Vendors - recruiting new translators - Do they receive a fee for new ones? Thread poster: Levente Borzsák
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Dear all,
I am kind of puzzled by the recruitment strategy of vendors. It happened to me more than once, that they need an urgent job.
Without signing the NDA, they would not go into rate negotiations, either.
OK, I sign the NDA, we agree on the rate, I go through the recruitment procedure relatively quickly - all fine.
Then they disappear.
I have a feeling that the vendors only need new translators in their pool, so they get a fee per (new) capita.<... See more Dear all,
I am kind of puzzled by the recruitment strategy of vendors. It happened to me more than once, that they need an urgent job.
Without signing the NDA, they would not go into rate negotiations, either.
OK, I sign the NDA, we agree on the rate, I go through the recruitment procedure relatively quickly - all fine.
Then they disappear.
I have a feeling that the vendors only need new translators in their pool, so they get a fee per (new) capita.
I tried to shortcut the procedure, by fwd-ing a CV, stating my rate and saying: if you think we might cooperate on these basis, then I am happy to go through your NDAs. But it seems to be a no-go solution.
I am kind of tired of reading through loads of pages, going through the same procedures and then being dumped.
Naturally, one can say that my CV is not be attractive enough, but I don't think so. Also so far, there has not been any quality issue in my work. And in these cases, they have already seen the CV, but we do not even reach the stage of quality control, as no test translation was required.
Sorry for the long intro, just want to know whether this is a normal procedure at the agencies, or anyone else experienced the same already, or is it only me..
Best regards,
Levente ▲ Collapse
| | | | Emanuele Vacca 
Italy
Local time: 21:20
Member (2020)
English to Italian
| Or they just don't have anything else to do | Jan 24, 2023 |
I definitely share your frustration and I think this is an issue which is often pointed out by translators. I don't think paying vendor managers a fee for every translator they recruit makes economic sense (especially because many of them are employees, not freelancers - although I wouldn't exclude this option), but these are the most likely explanations, in my view:
1) They recruit translators for every possible combination of language pair and specialization (virtually infinite), even wh... See more I definitely share your frustration and I think this is an issue which is often pointed out by translators. I don't think paying vendor managers a fee for every translator they recruit makes economic sense (especially because many of them are employees, not freelancers - although I wouldn't exclude this option), but these are the most likely explanations, in my view:
1) They recruit translators for every possible combination of language pair and specialization (virtually infinite), even when they don't immediately need such professional profiles so that when they do need them (possibly very quickly), they already have them in their databases. This explains why sometimes translators are contacted for an actual job months or years after the onboarding process.
2) They recruit freelance translators when they don't have anything else to do so that they can show that they have done something. I guess this is somehow related to micromanagement. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 21:20
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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Levente Borzsák wrote:
Do they receive a fee for new ones?
I doubt it.
I just want to know whether this is a normal procedure at the agencies...
Unfortunately, yes. Many agencies act as if they believe that any promises that were made before the NDA was signed or before the free test was completed do not count.
Often, the person doing the initial steps of the recruitment process doesn't have negotiating authority.
Emanuele Vacca wrote:
They recruit freelance translators when they don't have anything else to do...
Yes. Or, they give these recruitment tasks to new project managers, to help them get a feel for the industry.
[Edited at 2023-01-24 14:50 GMT]
| | | | John Fossey
Canada
Local time: 15:20
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
| Long-term collaboration | Jan 24, 2023 |
Those agencies often say they want a "long-term collaboration". But when asked what their "long-term" contract or commitment looks like, they disappear.
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Kay Denney
France
Local time: 21:20
French to English
Samuel Murray wrote: Emanuele Vacca wrote:
They recruit freelance translators when they don't have anything else to do... Yes. Or, they give these recruitment tasks to new project managers, to help them get a feel for the industry. [Edited at 2023-01-24 14:50 GMT]
It's also a classic task for interns...
| | | | | Job on the table | Jan 25, 2023 |
I tell them it's not my policy to spend time on their paperwork unless and until there's a definite job on the table.
At that point they usually disappear.
| | | | Levente Borzsák
Hungary
Local time: 21:20
English to Hungarian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you to all,
As a freelance newbie, I might have been too naive to think that agreeing on the terms means a future job assignment. At least it is comforting to hear that others had similar experiences.
It makes me appreciate more those clients who meet the ethical standards
I like Philip's elegant reply and if it's not copyrighted, might use it in future correspondence.
All the best,
... See more Thank you to all,
As a freelance newbie, I might have been too naive to think that agreeing on the terms means a future job assignment. At least it is comforting to hear that others had similar experiences.
It makes me appreciate more those clients who meet the ethical standards
I like Philip's elegant reply and if it's not copyrighted, might use it in future correspondence.
All the best,
Levente ▲ Collapse
| | | | CroPro
Croatia
Local time: 21:20
English to Croatian
| And, the weirdfest doesn't stop there. | Jan 26, 2023 |
After they've collected tens, hundreds, possibly thousands of applications, went to the trouble of them and translators all printing out, signing up, sending back the NDAs and whatnots, possibly doing the test pieces and completing them with summa cumme laude, when they finally DO have an ACTUAL project in your language pair...
They'll go out and post the ad on Proz to find the new person of your very same qualifications, for the very same industry and kind of tasks they very well k... See more After they've collected tens, hundreds, possibly thousands of applications, went to the trouble of them and translators all printing out, signing up, sending back the NDAs and whatnots, possibly doing the test pieces and completing them with summa cumme laude, when they finally DO have an ACTUAL project in your language pair...
They'll go out and post the ad on Proz to find the new person of your very same qualifications, for the very same industry and kind of tasks they very well know is your specialty? If they ever cared to look into that supposed database of their translators, that is.
OR
How about them looking for new translators time and again, like one of them is just these days, when you know for a fact they already have established team of translators in your language pair and there's already barely peanuts worth of work for you and the rest of the existing team?
it's the madness of the big agencies. And, paradoxically, the bigger they are, the less work you'll see from them. Not to mention respect and ever feeling part of the team. They seemingly do more managing and paper pushing than actual translation.
[Edited at 2023-01-26 19:42 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 15:20
Japanese to English
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This process just keeps idle employees busy. The agencies can say "we work with tens of thousands of translators". When they say "best rate" and "long-term collaboration", you know they are talking trash.
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