| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Those "two references we can contact" + a sample of your previous work + names of projects Thread poster: S_G_C
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S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 16:43
English to Romanian
So.
I've been asked to provide a bunch of stuff since I became a translator. Among others, the names and email addresses/telephone numbers of two references they (the agency) could contact.
What if these references HAVE NOT agreed to being contacted? Should I obtain their written agreement and keep it on file?
Then, a sample (or several samples) of my previous work.
What if it's covered by an NDA?
Or some of my previous test results. Tests taken... See more So.
I've been asked to provide a bunch of stuff since I became a translator. Among others, the names and email addresses/telephone numbers of two references they (the agency) could contact.
What if these references HAVE NOT agreed to being contacted? Should I obtain their written agreement and keep it on file?
Then, a sample (or several samples) of my previous work.
What if it's covered by an NDA?
Or some of my previous test results. Tests taken with other agencies, of course. Mind-blowing.
Names of projects. I have even been advised to include them in my proz.com profile. Say what??? And risk infringing the NDAs? Like, do these people/agencies even know what an NDA is and what it says? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | If they're really interested in you, they'll accept that you cannot meet all requirements | Jan 1, 2023 |
For instance, you can point them to public WWA/LWA entries in your ProZ profile instead of providing references.
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Sorana_M. wrote:
I've been asked to provide a bunch of stuff since I became a translator. Among others, the names and email addresses/telephone numbers of two references they (the agency) could contact.
One time an agency asked me for this and I asked them in return if they could provide me with the contact details of two translators they had worked with who could vouch for them as professional partners.
Nothing ever came of it, of course. Potential clients who ask you for all this kind of stuff are usually not really interested in giving you any work. They just want to get more translators on their books for one reason or another.
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Some agencies seem to be more bureaucratic-driven than others. When I am contacted by one of those (I haven’t sent CVs for a good while) it all depends if I am really interested in working with them or not. I don’t have a one-size-fits-all type of solution. So, in case I’m really interested and after doing the due diligence, I will (like Vladimir) point them to the samples on my portfolio and my WWAs (feedback from some clients, past and present) on my Proz profile, as well as to my websit... See more Some agencies seem to be more bureaucratic-driven than others. When I am contacted by one of those (I haven’t sent CVs for a good while) it all depends if I am really interested in working with them or not. I don’t have a one-size-fits-all type of solution. So, in case I’m really interested and after doing the due diligence, I will (like Vladimir) point them to the samples on my portfolio and my WWAs (feedback from some clients, past and present) on my Proz profile, as well as to my website, where I have a few public domain samples. I never give references out of respect for confidentiality. This “strategy” has worked fine… ▲ Collapse
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| I simply delete such emails | Jan 1, 2023 |
I immediately delete unsolicited emails from potential "clients" whose first concern is finding out who my clients are and then want "samples" from translated texts.
| | | | Baran Keki 
Türkiye
Local time: 16:43
Member
English to Turkish
| A valuable piece of advice that I wasn't given | Jan 1, 2023 |
or a lesson learned the hard way, it's this: before you agree to sending any private information (proof of address, references, even your CV) make sure you agree on your rates, and more importantly, if you're asked to take a translation test, give the details of your referees once you've passed the test (this might sort of defeat the purpose though, but so be it).
Since you're translating into Romanian (and not into some major language), the agency will have their go-to Romanian freelance ... See more or a lesson learned the hard way, it's this: before you agree to sending any private information (proof of address, references, even your CV) make sure you agree on your rates, and more importantly, if you're asked to take a translation test, give the details of your referees once you've passed the test (this might sort of defeat the purpose though, but so be it).
Since you're translating into Romanian (and not into some major language), the agency will have their go-to Romanian freelance translator evaluate your test piece (instead of sending it to a third party with no financial conflict of interest with that agency), and working already in a saturated language pair with scarce jobs (I'm talking about European and North American translation industries, Romania might be a whole different story), the reviewer may not like the idea of competition and might deliberately sabotage your test piece by making up all sorts of BS excuses. At the end of the day it's their word against yours and the agency owner will simply not know the injustice that has taken place. This has happened to me 3 times now, and I suspect I'm not the only victim...
The best advice would be to decline taking a translation test unless you're guaranteed that your test will be evaluated by an independent third party, but that will never happen in your (or my) language pair.
The last agency that asked me to take a test contacted my referees, asking them all kinds of questions about me, and had already received my diplomas etc. and told me that I failed to pass their test. The reviewer (their Turkish freelance translator) said I failed to "localize the M4 Motorway" (which I translated into Turkish as "M4 Highway"), lied through their teeth about my choice of terminology for "product range", and said my translation was too literal as I didn't translate the phrase "north of the border" as "Scottish side of the border"... a 250 word document contained too many track changes than I could count just so that the b*stard could keep his bleeding job.
Normally I'd have cursed and moved on, but they did contact and bother my referees, so I felt duty bound to fight tooth and nail on this. After a long email exchange with the Vendor Manager, trying to explain things with my limited English, he agreed to have my test piece reviewed by another translator (again their own freelance translator, not somebody from outside), but that one had some integrity and honour, and he marked my test 'Excellent', dismissing the first reviewer's comments and revealing the extent of his BS for the VM to see. Long story short, I passed and got into their database (becoming a rival to that piece of ..), but I really don't want to go through another experience like that again.
I've mentioned about biased agency reviewers on these forums before on proofreading related threads. Our colleagues translating into major languages (especially into English) will never understand this, but this a reality for us working in not-so-popular language pairs - you're completely at the mercy of the agency's own translator. If they don't want you, you won't pass the test no matter how good your translation is. And more often than not the agency owner will dismiss your appeals as sour grapes.
So, once again, make sure you don't give out any important private information before you've passed the agency's test, and state your rate first thing, they'll likely haggle. You don't want to be offered 4 cents per word, after having given all the necessary information and passed their test, when you had at least twice that number in mind. ▲ Collapse
| | | | S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 16:43
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER | Direct sources | Jan 1, 2023 |
Vladimir Pochinov wrote:
For instance, you can point them to public WWA/LWA entries in your ProZ profile instead of providing references.
I pointed them to the published articles and books that bear my name as a translator...
| | | | S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 16:43
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
So, in case I’m really interested and after doing the due diligence, I will (like Vladimir) point them to the samples on my portfolio and my WWAs (feedback from some clients, past and present) on my Proz profile, as well as to my website, where I have a few public domain samples. I never give references out of respect for confidentiality. This “strategy” has worked fine…
I give them the link to my proz.com profile, PLUS, my full name is on Google, since I've translated articles and books that have been published. And the names of those clients are already mentioned in my CV (the entity, that is). Yet that doesn't seem to be enough...
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IrinaN
United States
Local time: 08:43
English to Russian
+ ...
Sorana_M. wrote:
email addresses/telephone numbers of two references they (the agency) could contact.
Since nothing real and justified is enough for them, then all they need is potential new clients. They will spend 1 minute on talking about you only to keep up appearances, and immediately proceed with "Oh, by the way..." to lure your "references" into their clients' pool, and you (or us, if it sounds better) are only the bait, the legitimate reason for the initial call plus savings on client hunting. Even if successful, there will be no guarantee that they will keep sending their jobs to you, at least for the same rate, because the only other juicy bait is a promise of "cost reduction", followed by lower translation rates.
Steer clear.
| | | | | I never ask for references from one client to another | Jan 1, 2023 |
One of several reasons for becoming a Chartered Linguist, not simply a Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists was that I was asked to give two references to the institute. Two of my clients kindly provided them - the references were not going to their potential competitors, as the institute is not a provider of translation services.
Other translators´ associations may have the same kind of scheme.
I refer to WWAs on my profile, and explain that I do not ask cli... See more One of several reasons for becoming a Chartered Linguist, not simply a Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists was that I was asked to give two references to the institute. Two of my clients kindly provided them - the references were not going to their potential competitors, as the institute is not a provider of translation services.
Other translators´ associations may have the same kind of scheme.
I refer to WWAs on my profile, and explain that I do not ask clients for references every time a new client contacts me with a potential job. For one thing it might be a breach of confidence, and for another it would take up too much of my clients´ time.
I have enough clients already who are either willing to accept my credentials without further references, or who have worked with me before, and know they were satisfied with my work, so I simply drop new clients who make too many demands! However, if you have not reached that stage yet, I hope you soon find some good long-term clients that you are happy to work with regularly. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Joakim Braun
Sweden
Local time: 15:43
German to Swedish
+ ...
Sorana_M. wrote:
What if these references HAVE NOT agreed to being contacted?
ALWAYS ask your references for permission to use their names. It's a matter of courtesy.
Should I obtain their written agreement and keep it on file?
No. Why would you?
[Bearbeitet am 2023-01-02 00:24 GMT]
| | | | Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 09:43
Japanese to English
+ ...
My CV contains a list of law firms, banks and financial institutions I have worked with as well as a list of cases and projects I have worked on (Enron, Toyota, Nissan/Carlos Ghosn). Usually this is enough to satisfy them. I also volunteer to provide a sample translation. One thing I draw the line on is providing a bank statement and/or a blank/cancelled check from my bank. I also have several references who have agreed in advance to be contacted by email.
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Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:43
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Absolutely required | Jan 2, 2023 |
Joakim Braun wrote:
ALWAYS ask your references for permission to use their names. It's a matter of courtesy.
Agreed, this isn't optional. If I found that a supplier had passed on my name and details to somebody else for this reason, and without my permission, I would certainly consider terminating the relationship. It's a matter of trust.
Dan
| | | | S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 16:43
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER | My references | Jan 2, 2023 |
The three references I can now provide are not translation agencies/private individuals, but public entities (organizations/publisher's houses). Their name is mentioned in my CV since what I have worked for them has been published and can be found on Google. And they each have their own website where their contact details are mentioned publicly.
So this should be enough, shouldn't it?
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The bottom line of this is: what these agencies think is best isn’t obviously what you want. So, as it is up to them to organize themselves as they see fit, move on or be more flexible. First contacts are always both ways…
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Those "two references we can contact" + a sample of your previous work + names of projects | Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
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