| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Do you accept to figure on the website of agencies with your picture? Thread poster: Andrea Halbritter
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Randa Farhat 
Lebanon
Local time: 02:59
English to Arabic
+ ...
| The answer is no. | Mar 19, 2015 |
I received similar requests (not from new agencies), but had to ignore. We freelancers are independent and work with more than one agency.
| | | | Verena Schmidt (X)
Germany
Local time: 01:59
English to German
+ ...
| Definitely not | Mar 19, 2015 |
In Germany, this could also cause some legal problems (Stichwort "Scheinselbständigkeit").
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:59
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Absolutely not | Mar 19, 2015 |
Andrea Halbritter wrote:
Hi!
I got a request today which I never had so far before:
An agency asked me whether I would be willing to send them a picture of me which could be published on their homepage in order to figure there as a member of their team (in case they actually decided to work with me after having had a look at my CV, sample translations etc.).
Did you already have that request? I actually had a look on their website and saw that there already figured about 40 translators with their photograph, first name, language combinations and a resumee of their career and their specializations.
What do you think about that?
Absolutely not. What they propose is quite possibly illegal. Were you to agree to their proposal you would lose control of your own image and reputation. I would give them a very severe warning. You should also report it to Proz, which I presume is where they are stealing this information. I would treat this as URGENT.
[Edited at 2015-03-19 10:51 GMT]
| | | | | Other informations? | Mar 19, 2015 |
Thanks for all your comments! I did not accept neither, but as I had that request for the first time I was very surprised.
Do you think agencies can use other elements of the CVs of their translators on their homepage e. g. mentionning "we have translators who already worked for..../who before were employed by..."? Is that legal?
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Randa Farhat
Lebanon
Local time: 02:59
English to Arabic
+ ...
| Not possible | Mar 19, 2015 |
Andrea Halbritter wrote:
Do you think agencies can use other elements of the CVs of their translators on their homepage e. g. mentioning "we have translators who already worked for.... /who before were employed by..."? Is that legal?
Hi Andrea,
I don't think they would do that - in case of professional agencies with whom you would already be working. Unless you are speaking about inept outsourcers.
It's basically a way to show their potential or high-end clients that they actually work with real qualified human translators (not machines), located across the globe. However, this is not the right thing to do. They are supposed to have 'privately' verified their translators.
As to revealing the translator's professional background publicly online this is not acceptable. Again, as a freelancer, I do not even include this (underlined above) information on my CV. This is not a matter of full time employment.
Regards,
Randa
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They actually already do... nothing about me though as I did not send any information.
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 05:29
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER | I have no problems on this count | Mar 19, 2015 |
I have had this request made to me a couple of times and have readily agreed. I see no problems for me to have my photo adorn their web pages. But I think, more than my photo, what they are interested is in my professional qualifications, which enhances their own credibility. They may be making capital out of that, but I have no problems with that.
| | | | Randa Farhat
Lebanon
Local time: 02:59
English to Arabic
+ ...
Andrea Halbritter wrote:
They actually already do.
Honestly, I find this rather strange, because we and they are not company partners.
They have business registration number and business tax number and we don't (we have income tax or self-employed tax where applicable).
They are businesses (entities) working with many end clients and many service providers, whereas we are individuals working with many clients and end clients. It is more of collaboration with legal precaution.
Sharing one's photo and work experience freely and publicly, or privately among connections, is a linkedIn thing, on one's personal page.
Verena Schmidt wrote:
In Germany, this could also cause some legal problems.
Tom in London wrote:
Absolutely not. What they propose is quite possibly illegal.
This is what I think, too.
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:59
Member (2008)
Italian to English
If you allow one particular agency to advertise you as being "on their books", in future I imagine it would be extremely difficult to ever get "off their books" again; and apart from anything else, by giving the impression that they have an exclusive on you, other agencies would be likely not to give you any work. Would you like that?
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 05:29
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | I don't think that is how it is supposed to work | Mar 21, 2015 |
Tom in London wrote:
If you allow one particular agency to advertise you as being "on their books", in future I imagine it would be extremely difficult to ever get "off their books" again; and apart from anything else, by giving the impression that they have an exclusive on you, other agencies would be likely not to give you any work. Would you like that?
It is like companies having a number of consultants on their panel, not that these consultants work only for that company, or that companies listen to what these consultants say, and hence the consultants are responsible for what the companies do.
No, it is not like that at all. It is just a goodwill gesture. The agencies, for reasons best known to themselves, feel the need to associate themselves with you or your professional identity, and you decide to agree, without any commitment on your part other than to have your picture and may a short description of your professional qualification on their website, to anything that the agency does.
I don't think other agencies would blacklist you just because you happen to figure in any other agency's website given that most of us are freelancers working for multiple agencies, so agencies expect that you would be working for other agencies too, and they don't exclusively own you.
There is some truth, though, in what you say about not being able to get your photo and profile out of their website when you don't want it, but you would want to do that only in the event of these agencies becoming so notorious that it is a disadvantage to have your name associated with them in any way. But in most cases these agencies are bonafide ones and not given to criminal tendencies, at least not the ones to which I have given assent.
[Edited at 2015-03-21 03:32 GMT]
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