| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Is it risky to turn down jobs? Thread poster: Whitney Maslak
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Jeff Whittaker 
United States
Local time: 04:41
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
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| You may even get more work as a result because... | Jun 15, 2015 |
..,some translators accept anything and everything that is offered to them, making life extremely difficult for the project manager who has to deal with an angry client.
By turning down work, the project manager will actually feel more comfortable offering you all kinds of different projects because they are now confident that you won't accept them unless you can do a good job. As a result, you will get offered lots of interesting work that you may not have otherwise been offered a... See more ..,some translators accept anything and everything that is offered to them, making life extremely difficult for the project manager who has to deal with an angry client.
By turning down work, the project manager will actually feel more comfortable offering you all kinds of different projects because they are now confident that you won't accept them unless you can do a good job. As a result, you will get offered lots of interesting work that you may not have otherwise been offered and you may even become their "first contact" for projects.
Who would you contact first?:
Translator A: accepts everything, but not be able to do a good job.
Translator B: won't accept the project unless they can do a good job.
In fact, even if Translator B turns the project down, he/she often gives a reason which may be helpful to the project manager in placing the project (description of subject matter, translation of title, difficulty level, possible pitfalls, etc.).
Whitney Maslak wrote: Angela Rimmer wrote:
I can promise you that any client worth keeping will not only accept that you've declined a job due to lack of availability or not feeling comfortable with the text, they will think MORE HIGHLY of you.
That's good to know that the worthwhile clients will understand! I do feel better now about the situation. It's not like I've been turning down jobs left and right, but the past couple weeks was the first time I actually had a few jobs I couldn't take on, mostly because I knew I wouldn't be able to deliver a good translation by the deadline. There was also another job that was small enough I could have completed it, but it was a very poor quality PDF scan, and those are my least favorite types of files to translate. So I considered myself fortunate enough to have enough work to not feel obligated to accept that one.
[Edited at 2015-06-15 16:37 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 14:11
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER | I doubt if PMs think that way | Jun 15, 2015 |
Jeff Whittaker wrote:
..,some translators accept anything and everything that is offered to them, making life extremely difficult for the project manager who has to deal with an angry client.
By turning down work, the project manager will actually feel more comfortable offering you all kinds of different projects because they are now confident that you won't accept them unless you can do a good job. As a result, you will get offered lots of interesting work that you may not have otherwise been offered and you may even become their "first contact" for projects.
From what I know of PMs, what is uppermost in their mind is to quickly allocate the translation to a translator and in 99% cases they go for the known devil, forcing him to take even things outside his comfort zone, because they know from previous experience that the bloke will put in his best.
It often becomes a tough job to refuse such PMs for they are very persistent. In one case a PM for whom I work regularly in my main language pair (English to Hindi) contacted me with a job in the English to Gujarati pair. Gujarati is a minor second language for me and I sometime translate from Gujarati to English or Hindi, but never into Gujarati. I told this PM this, but he was persistent and insisted that since it was just a sentence, he was sure I could do it! In the end, I had to take the help from a Gujarati speaking colleague to get this job done.
The point is, identifying a likely translator for a job is an onerous job for PMs, and they don't like people they have zeroed in on for a job after much trouble refusing to take the job. They pick a prospective translator after some deliberation and it is an additional burden on them (and many of them are already overburdened) if people make it a habit of refusing offered work and they have to begin from square one and identify a new translator for the job.
In many cases quality is the least concern of the PM; getting the job off their table is the primary one, and also of their own client, who wants the job done (not necessarily well) yesterday.
[Edited at 2015-06-15 16:50 GMT]
| | | | Angela Malik
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
German to English
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| Agree and disagree | Jun 18, 2015 |
Balasubramaniam L. wrote:
From what I know of PMs, what is uppermost in their mind is to quickly allocate the translation to a translator and in 99% cases they go for the known devil, forcing him to take even things outside his comfort zone, because they know from previous experience that the bloke will put in his best.
...
The point is, identifying a likely translator for a job is an onerous job for PMs, and they don't like people they have zeroed in on for a job after much trouble refusing to take the job. They pick a prospective translator after some deliberation and it is an additional burden on them (and many of them are already overburdened) if people make it a habit of refusing offered work and they have to begin from square one and identify a new translator for the job.
In many cases quality is the least concern of the PM; getting the job off their table is the primary one, and also of their own client, who wants the job done (not necessarily well) yesterday.
[Edited at 2015-06-15 16:50 GMT]
Having been a PM, I have to disagree with you to an extent here. Quality is a concern for a lot of PMs because it prevents customer complaints and prickly proofreaders. A good quality translator is also a gem if the deadline is so tight that proofreading will not be possible.
Yes, placing a job with a translator is paramount (otherwise the job will not be completed) and if the deadline is tight, there is even more pressure to place it quickly. But as a PM you always have a few categories for translators. If your first choice(s) aren't available, then you are forced to go elsewhere and then it is a case of "the devil you know". But you will try your first choice first before asking the guy who's not always the best in terms of quality.
But I disagree with "they don't like people they have zeroed in on for a job..." I mean, of course you want to place the job but the fact is that translators decline jobs all the time, it's part of life as a PM. It's not the end of the world and the only time it is really a desperate situation is if you don't have many options of who else to call.
IMO, the only translator who is at risk of being completely disregarded for jobs is the one who is difficult to work with (e.g. has a bad attitude, is unprofessional and rude, has technical problems all the time because they aren't familiar enough with their own CAT tools or computer, does not deliver a job and then goes AWOL, etc.)
| | | | | I know some PMs work like that - work with them! | Jun 18, 2015 |
Jeff Whittaker wrote:
..,some translators accept anything and everything that is offered to them, making life extremely difficult for the project manager who has to deal with an angry client.
By turning down work, the project manager will actually feel more comfortable offering you all kinds of different projects because they are now confident that you won't accept them unless you can do a good job. As a result, you will get offered lots of interesting work that you may not have otherwise been offered and you may even become their "first contact" for projects.
Who would you contact first?:
Translator A: accepts everything, but not be able to do a good job.
Translator B: won't accept the project unless they can do a good job.
In fact, even if Translator B turns the project down, he/she often gives a reason which may be helpful to the project manager in placing the project (description of subject matter, translation of title, difficulty level, possible pitfalls, etc.).
I talked to PMs now and then when I worked in-house, although they were based in a different department and a different town.
They made a real effort to find the right translator for the right job, so they discussed with us how we worked and what we felt confident about. We had a technician-engineer in our office who enjoyed jobs that would make the rest of us run away screaming. We had another who was an expert on law... but could get any other text to sound like heavy legalese as well...
To my surprise, I was once introduced at a conference as 'the one who takes on menus!' It is one of my niches that I enjoy, but I was surprised to find others didn't.
I have turned down several jobs this week. One of 'my' regular end clients is busy with a tight schedule, and the PMs at that agency have told their colleagues I am BOOKED! I still have to turn down others myself.
In fact knowing what you do well and what you don't mess with is a very good way of getting repeat work from satisfied clients.
Recommending reliable colleagues who do take on areas you don't will get you jobs from them in return.
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Angela Malik
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
German to English
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| Give me a "boring" technical text over a menu any day! | Jun 18, 2015 |
Christine Andersen wrote:
To my surprise, I was once introduced at a conference as 'the one who takes on menus!' It is one of my niches that I enjoy, but I was surprised to find others didn't.
I would NEVER do a menu! I hate that kind of work. I also avoid anything involving tourism (travel guides etc). I often arrange these types of translations for my clients, but I ALWAYS outsource them because I know I am not the right one for those types of jobs! (plus I really do not enjoy that type of text)
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
| Interesting, | Jun 18, 2015 |
do they ever teach translators/interpreters how to politely decline not needed offers?
| | | | Corbett AM
Ireland
Local time: 09:41
French to English
+ ...
| 'Some translators' will accept anything a bit harsh | Jun 6, 2016 |
Someone said that some translators will accept anything.
I don't think it is that simple and it's a bit harsh to be honest.
Some translators in the first year or so can't be too fussy about what they are offered because they are happy to be offered it and if it relates to an area that even mildly interests them it will help them decide if interest 'translates' into competence.
The only thing is some agencies don't give feedback so they don't know how well t... See more Someone said that some translators will accept anything.
I don't think it is that simple and it's a bit harsh to be honest.
Some translators in the first year or so can't be too fussy about what they are offered because they are happy to be offered it and if it relates to an area that even mildly interests them it will help them decide if interest 'translates' into competence.
The only thing is some agencies don't give feedback so they don't know how well they have done. But if they liked translating it and did their research and submitted a great job then they can accept the next job in the same area. I've been surprised by what has turned out to be interesting and what I thought might be interesting turned out to be boring. If they didn't feel they did a great job or the subject area was not their strength they can turn down the next job offered to them in the same field or a related field which crosses into that field. Unfortunately, however, I did this myself only twice and the first time the agency accepted it and offered me further work but the second time the same agency apparently didn't accept it as they have not contacted me since. So it depends on the agency and how much they feel they need you I suppose!!
Every day in translation brings a new learning experience, for me anyway. Not just about the subject field but also about other people in the translation world (as any area of employment would I suppose).
To the OP, I'm slightly envious of your position of being able to turn down so many jobs while still only doing it part-time : ) But well done! Does your other work /job benefit your translation in any way? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Serbian to English
+ ...
| Is it risky to accept everything offered? | Jun 7, 2016 |
yes, it is - for all sorts of reasons, elaborated in other posts.
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| Excessive work load - Raise your rates | Jun 9, 2016 |
Emma Goldsmith wrote: Whitney Maslak wrote:
I was wondering how often some of the more experienced translators on this forum have to turn down jobs. I used to turn down jobs several times a day. I put up my rates. I worry that if I turn down too many jobs for a particular agency or client, they will just think I'm unreliable and stop contacting me. ... make sure you give top priority to your high-paying clients with interesting work.
Raise your rate by 0.01 or more per word, for new clients initially. When you have secured several new clients willing to pay your higher rates, advise one (or several) of your existing clients that you are raising your rate effective as of ... (say, 30 days after notice). I would continue working for my best clients (i.e. high-paying ones with interesting work and professional attitude) at the existing rate for some more time, until I have a solid client base willing to pay higher rates.
Then you raise your rate for the remaining best clients, while starting to quote even higher rate to new clients.
This way, you will be in a position to find a point where the demand meets your capacity.
Last but not least, higher rates imply premium quality, which should be top priority for you.
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