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Agencies that post projects on Proz when you are on their books and they are happy with your work
Thread poster: Jon Berger
Jon Berger
Jon Berger
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TOPIC STARTER
You're stating the obvious. Feb 12, 2021



[Edited at 2021-02-12 22:17 GMT]


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
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@Jon Feb 12, 2021

It happened to me once or twice with agencies I’ve been working from time to time (fortunately never with those I’ve been working regularly) but in those cases I did the same as Samuel: I quoted and included a note saying that we had already worked together. I got the job and an apology…

 
Felipe Lacerda
Felipe Lacerda  Identity Verified
Brazil
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Come on Feb 12, 2021

It's just like having a Tinder profile when you're in a totally healthy relationship.

I mean, we've all been there. Right? No? How do I delete my account?


Christopher Schröder
Matthias Brombach
Tretyak
Adieu
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
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@Felipe Feb 12, 2021

Felipe Lacerda wrote:
It's just like having a Tinder profile when you're in a totally healthy relationship.


Lol, love it 😂😂😂

Except... I never pull here. Perhaps I need to show more cleavage.


 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
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Japanese to English
It may indeed be obvious, but what else are you left with? Feb 12, 2021

Jon Berger wrote:
I have tried that many times. I simply can't get direct clients.

Okay. I have no direct clients myself, and accept that it would not be easy to get them. But if you're adamant that you can't find specialised agencies who will pay decent rates, and you're adamant that you can't get direct clients, whatever you try, then you would appear to be left with the option of either putting up with it or leaving the profession.

I simply refuse to believe that there are no projects that pay decent rates out there for somebody with your specialist qualifications and experience (especially when taken over three different language pairs and at least four wealthy countries). It must be that people other than yourself are winning those jobs. The question is why.

Regards,
Dan


Christopher Schröder
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
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Swedish to English
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FWIW Feb 12, 2021

I still work for a few agencies and I have never known any of them post jobs on here. Not that I look. But generally I do everything they get for specific end-clients. I am somewhat at a loss as to why that kind of “loyalty” is so unusual. It benefits all three parties.

Edit: On second thoughts I don’t think it is at all unusual. Different market, different marketplace.


[Edited at 2021-02-12 15:52 GMT]


Dan Lucas
Jon Berger
 
Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
Dutch to English
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Deleted Feb 12, 2021

Deleted



[Edited at 2021-02-12 23:39 GMT]


Dan Lucas
Christopher Schröder
 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
They get in touch with you Feb 12, 2021

Chris S wrote:
I still work for a few agencies and I have never known any of them post jobs on here.

They don't post, but they may contact freelancers if they see an interesting profile. That's how I got my clients

Rachel Waddington wrote:
According to your profile you have the kind of qualifications and background that are supposed to be in high demand.

I tentatively diagnose a lack of marketing awareness. I agree that on the face of it he has the kind of skill set that should make him an attractive candidate. On the other hand - and Jon, I don't mean this slightingly - it's not an impressive profile. The text and layout are utterly mundane, there is no attempt to differentiate it or make it stand out in any way. It's just a recitation of facts, with the result that the reader leaves without a strong impression.

Dan


Rachel Waddington
Christopher Schröder
 
Baran Keki
Baran Keki  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 02:25
Member
English to Turkish
Interesting indeed Feb 12, 2021

The OP asks a perfectly valid question as to why some agencies post job ads here when they can contact the translators that are already in their database with a proven track record. But instead of getting pertinent answers to his question, he is handed out advice on improving his profile and marketing skills, and told to aim for direct clients and high end translation agencies. I'm sure if he wanted to, he would be perfectly able to post a topic on "how to get direct clients" or "how to find tra... See more
The OP asks a perfectly valid question as to why some agencies post job ads here when they can contact the translators that are already in their database with a proven track record. But instead of getting pertinent answers to his question, he is handed out advice on improving his profile and marketing skills, and told to aim for direct clients and high end translation agencies. I'm sure if he wanted to, he would be perfectly able to post a topic on "how to get direct clients" or "how to find translation agencies that pay 17 cents per word".Collapse


Christopher Schröder
Jon Berger
Sabine Braun
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
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Agree. Feb 12, 2021

Baran Keki wrote:

The OP asks a perfectly valid question as to why some agencies post job ads here when they can contact the translators that are already in their database with a proven track record. But instead of getting pertinent answers to his question, he is handed out advice on improving his profile and marketing skills, and told to aim for direct clients and high end translation agencies. I'm sure if he wanted to, he would be perfectly able to post a topic on "how to get direct clients" or "how to find translation agencies that pay 17 cents per word".


Most answers are totally off-topic.

@OP Most companies do that, just because you can't see it transparently like you can on this board, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's called recruitment/HR cycle. They are always on the lookout for the better, the cheaper and the more. What if you were your agency's only translator for that pair, and heaven forbid, something happens to you and they are in the middle of a big project with you. How ready would they be to respond? OK they take a second one...something happens to the second one, he/she is not available, etc. then the third one.. you get the picture. It may look like it's just the price thing but it's not only that (and I completely agree the price is in the picture too). Same thing for companies in real life (in-house positions), they always must have a plan B (usually a continuously updated database) in case something suddenly happens to some of the employees, especially for rare or difficult-to-find positions.

What I find very interesting is that someone in the thread mentioned how they reminded an agency they were already in a database and they got an apology. That sounds very unusual.

I saw this happening of course, those are usually low-end agencies and I didn't pay much attention to it. Most of them don't have any job to offer, just filling in their database.

[Edited at 2021-02-12 18:08 GMT]


Jon Berger
 
Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
Dutch to English
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Deleted Feb 12, 2021

Deleted

[Edited at 2021-02-12 23:40 GMT]


Christopher Schröder
 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
It's a valid question, but so is the response Feb 12, 2021

Baran Keki wrote:
The OP asks a perfectly valid question as to why some agencies post job ads here when they can contact the translators that are already in their database with a proven track record.

That's a fair point. I think it's a perfectly valid response to say that the clients in question do this (post jobs without asking the OP) because they don't value the OP for what he has.

If they did, they'd be coming back to him again, and again, and again. This is why I suggested that he gets clients who actually appreciate his abilities (which, on paper at least, look pretty impressive). This mismatch is at the core of the problem. If an agency wants quality of at least 70, but it wants to pay no more than 70, then somebody who offers quality of 80 and cost of 80 isn't going to be the best fit for them.

It seems to me that this is linked to Lingua 5B's point about the recruitment cycle: some clients will always be trying to squeeze a bit more out of their translators. Others prioritise stability and predictability. It's always going to be a work in progress, but we want to deal with the latter sort, as much as possible. You can't take a poor (from your perspective) client and forcibly convert them into a good client. They have their own business model.

Dan


Christopher Schröder
Rachel Waddington
Peter Shortall
 
Jon Berger
Jon Berger
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Feb 12, 2021



[Edited at 2021-02-12 22:18 GMT]


Baran Keki
 
Jon Berger
Jon Berger
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
German to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Scandanavian languages might be different. Feb 12, 2021

Scandanavian agencies might have an altogether better attitude, I don't know. Most things in Scandanavia seem to be more sparkling and better...

Chris S wrote:

I still work for a few agencies and I have never known any of them post jobs on here. Not that I look. But generally I do everything they get for specific end-clients. I am somewhat at a loss as to why that kind of “loyalty” is so unusual. It benefits all three parties.

Edit: On second thoughts I don’t think it is at all unusual. Different market, different marketplace.


[Edited at 2021-02-12 15:52 GMT]


 
Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:25
Dutch to English
+ ...
Sorry to hear that Feb 12, 2021

That's pretty dispiriting then ...

Sorry if my comments offended you.

[Edited at 2021-02-12 23:23 GMT]


 
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Agencies that post projects on Proz when you are on their books and they are happy with your work







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