mois suivants

09:20 Apr 4, 2016 

Whoops - I meant had not yet passed (blush) - call myself a translator! Need my morning coffee!

09:19 Apr 4, 2016 

Hi Edgar! Ha ha, no worries. I only didn't award you the points as an alert popped up suggesting, since 24h had not yet past, that I should select the answer I found most helpful and then the community would award the points. I can't see anywhere to click to award the points now :-s Moderators - if you read this could you please award the points to Edgar? Thanks!

08:12 Apr 4, 2016 

Hi Sarah, sorry to be a points bore, but when you wrote "so I have selected his answer" did you also mean to award the points? I would not mind, but I have a theoretical beer (or three) riding on this :) Edgar

13:12 Apr 1, 2016 

Thanks so much everyone for your help. I have now received a reply from the client, who confirmed that the original was indeed confusing and included a typo. They also confirmed that Edgar's interpretation was correct, so I have selected his answer. My final English version now reads: "Over the next 24 months, KHM will also receive a commission of 2% for the first 12 months and 1.5% for the following 12 months." Phew! Thanks again all

11:13 Apr 1, 2016 

I think you will find that this is a three year period and that remuneration is more heavily weighted in favour of commission, rather than basic pay for the first year and that weighting reduces over the two subsequent years. This would generally be accompanied by increasing basic salary so the member of staff becomes less dependent upon commission as they prove themselves over that three year period.

08:20 Apr 1, 2016 

I think the best policy here is to check with the client. If that is not posible, and in any event, you cannot really add anything and simply translate what is there, indicating perhaps the supposed typo.

08:16 Apr 1, 2016 

I think the original is not that clearly phrased.
“XX percevra en outre les 24 mois suivant (sans « s ») une commission de 2% au titres des 12 premiers mois suivants et de 1,5% les 12 mois suivants les 12 premiers… »
Written this way, the word “suivant”, without an “s” seems to mean :
“In addition, XX will receive, [in/during] the 24 months following [receipt of] a commission…” Thus an event is to occur following the receipt of a commission.
That reading is based on the absence of the “s” on “suivant” as is, but also on the assumption that other elements are understood and/or perhaps missing. Note that the “s” is there when the word appears elsewhere in the sentence. I think this reading can be ruled out and that the word “suivant” should have an “s”.
Based on that assumption, then :
« XX percevra, en outre, les 24 mois suivants, une commission de 2% au titre des 12 premiers mois suivants et de 1,5% les 12 mois suivants les 12 premiers. »
Finally, I think it’s a matter of assuming there is a typo and that commas have been missed out.

18:18 Mar 31, 2016 

Thanks to both of you - not just me then, that's reassuring! I will ask the client for clarification then, to make sure we get it right...

17:14 Mar 31, 2016 

I was ready to post an answer then read the whole text again... It is too confusing in French, and does need clarified with the client. Now for a paracetamol...

17:03 Mar 31, 2016 

... but the more I look at it, the more confused I get. So much so that I think it may be badly written and require clarification from the customer.