| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you ask for a down payment before starting a big translation project (book, manual, etc)? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you ask for a down payment before starting a big translation project (book, manual, etc)?".
This poll was originally submitted by Nicole Blanc. View the poll results »
| | | | Adnan Özdemir 
Türkiye
Local time: 09:27
Member (2007)
German to Turkish
+ ...
Yes, but only for (some) new clients
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 07:27
Spanish to English
+ ...
Not so far. I like to think I can trust my clients to stump up at the end of the day, preferrably sooner than later. In fact, if I can't trust my clients, I'd rather not have any.
| | | | Patricia Charnet
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:27
Member (2009)
English to French
Maybe I should but I think that may be rather impractical considering that everybody is getting credit ... on the back of the suppliers nowadays.
In the UK the clients used to pay within 30 days now 60 days seem to be very common. Asking for a part payment in advance may be refused. I've never asked though
Good question - that'll be interesting to see what the other translators think.
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Helen Shiner
France
Local time: 07:27
Member (2008)
German to English
+ ...
Yes, I do for large projects, such as books, or where I don't know the client. No-one has refused yet. For me it is just part of being professional and my clients respect that.
| | | | Suzan Hamer
Netherlands
Local time: 07:27
English
+ ...
Helen Shiner wrote:
Yes, I do for large projects, such as books, or where I don't know the client. No-one has refused yet. For me it is just part of being professional and my clients respect that.
Especially with a new client. If it's a large project that will take me weeks or months, I ask for half up front and the last half just before I return the last chapter (if it's a book). Or sometimes in thirds: one-third up front, one-third some time in the middle of the project (to keep my cash flow steady) and one-third just before return of the last bit of the project. Nobody has ever refused.
| | | | Olga Tkachenko
Russian Federation
Local time: 12:27
English to Russian
+ ...
| Yes, but not in all cases | Dec 2, 2010 |
Always, if the client is new and the project is large.
And only in some cases, if the client is not new. In this case only if the project is going to take more than a month.
Never with an old client and not a very large project (the one that will take 2-3 weeks).
| | | | Simon Bruni
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:27
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
I’ve never really done a project large enough to warrant it, but if I was offered a translation that would take a few months to complete I would definitely ask for a down payment, otherwise I’d end up using my overdraft or credit cards and paying interest.
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Rolf Kern
Switzerland
Local time: 07:27
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | No, never, but.. | Dec 2, 2010 |
If there should come the case of a foreign agency, I will consider it, because of bad experience with foreign agencies.
| | | | David Wright
Austria
Local time: 07:27
German to English
+ ...
but I only get large projects from clients I have been working with for years!
| | | | | Progress payment | Dec 2, 2010 |
Normally I would ask not for downpayment but for regular progress payments so that accrued amount shall not exceed, say, $1000 at any given moment of time. In the last year, however, I was twice left unpaid to a total of about $3000. So sad!
| | | | Richard Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 03:27
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| No, me neither... | Dec 2, 2010 |
I guess you don't need to if you've done your background checks. Or perhaps I'm too trusting.
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| Do you ask for a down payment before starting a big translation project | Dec 2, 2010 |
Absolutely for new clients.
Not from translation agencies with whom I have been working for several years.
Pilar
| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 07:27
English to French
+ ...
But I did go to court to have 2 bad payers pay me 
One was for a series of smaller jobs for a total of 100 pages, the second was for a single job of 250 pages.
[Modifié le 2010-12-02 15:36 GMT]
[Modifié le 2010-12-02 15:37 GMT]
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 01:27
Member (2005)
German to English
+ ...
| I did not ask | Dec 2, 2010 |
The client wrote payment in thirds in the contract, with the first payment at the beginning, the second upon submission of the translation for approval, and the third following approval.
I like this set up, as both parties are held to professional behavior.
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