How to ensure payment - advice needed Thread poster: Matthew Trulandzev
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I see that one of the biggest problems translators have is not getting paid by their clients. How do you handle this part?
| | | | Andriy Yasharov 
Ukraine
Local time: 11:01
Member (2008)
English to Russian
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| A translator's contract | Jan 31, 2013 |
You can conclude a translation services agreement between yourself and your client. In this agreement or a contract you describe the terms of cooperation and payment.
Another measure is to request a PO at all times.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 10:01
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| How to make sure you get paid | Jan 31, 2013 |
Salithealbo wrote:
I see that one of the biggest problems translators have is not getting paid by their clients. How do you handle this part?
1. Make sure that the client wants you to do the job. In other words, do not assume that the job is yours simply because the client had sent you files and you talked about price and the client seemed happy with it -- ask the client to specifically confirm that you can go ahead with the job. If the client sends you something that looks like an official purchase order, then that is sufficient as well.
2. If it is a new client, make sure the client is real. Try to see if the client's contact details exist and if they look real, check if the client's web site exists and doesn't appear incomplete, ask the client for verifiable information (e.g. you may be able to look up the client's business registration number on some online register, or you could google the client's phone number to see if it pops up anywhere).
3. Check the Blue Board and other payment practice lists (which forum rules disallow me from listing here) if the client has a no-pay or slow-pay record.
4. Make sure you are aware of the client's payment terms -- they may differ from yours. Even if you stipulate the payment terms, the client may still ignore it and follow their own, so make sure you know about it even if you don't agree with it. This includes how long the client will wait before making the payment, and what payment method the client favours, and whether the client will hold back payment until a certain amount is reached.
5. Send your invoice promptly, and if the client doesn't confirm receipt of the invoice, send it again. If the client responds to your invoice with requested changes, implement those changes as soon as you can, and resend the invoice, to avoid delays.
6. Make a note in your books of the date when the client is supposed to pay the invoice, and start sending follow-up messages if the client hadn't paid by that date.
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 09:01
Member (2007)
English
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| Great advice from Samuel | Jan 31, 2013 |
Follow that advice and you should have no problems 99% of the time. A couple of other point that could be added:
- Don't accept a massive job from a new client; make sure the first one is an amount that you can afford to lose (with deep regrets and anger, of course ), and make sure they pay up before you do more work for them.
- Follow your nose! Most of us find after a while that we can smell out some of ... See more Follow that advice and you should have no problems 99% of the time. A couple of other point that could be added:
- Don't accept a massive job from a new client; make sure the first one is an amount that you can afford to lose (with deep regrets and anger, of course), and make sure they pay up before you do more work for them.
- Follow your nose! Most of us find after a while that we can smell out some of the bad payers. And many of us find that the ones who are the most untrusting (the ones who want copies of every certificate, tax numbers, references, free tests, ...) are quite often the ones who turn out to be the most untrustworthy. ▲ Collapse
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| If the client has no big board record, or if you have doubts about payment | Jan 31, 2013 |
You can ask for payment in advance, or 1/2 in advance and 1/2 upon completion of the project. That is fairly standard in the United States in cases where the client really wants you to do work and knows that they do not have an established business record that you can verify. I have had clients in Europe who have agreed to those terms, although I am much less familiar with standard business practices in Europe.
| | | | | I wanted to say | Feb 4, 2013 |
Thank you all. I appreciate your advices.
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