, and that you are expected to be on call. Still, a lot of clients just don't think/know much about... See more I've always worked on that basis and always talk about availability in terms of "Right now, I could deliver on...." Here in Italy there is a lot of pressure to "book" availability, but with a bit of friendly goodwill you can normally negotiate your way around this, maybe promising to notify the company in question if you become unavailable.
I can see your situation is different, though, and that you are expected to be on call. Still, a lot of clients just don't think/know much about the way we work and need to be educated. If you have a friendly relationship with these Pharma people, maybe you could chat with them and ask for a cancellation fee. (BTW, here in Italy a cancellation fee isn't legally due - under the Civil Code - even if a PO has been issued. The only legal obligation is to compensate any work effectively done.)
Having said all of that, in over three decades of translating experience I've never been up at dawn waiting for anything that didn't turn up... except maybe a Ryanair flight out of Cork.
I would have told them that I was busy! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » "Cancellations" or getting booked for a time-sensitive job that... never arrives | Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.
More info » |
| | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
