Asked to translate the same document by two different agencies. How to handle?
Thread poster: Bethany Bernardo
Bethany Bernardo
Bethany Bernardo  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 22:05
Japanese to English
Apr 20, 2021

I encountered a new situation today. Two different agencies have contacted me about translating the same document--they even have the same exact scans. I had already begun negotiations with one, signed an NDA, and given a quote. Both agencies seem reputable, judging by the BlueBoard.

I am guessing that the end client is shopping agencies, and by coincidence two of those agencies contacted me. My question is, how do I handle this? I signed an NDA with the first agency, but there were
... See more
I encountered a new situation today. Two different agencies have contacted me about translating the same document--they even have the same exact scans. I had already begun negotiations with one, signed an NDA, and given a quote. Both agencies seem reputable, judging by the BlueBoard.

I am guessing that the end client is shopping agencies, and by coincidence two of those agencies contacted me. My question is, how do I handle this? I signed an NDA with the first agency, but there were no stipulations about exclusivity/non-competition. So I believe I'm legally in the clear to give a quote to the second agency and then to just wait to see who accepts (especially since the first agency hasn't responded for 3 business days).

I feel strange doing this though; it seems dishonest somehow. I'm inclined to be upfront and let the second agency know that I'm already in negotiations on this document with another agency (while avoiding specifics like the name of that agency, of course, for the sake of privacy). Am I overreacting? Should I just give a quote as normal?

Do any of you have experience with a similar problem or advice on how to handle this?



[Edited at 2021-04-20 14:36 GMT]
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Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:05
Dutch to English
+ ...
Seems fine to me Apr 20, 2021

I can't see a problem here. If the end client has gone to multiple agencies it may well come to nothing in any case!

Kevin Fulton
Christel Zipfel
expressisverbis
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Peter Shortall
Christine Andersen
Philip Lees
 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 02:05
Danish to English
+ ...
It happens occasionally Apr 20, 2021

Just deal with each agency individually as you would if the other didn't exist – and quote the same price and conditions.

Non-competition agreements don't prevent you from dealing with other agencies, only directly with the end client, and you are not doing that.

You should not tell any of them that you have been offered the same text through another channel. That could be a breach of an NDA and there is no need to do so.


Christel Zipfel
expressisverbis
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Liviu-Lee Roth
Yolanda Broad
Peter Shortall
Philip Lees
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
And if you’re lucky... Apr 20, 2021

... they’ll both pay you to do it 👌

Christel Zipfel
Morano El-Kholy
expressisverbis
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Yolanda Broad
Peter Shortall
Kristopher Brame
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 02:05
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It happens Apr 20, 2021

As you are still in the negotiation phase I’d give exactly the same quote to each agency. I had a very similar situation some years ago with two paid tests from agencies that were submitting bids to the same call for tenders (EU). I made two slightly different tests. One of them was selected and I’m still working with both agencies…

Christopher Schröder
Bethany Bernardo
expressisverbis
 
Liviu-Lee Roth
Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 22:05
Romanian to English
+ ...
Real thing Apr 20, 2021

Chris S wrote:

... they’ll both pay you to do it 👌


I received the same voluminous project from two agencies that have a special contract with the government. I let both agencies know that, but their decision was to go forward with the project. I got paid twice for the same project. I loved it! It happened three times. I love the bureaucracy!


Lee


Christopher Schröder
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Hauke Christian
Axelle H.
expressisverbis
 
CroPro
CroPro  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 03:05
Member (2023)
English to Croatian
No problemo. Apr 20, 2021

This happens a lot, don't worry. No problem whatsoever. Just deal with it same as with any other project.

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
expressisverbis
 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
? Apr 20, 2021

Liviu-Lee Roth wrote:

Chris S wrote:

... they’ll both pay you to do it 👌


I received the same voluminous project from two agencies that have a special contract with the government. I let both agencies know that, but their decision was to go forward with the project. I got paid twice for the same project. I loved it! It happened three times. I love the bureaucracy!


Lee


So the government accidentally ordered the same job twice, from two different agencies?

Or two different lower-level governments ordered translations of the same central government or EU document?


James McVay
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 03:05
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Make an offer to both Apr 20, 2021

If the end client is shopping, only one agency will get the job, so work with the agency that gives you the go-ahead. You might not hear from either of them if the client really is shopping, and chooses a third agency that has not contacted you. That is not unusual, after all-

As far as I remember, I have never been offered the same job twice at the same time, but I have been offered jobs on a couple of occasions - and then found the text came up almost complete from my Trados TM!... See more
If the end client is shopping, only one agency will get the job, so work with the agency that gives you the go-ahead. You might not hear from either of them if the client really is shopping, and chooses a third agency that has not contacted you. That is not unusual, after all-

As far as I remember, I have never been offered the same job twice at the same time, but I have been offered jobs on a couple of occasions - and then found the text came up almost complete from my Trados TM!
On one occasion it was for a good client, who had sent same the text a year earlier, so I proofread the translation carefully and only invoiced for light proofreading. That kind of thing pays off in the long run.

Otherwise I have simply proofread the translation and checked for details, and charged the full rate. You win some, and you certainly lose some too in this business!
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Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Bethany Bernardo
 
Liviu-Lee Roth
Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 22:05
Romanian to English
+ ...
My take Apr 21, 2021

Adieu wrote:

Liviu-Lee Roth wrote:

Chris S wrote:

... they’ll both pay you to do it 👌


I received the same voluminous project from two agencies that have a special contract with the government. I let both agencies know that, but their decision was to go forward with the project. I got paid twice for the same project. I loved it! It happened three times. I love the bureaucracy!


Lee


So the government accidentally ordered the same job twice, from two different agencies?

Or two different lower-level governments ordered translations of the same central government or EU document?


”So the government accidentally ordered the same job twice, from two different agencies?” Yes! Unfortunately, or fortunately, it was not an accident - just plain sloppiness. It happened in three different instances.

Ministry of Justice does not sound like a lower-level entity.


 
James McVay
James McVay  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 22:05
Russian to English
+ ...
It happens Apr 23, 2021



Liviu-Lee Roth wrote:

So the government accidentally ordered the same job twice, from two different agencies?

Or two different lower-level governments ordered translations of the same central government or EU document?


I worked for a government agency years ago that bought a lot of translations from the same contracted vendor. We had a procedure for tracking translation jobs to prevent duplications, but things sometimes slipped through the cracks — especially if considerable time had passed.

[Edited at 2021-04-23 19:02 GMT]

[Edited at 2021-04-23 19:02 GMT]


Liviu-Lee Roth
 


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