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We get paid 170 Euros, but we pay you 16,50 Euros
Thread poster: Helga Lemiere
Bernhard Sulzer
Bernhard Sulzer  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:15
English to German
+ ...
Like! Feb 23, 2017

Michael Newton wrote:

Au voleur!


Vite Vite!

Where's the like button?


 
Philippe Etienne
Philippe Etienne  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 23:15
Member
English to French
My reaction: quotation as per my standard terms Feb 23, 2017

Helga Lemiere wrote:
0 new word, 431 words (50 - 74% Matches), 38 words (85 - 94% Matches) and 899 words (95 - 99% Matches)

109 euros for EN>FR, discounts included (0.11 base rate, grid 20/60/100, fuzzies between 85 and 99%). I see Arianne would be on a similar wavelength, which is comforting in a way.

Bottom line: I can't be competitive (or careless) enough to work with an agency that charges the translation user 150 euros only. But then if they find people to feed their gross margin of 90%, they can afford to charge their customers competitive rates.

Ricki Farn wrote:
...As it is now, this point ("will the option for internal fuzzies be checked in analysis") needs to be included in every rate negotiation.

Or "do you consider an added/removed tag as a change?"
Or "do you fine-tune your CAT tool in order to always get the lowest weighted wordcounts?"
That's the gorgeous thing about CAT tools: it's not that they improve consistency, streamline translation workflows, make research easier, speed up lead times or nicely replace manual yellow highlighting and copy-paste.
No. Used knowledgeably and boldly, check box and option tweaking does have a serious impact on "weighted wordcounts", and therefore prices.

For starters, translators must know the tools they're using - however boring that may be - and how weighted wordcounts are computed (more here: http://www.proz.com/forum/money_matters/268387-rates_for_weighted_words.html#2291899 ).
Then if they end up earning 3 shillings/hour on a large project, they'll know the reason behind it.

Philippe


 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
forfaitaire cleanup Feb 23, 2017

Salut, Helga!

You're right that it's unfair minimum 10.3 times, and no attitude would change the reality.

That's why I would like to ask you:
Knowing the rates and being competent, why don't you (with some colleagues) open an agency which would pay more fair, improving at least the local market and trends?


It does require a dealer's golden eye--preferably two, because I know several cases when good translators with allegedly good intentions t
... See more
Salut, Helga!

You're right that it's unfair minimum 10.3 times, and no attitude would change the reality.

That's why I would like to ask you:
Knowing the rates and being competent, why don't you (with some colleagues) open an agency which would pay more fair, improving at least the local market and trends?


It does require a dealer's golden eye--preferably two, because I know several cases when good translators with allegedly good intentions tried, but failed.
No, they didn't go out of biz, just turned as others... in greed.

Cheers
Collapse


 
sailingshoes
sailingshoes
Local time: 23:15
Spanish to English
Forum Mar 2, 2018

You said:

Also I found a forum on Internet where ancient project managers speak about the experiences they made in this agency, their working conditions and off-the-stage price politics!

Could you share the link?


 
Helga Lemiere
Helga Lemiere  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 23:15
German to French
TOPIC STARTER
Hello sailingshoes Mar 5, 2018

I cannot share the link, since the name of the agency would appear !

I sometimes get some translation requests from them, but I do not longer work with them, my e-mail box treats their messages as spams. I have no time to waste !


 
sdvplatt
sdvplatt
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:15
Member (2003)
German to English
+ ...
name and shame? Mar 5, 2018

Helga Lemiere wrote:

Dear colleagues,

I would like to know how you would react in a situation I was confronted this morning !

A tanslation agency in London (I work for them since 2010, last year they started to try to lower my tarifs) sent me a translation request with a screenshot of a Trados word count analysis, 0 new word, 431 words (50 - 74% Matches), 38 words (85 - 94% Matches) and 899 words (95 - 99% Matches), so a total word count of 1368 words. They attached another screenshot which should give me an idea of the content but, surprise, the screen-shot was the quotation for their customer in order to translate the document in several languages ! I saw several language pairs and the tarif varies between 147 and 170 Euros !

The project manager offers me 16,50 Euros since there are only repetitions and she was arguing that this is their flat rate !

Of course I didn't accept, but I am a little dissapointed they way I declined this offer (much too friendly) ! In fact I felt so offended that I was unable to react correctly (more sarcastic maybe ?), since for me this kind of tarif-dumping attitude is simply impossible to understand !

I would like to know how you would have reacted !



I dont understand. You did the right thing.


 
Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 23:15
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
Have some fun Mar 6, 2018

If you know who the end client is, at the end of the month write a bogus invoice for a hefty amount to the end client and send it "by mistake" to the agency.

[Edited at 2018-03-06 01:05 GMT]


 
Cristiana Coblis
Cristiana Coblis  Identity Verified
Romania
Local time: 00:15
Member (2004)
English to Romanian
+ ...
Rate too low Mar 7, 2018

Helga Lemiere wrote:
A tanslation agency in London (I work for them since 2010, last year they started to try to lower my tarifs) sent me a translation request with a screenshot of a Trados word count analysis, 0 new word, 431 words (50 - 74% Matches), 38 words (85 - 94% Matches) and 899 words (95 - 99% Matches), so a total word count of 1368 words. They attached another screenshot which should give me an idea of the content but, surprise, the screen-shot was the quotation for their customer in order to translate the document in several languages ! I saw several language pairs and the tarif varies between 147 and 170 Euros !


I had similar enlightening experiences in the past, where PMs unwittingly sent me the quote for the end client. But at least they built their 200% markup on top of my rate, which was more than fair for the work involved.

In this case, it does seem that the agency rates quoted to the end client are on the low side and the project involves a bit of work (maybe even over two hours). In such cases, I always quote my regular rates and leave them the choice to go ahead with the project at my usual rate or go with someone else.

In many cases, their calculations are based on the bulk prices they get for the entire lot, so they would still be able to fit in some languages at higher rates, while squeezing others who are more willing to accept their first offer. Be careful not to be in the last category.

I do understand your feelings, but I do not think I would have bothered to send them a reply beyond that or maybe at all, since my plate is quite full already and there are plenty of translators out there who might need or enjoy the work, despite what we might think.

[Editat la 2018-03-07 07:36 GMT]


 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 23:15
French to English
and also... Mar 7, 2018

Samuel Murray wrote:

Helga Lemiere wrote:
0 new words
431 words (50 - 74% Matches)
38 words (85 - 94% Matches)
899 words (95 - 99% Matches)
total 1368 words.

...since there are only repetitions.


Yes, I've noticed this shift in the industry terminology -- fuzzy matches are now called "repetitions" (sometimes also "fuzzy repetitions").


The agency I used to work at called it "proofreading". Because all I had to do was read the source and target and correct the target which would be just slightly off, like a bad translation.

I don't work for them as a freelancer.


 
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