Poll: Overall, how rigorous are your clients' screening processes for new translators? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Overall, how rigorous are your clients' screening processes for new translators?".
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| | | Michael Harris Germany Local time: 10:40 Member (2006) German to English
on earth am I supposed to know that? I fortunately have long-standing customers and we both respect each other. Just noticed it is an anonymous poll again....
[Edited at 2017-02-07 14:04 GMT] | | | EvaVer (X) Local time: 10:40 Czech to French + ...
Not enough in some cases (how could certain people whose translations I am asked to proofread pass ANY test?), extreme in others. Some have very elaborated and laborious proceses and then offer you ridiculous rates. | | |
Some seem very rigorous, but let’s say that my experience so far has been that having to fill out lengthy forms and sign endless NDAs usually translates to no assignments at all. I have been working with a few long-standing clients (more than 20 years) with no written contract, no NDA and no PO: they just send the file, ask if I am available and propose a deadline. P.S. The same que... See more Some seem very rigorous, but let’s say that my experience so far has been that having to fill out lengthy forms and sign endless NDAs usually translates to no assignments at all. I have been working with a few long-standing clients (more than 20 years) with no written contract, no NDA and no PO: they just send the file, ask if I am available and propose a deadline. P.S. The same question was asked 5 years ago... http://www.proz.com/forum/poll_discussion/225436-poll_in_general_how_rigorous_are_your_clients_screening_processes_for_new_translators.html?print=1
[Edited at 2017-02-07 17:07 GMT] ▲ Collapse | |
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But it seems to me that the more forms you have to fill out, the less they actually care about quality. | | | John Cutler Spain Local time: 10:40 Spanish to English + ...
Michael Harris wrote: How on earth am I supposed to know that? Thank you Michael for saving me the time of having to write that myself. | | |
The question is about my clients. As they are my clients, they like what I do, the way I do it, and are satisfied that my rates represent a good cost/benefit ratio. They keep coming back all the time. My prospects play a different game. I'd say 80% of them require: a) Trados, and they don't seem to care about anything else, ever! b) and/o... See more The question is about my clients. As they are my clients, they like what I do, the way I do it, and are satisfied that my rates represent a good cost/benefit ratio. They keep coming back all the time. My prospects play a different game. I'd say 80% of them require: a) Trados, and they don't seem to care about anything else, ever! b) and/or low rates. As I offer neither, they will remain prospects forever. ▲ Collapse | | |
I know one at least looks at their credentials and then has their worked checked by one of the translators the client already works with - sometimes me, if I know enough about the subject area and terminology. Others also rely on tests, some go for recommendations, but I really don't know about most of them. A few say they have found me in the CIoL register, which is screened, of course, but the client leaves the actual screening to the CIoL. Naturally, I ... See more I know one at least looks at their credentials and then has their worked checked by one of the translators the client already works with - sometimes me, if I know enough about the subject area and terminology. Others also rely on tests, some go for recommendations, but I really don't know about most of them. A few say they have found me in the CIoL register, which is screened, of course, but the client leaves the actual screening to the CIoL. Naturally, I like the low-hassle ones best - the kind that ask a few relevant questions about my training, check my exam certificates and/or the CIoL register, and then send me work! ▲ Collapse | |
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Yes, same opinion | Feb 7, 2017 |
Michael Harris wrote: on earth am I supposed to know that? I fortunately have long-standing customers and we both respect each other. Just noticed it is an anonymous poll again....
[Edited at 2017-02-07 09:39 GMT] Same here | | | Ventnai Spain Local time: 10:40 German to English + ...
One client asked me to proofread prospective freelancers' translations on many occasions in the past. Unfortunately, the standard was not very high. Only a few people ever produced anything remotely near what is required. The worst ones even had spelling mistakes, an unforgivable sin in the days of spellcheckers. | | | Word of mouth | Feb 8, 2017 |
From what little I know of their process, I would say that most of my clients find new translators the same way they found me: They ask for recommendations. All of my recurring clients first approached me because someone gave them my name. Now, when they need a translator and I can't do the job for whatever reason (i.e., wrong language pair, usually), they ask me to recommend someone. In 20 years of professional translating, I've been asked for a translation test only once. I don't ... See more From what little I know of their process, I would say that most of my clients find new translators the same way they found me: They ask for recommendations. All of my recurring clients first approached me because someone gave them my name. Now, when they need a translator and I can't do the job for whatever reason (i.e., wrong language pair, usually), they ask me to recommend someone. In 20 years of professional translating, I've been asked for a translation test only once. I don't think most of my clients have staff members who are qualified to evaluate a translation test. --Jane ▲ Collapse | | | Mario Freitas Brazil Local time: 05:40 Member (2014) English to Portuguese + ... Rigorous, but not enough | Feb 10, 2017 |
As the years go by, I'm dealing with clients that are increasingly better in all aspects. That, of course, includes an increased level of restraints for new engagements. However, when I'm asked to review translations of newcomers, I often see things that would not allow these people to even call themselves translators. So, I'm not sure if the clients don't have an effective screening method or if it's really hard to find enough good translators in my pair to meet the demand. I know there are man... See more As the years go by, I'm dealing with clients that are increasingly better in all aspects. That, of course, includes an increased level of restraints for new engagements. However, when I'm asked to review translations of newcomers, I often see things that would not allow these people to even call themselves translators. So, I'm not sure if the clients don't have an effective screening method or if it's really hard to find enough good translators in my pair to meet the demand. I know there are many; a lot more than required. But I think if you filter the group and separate the ripe from the rotten, the latter portion will be a lot larger. ▲ Collapse | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Overall, how rigorous are your clients' screening processes for new translators? Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
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