Poll: Do you find it difficult to say no to new work when you are already busy? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you find it difficult to say no to new work when you are already busy?".
View the poll results »
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That's a big problem for me. I often bite off more than I can chew. The incoming job is often harder than it looks at first glance. But taking on extra work when I haven't finished the current job ensures that I don't have any lull in between.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 00:51
Spanish to English
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If I'm really unavailable, I usually try to pass the work on to a trusted colleague, but most of the translators I know already have enough of their own.
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Yes, when the new work comes from one of my regulars. Usually, I’m a good time manager and I'm known to deliver ahead of time, but now and then I have bitten off more than I could chew and very occasionally I had to negotiate a new deadline. Anyway, the reason why I reject some jobs has much more to do with low rates than with unreasonable deadlines…
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| I try to negotiate | Jan 19, 2019 |
I try to negotiate a new deadline. Sometimes it works and is always worth trying. If the client can't accept a later delivery date then I have to decline the job - politely and with regret.
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I work only with a handful of returning agencies that are skilled and reasonable, and they are well aware that a 24/7 on-call service is (should be) expensive. As such, they plan enough lead time for translators to always feel comfy, apologise when it's kinda tight, have back-ups for when the first tier is not available and don't expect translators to be on call 24/7.
Of course this can't happen with word factories who buy and sell translations as commodities crafted by interchangeable "re... See more I work only with a handful of returning agencies that are skilled and reasonable, and they are well aware that a 24/7 on-call service is (should be) expensive. As such, they plan enough lead time for translators to always feel comfy, apologise when it's kinda tight, have back-ups for when the first tier is not available and don't expect translators to be on call 24/7.
Of course this can't happen with word factories who buy and sell translations as commodities crafted by interchangeable "resources".
To my utmost regret, I have to say No more than once a week to that handful of agencies on average, while always offering my nearest possible deadline. I find that staying in control of my schedule ensures that I keep my mental health to a satisfactory level.
The key to keep a low rate of "No" answers is to have prices that prevent work offers from raining onto you, while keeping your service attractive to agencies cost-wise. In fact, I find that the rate of "No" answers is a good indicator to gauge whether I should increase my rates.
Of course, it would be a different story with returning end customers. But then you wouldn't charge them what you charge agencies to become their always-there, ultra-dependable guy/gal. Or would you?
Philippe ▲ Collapse
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
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| Just the answer, not naysay | Jan 19, 2019 |
Being one of four children, I learned to say 'No' far before going to elementary school. Actually, it's a prerequisite--one of the best skills in biz, especially for interpreters)
While for some (1) to deny a request or (2) be refused is a negative or even an offense, a rejection is as natural as a consent. Of course, even the very definition says A contract is an agreement between two or more parties with the veto right--right to decline a proposal Furthermore, I often meet allegedly good people who keep saying 'No' while abusing other timid souls for 'one more' favor...
Nowadays, besides time'n'face-saving little white lies, one can ethically ignore an offer, proudly pretend not receiving anything, just politically-correctly blacklist a sender or silently mark a proposal as spam
| | | | EvaVer (X) 
Local time: 00:51
Czech to French
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to whom. I have difficulty to refuse stable/good clients, none to send to *** occasional agencies proposing me nonsense jobs.
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Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 19:51
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| I have to do it all the time | Jan 19, 2019 |
It's a lot better and more honest to say "no" than to accept something you can't handle or deliver something with a quality below your standards. I say "no, I can't" all the time.
However, I always try to negotiate deadlines with clients that allow some space for additional jobs in between, so I don't usually have to say "no" to regular clients. I can fit their jobs in.
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