| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you apply different rates for urgent projects? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you apply different rates for urgent projects?".
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| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 20:58
English to French
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I no longer accept urgent projects
| | | | Julian Holmes 
Japan
Local time: 03:58
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| Good philosophy! | Jun 12, 2012 |
Interlangue wrote: I no longer accept urgent projects
Nicely put!
Inquiries for "urgent" projects generally arrive late Friday afternoon followed by an impassioned call from a panicky PM almost crying into the handset "It has be delivered to the client first thing Monday morning!"
No, thank you. I do not want to be the "designated translator" for this kind of work. 
If it's that important, then I suggest proper planning in advance. Thank you
| | | | William Murphy
Italy
Local time: 20:58
Member (2009)
Italian to English
+ ...
Interlangue wrote: I no longer accept urgent projects
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John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 20:58
Spanish to English
+ ...
For me, it's one of those "it depends" type answers.
It depends, as Julian says, on when the project is being urgently requested and the relationship I have with the client.
If they give me work once in a blue moon, I'll charge more or simply say no.
If they're regular clients, I may be more sympathetic and say yes without charging more or I may ask for an additional 20-30% if I've already got a lot on my plate but they insist.
Although a surch... See more For me, it's one of those "it depends" type answers.
It depends, as Julian says, on when the project is being urgently requested and the relationship I have with the client.
If they give me work once in a blue moon, I'll charge more or simply say no.
If they're regular clients, I may be more sympathetic and say yes without charging more or I may ask for an additional 20-30% if I've already got a lot on my plate but they insist.
Although a surcharge isn't mandatory, try calling a plumber or electrician after hours or on a weekend and compare what you're charged with their regular rates. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Anna Haxen
Denmark
Local time: 20:58
Member (2005)
English to Danish
+ ...
Interlangue wrote: I no longer accept urgent projects
Exactly. I only take on jobs that I can do at my normal rate in terms of both time and money.
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All my projects are urgent. Or I feel them as urgent, because I have lots of other interests.
| | | | Marjolein Snippe
Netherlands
Local time: 20:58
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
If I can make the deadline, I'll charge normal rates; if not, I don't accept the project.
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Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 14:58
Spanish to English
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This is only logical, as there is a big difference between having to drop everything else to quickly handle a particular job (and/or perhaps change personal/weekend plans) and being given a generous deadline that doesn't require such accommodation.
And of course, depending on the situation, I simply may not accept such work.
But when such work is well-paying, not especially difficult, doesn't involve great hardship on my part, and doesn't arrive at a time when I'm despe... See more This is only logical, as there is a big difference between having to drop everything else to quickly handle a particular job (and/or perhaps change personal/weekend plans) and being given a generous deadline that doesn't require such accommodation.
And of course, depending on the situation, I simply may not accept such work.
But when such work is well-paying, not especially difficult, doesn't involve great hardship on my part, and doesn't arrive at a time when I'm desperately in need of R&R, then I accept it. Some such offers are simply too good to pass up!
If the work is truly urgent, I could also not imagine waiving a surcharge for a regular client. To me, the "favor" in such an instance would be agreeing to do the work for the extra fee.
The thought that any professional and experienced translator (except those charging very high regular rates) would not apply a surcharge for urgent work is truly alarming to me. If you behave like a doormat, don't be surprised if people wipe their feet on you.
One final thought/piece of advice re "urgent jobs":
If you get a panicked call or e-mail about "a possible job" (the intention of which is simply to assure your availability if a potential project comes through) that will involve you having to turn your life upside down to complete, impose your own conditions for accepting the work, along the following lines:
Dear X,
I am available to translate the 5400-word document you've sent me for review by tomorrow morning for the rate of $0.xx/word, payable by _______ provided you offer me this job within the next 45 minutes. After such time, I will not be available.
If you don't do something like this, then you leave yourself open for being left hanging for a couple of hours (and perhaps more) and then either having less time to do the urgent work, or not getting the job at all.
I speak from experience.
[Edited at 2012-06-12 11:31 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 03:58
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| Excellent advice! | Jun 12, 2012 |
Robert Forstag wrote:
One final thought/piece of advice re "urgent jobs":
If you get a panicked call or e-mail about "a possible job" (the intention of which is simply to assure your availability if a potential project comes through) that will involve you having to turn your life upside down to complete, impose your own conditions for accepting the work, along the following lines:
Dear X,
I am available to translate the 5400-word document you've sent me for review by tomorrow morning for the rate of $0.xx/word, payable by _______ provided you offer me this job within the next 45 minutes. After such time, I will not be available.
@Robert
Thank you for providing a very useful template strategy!
I think the above will sufficiently press home the "urgency" of the situation to the customer/client and expedite matters. 
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 19:58
| Sometimes - by accident | Jun 12, 2012 |
I registered with one online agency some time ago.
After months of nothing I suddenly got two job offers from one source, paying the upper range of my (normal) rates quoted on that site, which are a little more than quoted on ProZ.
I accepted the job. That was five months ago. I was paid promptly and have had nothing since.
It made me smile, since the client evidently thought that he or she was paying "urgent" rates for a rush job.
It made no ... See more I registered with one online agency some time ago.
After months of nothing I suddenly got two job offers from one source, paying the upper range of my (normal) rates quoted on that site, which are a little more than quoted on ProZ.
I accepted the job. That was five months ago. I was paid promptly and have had nothing since.
It made me smile, since the client evidently thought that he or she was paying "urgent" rates for a rush job.
It made no difference to me that the smaller job was required on Saturday morning, and the larger one on Monday 07:00 or some such.
I do not normally flinch if someone mentions "weekend" and "work" in the same breath.
"Urgent" is such a subjective word. I equate it with "inconvenient", since I cannot really work faster than I do, and choose not to work more slowly than I am able.
If it is really inconvenient to me, and the client is desperate, I have no qualms in suggesting a much higher rate. Otherwise, as others have said, a longer deadline can be negotiated, or the job turned down.
Perhaps I should advertise as follows: My normal rates are the most competitive weekend rates around!
[Edited at 2012-06-12 17:48 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 20:58
Member (2006)
German to English
Depends - if I know the customer and my current deadlines permit it, then why not.
This is a hands-in-hands thing.
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| Teach the client | Jun 12, 2012 |
Always. Rates are the best tool for teaching our clients that good translation takes time (or that it is quicker and cleaner to work with Word documents (higher rates for messy PDFs), that discussing terminology over the phone takes up our translation time (so I charge them for this) etc.) so that they adapt their own practices to help us and themselves produce good, timely results.
| | | | MikeTrans
Germany
Local time: 20:58
Italian to German
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If I cannot keep up to the deadline, I will refuse any project. If I can meet the deadline, then the fact that a project is urgent will not make any difference for me. So, no need to raise the stakes.
There may be other considerations that will influence my rates, though:
- Support with reference docs and QA assistance > I may lower my rates for that project
- Additional format handling, optical text recognition etc. > I may increase my rates.
Greets,... See more If I cannot keep up to the deadline, I will refuse any project. If I can meet the deadline, then the fact that a project is urgent will not make any difference for me. So, no need to raise the stakes.
There may be other considerations that will influence my rates, though:
- Support with reference docs and QA assistance > I may lower my rates for that project
- Additional format handling, optical text recognition etc. > I may increase my rates.
Greets,
Mike ▲ Collapse
| | | | Harald Roald
Spain
Local time: 20:58
English to Norwegian
+ ...
as most translation jobs seem to be "super urgent" these days, I have started charging that way as well. My regular clients are good at giving me info up front, but as I guess most other translators, I have a handfull of less frequent clients I serve - when I have time. And they tend to "cry wolf" a lot. So I charge a minimum fee - even for tiny tasks ( that seldom can be that urgent, if you ask me)
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