| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you accept requests for urgent projects? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
Erik Matson 
Thailand
Local time: 06:03
English to Norwegian
+ ...
| "Urgent Projects" | May 27, 2013 |
"Urgent Projects"?? Is there any other kind?
| | | | | Good client / bad client | May 27, 2013 |
Ty Kendall wrote:
I've noticed that the really good clients rarely if ever bring you type-2 urgencies. There's a definite correlation.
[Edited at 2013-05-27 10:32 GMT]
Exactly. A good agency will make it clear to the customer when a request is unreasonable and not pass on the problem to the translator!
If I receive an "urgent" job with an unreasonable deadline, I decline the deadline absolutely and offer a more sensible one a couple of days later. It is surprising how often the job turns out to be not so "urgent" after all...
Steve K.
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 01:03
French to English
| "emergencies" | May 27, 2013 |
When I'm told something needs to be done "urgently" it just goes to the bottom of the pile.
After all, everything is urgent. The ones that get done first are the ones I'm given a specific deadline for.
Some people seem to thing urgent is synonymous with "important" or "worrisome"...
Amazing how things are less urgent when
- you apply a surcharge
- you ask intelligent questions about stupid mistakes in the text, requiring someone to ope... See more When I'm told something needs to be done "urgently" it just goes to the bottom of the pile.
After all, everything is urgent. The ones that get done first are the ones I'm given a specific deadline for.
Some people seem to thing urgent is synonymous with "important" or "worrisome"...
Amazing how things are less urgent when
- you apply a surcharge
- you ask intelligent questions about stupid mistakes in the text, requiring someone to open it up and plough through a few dense pages of prose
- you tell them that they can pick only two out of quick, good and cheap. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Sure, if the conditions are right | May 27, 2013 |
If I have the time and the money's right, why not?
Last night I accepted a short rush job from a complete stranger on the other side of the planet. It was short. Even though I was already working on a job for another client, I did it in less than an hour. I received payment via PayPal (including extra for processing and currency exchange) less than 5 minutes after I delivered it.
| | |
|
|
|
.
[Edited at 2013-05-27 22:44 GMT]
| | | | Sebastian Witte
Germany
Local time: 01:03
Member (2004)
English to German
+ ...
| Other side of the globe? | May 27, 2013 |
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
Last night I accepted a short rush job from a complete stranger on the other side of the planet. I received payment via PayPal (including extra for processing and currency exchange) less than 5 minutes after I delivered it.
You asked for payment AFTER delivering to someone onnah otha side of the planet???
Risk management, is that a familiar concept among my fellow ProZians?
I hope you mean you delivered the full translation after letting them peek the work and receiving the PayPal payment?
[Edited at 2013-05-27 22:46 GMT]
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 19:03
English to Spanish
+ ...
Madeleine Chevassus wrote:
Hi
some people suggested me to charge an additional 30% for urgent jobs, which I never did.
what do you think about it?
Madeleine
I think you made a mistake.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 19:03
English to Spanish
+ ...
| The exception that makes the rule | May 27, 2013 |
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
If I have the time and the money's right, why not?
Last night I accepted a short rush job from a complete stranger on the other side of the planet. It was short. Even though I was already working on a job for another client, I did it in less than an hour. I received payment via PayPal (including extra for processing and currency exchange) less than 5 minutes after I delivered it.
As a rule, I don't do rush or urgent jobs, unless it's something really small, possibly for a new customer. A month ago, I faced precisely that situation. It was a small job, approx. 200 words, but I did it overnight and before the rush deadline. This client is becoming a regular, but the second job was very interesting and not a rush one.
| | |
|
|
|
Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 04:33
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Urgent from two perspectives | May 28, 2013 |
The first is the client's perspective, where a job needs to be done yesterday, and the second perspective is the translator's perspective, when a job would require efforts beyond the normal working conditions usual for the translator.
The first category is often doable for a translator, because it is possible that the translator is not doing anything in particular at the moment and is willing to put in an extra hour or two to finish the job. This would cause him no great hardship an... See more The first is the client's perspective, where a job needs to be done yesterday, and the second perspective is the translator's perspective, when a job would require efforts beyond the normal working conditions usual for the translator.
The first category is often doable for a translator, because it is possible that the translator is not doing anything in particular at the moment and is willing to put in an extra hour or two to finish the job. This would cause him no great hardship and does not warrant any additional charges.
The second category is a different cup of tea altogether and might not even be in the realms of the doable. Translators should be extremely wary of taking up such assignments. They should carefully evaluate the stress and strain that the extra-normal effort the job would entail and only then decide on taking it up. A higher than normal rate may in many cases be used to tip the decision in favour of taking up the job. But in my opinion no amount of money is adequate compensation for the strain caused by attempting the impossible. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sebastian Witte
Germany
Local time: 01:03
Member (2004)
English to German
+ ...
I wrote: Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
Last night I accepted a short rush job from a complete stranger on the other side of the planet. I received payment via PayPal (including extra for processing and currency exchange) less than 5 minutes after I delivered it. You asked for payment AFTER delivering to someone onnah otha side of the planet??? Risk management, is that a familiar concept among my fellow ProZians? I hope you mean you delivered the full translation after letting them peek the work and receiving the PayPal payment? [Edited at 2013-05-27 22:46 GMT]
As Muriel has posted for many a year in the forums, I guess she must have granted the payment terms based on an excellent Blue Board rating of the debtor. It might, however, be better to mention just that in such a post, in order for industry newbies to see what is the reasonable thing to do in such a situation.
[Edited at 2013-05-28 06:36 GMT]
| | | | Maria Dimitrova
Bulgaria
Local time: 02:03
Member (2011)
Bulgarian to English
+ ...
| I only take urgent jobs if they don't involve stress for me | May 28, 2013 |
If I receive an "urgent" job with an unreasonable deadline, I decline the deadline absolutely and offer a more sensible one a couple of days later. It is surprising how often the job turns out to be not so "urgent" after all...
Steve K.
This is what I usually do and in 90% of the cases it turns out that the job is not that urgent.
For very urgent translations to be delivered on the same day or that involve working during the weekend or at night, I either apply a surcharge of 20% (because I have to take away of my time with my family) or turn down the job.
I usually turn down the job when my schedule is full, when I have been very busy and need to take a break, when I don't like the subject matter (e.g. if it is too technical or badly written text) or when I don't like the approach of the client (like "We're behind with a translation, can you save us by taking some part of it and deliver it in no time"). I don't like to be the translator of last resort, approached only in critical situations and almost never for normal jobs with reasonable deadlines (which is what one of my clients has been recently doing). Of course, I would be glad to help a regular client in an urgent situation if I have the time, but I am not happy to be only contacted for this purpose, so if a client continuously approaches me with "emergency" jobs only, I might turn the job down even if I have the time, just because I don't like to be considered an "on-call" translator.
| | | | | yes sometime | May 28, 2013 |
ProZ.com Staff wrote: This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you accept requests for urgent projects?". This poll was originally submitted by Harald Roald. View the poll results »
if iam free and able to do it i'll do
| | |
|
|
|
Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 00:03
I have accepted urgent work for regular clients, where the urgency is not due to lack of organisational incompetence, etc.
I shy away from "urgent" requests from people for whom I have not worked before.
| | | | | I freaking love them | Jun 6, 2013 |
I love urgent projects that:
– Come with the understanding that we will not be having a Midsummer Night of a discussion of the appropriate literary convention for VAT invoices and electricity bills;
– Pay an additional fee.
The fee helps me make some fair and fine earnings, while the usual reduced guarantee has the very useful side-effect of precluding reviewers, proofreaders and especially curious or ambitious amateurs from trying to come up with unnecessary ... See more I love urgent projects that:
– Come with the understanding that we will not be having a Midsummer Night of a discussion of the appropriate literary convention for VAT invoices and electricity bills;
– Pay an additional fee.
The fee helps me make some fair and fine earnings, while the usual reduced guarantee has the very useful side-effect of precluding reviewers, proofreaders and especially curious or ambitious amateurs from trying to come up with unnecessary changes for the sake of it or questioning anything that they don't understand because their English is too poor or they don't know a dime about legal language. Or official language. Or academic language. Whatever it is they aren't familiar with. The 'rush' is a magical shutoff valve for all of the foregoing, most of the time at least.
Seriously, guys, with the above conditions met I'm a real fan of urgent jobs. Please give me one every day that's not a holiday.
[Edited at 2013-06-06 18:18 GMT] ▲ 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 » Poll: Do you accept requests for urgent projects? | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
