| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Apart from not being available, for which other main reason do you turn down jobs? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Apart from not being available, for which other main reason do you turn down jobs?".
This poll was originally submitted by Alexa Dubreuil
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. Fo... See more This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Apart from not being available, for which other main reason do you turn down jobs?".
This poll was originally submitted by Alexa Dubreuil
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: http://proz.com/topic/33629 ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Depends on the situation | Mar 17, 2009 |
I think it depends on what the client asks for. Sometimes, the job is not my area of expertise, sometimes rate is too low, and sometimes clients with bad payment practices. However, sometimes the worst scenario of a combination of all three coming all at once...
| | | | | Several options, none of which come out as main. | Mar 17, 2009 |
As with a good number of polls, I find it very difficult to settle on one answer, leading me to N/A or Other. I wonder if it would be possible/useful to be able to tick more than one option in these polls? Mind you, since nobody is going to take the results as chapter and verse, I suppose we should be a bit more relaxed about the complete accuracy of our answer.
btw, mine were: rates/deadlines/not my area of expertise/not my native language and the additional variation of not having... See more As with a good number of polls, I find it very difficult to settle on one answer, leading me to N/A or Other. I wonder if it would be possible/useful to be able to tick more than one option in these polls? Mind you, since nobody is going to take the results as chapter and verse, I suppose we should be a bit more relaxed about the complete accuracy of our answer.
btw, mine were: rates/deadlines/not my area of expertise/not my native language and the additional variation of not having sufficient information on a new client to take on job (where the volume is large enough - if it's a small job I might think about running the risk, relying then on my "gut feeling" about the job offer). ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Cutler 
Spain
Local time: 18:24
Spanish to English
+ ...
I'm quite simply in this for the money. Being offerred a low rate makes me think that if I wanted to accept a burger flipping wage, I'd go flip burgers. I can handle tight deadlines, but an offer with a low wage goes straight into the rubbish bin.
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| Out of bed for which I will not get... | Mar 17, 2009 |
As John says, low rates make you think your time is better devoted to something else. In my case I also have to factor child care into every calculation, all the more so if we're talking weekend/rush jobs.
[Edited at 2009-03-17 15:15 GMT]
Edited (twice!)to try and activate smilies - attempt abandoned! Beams to you all.
[Edited at 2009-03-17 15:16 GMT]
| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 18:24
English to French
+ ...
I do not see how “the deadline is too tight” can be different from “not being available”…
My customers know my areas of expertise, my source and target languages, the rates I charge and often are willing to negotiate deadlines if I am not available right there and then.
Clients with bad payment practices are not among my customers…
| | | | Laureana Pavon
Uruguay
Local time: 13:24
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
MODERATOR | All of the above | Mar 17, 2009 |
All the reasons listed in the poll are good reasons for turning down a job.
As Noni's, my main reasons are low rates, extremely tight deadlines, expertise/native language.
When I'm not available, I always refer the client to a friend or colleague, except, of course, when my reason for turning down the job is low rates.
| | | | Andrea Riffo
Chile
Local time: 12:24
English to Spanish
+ ...
| As usual, it depends | Mar 17, 2009 |
Assuming I am available at the time of the request, my reasons for turning down an assignment would be (in no particular order):
- Translation into my passive language (Spanish into English)
- Not my area of expertise
- Low rates (doesn't happen often, since generally potential clients ask me what my rates are and decide whether to work with me or not)
- Deadline too tight (no matter how much I am offered. By "too tight" I mean "impossible", as in a 18k word... See more Assuming I am available at the time of the request, my reasons for turning down an assignment would be (in no particular order):
- Translation into my passive language (Spanish into English)
- Not my area of expertise
- Low rates (doesn't happen often, since generally potential clients ask me what my rates are and decide whether to work with me or not)
- Deadline too tight (no matter how much I am offered. By "too tight" I mean "impossible", as in a 18k words from Friday 12pm to Saturday 9 a.m. request)
Greetings
Andrea ▲ Collapse
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| Why would I turn down a job? | Mar 17, 2009 |
All of the above except that I have reached my month's income.
Interesting question.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 18:24
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Agree totally | Mar 17, 2009 |
aceavila - Noni wrote:
As with a good number of polls, I find it very difficult to settle on one answer, leading me to N/A or Other.
Me too. I also often wonder at the background/motive behind the poll questions.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 18:24
Spanish to English
+ ...
1) Laborious formats. The baddy of them all - PDF. I never cease to remind my clients to factor in translation time in their planning, and that PDF is designed primarily as a NON-MODIFIABLE format. I often get things to modify that have been formatted and hung on a website that are extremly time-consuming; one recent example was almost 2 hours to translate an additional 120 words to a website text (including correcting errors made by the printer/web designer on my original translation). So, I ch... See more 1) Laborious formats. The baddy of them all - PDF. I never cease to remind my clients to factor in translation time in their planning, and that PDF is designed primarily as a NON-MODIFIABLE format. I often get things to modify that have been formatted and hung on a website that are extremly time-consuming; one recent example was almost 2 hours to translate an additional 120 words to a website text (including correcting errors made by the printer/web designer on my original translation). So, I charge an hourly rate for these non-text oriented formats (PDF, PageMaker, Dreamweaver, Freehand etc...)
2) Ridiculously tight deadlines (especially from legal eagles)
3) Niggardly rates
4) Rude or demanding potential clients
5) Agencies obviously shopping around for cheap and cheerful
6) Unfamiliar or extremely specialist content
7) Languages other than my working ones
8) Probably last but not least, bad or mendacious payers...
[Edited at 2009-03-17 16:39 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Fabio Descalzi
Uruguay
Local time: 13:24
Member (2004)
German to Spanish
+ ...
| Rate, area of expertise and client payment practices | Mar 17, 2009 |
All three concepts are very important:
· Rates: if the rates offered are low, I may do two things: either I turn the offer plainly down, or I say: "OK, I am a good translator for this kind of text, but my price is XX". Believe me: I HAVE been hired in spite of being more expensive!!!
· Area of expertise: I'd better not take "any" subject. Some areas of expertise aren't nice at all for me.
· Client payment practices: never if the client has a BlueBoard record of 3 or l... See more All three concepts are very important:
· Rates: if the rates offered are low, I may do two things: either I turn the offer plainly down, or I say: "OK, I am a good translator for this kind of text, but my price is XX". Believe me: I HAVE been hired in spite of being more expensive!!!
· Area of expertise: I'd better not take "any" subject. Some areas of expertise aren't nice at all for me.
· Client payment practices: never if the client has a BlueBoard record of 3 or lower! ▲ Collapse
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Andrea Riffo
Chile
Local time: 12:24
English to Spanish
+ ...
neilmac wrote:
4) Rude or demanding potential clients
Couldn't agree more!!
Sometimes, the first contacts (sometimes even the first one, period) are enough to realize that a potential client will be a headache-client if the business relationship came to fruition. There are some phrases and attitudes that automatically set off the warning bells in my head, and I usually take them seriously.
Greetings
| | | | Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 13:24
Portuguese to English
+ ...
1) Low rate
2) Outside of my area of expertise
3) I'm too busy
4) Deadline too tight
5) Wrong language pair
6) Bad payer
7) The job doesn't interest me, and I don't need the money (at a given time)
8) Requires CAT tool
I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them just now -- I'd rather have lunch!
| | | | Parrot
Spain
Local time: 18:24
Spanish to English
+ ...
| I follow a protocol | Mar 17, 2009 |
Granted the rate is right and the deadline is feasible, I check the BB. The rest takes off from there.
Anyone could get filtered through steps 1, 2 and 3. I stick with those who remain.
It only takes minutes to do the 1-2-3 part of the routine.
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