Pages in topic:   [1 2] >
Poll: Do you find it difficult at times to coordinate across time zones with your clients?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Apr 13, 2017

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you find it difficult at times to coordinate across time zones with your clients?".

View the poll results »



 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:14
Member (2006)
German to English
No Apr 13, 2017

They are pretty much all around the corner

 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 10:14
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I'm in the same time zone as most of my clients Apr 13, 2017

If need be I’ll modify my working hours accordingly. As I work at home, my schedule is extremely flexible; I change it as I please….

 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
No Apr 13, 2017

They just have to fit in around me.

 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:14
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Very much so Apr 13, 2017

I have several clients in Japan, where today is yesterday. I almost never have work in my own time zone. The closest is three hours away (New York and Washington, DC, where the bulk of my work goes), followed by Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. in that order.

Because of my clients in Japan, I may find myself working as late as 4:00 a.m.

After several mix-ups, I started keeping a time zone map on my computer desktop.

[Edited at 2017-04-13 09:28 GMT]


 
Erik ERIKSEN
Erik ERIKSEN  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 11:14
Member (2005)
English to Danish
+ ...
One client in Hong Kong Apr 13, 2017

... insists on sending work early in the morning and would like to have it returned at 2 am the following day. Approx. 18 hrs for the jobs (small ones, though).

 
Emily Plank
Emily Plank  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 18:14
Member (2010)
German to English
+ ...
No Apr 13, 2017

Being based in Australia with virtually 100% of my clients in Europe/UK, I'm used to it. Being so far ahead, I have most of the day without interruption and can have translations ready by the time they come to work. The slight downside is that I still have emails coming in all throughout my evening, which I have to respond to even though I have finished working. And sometimes work comes in overnight which I cannot respond to in time. But after almost 11 years, I've got a good routine and most of... See more
Being based in Australia with virtually 100% of my clients in Europe/UK, I'm used to it. Being so far ahead, I have most of the day without interruption and can have translations ready by the time they come to work. The slight downside is that I still have emails coming in all throughout my evening, which I have to respond to even though I have finished working. And sometimes work comes in overnight which I cannot respond to in time. But after almost 11 years, I've got a good routine and most of my clients have got their head around the time difference (although there is still the odd stray call in the middle of the night..).Collapse


 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 11:14
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
Yes Apr 13, 2017

Most of my clients are in the UK, France and USA (both west and east coast).

But it can sometimes be confusing, especially since some agencies have PMs located in different places on the globe.

[Edited at 2017-04-13 11:47 GMT]


 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:14
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
No Apr 13, 2017

Due to extensive travel around the globe in my younger days, people refer to me at times as a "walking world clock". Thus far, there never were any problems, neither in Asia nor in the US.

 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 19:14
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
No Apr 13, 2017

With one exception - that client in Alpha Centauri

They're always very fussy and want everything done a couple of parsecs ago. I can only think in light years. And, they always send me stuff in funny disparate blips and squiggles. It's hard even trying to think in five dimensions, let alone seven.

All in a day in the life of a translator, I suppose.


 
Allen Harris
Allen Harris
United States
Local time: 05:14
French to English
+ ...
Three little letters: UTC Apr 13, 2017

Universal Time Coordinated. Also known as Greenwich Mean Time.

UTC is not a local time zone. The clock time is the same for me and my client wherever we are. Universal. Time. Coordinated.

No, I never find it difficult to coordinate across time zones with my clients.


 
Ricki Farn
Ricki Farn
Germany
Local time: 11:14
English to German
I have my own timezone Apr 13, 2017

I'm more flexible adjusting my times to my clients than to the guy next door.

 
Anastasiya Vasilyeva
Anastasiya Vasilyeva  Identity Verified
Armenia
Local time: 14:14
English to Russian
No Apr 13, 2017

Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
I started keeping a time zone map on my computer desktop.


That's a great idea and I'm doing so, too.

Working with clients around the world made me have instant notifications of incoming emails to my phone, so I'm ready to answer any time.

[Edited at 2017-04-13 15:07 GMT]


 
Hege Jakobsen Lepri
Hege Jakobsen Lepri  Identity Verified
Norway
Local time: 11:14
Member (2002)
English to Norwegian
+ ...
It's not me, it's them Apr 13, 2017

I don't have a problem with it, but some of my clients seem to be completely oblivious to the existence of different time zones. So I may receive 4 increasingly urgent emails about a job they've sent me while I was sleeping. Some agencies even call me at 4 in the morning. However, that happens only once, as I decline to work for anyone who doesn't respect my sleep.

 
Laura Nagle (X)
Laura Nagle (X)  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:14
French to English
+ ...
sometimes Apr 13, 2017

I'm in the U.S. (Eastern time zone), and a number of my clients are in Europe. Deadlines rarely pose any problem for me, but like Hege, I sometimes wake up to e-mails offering me a project (great!), with follow-up messages fretting that I haven't replied yet. Fortunately, clients and PMs with whom I've worked repeatedly don't expect me to read e-mail when it's 3 a.m. where I live. I'm perplexed by agencies that approach me specifically because I'm based in the U.S., yet don't take the time diffe... See more
I'm in the U.S. (Eastern time zone), and a number of my clients are in Europe. Deadlines rarely pose any problem for me, but like Hege, I sometimes wake up to e-mails offering me a project (great!), with follow-up messages fretting that I haven't replied yet. Fortunately, clients and PMs with whom I've worked repeatedly don't expect me to read e-mail when it's 3 a.m. where I live. I'm perplexed by agencies that approach me specifically because I'm based in the U.S., yet don't take the time difference into account.Collapse


 
Pages in topic:   [1 2] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Do you find it difficult at times to coordinate across time zones with your clients?






Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »
Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »