| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: How many assignments did you turn down last month? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:03
German to English
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| More than three | Mar 20, 2012 |
In fact, a lot more than three, I probably turn down work most days. Partly these are new enquiries offering inappropriate rates, partly they are existing customers and I simply don't have the time.
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 22:03
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Mary Worby wrote:
In fact, a lot more than three, I probably turn down work most days. Partly these are new enquiries offering inappropriate rates, partly they are existing customers and I simply don't have the time.
And then there's also this one agency who sends me job offers but... expects me to place my bid in their auction. Who has time for that?
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:03
Spanish to English
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I answered more than 3 but I can't actually remember if it really was only 3, but it may have been more.
I really don't retain information like this, as I don't "need to know", which is one of my main working criteria in order to speed things up.
For example, I never know how many trashed item are in my recycle bin unless I click on it. Deleted = just that, i.e. out of sight, out of mind.
Note: All the offers I rejected were from known clients; I'd have accepted them... See more I answered more than 3 but I can't actually remember if it really was only 3, but it may have been more.
I really don't retain information like this, as I don't "need to know", which is one of my main working criteria in order to speed things up.
For example, I never know how many trashed item are in my recycle bin unless I click on it. Deleted = just that, i.e. out of sight, out of mind.
Note: All the offers I rejected were from known clients; I'd have accepted them if I hadn't already been too busy with other commitments.
[Edited at 2012-03-20 14:47 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 22:03
English to French
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Is this about February? I don't remember and honestly, I don't care!
Also, as I work with several PMs of the same agency, they settle a number of things before they even ask me, so they do not waste their time or mine.
Last week, I declined at least 5 jobs, from 5 different clients (not PMs working for the same agency) or offered a later deadline.
After I give clients the date until when I am (fully) booked, they do not bother contacting me for things they know I... See more Is this about February? I don't remember and honestly, I don't care!
Also, as I work with several PMs of the same agency, they settle a number of things before they even ask me, so they do not waste their time or mine.
Last week, I declined at least 5 jobs, from 5 different clients (not PMs working for the same agency) or offered a later deadline.
After I give clients the date until when I am (fully) booked, they do not bother contacting me for things they know I cannot deliver! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Isabelle F. BRUCHER (X)
Belgium
Local time: 22:03
English to French
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| The question probably is: "in the last month", | Mar 20, 2012 |
i.e. in the last 30 days. Indeed, I suppose nobody expects anyone to remember on 20th March what happened on February 1-29. Maybe the asker can re-formulate the question.
Personally, I answered "1" and it was exactly on 6th March. I still have the e-mails.
I have organized my e-mail folders like this:
- CLIENTS & my quotes:
- EXISTING
- POTENTIAL
- BLACK LIST
This one is now in my Black List folder. Easy to find. It d... See more i.e. in the last 30 days. Indeed, I suppose nobody expects anyone to remember on 20th March what happened on February 1-29. Maybe the asker can re-formulate the question.
Personally, I answered "1" and it was exactly on 6th March. I still have the e-mails.
I have organized my e-mail folders like this:
- CLIENTS & my quotes:
- EXISTING
- POTENTIAL
- BLACK LIST
This one is now in my Black List folder. Easy to find. It does not cost anything to keep it and at least I will never send those people a quote again.
Indeed, after doing their small test for free and succeeding, after filling their online registration form with all your language pairs and specialization fields, you finally stumble upon their Terms and Conditions, which I find totally abusive:
they do not pay for bank and wire transfer costs, they do not pay in euros AND do not pay for currency conversion rates.
They pretend to agree to your conditions, then slowly start imposing THEIR conditions, which makes you lose HOURS on negotiating uselessly because they always end up imposing their third-world rates (and they are non-continental Europeans, if you see what I mean).
You have to agree to their abusive Terms and Conditions in order to be registered, while you had only sent a quote through the Proz system: no long-term relationship, just a job in sight...
Their Terms and Conditions impose a Trados grid which gives me pimples and it is not clear whether the third-world rate they are trying to impose will be further amputated by other reductions on the ground of fuzzy matches and repetitions.
Because once you have signed (electronically) their infamous Terms and Conditions, it means you agree to that further amputation of your revenues.
When I think a computer has to be renewed every 3 years in order to prevent any crash from happening in the middle of an urgent assignment...
I feel like invoicing positive percentages each time I do some research, including just opening a dictionary.
I suppose the base rate is just for typing?
Tiring people. And the female PM is just idiotic, like they too often are. No organisation. And no respect. You send your own terms and conditions, your own price. They pretend to agree, then end up imposing their conditions.
That kind of people steal either your revenues or your time. Thieves in any case, thus...
In which industry do clients (or worse, intermediaries) impose their conditions??? I must be dreaming... ▲ Collapse
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Much more than 3, for sure!
I think we ought to care. When I used to work in-house, we would write down rejected offers. That was very important to consider hiring new staff or not.
I've not done that over the last 5 years I've been working as a freelancer, but just this month, I decided to start doing it, so this polls comes right on time. Since March 1st, I turned down 24 offers. I count only those offers which I may have accepted if I had had less work going on, not... See more Much more than 3, for sure!
I think we ought to care. When I used to work in-house, we would write down rejected offers. That was very important to consider hiring new staff or not.
I've not done that over the last 5 years I've been working as a freelancer, but just this month, I decided to start doing it, so this polls comes right on time. Since March 1st, I turned down 24 offers. I count only those offers which I may have accepted if I had had less work going on, not those bulk offers from unknown agencies offering ridiculous conditions. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | About 40, I should think | Mar 20, 2012 |
Largely because I've been working on two large assignments for the past couple of months that have precluded my accepting much else.
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SYTham
Singapore
Local time: 04:03
Chinese to English
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| A lot more than 3 | Mar 20, 2012 |
Turned down many because I had other assignments, but even more because of ridiculously low rates or unreasonable deadlines.
| | | | | During the february more than 3, however, ... | Mar 20, 2012 |
less than 10 pages in total
March is much better
[Edited at 2012-03-20 13:06 GMT]
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
for I'm no longer work as a freelance translator/interpreter (it's been years ago tho'), but I keep getting different requests and inquiries regarding some jobs--even via ProZ!
The point is I deliberately removed any relevant data from my profile, but they seem either don't care or aren't suspicious enough--I would never approach anybody if he had such an empty 'profile' (literally-none).
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 16:03
Member (2005)
German to English
+ ...
| Easily more than 3 | Mar 20, 2012 |
I translate patents, which get filed under "legal". Which means that several agencies (and don't get me wrong, I love working for these people) send me legal translations and business contracts. Neither of which I have the expertise nor the desire to accept.
Sometimes the PM sends me these things because the client has said that their text is "technical", when it is, in fact, a contract with 90% business language and 10% tech-speak.
And then there are the standard catt... See more I translate patents, which get filed under "legal". Which means that several agencies (and don't get me wrong, I love working for these people) send me legal translations and business contracts. Neither of which I have the expertise nor the desire to accept.
Sometimes the PM sends me these things because the client has said that their text is "technical", when it is, in fact, a contract with 90% business language and 10% tech-speak.
And then there are the standard cattle calls for "my best rates". I'm busy enough without jumping through 10 pages of registration hoops, thank you very much. ▲ Collapse
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Elías Sauza
Mexico
Local time: 14:03
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
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I usually turn down these rush, low-rate, overnight jobs from that agency with offices everywhere from Hawaii to England.
[Edited at 2012-03-20 15:23 GMT]
| | | | | You're joking, right? | Mar 20, 2012 |
I turn down work (actually offered assignments, not just queries) pretty much every day. Many days I turn down multiple assignments.
What was the original poster looking for? Three seems like a terribly small number. Original poster, what was the thought process here?
| | | | | I also had to turn down some | Mar 20, 2012 |
I think it's a pity that some job opportunities get lost. I am not talking about those offering very cheap rates or urgent jobs. I am talking about all those jobs that we can't do because of lack of time and because we are already engaged in other jobs. And on the other hand to think that there are some members out there that don't get enough jobs.
Wouldn't it be a good idea for ProZ to help us make a kind of arrangement (or we personally) in which we form groups or teams with tran... See more I think it's a pity that some job opportunities get lost. I am not talking about those offering very cheap rates or urgent jobs. I am talking about all those jobs that we can't do because of lack of time and because we are already engaged in other jobs. And on the other hand to think that there are some members out there that don't get enough jobs.
Wouldn't it be a good idea for ProZ to help us make a kind of arrangement (or we personally) in which we form groups or teams with translators that have the same language combinations, same fields of interest, similar expertise, etc., etc., and when we can't take care of a job, it's passed to the next translator in the list? Of course the client should be aware of this, and he/she should approve it.
[Edited at 2012-03-20 15:48 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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