| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Do I have to pay to quote on a ProZ.com job? Thread poster: K M Faisal
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| Thank you all for the advices! | May 21, 2015 |
I'm sorry for the outburst, but I'm sick and tired of applying without being considered, applying to agencies who ask me to lower my price FOR ONE GROSS CENT and/or say I'm not experinced/skilled enough without even testing my competencies and/or say that they exclusively work with translators having CAT tools and so on....It's been already a year since I started applying to jobs/agencies and the only agency who gave me job was the one who gave me 5 patents in 3 months (one of them was URGENT - ... See more I'm sorry for the outburst, but I'm sick and tired of applying without being considered, applying to agencies who ask me to lower my price FOR ONE GROSS CENT and/or say I'm not experinced/skilled enough without even testing my competencies and/or say that they exclusively work with translators having CAT tools and so on....It's been already a year since I started applying to jobs/agencies and the only agency who gave me job was the one who gave me 5 patents in 3 months (one of them was URGENT - 32 pages to be done in 24 hours, I didn't sleep to complete it, run out of time to proofread it and they even claimed that I forgot a sentence or two and there were some mistakes!!!!) and then discarded me when I asked for more job as I was about to open my VAT number....
Jeff, do you mean that I won't earn more than 1,000 $ in a WHOLE YEAR??? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Erik Freitag 
Germany
Local time: 00:27
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
| Reasonable estimate | May 21, 2015 |
Serena Basili wrote: Jeff, do you mean that I won't earn more than 1,000 $ in a WHOLE YEAR???
In the FIRST year, yes. Sounds like a reasonable estimate to me. Your mileage may vary.
| | | | Erik Freitag
Germany
Local time: 00:27
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Serena Basili wrote:
I didn't sleep to complete it, run out of time to proofread it and they even claimed that I forgot a sentence or two and there were some mistakes!!!!) and then discarded me when I asked for more job
You should try to act professionally. Don't accept jobs that you can't do due to lack of time, experience (patent translation is a very peculiar trade) or whatever.
Try to see it from your client's point of view: You agreed to do the job, your client is entitled to expect good work (even if his expectations were unrealistic and the payment abysmal). However, you delivered your translation without proofreading, forgot a sentence or two (!), and most probably a host of other serious shortcomings. The fact that you didn't have much time for this translation is irrelevant in this context.
(Also, I'm not sure it's a good idea to ask a client for jobs.)
In other words: You've only started out with this client, and you've already completely ruined your reputation! No wonder he discards you.
You should try the exact opposite: Try to find jobs that you feel absolutely confident with. Deliver quality. Proofread. Proofread again. Deliver on time. If the client is happy with the translation, he will come back. Bang! There's your experience. This will help you find other clients.
[Bearbeitet am 2015-05-21 13:21 GMT]
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The situation with this patent translation agency was that I did an (unpaid) intership at their HQ during my masterclass course and I (with other 5 students) chose to do that because they said they were in DESPERATE need for DE-IT translators...At the end of it they hired only 2 of us (not so desperate, uh?). They disappeared from my life for two months until I asked them when I was supposed to do my translation test (something they promised me during the internship), I finally did it and they ... See more The situation with this patent translation agency was that I did an (unpaid) intership at their HQ during my masterclass course and I (with other 5 students) chose to do that because they said they were in DESPERATE need for DE-IT translators...At the end of it they hired only 2 of us (not so desperate, uh?). They disappeared from my life for two months until I asked them when I was supposed to do my translation test (something they promised me during the internship), I finally did it and they told me that the quality was good, so in August (a couple of months after the test) they started giving me patents (because everyone else was on vacation). I decided to translate that patent with such a restricted deadline because I thought it would have been my opportunity to stand out, as in that period I had no competitors and they really couldn't find anyone to do that translation. Now I agree that was not a good idea and the missing sentences were a serious fact, but I tried to do my best with the time I had, and the other jobs they assigned me later were good, so I don't really see the point for discarding me (in such a rude way, TBH).
Well, but if I don't ask for jobs how can I get jobs? No one will ever knock at my door begging for me to translate a text, especially now!!
But probably this won't be a problem as my reputation in the translation industry is already ruined...
[Edited at 2015-05-21 15:20 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 18:27
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Don't get discouraged... it's hard for everyone at first | May 21, 2015 |
When I first started translating (in 1993), there was no Internet, no ProZ, etc.
I had to print out, hand stuff and address over 500 envelopes (you had to pay money to have someone print these back then unless you could afford a very expensive ink-jet printer) plus pay for stamps to mail out your resume/brochure. And before I even started doing this, I first had to travel to the nearest large university library where they had national phone books in order to scour the yellow pages f... See more When I first started translating (in 1993), there was no Internet, no ProZ, etc.
I had to print out, hand stuff and address over 500 envelopes (you had to pay money to have someone print these back then unless you could afford a very expensive ink-jet printer) plus pay for stamps to mail out your resume/brochure. And before I even started doing this, I first had to travel to the nearest large university library where they had national phone books in order to scour the yellow pages for agency names and addresses.
I also had to make telephone calls to the agencies and introduce myself in order to find work. Many people would find this frightening now given the use of email.
I was told over and over and over and over again "Sorry, but we only use translators with at least 10 years of experience", "Sorry, all of our translators have 10 years or more experience", "Call us back when you have a minimum of ten years of experience, what's so special about you?".
Back then, even one misspelled or missing word would result in your getting a very angry phone call. I remember one time early in my career when I missed a hyphen in a number (thirty three instead of thirty-three) and the agency put me on a conference call with a table of 10 angry attorneys who made derogatory comments about my lack of education, how could they trust the accuracy of the rest of my translation, let's verify every sentence line by line, etc.. You can be thankful that expectations are somewhat lower now.
Nichtsdestotrozt (that having been said), while it is certainly easier now to get your name out there by just creating a website or profile on the internet, it's even harder to break into the business today because I can only imagine that agencies are even more reluctant to use new translators at all because they have had bad experiences in the past. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of people calling themselves "translators", but the truth is that only about 30% of these people are really capable of working as a paid professional translator and there is often no way for the good agencies to tell the difference right away. It's often easier, cheaper and faster for them to not even try.
You have to find a way to make yourself stand out. The same tactics that worked for older translators won't work today. You have to be creative. And I've seen some very creative profiles from new translators here on ProZ. You have to put yourself in the agency's shoes and think, why should they choose me, why should they trust me... This is a not an easy task, but spending a lot of time on this up front will make it easier. Your profile or website needs to "sparkle". (there are some books about this: Marketing Cookbook for Translators: http://amzn.to/1Lq3IJA and Standing Out for Translators: http://amzn.to/1Sjruff ). I don't think you can be boring and "old school" like we are. It's like you need a course in sales/marketing today.
Here's the best advice you will ever get: don't start at the bottom. It's counterintuitive, but the more you charge and the more patient you are, the better off you will be in the long run. Working for low rates, rescuing agencies that are "in a bind" or "in a rush" seems like a way to get a quick start, but it's a quick start on the road to nowhere. If you charge a decent rate, only accept jobs you are qualified to do (and with deadlines that you are confident you can meet), etc., it will take you longer to become established, but you will have a solid foundation.
Translation is not a career to start when you have no other income. In most cases, you have to have steady income from another job and slowly transition into becoming a full-time translator.
I worked full-time at a fast-food restaurant for my first year as a translator and then at a computer store for the next two years before I was able to earn enough to become independent (and this was charging .10 a word back then and now twenty years later, everything is way more expensive (rent, electricity, etc.), so it may take even longer).
There are exceptions, of course, for people who have long careers in other fields who then transition that experience and that expert knowledge into translation.
And don't stress about CAT tools. I suspect that most agencies wouldn't use them at all if there were no financial benefits (paying translators less and charging clients more). Some translators find them beneficial while others view them as a hindrance and a source of unending frustration. I would download a free one and make up your own mind. For example, they can be very useful in making sure (like in your unfortunate example), that you don't leave out a sentence and they help with term consistency. I don't have anything positive to say about the memory (TM) feature and I usually just turn it off.
A goccia a goccia si scava la roccia.
[Edited at 2015-05-21 20:41 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
| As a ProZ jobs rejector | May 21, 2015 |
I can tell you for sure, that occasionally they do post "potential" job offers even for free users (non-members) yet with some limitations, e.g. Service provider targeting (specified by job poster):
Membership: Non-members may quote after 12 hours Of course, it's but a vista and usually the offer is even more limited, because even "poor" clients want the "richest" contractors) However, such offers are still free--not even a dollar required!
Ch... See more I can tell you for sure, that occasionally they do post "potential" job offers even for free users (non-members) yet with some limitations, e.g. Service provider targeting (specified by job poster):
Membership: Non-members may quote after 12 hours Of course, it's but a vista and usually the offer is even more limited, because even "poor" clients want the "richest" contractors) However, such offers are still free--not even a dollar required!
Cheers. ▲ Collapse
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