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Risk management for freelance translators - Terms & Conditions
Thread poster: Alessandra Martelli (X)
Alessandra Martelli (X)
Alessandra Martelli (X)  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 18:58
English to Italian
+ ...
Oct 19, 2012

Good afternoon everyone,

I recently got some interesting discussions with colleagues about the need for including Terms & Conditions of Service agreements in our standard practice for contracts with non-agency customers.

I started implementing this practice in my translation activities a few years ago and have to say this has been helpful in a few cases of late payment issues. Other colleagues do not use this kind of documents and think e-mail confirmations are more tha... See more
Good afternoon everyone,

I recently got some interesting discussions with colleagues about the need for including Terms & Conditions of Service agreements in our standard practice for contracts with non-agency customers.

I started implementing this practice in my translation activities a few years ago and have to say this has been helpful in a few cases of late payment issues. Other colleagues do not use this kind of documents and think e-mail confirmations are more than enough.

Anyway, I sketched down some basic ideas & tips about content and usage of a T&C document for freelance work:

http://www.mtmtranslations.com/4/post/2012/10/terms-conditions-for-freelancers.html

Would love to know what you think about this, if you have a Terms & Conditions agreement for non-agency customers and if it ever came handy in case of trouble.

Happy translating & have a great weekend!

Best regards,
Alessandra ▲ Collapse


Rodrigo Gomez Tregent
 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 12:58
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
Copyright Oct 19, 2012

Good advice.

I don't see a reference on your list of items to copyright. Although copyright laws differ somewhat from one country to another, they generally protect a translator who hasn't been paid. A reference to that protection can be a powerful incentive to pay.
 
Alessandra Martelli (X)
Alessandra Martelli (X)  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 18:58
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Reference to copyright Oct 19, 2012

Hi John,

thank you for the feedback and advice.
I decided not to include a reference to copyright because, as you point out, copyright laws differ from country to country and they might not apply to the whole range of services a translator might offer (e.g. in revision and proofreading services, or quality assurance).
The list is intended to provide some food for thought and a starting point to translators and freelancers at large who still do not include a T&C documen... See more
Hi John,

thank you for the feedback and advice.
I decided not to include a reference to copyright because, as you point out, copyright laws differ from country to country and they might not apply to the whole range of services a translator might offer (e.g. in revision and proofreading services, or quality assurance).
The list is intended to provide some food for thought and a starting point to translators and freelancers at large who still do not include a T&C document in their business practice but might be interested into this. Of course, the document shall be customised to fit individual needs.

Do you have a T&C doc already? What other clauses/topics should this cover in your opinion?

Regards,
Alessandra

[Edited at 2012-10-19 15:40 GMT]

[Edited at 2012-10-19 15:41 GMT] ▲ Collapse
 


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Risk management for freelance translators - Terms & Conditions







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