| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | What to do when an agency lowers its rates? Thread poster: Rachel Gorney (X)
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Anne Brackenborough (X) 
Germany
Local time: 13:15
German to English
| tell them your conditions | Nov 27, 2007 |
Are you opposed to reductions for matches altogether, or would you prefer to do so under different conditions?
they have offered me a project, but with new "scaled" rates based on the CAT tool analysis of the document, offering only 25% or 50% of the pay rate for full matches and partial matches. Never mind, of course, that often the matches in the system are wrong and need to be revised/replaced!!!
How about proposing to do the work under certain conditions you choose, e.g. a reduction of ??% only for matches which are 100% the same, or perhaps 95% similar or more, and you will not correct mistakes in the translations provided. (You might provide a couple of examples of mistakes in the previous translations.)
| | | | Rachel Gorney (X)
France
Local time: 13:15
French to English
TOPIC STARTER | Happy Ending | Nov 29, 2007 |
Thanks for all of your suggestions and advice.
In fact, I have good news to report. I send an email to my client agency politely asking them to explain this new "scaled" rate system and why they had never sent me a project to be billed like this before. Their response was simply that this was a "one-shot deal".
Normally, they remove all of the full matches from the documents before they send them to translators, so that the text I normally get from them is exclusively... See more Thanks for all of your suggestions and advice.
In fact, I have good news to report. I send an email to my client agency politely asking them to explain this new "scaled" rate system and why they had never sent me a project to be billed like this before. Their response was simply that this was a "one-shot deal".
Normally, they remove all of the full matches from the documents before they send them to translators, so that the text I normally get from them is exclusively the segments that are to be billed at the full rate. In this particular case, they just didn't have time to do the extraction, so they sent me the "raw" text, which included full and partial matches.
Yesterday, they sent me an entire week's worth of work -- all to be billed at my normal flat rate, so I'm happy.
-R ▲ Collapse
| | | | Assem Mazloum
Germany
Local time: 13:15
Member (2007)
English to Arabic
+ ...
Hi Rachel,
personally, I'd lay my terms,(been there done that), stated that these rates are not acceptable and for the same ethical reasons they are violating I'll do the job this time only, otherwise bye bye sunshine. Nowadays, I do things my way not theirs... of course, I was sure of my stand and their need.
my quote is:
act professional and people would treat you as one.
rather risky, yet, I knew that other agencies will welcome me.
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profi-assem wrote:
act professional and people would treat you as one.
This is an excellent guideline. I have noticed that most every time I am willing to offer moree than what was agreed (upon client's request), it turns out that these things are eventually taken for granted, as if from the moment I first offer it, I owe it to them. This is true whether the matter is about rates, payment terms, processes or else. It's important to reflect in the client's eyes that you know how much you are worth, what conditions you are willing to accept and where your limits are - and stick to these. Yes, if your limitis are lower or if you are more flexible, you will probably have more work, but on the other hand, you also may run into more problems further down the line, which will cost you time and money - you're then back at the starting point. Being professional and acting like it is just a different path leading to the same destination - or even further.
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