Pages in topic:   [1 2] >
Poll: Have you ever rejected jobs to boost your prestige?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Apr 6, 2016

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever rejected jobs to boost your prestige?".

View the poll results »



 
Jack Doughty
Jack Doughty  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:54
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam
Other Apr 6, 2016

I don't understand the question. How can you boost your prestige by rejecting a job?

 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 10:54
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Neither do I, Jack! Apr 6, 2016

Explanation needed, please! Can't understand how and why rejecting a job could boost my prestige and who would know that I had rejected the job in question...

[Edited at 2016-04-06 08:39 GMT]


 
Alexandra Speirs
Alexandra Speirs  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:54
Italian to English
+ ...
strange question Apr 6, 2016

I suppose "boosting your prestige" means make you sound so busy that anyone would be lucky to obtain your services ....

If I reject a job it may be for various reasons: I may be snowed under with other work and just can't make the deadline the client wants, or maybe I don't fancy the subject matter. If the client is an agency that's not a problem, they have a whole fleet of translators at their beck and call.
The problem is when a new direct client arrives with something you d
... See more
I suppose "boosting your prestige" means make you sound so busy that anyone would be lucky to obtain your services ....

If I reject a job it may be for various reasons: I may be snowed under with other work and just can't make the deadline the client wants, or maybe I don't fancy the subject matter. If the client is an agency that's not a problem, they have a whole fleet of translators at their beck and call.
The problem is when a new direct client arrives with something you don't much like doing and you accept anyway so that he won't go elsewhere!
Collapse


 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 19:54
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
No 'Don't understand' option Apr 6, 2016

It looks as if we need a Rosetta Stone to decipher this one.
Ho, hum. Another obscure and indecipherable hit-and-run poll from 'Anonymous'. Sigh


 
Yasutomo Kanazawa
Yasutomo Kanazawa  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 19:54
Member (2005)
English to Japanese
+ ...
My interpretation Apr 6, 2016

I didn't understand the question when I read it, but I interpreted "boosting one's prestige" as rejecting jobs offering low rates to show that you are not a cheap translator.

 
Catherine De Crignis
Catherine De Crignis  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 11:54
Member (2012)
English to French
+ ...
"Other" (since I can't pretend I understood the question) Apr 6, 2016

I sometimes refuse annoying jobs (smallish ones or low profit margin ones when I'm already on target with regard to my monthly turnover), when I figure out it is wiser to invest time in marketing activities.
But this is probably beside the point the asker aimed to raise?


 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:54
French to English
Ambiguous Apr 6, 2016

Sorry, but I join those who find the question is expressed in quite an odd way. I can see how one might think that accepting a particular job might boost one's prestige. I fail to see how rejecting a job can boost one's prestige. In certain circumstances, refusing a job may be a wise decision in order to protect one's reputation. When clients come to you through word of mouth, that means you've established a certain reputation over time. No-one in their right mind would throw that out the window... See more
Sorry, but I join those who find the question is expressed in quite an odd way. I can see how one might think that accepting a particular job might boost one's prestige. I fail to see how rejecting a job can boost one's prestige. In certain circumstances, refusing a job may be a wise decision in order to protect one's reputation. When clients come to you through word of mouth, that means you've established a certain reputation over time. No-one in their right mind would throw that out the window! I have refused jobs that I have considered had the potential to damage my reputation as a translator/interpreter. Anyone worth their salt would do so. You don't put 20 years of your working life on the line for one job. It is easy enough, through no fault of one's own, for certain things to go awry. Of course, it is also possible to make mistakes and not just in a translation but also in the background business stuff, which is every bit as important (deadline, phone call).
I've got other stuff to focus on than accepting/refusing jobs for reasons of prestige.

Guiding principles :
- know your stuff
- work hard
- respect undertakings given
- expect other to respect their undertakings
- respect business etiquette
- accept responsibility for mistakes
- humility
- don't be a doormat
- enjoy it

[Edited at 2016-04-06 09:34 GMT]
Collapse


 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:54
Member (2006)
German to English
Exactly what I was Apr 6, 2016

Jack Doughty wrote:

I don't understand the question. How can you boost your prestige by rejecting a job?


thinking


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 11:54
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Apr 6, 2016

I read the article last year about a shop - I think it was in Australia - that supposedly made a name for itself by snootily dissing customers, suggesting that they probably couldn't afford its wares. Perhaps the query has something to do with that notion.

In general, I don't like rejecting jobs without good reason, but I have found that sometimes turning down a client makes them even more eager to engage your services. However, having said that, I have never rejected a job delibera
... See more
I read the article last year about a shop - I think it was in Australia - that supposedly made a name for itself by snootily dissing customers, suggesting that they probably couldn't afford its wares. Perhaps the query has something to do with that notion.

In general, I don't like rejecting jobs without good reason, but I have found that sometimes turning down a client makes them even more eager to engage your services. However, having said that, I have never rejected a job deliberately to "boost my prestige"... And must admit I find the notion slightly absurd.

Here's the article link:
http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/more-gasps-as-shop-service-spat-spreads-20110930-1l07x.html

[Edited at 2016-04-06 09:46 GMT]
Collapse


 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 11:54
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
No Apr 6, 2016

I never thought of it like that, but I do decline jobs with too low rates for the sake of keeping up the standard for myself and for the industry.

 
Sara Maghini
Sara Maghini  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:54
English to Italian
+ ...
Ambiguous phrasing Apr 6, 2016

I don't understand the question.

 
John Cutler
John Cutler  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:54
Spanish to English
+ ...
I was thinking... Apr 6, 2016

Yetta J Bogarde wrote:

I never thought of it like that, but I do decline jobs with too low rates for the sake of keeping up the standard for myself and for the industry.


I thought the queston was along those lines.


 
Gianluca Marras
Gianluca Marras  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 11:54
English to Italian
NO Apr 6, 2016

Alexandra Speirs wrote:

I suppose "boosting your prestige" means make you sound so busy that anyone would be lucky to obtain your services ....



I understood the question exactly this way, and my answer is NO.

I reject jobs if:
I am busy (but I do not pretend I am)
the rate is too low
I do not feel comfortable with the subject
I am on holiday

But refusing it to make the clients (who? new clients?) think they are lucky to get my service... well it would be quite useless.. my clients know me, new clients would not waste time with me if I refused too many jobs to "sound busy".


[Edited at 2016-04-06 11:57 GMT]


 
MarinaM
MarinaM  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 07:54
English to Spanish
+ ...
Other Apr 6, 2016

I don't get the idea...

Are we supposed to include in our CV " I have rejected several projects"?


 
Pages in topic:   [1 2] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Have you ever rejected jobs to boost your prestige?






Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »
CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »