| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you accept requests for urgent projects? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Mario Chavez (X) 
Local time: 11:05
English to Spanish
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| Have you noticed...? | May 25, 2015 |
…how rush or urgent charges have changed over the years? When I started in the early 90s, a rush job would command a 50% surcharge, no questions asked. Now, I'm lucky if I can get 20-25%.
How about you, guys?
| | | | Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 00:05
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| I raised my surcharges... | May 25, 2015 |
... to weed out the serious punters from the fickle.
Mario Chavez wrote:
…how rush or urgent charges have changed over the years? When I started in the early 90s, a rush job would command a 50% surcharge, no questions asked. Now, I'm lucky if I can get 20-25%.
How about you, guys?
Naturally, there are very takers to the charges I ask. I also ask them if they would sacrifice quality weekend time. Generally, all I hear is an Hmm...
| | | | | Man up Mario | May 25, 2015 |
Mario Chavez wrote:
…how rush or urgent charges have changed over the years? When I started in the early 90s, a rush job would command a 50% surcharge, no questions asked. Now, I'm lucky if I can get 20-25%.
How about you, guys?
With us it's double or bust. Either they're desperate or they're not. Which is why I worked today, a bank holiday.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 11:05
English to Spanish
+ ...
Chris S wrote: Mario Chavez wrote:
…how rush or urgent charges have changed over the years? When I started in the early 90s, a rush job would command a 50% surcharge, no questions asked. Now, I'm lucky if I can get 20-25%.
How about you, guys? With us it's double or bust. Either they're desperate or they're not. Which is why I worked today, a bank holiday.
I'm assuming you're speaking for yourself, not for the Proz or the UK crowd. Or maybe I'm wrong.
I seldom do rush jobs and only for a couple of old customers. In addition, my rush jobs are always for the next day.
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| depends on the overall picture | May 26, 2015 |
To me, "urgent" means an unavoidable emergency. For example, an end client is suddenly granted a job interview unexpectedly, and needs to present some papers within 48 hours. This is truly urgent.
Otoh, some agencies compete by offering clients "faster and cheaper", and will promise to have a translation done sooner than their competitors. They promise an unrealistic date, and then try to find a translator who will meet the promise that they have made. This is a false kind of "... See more To me, "urgent" means an unavoidable emergency. For example, an end client is suddenly granted a job interview unexpectedly, and needs to present some papers within 48 hours. This is truly urgent.
Otoh, some agencies compete by offering clients "faster and cheaper", and will promise to have a translation done sooner than their competitors. They promise an unrealistic date, and then try to find a translator who will meet the promise that they have made. This is a false kind of "urgent". By agreeing to this, you are actually help undermine the good customers who have to compete with them, helping run them out of business. This is the kind of "urgent" I don't respond to. Additionally, usually my fees are also "below their budget" since this fast service also comes with unbelievable savings - all on the back of a translator who does the actual work.
So if there is a true emergency, especially if it is an agency I know well or an end client who has a genuine situation, then yes. I should add that end clients can also end up with an emergency for stupid reasons, like leaving things until the last minute - but then I don't expect customers to be professionals so give them some leeway. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Zhihua Liu
China
Local time: 23:05
English to Chinese
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For me, rush jobs mean overnight jobs, considering the time difference between China and western countries.
And I only do rush jobs for my stable clients.
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Mario Chavez wrote:
I'm assuming you're speaking for yourself, not for the Proz or the UK crowd. Or maybe I'm wrong.
It's the royal "we", darling, a hangover from when I was married to HRH
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