| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you usually respond to job offers that request your "best rates"? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you usually respond to job offers that request your "best rates"?".
This poll was originally submitted by James A. Walsh. View the poll results »
| | | | Sheila Wilson 
Spain
Local time: 05:04
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| I sometimes reply with my standard rate | Oct 1, 2015 |
Often I just ignore them as 'best rate' often comes with crazy deadlines, demand for free tests, long one-sided contracts, etc.
But if all seems OK, maybe they just used the term thinking it was OK. Very few of my clients are English native speakers so it's only fair and reasonable (to me too) to cut them some slack.
| | | | Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 13:04
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| Yes, with my highest rate | Oct 1, 2015 |
Because they are going to knock down any rate you'll suggest, anyway. So, you might as well suggest a rate that is going to end up as your standard rate, if they are going to accept any rate from you at all.
If they're playing hard ball, I'll play hard ball, too.
| | | | Vibeke Degn-P
Norway
Local time: 06:04
Member (2010)
English to Norwegian
+ ...
Sometimes I respond with my highest rate + a bit extra, just to let them know that "best rate" is as stupid thing to ask for. It makes me a bit happier to know that I've made an effort to educate them.
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I tend to ignore the adjective "best" and I usually respond either with my standard rate or with my highest rate depending on the tone of the job offer. I always say also that each job is quoted on a case by case basis...
| | | | Paul Lambert
Sweden
Local time: 06:04
Member (2006)
Swedish to English
+ ...
| Smart thinking, Julian | Oct 1, 2015 |
"Best" is always a relative term. Best for whom?
Oddly enough, I am only ever asked for a "best rate" from companies and clients with whom I have never worked before, or sometimes have never even had any contact in the past. Frankly, I think it is poor form to ask for special considerations the very first time one contacts a supplier of any kind.
Had it been from a customer who I had worked with for years at a standard rate and then as a one-off the customer asks for a ... See more "Best" is always a relative term. Best for whom?
Oddly enough, I am only ever asked for a "best rate" from companies and clients with whom I have never worked before, or sometimes have never even had any contact in the past. Frankly, I think it is poor form to ask for special considerations the very first time one contacts a supplier of any kind.
Had it been from a customer who I had worked with for years at a standard rate and then as a one-off the customer asks for a special deal, then I think we could discuss it. Otherwise, no. ▲ Collapse
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I usually ignore them. But I like the idea of turning "best" around. Maybe next time I'll say: 'My best rate is xx - I have two lovely clients who are happy to pay it."
When they actually specify an insulting rate, sometimes I write and tell them *my* best rate. One of them actually phoned me and asked how he could get a piece of the action.
P.S. I went on Fiverr today for the first time and saw dozens of translators offering their services for USD$ 5.00.
[Edited... See more I usually ignore them. But I like the idea of turning "best" around. Maybe next time I'll say: 'My best rate is xx - I have two lovely clients who are happy to pay it."
When they actually specify an insulting rate, sometimes I write and tell them *my* best rate. One of them actually phoned me and asked how he could get a piece of the action.
P.S. I went on Fiverr today for the first time and saw dozens of translators offering their services for USD$ 5.00.
[Edited at 2015-10-01 09:10 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 06:04
Spanish to English
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Natalie Soper
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:04
French to English
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Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
I went on Fiverr today for the first time and saw dozens of translators offering their services for USD$ 5.00.
[Edited at 2015-10-01 09:10 GMT]
I saw one person on Fiverr offering to translate ANY language into English - but what he meant was he'd run it through Google translate and then check whatever English was spat out. So, I guess you do get what you pay for sometimes.
| | | | Manuela Junghans
Germany
Local time: 06:04
Member (2004)
English to German
+ ...
| I used to sometimes | Oct 1, 2015 |
...but I´ve been far too busy for a long while now as to bother.
And when I did reply, I always let them know what MY rate is, knowing pretty much in advance that I either never hear of them again or they would wail about how restricted their budgets are...
In no case anything has ever come out of such requests for me, so I no longer bother to reply.
Have a lovely day everyone and don´t let your worth be diminished by "best raters" ... See more ...but I´ve been far too busy for a long while now as to bother.
And when I did reply, I always let them know what MY rate is, knowing pretty much in advance that I either never hear of them again or they would wail about how restricted their budgets are...
In no case anything has ever come out of such requests for me, so I no longer bother to reply.
Have a lovely day everyone and don´t let your worth be diminished by "best raters" ▲ Collapse
| | | | airmailrpl
Brazil
Local time: 01:04
Member (2005)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| MY BEST Rates | Oct 1, 2015 |
I enjoy telling them that by a very strange coincidence MY BEST Rates are exactly the same as my normal rates - and of course I never hear from them again.
| | | | | I have only one TRANSLATION rate | Oct 1, 2015 |
... however the financial costs associated to payment method and term may have a significant impact on the amount actually disbursed by the client, so I give them a heads-up on that.
PayPal, a translation clients' favorite is expensive. As it is (still?) owned by and devised for eBay, the "seller" bears all costs. Of course, if I'm selling Grandma's lamp shade to clear a cabinet, this makes sense. If I make a living from translation services delivered across international borders, p... See more ... however the financial costs associated to payment method and term may have a significant impact on the amount actually disbursed by the client, so I give them a heads-up on that.
PayPal, a translation clients' favorite is expensive. As it is (still?) owned by and devised for eBay, the "seller" bears all costs. Of course, if I'm selling Grandma's lamp shade to clear a cabinet, this makes sense. If I make a living from translation services delivered across international borders, possibly no.
So PayPal charges the client nothing, yet the translator in Brazil gets 6.5% ~ 7.5% deducted as soon as the funds hit their PayPal account. If we want to squander that money online, it ends right there. However if a translator in Brazil needs that in local currency to pay their bills, they'll convert it at an overtly-stated "3.5% lower-than-market exchange rate", not to mention that this conversion - in spite of the lightning-fast Brazilian banking system - will take 2-3 additional business days.
PayPal strictly forbids the seller/translator to surcharge the buyer/client for their fees, about 10% of the whole amount, subject to a maximum penalty of them freezing the payee's account and eventually 'scooping the loot'.
So I state my standard rates for payment via PayPal in two weeks, and give discounts for other payment options. PayPal can't impose their penalties on me if their service is excluded from the deal.
Any client willing to pay outside of PayPal will immediately have a 10% discount (their fees).
Then there are Brazilian interest rates, and a somewhat similar (is it still worse?) situation in our neighboring Argentina. In Brazil, interest rates are now making their way from 10% to 15% per month!
I've checked, and Brazilian credit card interest rates per month are roughly comparable to the same in the USA per year.
No translator can keep an inventory of translations ready for delivery, bought on credit. So when a translator accepts payment later than COD, s/he is actually funding their client's revolving capital at no interest. If the translator is located in a country where the monthly interest rate is a low fraction of 1%, it's a drop in the bucket.
When the translator's country features a two-digit monthly interest rate, faster payment should save them money, even if the client overseas, for cash-flow reasons has to secure a loan to pay COD.
A quick comparison, assuming me in Brazil, and a client in the USA:
* Client pays me US$1,000 via PayPal, 30 days after delivery.
* PayPal deducts 7.5% fees, so they credit me $925.
* Transfer to my bank account in BRL, lower exchange rate gets it to $892.65.
* Assuming I need this money (actually the equivalent Brazilian interest of funding my client's revolving capital), and have to borrow it locally, I'll spend 12% in interest, bringing my amount received's worth down to $785.53.
Though this varies from bank to bank, receiving a wire transfer costs me nowadays US$15 in fees. Forget the cents, if the client sends me $800 COD via wire transfer, in Brazil I'll net the same money as if they paid me $1,000 via PayPal 30 days later.
20% is far beyond the advantage any client could dream of when they ask about a translator's best rate. Yet it's all done at the expense of PayPal and greedy banks in Brazil. My translation rate remains unchanged.
Food for thought, to be served to all agencies who insist that they only pay in 30, 45, 60, or more days, even when they hire translators in 'financially dysfunctional' Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and (fortunately) few other countries.
[Edited at 2015-10-01 10:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Usually not, because I feel they see it as a tender, where the rate is their main criteria.
However, it has happened that when the job sounds interesting, deadline not too tight, client has a nice website, good track record on the Blue Board etc. that I will respond with my standard rates.
Like someone said, also for the education of the potential client and for the sake of upholding a good standard in our industry.
| | | | Chié_JP
Japan
Local time: 13:04
Member (2013)
English to Japanese
+ ...
| Along with other worries | Oct 1, 2015 |
Expecting lowest rate from you inevitably comes with absence of personal information protection policy and other unreliable options.
I still have worries about those people happy to take your information away (Actually one "ProZ" agency with rate of all-5 blue board record! had an employee who got away with translator contact list.
I was shocked and became afraid ever since about applying for agencies in disputed areas - Chinese language spams started right after I was cont... See more Expecting lowest rate from you inevitably comes with absence of personal information protection policy and other unreliable options.
I still have worries about those people happy to take your information away (Actually one "ProZ" agency with rate of all-5 blue board record! had an employee who got away with translator contact list.
I was shocked and became afraid ever since about applying for agencies in disputed areas - Chinese language spams started right after I was contacted by a ProZ registered member agency in China. WHAT is going on with compliance over there?)
There has been little or no instance where those low rate cheap agencies offered interesting projects so I do not have hesitation at all about turning all of them down.
They are likely to be outsourced-outsourced-outsourced again on and on and far from original client, which makes your position less favourable one anyway. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 06:04
Member (2006)
German to English
Because why should I waste my time and effort when I know that I am not going to get the job in the first place.
I am also fortunate to have a steady workflow from my regular customers.
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