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No invoices accepted with amounts less than 500 €
Initiator des Themas: Isabell Scherg
Isabell Scherg
Isabell Scherg  Identity Verified
Deutschland
Local time: 07:42
Mitglied (2009)
Englisch > Deutsch
Jan 5

Hello,
I was informed by an agency I have been working with for some years on large and small projects, that their accounting will not process any invoices with an amount less than 500 € - meaning if a monthly invoice is too small, the translator/revisor should issue a quarterly invoice.

I don't know about you - but I am always delivering the best quality in time, I never miss a deadline, on the contrary I am ususally delivering earlier - and now I should wait not only weeks
... See more
Hello,
I was informed by an agency I have been working with for some years on large and small projects, that their accounting will not process any invoices with an amount less than 500 € - meaning if a monthly invoice is too small, the translator/revisor should issue a quarterly invoice.

I don't know about you - but I am always delivering the best quality in time, I never miss a deadline, on the contrary I am ususally delivering earlier - and now I should wait not only weeks but months to get paid?

So far, it hasn't applied to me as the agency has some fluctuation in their group of PMs and as often, PMs provide their favorite translators with large projects. But I am thinking of not working for this agency anymore. They already have 45 days for payments.

Would you suggest to discuss this with them or do you think it's useless?
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Marina Aleyeva
Inge Schumacher
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Niederlande
Local time: 07:42
Mitglied (2006)
Englisch > Afrikaans
+ ...
Useless Jan 5

Isabell Scherg wrote:
Would you suggest to discuss this with them or do you think it's useless?

No, it would be useless to discuss this with them. Just keep submitting invoices monthly, even if you don't reach the threshold -- the PM will write back each time to inform you of whether you need to wait another month or two before submitting a new invoice.

I'm assuming you don't have to choose between monthly and quarterly -- they only mean that if the amount in a given quarter is not yet EUR 500, then you should wait until the end of that quarter before sending an invoice.


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 06:42
Mitglied (2007)
Englisch > Portugiesisch
+ ...
@Isabell Jan 5

I wouldn’t discuss it (it’s probably useless), but I would become unavailable for small projects. Where is this agency located?

Tomasz Sienicki
Josephine Cassar
Emanuele Vacca
Philip Lees
Renée van Bijsterveld
K. Isaac
Niina Lahokoski
 
Peter Shortall
Peter Shortall  Identity Verified
Vereinigtes Königreich
Rumänisch > Englisch
+ ...
Pushing back Jan 5

Over the years, I have read in these forums about countless situations where agencies have announced new policies designed to make it harder, if not impossible, for translators to get paid for their work. Agencies succeed in this behaviour to the extent that translators cave in and comply. If large numbers of us tried pushing back against this trend by simply saying "no", maybe these companies would stop trying it on with us so often.

For that reason, and since you're already thi
... See more
Over the years, I have read in these forums about countless situations where agencies have announced new policies designed to make it harder, if not impossible, for translators to get paid for their work. Agencies succeed in this behaviour to the extent that translators cave in and comply. If large numbers of us tried pushing back against this trend by simply saying "no", maybe these companies would stop trying it on with us so often.

For that reason, and since you're already thinking of cutting your ties with this company, I'd definitely try protesting. I wouldn't hold out much hope that it will back down, though.
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Becca Resnik
Christine Andersen
Philip Lees
Renée van Bijsterveld
Joakim Braun
Niina Lahokoski
Luca Tutino
 
Isabell Scherg
Isabell Scherg  Identity Verified
Deutschland
Local time: 07:42
Mitglied (2009)
Englisch > Deutsch
THEMENSTARTER
They are based in Italy Jan 5

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:

I wouldn’t discuss it (it’s probably useless), but I would become unavailable for small projects. Where is this agency located?


 
Zea_Mays
Zea_Mays  Identity Verified
Italien
Local time: 07:42
Englisch > Deutsch
+ ...
500 € is unusual Jan 5

I work with an agency with if I remember well a 70 € threshold, but 500 € is way beyond a reasonable sum.
The only acceptable reason for thresholds is transfer fees, while in this case it looks more like a method to a) pay you only after the clients paid, and b) achieve savings thanks to messy translators who don't keep track of their payments.
There is also to check if this is legitimate.


Christine Andersen
philgoddard
Yasutomo Kanazawa
Cetacea
Inge Schumacher
Omnia Kamel
 
Zea_Mays
Zea_Mays  Identity Verified
Italien
Local time: 07:42
Englisch > Deutsch
+ ...
... Jan 5

They are based in Italy

Quit.


Josephine Cassar
Tom in London
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Giovanni Milone
Emanuele Vacca
Barbara Micheletto
IrinaN
 
Bartosz Kurkiewicz
Bartosz Kurkiewicz
Polen
Local time: 07:42
Englisch > Polnisch
+ ...
This is completely unreasonable and you'll be better off without them. Jan 5

Practices like this make my blood boil. Work is work and work means you get paid. Makes me wonder if they use the same rationale when paying for utilities.
As far as I am concerned, you're being used to get a free loan, which should totally get reflected in the invoice and perhaps even adjusted for inflation.

As in title. Just don't do it to yourself. The arrangement looks like something that could be made to work... provided it all takes off
and you get this steady stre
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Practices like this make my blood boil. Work is work and work means you get paid. Makes me wonder if they use the same rationale when paying for utilities.
As far as I am concerned, you're being used to get a free loan, which should totally get reflected in the invoice and perhaps even adjusted for inflation.

As in title. Just don't do it to yourself. The arrangement looks like something that could be made to work... provided it all takes off
and you get this steady stream of income, yada yada yada. In reality, it's straight up abusive and could even get you into all sorts of traps involving overdrawing and other kinds of bad financial instruments.
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Becca Resnik
Zea_Mays
IrinaN
Birgit Elisabeth Horn
tabor
Manuel Aburto
MagnusRubens (X)
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 06:42
Mitglied (2007)
Englisch > Portugiesisch
+ ...
@Isabell Jan 5

During the time in the EU where bank transfers were expensive maybe it could make sense to set some kind of a threshold (never 500€), but nowadays they are free…

Zea_Mays
Inge Schumacher
 
Marie-France Phaneuf
Marie-France Phaneuf  Identity Verified
Deutschland
Local time: 07:42
Mitglied (2022)
Englisch > Französisch
+ ...
Make your point Jan 5

I would not assume it is useless to discuss, most of all if you are good collaborator. I would first check if there is a clause in the contract that you signed about it. If you haven't signed this in your agreement, I would at least try to make my point.

Some companies offer a threshold for money transfer, so that less money get lost in small tranfers, but to impose a threshold on invoicing is going way too far.

MF


Josephine Cassar
Zea_Mays
Philip Lees
MagnusRubens (X)
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Eva Stoppa
Eva Stoppa  Identity Verified
Deutschland
Local time: 07:42
Englisch > Deutsch
+ ...
Only accept Jan 5

Assignments from them higher than 500 Euros. This way, it will work for you.

Josephine Cassar
Lingua 5B
Kevin Fulton
Becca Resnik
philgoddard
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philip Lees
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnien und Herzegowina
Local time: 07:42
Mitglied (2009)
Englisch > Kroatisch
+ ...
Scam Jan 5

This client may have a large pool of people to whom they’re sending small assignments (through rotation), and then all of them will be hanging for months, if not years, without payment. For instance, the OP gets close to €500 mark, then they stop sending her assignments and just pull out the next one from the roster. When the next one gets close to €500 mark…, you get the picture.

Kevin Fulton
Yasutomo Kanazawa
Peter Shortall
MagnusRubens (X)
Arabic & More
Inge Schumacher
Tretyak
 
Zea_Mays
Zea_Mays  Identity Verified
Italien
Local time: 07:42
Englisch > Deutsch
+ ...
Apply this to the bakery... Jan 5

Tell them "I will only pay you after I got bread worth 500€ from you" and see what they'll say.

Lingua 5B
Christel Zipfel
Becca Resnik
Philip Lees
MagnusRubens (X)
Inge Schumacher
Vladimir Filipenko
 
The answer Jan 5

Just bill them 500 euros for every job. Sorted.

Christine Andersen
Christel Zipfel
Zea_Mays
Lingua 5B
Becca Resnik
Peter Shortall
philgoddard
 
Tomasz Sienicki
Tomasz Sienicki  Identity Verified
Dänemark
Local time: 07:42
Mitglied (2007)
Dänisch > Polnisch
+ ...
Credit Jan 5

Right, once you complete a €100 job, invoice them €500 for the delivered job + €400 credit towards any future assignments.

Christine Andersen
Christel Zipfel
Zea_Mays
Lingua 5B
Becca Resnik
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philip Lees
 
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No invoices accepted with amounts less than 500 €







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