Poll: Have you ever met a client from a translation agency personally? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever met a client from a translation agency personally?".
This poll was originally submitted by Ivana de Sousa Santos
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more inf... See more This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever met a client from a translation agency personally?".
This poll was originally submitted by Ivana de Sousa Santos
View the poll here
A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: http://proz.com/topic/33629 ▲ Collapse
| | | | Steven Capsuto 
United States
Local time: 07:01
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Clarification? | Apr 7, 2008 |
Does this mean "Have you ever met someone who works at an agency that's your client?" or does it mean "Have you ever met your client's client?"
| | | | | Clarification | Apr 7, 2008 |
I meant your client, not your client's client.
| | | | | So I gave a wrong answer | Apr 7, 2008 |
I thought that you meant agency's client - I meet them all the time working as interpreter but I never met in person someone who works in the agency.
Best Regards
Stanislaw
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Steven Capsuto
United States
Local time: 07:01
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| In that case, yes | Apr 7, 2008 |
Strangely, I've met rather a lot of my European clients and relatively few of my American clients.
| | | | Reed James
Chile
Local time: 07:01
Member (2005)
Spanish to English
| Two reasons this has never happened | Apr 7, 2008 |
...and probably never will.
1) Except for when I am on vacation, I have so much work that I would never have time to make my way to the agencies' brick and mortar addresses.
2) If I somehow found the time to do this, the PM would say "Hey Reed, it's nice to meet you, but did you check your e-mail? There's an 80,000 word project due on Monday I'd like your help with".
And I would go bounding over to my computer to get started...
| | | | Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:01
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam | Only twice in 43 years | Apr 7, 2008 |
The first time, I didn't like the client; the second time, the client didn't like me.
The first time was about 35 years ago. It was the only time I ever undertook to translate something into Russian. The client was an agency, actually just a one-woman band, but she was trying in every way to pretend she was a large, well established reputable agency. This was one of the very few occasions when I was not paid in full. Months later, she told another translator to call on me for help... See more The first time, I didn't like the client; the second time, the client didn't like me.
The first time was about 35 years ago. It was the only time I ever undertook to translate something into Russian. The client was an agency, actually just a one-woman band, but she was trying in every way to pretend she was a large, well established reputable agency. This was one of the very few occasions when I was not paid in full. Months later, she told another translator to call on me for help (without asking me first). I did help the other translator, but wrote the agent a sharp letter telling her how I felt about it, and never heard from her again.
(I'd hate to look at that translation of mine again now, I'm sure it was pretty poor stuff).
The second time, about 30 years ago, the head of an agency from which I had been getting regular work two or three times a week was a speaker at a Translators' Guild meeting I attended in London. The agency had always been good to work for, paid promptly, was helpful in answering queries and so on, and I said so at this meeting. He spoke to me afterwards, and invited me to visit his agency. I did so, spent a couple of hours there, everything seemed fine. But from then on I got no more work at all from that agency. So since then, I have been wary of making any such contacts.
[Edited at 2008-04-07 23:55] ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 13:01
Spanish to English
+ ...
| I answered "other" ... | Apr 7, 2008 |
... because I didn't understand the question. I used to do work occasionally for the brother of a friend of a friend who had/has an agency. The work was OK and the rates were average to low. He had problems a couple of years ago when he fell out with his tech guy/accountant who apparently ran off with his database but I hear he's back in business again, although he hasn't contacted me personally.
As for getting in touch with an agency's client - I find that on the few occasions when... See more ... because I didn't understand the question. I used to do work occasionally for the brother of a friend of a friend who had/has an agency. The work was OK and the rates were average to low. He had problems a couple of years ago when he fell out with his tech guy/accountant who apparently ran off with his database but I hear he's back in business again, although he hasn't contacted me personally.
As for getting in touch with an agency's client - I find that on the few occasions when I try to contact the client for clarification over terms used, abbreviations, acronyms, etc the agencies almost always refuse to allow it - they are worried that the client will try to "poach" me to work directly for them or grill me to find out what the agency pays -or that I might propose it to the client. I suppose that for them the notion of integrity somehow clashes with that of business practice. Often they don't even want to contact the client themselves to clear up my questions, as if they were some hallowed uber-being that mustn't be molested by mere mortals - which is really annoying ... ▲ Collapse
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Nikki Graham
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:01
Spanish to English
| Soon to be twice | Apr 7, 2008 |
I once met the owners of an agency because they were trying to persuade me to work inhouse for them, which meant moving to another city where I had lived before, and didn't particularly want to go back to, and taking a drop in salary (they said I could top it up working evenings and weekends!). Needless to say, I refused their offer, even when they strongly hinted that refusal would mean not much work, if any, coming my way in the future from them. That was back in 2000. And besides one job in 2... See more I once met the owners of an agency because they were trying to persuade me to work inhouse for them, which meant moving to another city where I had lived before, and didn't particularly want to go back to, and taking a drop in salary (they said I could top it up working evenings and weekends!). Needless to say, I refused their offer, even when they strongly hinted that refusal would mean not much work, if any, coming my way in the future from them. That was back in 2000. And besides one job in 2001, I haven't worked for them since.
And on Friday, as I will be in Madrid for a few days, I will be meeting the PM of an agency I have worked for and "known" for nearly eight years. In that time we have discussed much more than business and I am very much looking forward to meeting her and I'm sure the experience will be positive (but just slightly apprehensive now after reading about Jack's experience!). ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I never want to ..... | Apr 8, 2008 |
In this Internet age, virtually everything is done over cyberspace.
Besides, whole point is "Get the job done!"
Why we need to know client in person, unless in rare case of personal nitty-gritty becomes a critical issue to that end?
I see no reason I have to know the client.
Email is a might tool of communication.
| | | | | It worked... for a while | Apr 8, 2008 |
Well I met one of my clients, and I worked for them for about 3 years. The person I had contact wit was really nice and we are still in touch. We had some problems about money, when I wanted do increase my rates they wanted to lower....
| | | | Clare Barnes
Sweden
Local time: 13:01
Swedish to English
+ ...
| Quite a few... | Apr 8, 2008 |
I recently made a long trip to visit a client and the client's client, which was a lovely experience - so here's hoping it doesn't turn out like Jack's!
I've also had informal meetings with three other outsourcers/agency owners, either at their homes or in cafes(!) all of which have been very pleasant experiences and added to the business relationship.
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| I met a client once | Apr 8, 2008 |
I had to do an interpreting at court and the client insisted a lot that I do that (I don't do interpreting): it was a simple case, no big deal and he'd be there with me. So he went, offered me a coffee, we had a little chat, he explained me how it worked, he introduced me to people at the court and then he went away I thought he'd be tehre all the time... Fortunately, the hearing didn't take place).
Apart from that, I never met a client, but I'd like to meet my clients, because I've... See more I had to do an interpreting at court and the client insisted a lot that I do that (I don't do interpreting): it was a simple case, no big deal and he'd be there with me. So he went, offered me a coffee, we had a little chat, he explained me how it worked, he introduced me to people at the court and then he went away I thought he'd be tehre all the time... Fortunately, the hearing didn't take place).
Apart from that, I never met a client, but I'd like to meet my clients, because I've got a good relationship with most of them. I always think "If I go to Spain, I will meet X, Y and Y", "If I go to France..."
I hope I can do that one day, as Clare does. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tatty
Local time: 13:01
Spanish to English
+ ...
| I've been invited to agencies | Apr 8, 2008 |
I've met a few of my agents only because they like to meet their freelance translators. I always moan about it because it is time out of my day and I have to plan these visits carefully between jobs, but I do appreciate having met them afterwards, since it makes the business relationship more human, sweeter. Having said that, it is a good job I don't have to meet all of them...
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