Poll: Two clients offer identical-sized jobs at the same time. You can only pick one, how do you choose?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Aug 18, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Two clients offer identical-sized jobs at the same time. You can only pick one, how do you choose?".

This poll was originally submitted by Kuochoe Nikoi. View the poll results »



 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 22:56
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Aug 18, 2018

Why pick just one? My repeat clients are almost always willing to negotiate a new deadline. Are the jobs coming from new clients? My decision will be based on due diligence.

Ricardo Suin
Paul van Zijll
José Henrique Lamensdorf
Angie Garbarino
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 23:56
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Probably a combination Aug 18, 2018

I occasionally find myself in that situation. More probably, job offers come in quick succession rather than at the same time, and I have already more or less accepted the first, so it is first come, first served.

I voted for 'the more interesting project'. That is the one I am more likely to do well. If they really are large projects and I cannot do both, I know I get tired of them before they are finished. (Guess why I am here on a Saturday morning when I have a dozen other things
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I occasionally find myself in that situation. More probably, job offers come in quick succession rather than at the same time, and I have already more or less accepted the first, so it is first come, first served.

I voted for 'the more interesting project'. That is the one I am more likely to do well. If they really are large projects and I cannot do both, I know I get tired of them before they are finished. (Guess why I am here on a Saturday morning when I have a dozen other things I would rather do!!)

The client I like best would be the deciding factor, if the projects were equally interesting. A long-term client would take priority over a new one.

Otherwise the higher rate, but if I am not offered a reasonable rate, then I turn down the job altogether and let the client know why.
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Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Liena Vijupe
Thayenga
Abdirahid Hussein
Veerle Geens
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Denise DeVries
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 15:56
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
The higher rate ... Aug 18, 2018

assuming that I feel confident handling the text.

I always go for the higher rate, and sometimes I let the other client know why I didn't accept their job.

While I love translating and I love my clients, I've reached an age where I want to be fully compensated or it's not worth it to me to do the job. Nowadays I feel that I have to be careful and not spread myself thin or make sacrifices.

[Edited at 2018-08-18 10:38 GMT]


Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Debora d'Amato (X)
Nikki Graham
Victoria Batarchuk
Vi Pukite
Veerle Geens
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Niina Lahokoski
Niina Lahokoski  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 00:56
Member (2008)
English to Finnish
+ ...
The client I like more Aug 18, 2018

This, because "how much" I like a client is based on a combination of factors, including rates, payment terms and how they adhere to them, the way they treat their translators, the kind of projects they send... A trusted regular client would have preference over a new one, too.

[Edited at 2018-08-18 11:58 GMT]

[Edited at 2018-08-18 11:58 GMT]


Catherine De Crignis
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Sophie Dzhygir
neilmac
Safvan Beceren (X)
Veerle Geens
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 23:56
French to English
The higher rate Aug 18, 2018

More often than not, the real answer would actually be a combination of those factors. However, with 24 years' experience, I'd have gone for "the one with the most reliable payment record". A promise of a high rate that you have to spend time chasing up kills the advantage of the higher rate.
Edit: "the client I like" more, where it means as above, that on a combination of factors they are the most professional outfit.

[Edited at 2018-08-18 12:20 GMT]


Abdirahid Hussein
Veerle Geens
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 19:56
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
Most likely the shortest payment term Aug 18, 2018

Of course, long-standing recurring clients get priority service from me.

Next, I usually work at MY rates, for clients who accept them as fair. I take jobs at lower rates when I have time to spare and/or when the deadline is lax.

In order to keep my professional work standards, I can't consider a job being more 'interesting' than another as a factor, otherwise I'd be turning down too many jobs to make a living. I've done quite a few that were quite disgusting, yet keepi
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Of course, long-standing recurring clients get priority service from me.

Next, I usually work at MY rates, for clients who accept them as fair. I take jobs at lower rates when I have time to spare and/or when the deadline is lax.

In order to keep my professional work standards, I can't consider a job being more 'interesting' than another as a factor, otherwise I'd be turning down too many jobs to make a living. I've done quite a few that were quite disgusting, yet keeping the same quality level.

Years ago I found an effective solution to balance urgency between client and translator: the payment term. Quite often I see clients needing some translation done within the next few hours, yet they intend to pay in 45 or 60 days after month end! I wonder who is - or should be - in a rush here.

This is a long story, however this system was devised as a temporary solution for the backlog accumulated after longer-than-usual (3 weeks instead of one) vacation. It worked so well that I mede it permanent.

I live in Brazil - a country that has high interest rates, low two digits per month. Our neighbor, Argentina, has just shot the bar sky-high, with 45% per month, no idea on how our colleagues there will handle it. Anyway, the payment term makes much more of a difference here than in North America or the Euro Zone. So - all other things being equal - the shortest payment term became my priority-determining criterion.

That opened the door to another possibility. I realized that rush surcharges contributed more to havoc in my schedule than to my income, so I did away with them. However the solution for anyone requiring maximum priority for any reason became obvious: prepayment! I'll take only ONE prepaid job at a time, under normal rates, and give it top priority. I'll only drop it when I'm through.

Later I discovered the beauty of it... at least with current technology (and IMHO forever) nobody can time-travel and prepay a job earlier, after someone else has prepaid another job. So it's pretty safe.
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Ricardo Suin
Lucien Rousseau
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Elena Mordenti
Elena Mordenti  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 23:56
German to Italian
+ ...
The most interesting project Aug 18, 2018

Due to the fact I haven't regular clients I will choose the one with interesting topic or relating to my fields of specialization.

Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Natalia Pedrosa
 
Tina Vonhof (X)
Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 16:56
Dutch to English
+ ...
Other Aug 18, 2018

If there really was little or no time between their arrival and if they were both from known clients, I would most likely choose the one that's most interesting and that I would feel most confident about finishing within the given deadline. I would still tell the other client when I would be available. If one was a known client and the other a new client, I would definitely go with the known client, tell the new client when I would be available but also refer them to a colleague. I'm at a stage ... See more
If there really was little or no time between their arrival and if they were both from known clients, I would most likely choose the one that's most interesting and that I would feel most confident about finishing within the given deadline. I would still tell the other client when I would be available. If one was a known client and the other a new client, I would definitely go with the known client, tell the new client when I would be available but also refer them to a colleague. I'm at a stage in my life when I'm cutting down on work and generally don't accept new clients, unless I'm really interested in the kind of work they usually offer.Collapse


Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei  Identity Verified
Ghana
Local time: 22:56
Japanese to English
Some combination of all factors, but mainly price Aug 19, 2018

So many interesting perspectives, so many ways to approach the issue. I've never thought about the prepayment system José mentioned, but it would be a good discussion to have with clients, especially for "urgent" projects. "How badly do you need this done?" and "How badly do you need this done by me?" I learned something new today,

I was inspired... okay, inspired is pushing it... I decided to make this poll after I woke up one Monday morning to three jobs from three clients
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So many interesting perspectives, so many ways to approach the issue. I've never thought about the prepayment system José mentioned, but it would be a good discussion to have with clients, especially for "urgent" projects. "How badly do you need this done?" and "How badly do you need this done by me?" I learned something new today,

I was inspired... okay, inspired is pushing it... I decided to make this poll after I woke up one Monday morning to three jobs from three clients. Luckily they weren't very big and the deadlines were flexible so I accepted them all. But what if I'd had to pick, which one would I have chosen? The most interesting project with the highest rate! If a project is large enough that I can't fit anything else in, then I definitely want it to be something I like. And the larger the project, the more difference a single cent makes to the bottom line, so the rate matters too.

And so on, and so forth and that's how I created the poll.
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Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 19:56
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Several situations, none as described in the question Aug 19, 2018

Two identical jobs at the same time? How about two very similar jobs within a few hours? Does that sound more plausible?
Since I think that would be the case, and it does happen regularly, here we go:

It happens very seldom, because I already have a system where I negotiate terms that allow me to fit in other jobs, and I rarely have issues with that. I have many regular active clients, and I don't want to refuse jobs from any of them.

If I receive both in time to
... See more
Two identical jobs at the same time? How about two very similar jobs within a few hours? Does that sound more plausible?
Since I think that would be the case, and it does happen regularly, here we go:

It happens very seldom, because I already have a system where I negotiate terms that allow me to fit in other jobs, and I rarely have issues with that. I have many regular active clients, and I don't want to refuse jobs from any of them.

If I receive both in time to refuse one of them, of course the price will be the main criterion. I may exceptionally chose the other job, if it's a very good and regular client and the other one not so much.

Other than that, I regularly refuse jobs because I already accepted another one earlier, and there will be no time to deliver both on time. In that case, it's a first-in preference thing, but not by choice.
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Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 


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Poll: Two clients offer identical-sized jobs at the same time. You can only pick one, how do you choose?






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