| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | your best rate ...... your very best rate Thread poster: Edith Kelly
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| A few answers | Mar 9, 2014 |
EdithK wrote:
But there are many freelancers, especially in countries cheaper than Switzerland who work for just anything.
Not necessarily freelance translators, and they are everywhere: bilingual people who will take a stab (literally!) at translation, in exchange for a happy meal at their nearest McD.
EdithK wrote:
So I am wondering: How do the agencies get repeat work, when the quality is poor?
Quite often, nobody but the targeted reader is able to notice the bad quality, and yet, not always.
Now and then I see a translation agency's web site translated into my L1, PT-BR.
A spellchecker won't find anything wrong there, and the grammar is usually okay. The unwary Brazilian reader will have some undefinable feeling of uneasiness, however they won't be able to pintpoint the cause.
The reason is that the translation is properly written, however not in the way any Brazilian - regardless of their educational level - would ever write or expect to read.
I usually tip them off, suggesting they have it proofread by a competent Brazilian translator. Most who reply express their surprise: "But I had it translated by someone born and living in (BR state and/or city)!"
Agencies get repeat work when the purchasing department is involved. They'll have done their due diligence on the agency's legal status, their bank references, and that is deemed sufficient.
EdithK wrote:
How come that I am sometimes offered one and the same job by about 5 different agencies (and the job was not posted on ProZ)?
That's the mark of the end-client's purchasing department. They need 3-5 quotes from different vendors, to show auditors that they are buying the best price, and not from any 'favorite' vendor or trading privileges.
EdithK wrote:
I had a long price negotiation with an insurance company, I got irritated and told them to hire a new mother who just does a bit of interpreting between changing nappies. I thought I would never hear from them again but - bingo - they called back and paid my price.
The legal department stepped in, and explained the potential risk of having that translation shoddily done.
EdithK wrote:
I have heard from a colleague that she covered a deposition - alone - for EUR 500 and later on heard that the agency "sold" her for US$ 1500.
Quite honestly, if an agency can pay me my rates (not theirs), and sell my services for 10x that, I don't mind. That's fair compensation for their outstanding marketing skills.
| | | | Ildiko Santana 
United States
Local time: 14:20
Member (2002)
Hungarian to English
+ ...
MODERATOR | my Best Ever rate | Mar 9, 2014 |
Jack Doughty wrote:
Dear Sir,
Thank you for considering paying my best rate for your job. My normal rate is xxxx, but certain discerning customers who really appreciate my work are prepared to pay my best rate, which is 50% more than my standard rate.
Yours sincerely....
Perfect! A few years ago I would just ignore e-mails that used the your best rate phrase and I would feel a bit agitated. I have matured since (or so I think) and I do reply, and that's precisely how I handle such requests. Why not? What do I have to lose? The prospective client then either disappears or, rarely, actually agrees to this best rate (or offers a second best rate). So, it's a win-win situation! : )
| | | | | I know the value of my time! | Mar 9, 2014 |
A few years ago I would just ignore e-mails that used the your best rate phrase and I would feel a bit agitated. I have matured since (or so I think) and I do reply, and that's precisely how I handle such requests. Why not? What do I have to lose?
What we lose when replying to such "kind" offers (by the way, these aren't always kind, as sometimes they warn: "if you don't accept our rate don't waste your time and don't reply to our ad, as your reply will go straight to the bin") is our time (and time = money). When managers demand "best rates", it usually means they don't respect us. What we can do is either ignore these ads (to save our time) or try to educate potential clients (there's a 0.01% possibility that your rate will be accepted... it's like winning a lottery, eh?).
My own best rate is 12 times bigger than the one generoudly offered by bottom feeders.
| | | | Václav Pinkava
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:20
Czech to English
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| Time is money | Mar 10, 2014 |
Everyone in business looks for a competitive advantage. Nothing wrong with that. There has to be reciprocity. I offer different rates against different payment timescales. Immediate payment gets "best rate". Simple win-win thinking, without posturing or haggling.
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EdithK wrote:
Hi everyone
When looking at the job posts, I oftentimes find these two expressions. What do you think of them? I personally feel upon reading these two expressions that I have no interest whatsoever in sending a quote. Are these outsourcers just interested in the cheapest quote? Or are they possibly also interested in quality and/or experience?
I am interested to hear your opions.
I don't like the whole business with 'best rates'. It feels like giving a loyalty discount just to get a new client. Also, what have they done to earn my 'best' rate, anyway? Just being there doesn't cut it. Plus, I don't like the connotation that best=cheapest. Finally, it feels rude to me when someone tells me he will only listen to my 'best' offer. All in all, the problem is hard to nail down, but the vibe is bad tout court.
| | | | Elina Sellgren
Finland
Local time: 00:20
Member (2013)
English to Finnish
+ ...
| Strange indeed | Mar 11, 2014 |
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz wrote: EdithK wrote:
Hi everyone
When looking at the job posts, I oftentimes find these two expressions. What do you think of them? I personally feel upon reading these two expressions that I have no interest whatsoever in sending a quote. Are these outsourcers just interested in the cheapest quote? Or are they possibly also interested in quality and/or experience?
I am interested to hear your opions. I don't like the whole business with 'best rates'. It feels like giving a loyalty discount just to get a new client. Also, what have they done to earn my 'best' rate, anyway? Just being there doesn't cut it. Plus, I don't like the connotation that best=cheapest. Finally, it feels rude to me when someone tells me he will only listen to my 'best' offer. All in all, the problem is hard to nail down, but the vibe is bad tout court.
Yes, it does feel strange. It's like they're thinking that what you charge from others is ridiculously high and you will charge it from people stupid enough to pay it, and then these 'cost-conscious' guys will only take your 'best' price, a price that is the 'appropriate' rate for the quality of your services and your other rates are simply ostentatious.
But in my world, my + best = what is best for me, not the client. But somehow I get the feeling that is not what they mean..
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Elina Sellgren wrote: Yes, it does feel strange. It's like they're thinking that what you charge from others is ridiculously high and you will charge it from people stupid enough to pay it, and then these 'cost-conscious' guys will only take your 'best' price, a price that is the 'appropriate' rate for the quality of your services and your other rates are simply ostentatious. But in my world, my + best = what is best for me, not the client. But somehow I get the feeling that is not what they mean..
Well, that's a different view from my own. Rather, I don't think they really believes others are stupid enough to pay your normal prices, but it's more like... hmm... free-riding?
Yeah, free-riding seems like it. As in they want someone else to pay you a profitable rate, whereby they, themselves, can pay you at-cost.
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Edith Kelly
Switzerland
Local time: 23:20
Member
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | http://www.proz.com/translation-jobs/871894 | Mar 14, 2014 |
this was posted yesterday - my cleaning lady earn more than that per hour. Customer in this ad is VERY price sensitive. They should write: your "worst" price or: you will not get paid at all but we provide you with a free lunch though there is no such thing as a free lunch.
| | | | jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 17:20
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| When they asked me about my best rate | Mar 14, 2014 |
my immediate response is that they would treat me as an enemy. I'm not a enemy; I'm not even a vendor. I'm a friend. I only work with those who are friendly to me.
| | | | Chien Nguyen
Vietnam
Local time: 04:20
English to Vietnamese
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| I like the point VERY MUCH | Mar 14, 2014 |
Jack Doughty wrote:
Dear Sir,
Thank you for considering paying my best rate for your job. My normal rate is xxxx, but certain discerning customers who really appreciate my work are prepared to pay my best rate, which is 50% more than my standard rate.
Yours sincerely....
Oah, I like this saying. Dont spoil client and yourself by offering down-to-the-earth rate and under-the-surface quality.
| | | | Ildiko Santana
United States
Local time: 14:20
Member (2002)
Hungarian to English
+ ...
MODERATOR | your most competitive rate | Nov 10, 2016 |
Before I delete this recent request for quote, I will share the line that really stands out. They managed to find a unique way to let me know ahead of time what I might expect, should I respond:
"....Rates per word (ESSENTIAL - please list your most competitive rates per service/language pair so that we can contact you just in case we can afford your rates for each particular project)"
Say no more! ; )
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