I was refused to be paid due to a terrible feedback the client refused to show me
Thread poster: Fukumi Jarvis
Fukumi Jarvis
Fukumi Jarvis
Spain
English to Japanese
+ ...
Oct 15, 2020

Recently I worked for a company to translate and rewrite some articles.
After I delivered the files, the company said that the feedback was terrible, so they can't pay me. So I asked the company to show the feedback for me to correct the files. But they said they can't show me the feedback since the application to display the feedback is only available for them. I told them there must be a way to show me the feedback. Maybe you can take screenshots or just explain what the client said. Bu
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Recently I worked for a company to translate and rewrite some articles.
After I delivered the files, the company said that the feedback was terrible, so they can't pay me. So I asked the company to show the feedback for me to correct the files. But they said they can't show me the feedback since the application to display the feedback is only available for them. I told them there must be a way to show me the feedback. Maybe you can take screenshots or just explain what the client said. But they didn't answer.

The source files were English. But quality of the language was very bad (One of the worst one I've ever seen.) and the contents were totally incorrect. So I needed much work to complete the task. I believe that I did more than translation and rewrite. I worked very hard to correct information.

I am not sure if the company is a scammer. I searched their reputation and found they are highly rated, but only 3 people in their country. If there is anyone who had a similar experience, please let me know.
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Dylan J Hartmann
Dylan J Hartmann  Identity Verified
Australia
Member (2014)
Thai to English
+ ...

MODERATOR
Call and talk to someone Oct 15, 2020

Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

Often when issues like this happen we send heated emails and wait in pain for the next (or no) reply.

You certainly make a very valid point. I’d suggest you call the agency’s phone number and ask to speak to someone involved who can help. It’s sometimes a lot easier to get to the bottom of things over the phone.

Last resort would be threatening bad Blueboard rating.

Good luck,
DJH


Fukumi Jarvis
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:54
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Insist on proof or payment Oct 15, 2020

Fukumi Jarvis wrote:
I asked the company to show the feedback for me to correct the files. But they said they can't show me the feedback since the application to display the feedback is only available for them. I told them there must be a way to show me the feedback. Maybe you can take screenshots or just explain what the client said. But they didn't answer.

You did the right thing, IMO. But now you need to stand firm. Insist that you are shown proof of your mistakes and/or the work they had to do to put it right. Also, ask why you weren't given a chance to rectify the situation yourself. Even if they prove to your satisfaction that there were imperfections in what you delivered, it's unlikely that the text is worth zero. And the poor quality of the source file needs to be taken into account so you could ask a native speaker's opinion on that and use their reply as ammunition. One thing to do is to find out -- if you can -- whether the end client has published the text anywhere. If so, compare the published one against your version -- any matches absolutely need to be paid for or you can claim infringement of copyright (which, unless stated to the contrary, we retain until we've been paid).

If you agree that the work wasn't up to your usual quality, then offer a discount. Don't just let them get away without paying as they'll do it again and again!


Yolanda Broad
Ying-Ju Fang
Fukumi Jarvis
Philip Lees
Fatine Echenique
Ian Mansbridge
Corbett AM
 
Fukumi Jarvis
Fukumi Jarvis
Spain
English to Japanese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you, I will comtact them again. Oct 16, 2020

Thank you. Both comments are really encouraging. I will contact the company again to reason with them.

 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 23:54
French to English
. Oct 16, 2020

Dylan Jan Hartmann wrote:

Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

Often when issues like this happen we send heated emails and wait in pain for the next (or no) reply.

You certainly make a very valid point. I’d suggest you call the agency’s phone number and ask to speak to someone involved who can help. It’s sometimes a lot easier to get to the bottom of things over the phone.

Last resort would be threatening bad Blueboard rating.

Good luck,
DJH

I believe you can't complain about non-payment on the BB when the client has cited quality issues?
But there are other places where you can let others know how shoddily you've been treated, often called name and shame, on LinkedIn and elsewhere.


And I fully agree with Sheila (nothing new there): proof or payment is the way to go. It's up to them to prove that their client was unhappy, or pay you in full.
It may be that they have let their client bully them. At the agency we often had clients - always the most unpleasant ones - who would accuse us of delivering rubbish. Funnily enough they never bothered to say anything about it until the accountant started chasing them up for late payment, and the criticism was always rather vague "we had to rewrite it completely" "there were loads of mistakes". We always demanded a file showing all the corrections, and it never came. Or if it ever did, most of the changes were purely cosmetic, or the text had been re-Frenchified after I'd worked hard to make it sound natural in English.


Fukumi Jarvis
Josephine Cassar
Paul Malone
 
Fukumi Jarvis
Fukumi Jarvis
Spain
English to Japanese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you, I contacted them Oct 16, 2020

You may be right. "It may be that they have let their client bully them. "
I send the company another e-mail and they said that I don't need to worry about this. So I will wait for the payment.
I think that their client may be unreasonable. I really want to see what they said about the files.
Thank you everyone who commented. I was encouraged to send another e-mail to the company and now feel a bit better.


 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 23:54
French to English
. Oct 17, 2020

Good to hear that you're not letting yourself be bullied!

Paul Malone
 
Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Malta
Local time: 23:54
Member (2012)
English to Maltese
+ ...
Good thing Oct 17, 2020

Well, good thing there is this Forum site and that you made use of it here by clearly explaining what happened and not letting go but I think Proz should not just state you cannot post an entry on the BlueBoard if there are quality issues but also introduce a phrase to state if these quality issues were supported by evidence and only then, refuse posting on the BB. I hope this will be taken up as it's only fair to have this too. It's about time this was introduced and should really have been par... See more
Well, good thing there is this Forum site and that you made use of it here by clearly explaining what happened and not letting go but I think Proz should not just state you cannot post an entry on the BlueBoard if there are quality issues but also introduce a phrase to state if these quality issues were supported by evidence and only then, refuse posting on the BB. I hope this will be taken up as it's only fair to have this too. It's about time this was introduced and should really have been part and parcel of the whole affair. Don't let go now, good luck.Collapse


Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
 
Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:54
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Don't need to worry about this...? Oct 19, 2020

"I send the company another e-mail and they said that I don't need to worry about this."

Is this what they wrote to you word by word? What is it that they mean by "worry about this"? Worry about their relationship with their client, or what?
Did they tell you clearly that you would be paid in full?
Which country are they in, and in which language are you corresponding with them?


Daryo
Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
 
Fukumi Jarvis
Fukumi Jarvis
Spain
English to Japanese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
What I can do is limited in the moment Oct 19, 2020

Katalin Horváth McClure wrote:

"I send the company another e-mail and they said that I don't need to worry about this."

Is this what they wrote to you word by word? What is it that they mean by "worry about this"? Worry about their relationship with their client, or what?
Did they tell you clearly that you would be paid in full?
Which country are they in, and in which language are you corresponding with them?

I don't want to write too much details. It may be too early to judge them. I did what I could in this moment and I just wait for a while.
Anyway, thank you for your comment.


 
Daryo
Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:54
Serbian to English
+ ...
Wait a second ... Oct 19, 2020

What exactly is the role of this agency?

Just remove your name from the translation and put their own instead and charge the client for the privilege?

Or are they supposed to check the quality of your work?

If this agency presents themselves as them delivering the translation and you as a mere subcontractor who has nothing to do with the client then it's the agency's responsibility to accept or reject your translation.

THE AGENC
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What exactly is the role of this agency?

Just remove your name from the translation and put their own instead and charge the client for the privilege?

Or are they supposed to check the quality of your work?

If this agency presents themselves as them delivering the translation and you as a mere subcontractor who has nothing to do with the client then it's the agency's responsibility to accept or reject your translation.

THE AGENCY is supposed to know/establish what the client needs exactly and check if that corresponds to what you have delivered. They are supposed to be the "language experts", aren't they? So "the client complained" (for whatever reasons - right or wrong) sounds very much like trying to have your cake and eat it.

The translator is supposed to work on the basis of information provided ONLY by the agency and then be responsible for the reactions of the client that is presented as being some third party as far as the translator is concerned?

You can't be paranoid about any direct contact between the client and the translator and then put the onus on the translator if the middleman is playing a game of broken telephone.

Unless there are some other elements that could shift one way or another the responsibility for this "client's complaint" (if it's a real one, not just an empty excuse for not paying) you should expect to be paid in full.
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Felipe Lacerda
 
Fukumi Jarvis
Fukumi Jarvis
Spain
English to Japanese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
I will take an action if... Oct 19, 2020

Daryo wrote:

What exactly is the role of this agency?

Just remove your name from the translation and put their own instead and charge the client for the privilege?

Or are they supposed to check the quality of your work?

If this agency presents themselves as them delivering the translation and you as a mere subcontractor who has nothing to do with the client then it's the agency's responsibility to accept or reject your translation.

THE AGENCY is supposed to know/establish what the client needs exactly and check if that corresponds to what you have delivered. They are supposed to be the "language experts", aren't they? So "the client complained" (for whatever reasons - right or wrong) sounds very much like trying to have your cake and eat it.

The translator is supposed to work on the basis of information provided ONLY by the agency and then be responsible for the reactions of the client that is presented as being some third party as far as the translator is concerned?

You can't be paranoid about any direct contact between the client and the translator and then put the onus on the translator if the middleman is playing a game of broken telephone.

Unless there are some other elements that could shift one way or another the responsibility for this "client's complaint" (if it's a real one, not just an empty excuse for not paying) you should expect to be paid in full.

Thank you for summarizing roles of agencies.
I think you are basically right. I wish I could contact their client and discuss the matter to improve the work. If I can get information who they are, I can find much data on them. Thank you for helping me to see the matter from a different perspective.


 


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I was refused to be paid due to a terrible feedback the client refused to show me







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