| Páginas sobre el tema: < [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10] > | Email notification of a reduction in rates from a translation agency Autor de la hebra: Lena Nemeth
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JaneD 
Suecia
Local time: 03:01
Miembro 2009
sueco al inglés
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| Virtual protest? | Jul 18, 2013 |
This is an agency that also insists on (I think three) references from prospective translators. One more piece of evidence that the more hoops and hurdles an agency ask you to jump through the less likely they are to treat you like a partner when you pass them all.
This company is usually one of the exhibitors at the ProZ virtual conference in September. They have a stand there with staff saying how wonderful they are, and last year they had a truly excellent video presentation of t... See more This is an agency that also insists on (I think three) references from prospective translators. One more piece of evidence that the more hoops and hurdles an agency ask you to jump through the less likely they are to treat you like a partner when you pass them all.
This company is usually one of the exhibitors at the ProZ virtual conference in September. They have a stand there with staff saying how wonderful they are, and last year they had a truly excellent video presentation of their services. (Perhaps if they hadn't spent so much money on that they'd have more money to pay translators? Just a thought.)
Anyway, if they exhibit again this year, I for one intend to pop in on a regular basis with repeated questions as to why they treat their translators so badly. It won't make them change their policies, it won't make any difference to what they pay me (I don't work with - sorry, for - them). But it will entertain me no end. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Ethics - Tomas's comment | Jul 18, 2013 |
Tomas, you are probably right that their behaviour does not indeed accord with ethical requirements set to big corporates in the states but, it would be all too expensive to do do anything about this. Figures can be explained in so many ways, a law case on this would take years...
| | | | Lena Nemeth
Reino Unido
Local time: 02:01
polaco al inglés
PERSONA QUE INICIÓ LA HEBRA
Tomas Mosler, MITI wrote:
I'm in an upheaval mood... :)
Me too! But I would like to see how -- or if -- this gets resolved first before "burning them at the stake", so to speak. From everyone's comments and responses, it seems as if several of us are willing to make a stand and not accept such inferior rates. Of course there will be those just starting out in the translation industry or translators who have fallen on hard times who will be inclined to accept such rates. We can only hope that enough of us will refuse to work with them so that their derogatory behavior (and it really is insulting) has a negative impact on their own business activities.
I managed to find a blog written by the CEO of the company and used his words to justify my stance in my email response to the chief operating officer. It's almost reached the point that, even if they maintained their rates, their blatant hypocrisy would prohibit me from working with them. The deeper I dig into this company, the dirtier it gets.
Fellow translators, unite!
(and I'll most likely be staging a blueboard protest in the upcoming weeks if nothing is resolved)
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Ahem, sorry, I got too much "upheaveled" I think. :) The company I was referring to with financial statements is a different company (although quite of the same type in terms of pricing policy - the company in this topic has a dimension in its name, while the financial statements are from a company with an animal in the name). As such, it is possible their arguments are true (obviously that doesn't make the introduced change more positive, but at the moment there seems to be no possibility to c... See more Ahem, sorry, I got too much "upheaveled" I think. :) The company I was referring to with financial statements is a different company (although quite of the same type in terms of pricing policy - the company in this topic has a dimension in its name, while the financial statements are from a company with an animal in the name). As such, it is possible their arguments are true (obviously that doesn't make the introduced change more positive, but at the moment there seems to be no possibility to confront them with their own internal data).
[Edited at 2013-07-18 09:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | Andrei Albu
Rumania
Local time: 04:01
Miembro 2002
inglés al rumano
+ ...
They just don't give a damn about our opinion. I just received a "not-read" receipt to the e-mail quoted below. Just scrap them off and move on without further ado...
Andrei Albu wrote:
Since October 2012 to January 2013, I passed a number of difficult translation tests from this "Big-Mouth" company, whose replies have been always "Congratulations on a successful test piece!". The result? Only two job offers, which I had to deny because all they wanted was... transcriptions, not translations. So much time wasted!!! And yesterday, I got the same letter as you all. Here is what I replied:
"Dear Dulcineea (fake name)
Thank you for this message.
Being one of the translators who has never received a single job from your company, despite the fact that I passed numerous tests many months ago, I would appreciate it if you removed me from your mailing lists. The more so that I have actually increased my rate as of June 1st , making it to EUR XX/source word (twice their new rate), and EUR XX/hour. Should you ever reconsider your rates, I shall be pleased to discuss an eventual co-operation. Meanwhile, I wish you all the best for the future."
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Markus Wahlgren wrote:
... and "unfortunately" they provide jobs for me every day so it's difficult to turn them down, it would be easy if I had received very few jobs from them like some of you mention.
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[Edited at 2013-07-18 06:17 GMT]
If they send you lots of jobs then they NEED you! You must be delivering good work and should not accept a reduced rate.
I got a similar email from them a couple of years ago. I ignored it - and nothing changed ... my rate remained the same and they still sent me jobs and paid on time as usual.
They are HOPING you write back and say "OK, I will reduce my rate, please keep sending me jobs".
Don't do that! Just ignore and make sure you confirm your correct (current) rate before you begin your next assignment for them!
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Hannelle, thank you, spot on! Let me see...
By the way, I just got "Not read: [the company] - A letter to our translators" message from them... :)
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| Same email - asked to be removed from the database | Jul 18, 2013 |
I am amazed at the fact that the rate difference they are offering now is almost 5 times depending on the language combination, although based on my experience the agencies never quote to the clients different rates for different languages.
Well, they do but for rare combinations, not based on the fact "Oh, the Russians (also applies to Spanish, etc.) - they will work for peanuts, so we will lower our quote for these languages for you, too".
[Редактировалось 2013-07-18 10:01 GMT]
| | | | | When the merry-go-round turns too fast, it becomes dangerous to step out | Jul 18, 2013 |
Markus Wahlgren wrote:
... and "unfortunately" they provide jobs for me every day so it's difficult to turn them down, it would be easy if I had received very few jobs from them like some of you mention.
Once a local video dubbing studio contacted me about translation work. They offered me 1/3 of my regular rate, with the promise of keeping me as busy as I wanted, 24/7 if I could take it.
I immediately figured that if I took any of it, I'd be so busy working for them to make ends meet, that I'd have no time left to look for more profitable work.
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Alright:
Profit After Tax
31/05/2012 --- GBP 1,436,000
31/05/2011 --- GBP 991,000
31/05/2010 --- GBP 324,000
31/05/2009 --- GBP 1,349,000
31/05/2008 --- GBP 593,000
OK, it might be I'm not an accountant, but where exactly is the doom and gloom trend please?
Wages & Salaries
31/05/2012 --- GBP 11,953,000
31/05/2011 --- GBP 11,117,000
31/05/2010 --- GBP 8,963,000
31/05/2009 --- GBP 7,605,0... See more Alright:
Profit After Tax
31/05/2012 --- GBP 1,436,000
31/05/2011 --- GBP 991,000
31/05/2010 --- GBP 324,000
31/05/2009 --- GBP 1,349,000
31/05/2008 --- GBP 593,000
OK, it might be I'm not an accountant, but where exactly is the doom and gloom trend please?
Wages & Salaries
31/05/2012 --- GBP 11,953,000
31/05/2011 --- GBP 11,117,000
31/05/2010 --- GBP 8,963,000
31/05/2009 --- GBP 7,605,000
31/05/2008 --- GBP 6,040,000
I was not the best in maths at school, but isn't 11,953,000 about two times higher than 6,040,000? If so, where can I find those internal costs that are reportedly being driven down? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Gül Kaya
Reino Unido
Local time: 02:01
turco al inglés
+ ...
| healthy profits | Jul 18, 2013 |
Tomas Mosler, MITI wrote:
Alright:
Profit After Tax
31/05/2012 --- GBP 1,436,000
31/05/2011 --- GBP 991,000
31/05/2010 --- GBP 324,000
31/05/2009 --- GBP 1,349,000
31/05/2008 --- GBP 593,000
OK, it might be I'm not an accountant, but where exactly is the doom and gloom trend please?
I wonder what happened in 2010 for profits to plummet from £1,349,000 to 324,000? That's a million quid down.
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| Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | | less work for more > more work for less | Jul 18, 2013 |
Markus Wahlgren wrote:
... and "unfortunately" they provide jobs for me every day so it's difficult to turn them down, it would be easy if I had received very few jobs from them like some of you mention.
I think this is the road to business hell so to speak. Why to work for GBP x/2 for n hours when one can work for GBP x for n/2 hours to get the same monthly income, being more relaxed (which can in a way be subsequently reflected in higher quality of their work) and having more time for new (well paid) business opportunities, professional development, family...?
The question you should ask is not "do I get a lot of work from them?", but "is the hourly rate they pay me reasonable, or rather close to that of a cleaning lady in London?"
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Gül Kaya wrote:
I wonder what happened in 2010 for profits to plummet from £1,349,000 to 324,000? That's a million quid down.
Maybe directors' emoluments/compensation (1,226,000 in 2010, 556,000 in 2009) can be partial reason.
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