| Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4] > | Most annoying types of agencies Thread poster: Baran Keki
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Baran Keki 
Türkiye
Local time: 12:40
Member
English to Turkish
Are there agencies more annoying than those sending job notifications to everyone and waiting for their favourite translator to respond? What is the point of doing this? Why can't they just contact their favourite translator personally and ask their availability, and then tantalize the other poor sods?
There is one British agency that does that. They pay decent rates and I don't think they choose translators based on their per word rate or whoever's clicked on the 'available' button first.... See more Are there agencies more annoying than those sending job notifications to everyone and waiting for their favourite translator to respond? What is the point of doing this? Why can't they just contact their favourite translator personally and ask their availability, and then tantalize the other poor sods?
There is one British agency that does that. They pay decent rates and I don't think they choose translators based on their per word rate or whoever's clicked on the 'available' button first. They even let you write a cover letter-like message (on the off chance you might convince the PM), but more often than not you get the same email, saying something like "Unfortunately this project has now been allocated but we will definitely...". And sometimes you get lucky and get the job when you don't expect it at all (usually happens when you have 2-3 other jobs going and you've clicked on the available button thinking 'they're not going to choose me anyway').
Does anybody have any experience with such agencies? How do you get to be the top dog in those agencies (short of forcing their favourite translator into retirement or sending them to Belize)? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 11:40
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| Could it be time-related? | Aug 9, 2022 |
One of my better clients works in a similar way, meaning they send job offers to more than one translator. I usually respond immediately, in which case I always have the job. However, if I dare waiting like 15 minutes the job is often already gone. I have to say that I'm not sure that it is a matter of being fast (perhaps I'm offered a time-window of 5 or 10 minutes to respond before they exclude me, who knows), but it could be.
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 12:40
Member
English to Turkish
TOPIC STARTER | This is not a first-come, first-served agency | Aug 9, 2022 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
One of my better clients works in a similar way, meaning they send job offers to more than one translator. I usually respond immediately, in which case I always have the job. However, if I dare waiting like 15 minutes the job is often already gone. I have to say that I'm not sure that it is a matter of being fast (perhaps I'm offered a time-window of 5 or 10 minutes to respond before they exclude me, who knows), but it could be.
There are agencies like you describe, which are equally as annoying. I remember one of them sending job notifications at ungodly hours despite being located in France or in some cases I'd hear the email notification, but unaccountably the job had already been sent hours earlier and I'd be too late despite clicking on the accept button seconds after receiving the email.
But that's not the case at all with the agency I'm talking about. They tantalize you good and proper, let you invest time, effort and hope into crafting a message, only to be left as frustrated as a certain British expat living in S. America.
They always work with the same translator, but send the job notification to everyone.
Okay, I get their reason, they want to have alternatives readily available in case their beloved translator is not available for whatever reason (which never happens, rot him), but can't they take that step after contacting that translator first? I know there are other agencies like that, it's just effing annoying.
[Edited at 2022-08-09 11:32 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-08-09 11:57 GMT]
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Have you considered talking to them about it, Baran?
The most annoying agency I deal with does offer some jobs first-come-first-served, which is mildly insulting but also somewhat perplexing given that I must cost them twice what some other translators do, but what I find most frustrating with large agencies is the seemingly endless stream of PMs they have so you can't form a proper relationship with any of them even for regular end-clients.
I do miss the days when even... See more Have you considered talking to them about it, Baran?
The most annoying agency I deal with does offer some jobs first-come-first-served, which is mildly insulting but also somewhat perplexing given that I must cost them twice what some other translators do, but what I find most frustrating with large agencies is the seemingly endless stream of PMs they have so you can't form a proper relationship with any of them even for regular end-clients.
I do miss the days when even the big agencies got to know you and your strengths, sent you everything in your fields and didn't waste your time offering jobs in other fields. What kind of moronic PM asks a translator to work in the wrong direction? ▲ Collapse
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You could send them the following email every time they do this:
'Thanks for your message, which has been duly received. All our agents are currently busy, but we will get back to you as soon as possible. Your business is important to us, and you can rest assured that we will attend to your request with all due attention.'
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 05:40
German to English
| Big jobs with a deadline | Aug 9, 2022 |
One agency I occasionally work with sometimes gets large projects that have to be broken up into smaller segments in order to meet their customer's deadline (e.g. bid on major construction project). The agency will send out a mass mailing detailing the various project elements (civil engineering, road construction, building superstructure, etc.). Their large pool of vetted translators can respond, offering their services regarding the special requirements of the project (they don't use Proz). Th... See more One agency I occasionally work with sometimes gets large projects that have to be broken up into smaller segments in order to meet their customer's deadline (e.g. bid on major construction project). The agency will send out a mass mailing detailing the various project elements (civil engineering, road construction, building superstructure, etc.). Their large pool of vetted translators can respond, offering their services regarding the special requirements of the project (they don't use Proz). Thus the PM doesn't have to contact 20 translators individually in order to get a half-dozen to work on the task. In such cases I don't mind receiving a mass mailing, and sometimes I have the time to accept the offer. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 12:40
Member
English to Turkish
TOPIC STARTER | I did, to no avail | Aug 9, 2022 |
Ice Scream wrote:
Have you considered talking to them about it, Baran?
After receiving the usual 'Sorry loser, see you next time' email four or five times in a row, I sent the PM an email yesterday, asking politely if there was any particular reason why they weren't considering me or if she could suggest some tips to improve my chances of getting jobs from them. I have yet to hear from her, and to be honest, I don't think I'll hear from her or any of her colleagues.
I'm not sure if it's a good idea to antagonize/pester them further by being persistent on the matter. They're a clinical trials agency, and I discovered that DeepL is doing a capital job translating that kind of content (apologies to those whom I may have taken the piss when they said DeepL was producing 'jaw-dropping results'. It's really good when it comes to clinical trials/medical translations. I simply copy/paste the stuff and let the agency's overzealous reviewers do their job, it won't make a difference to them anyway).
Thomas T. Frost wrote:
'Thanks for your message, which has been duly received. All our agents are currently busy, but we will get back to you as soon as possible. Your business is important to us, and you can rest assured that we will attend to your request with all due attention.'
That's a nice one!
| | | | | Annoying procedures | Aug 9, 2022 |
I believe, though I might be wrong, that all these annoying procedures are linked with the way some translation platforms are managed. One of my regulars has recently moved to one of these and things haven’t improved, quite the contrary. Fortunately, I still have a lot of old-fashioned clients where everything is based on proper relationships…
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 12:40
Member
English to Turkish
TOPIC STARTER | Another irritating type | Aug 9, 2022 |
are perhaps the ones that make you sign, initial and scan countless pages of agreements, asking you to submit all kinds of personal data and documents, and never contact you again for jobs.
You don't hear from them until you see a job ad posted by them here on Proz. You place a bid or send an email saying that you're already on their books and have worked with them before, and you get a lame excuse or no reply at all. Some of these agencies have good reviews on their BB left by translators... See more are perhaps the ones that make you sign, initial and scan countless pages of agreements, asking you to submit all kinds of personal data and documents, and never contact you again for jobs.
You don't hear from them until you see a job ad posted by them here on Proz. You place a bid or send an email saying that you're already on their books and have worked with them before, and you get a lame excuse or no reply at all. Some of these agencies have good reviews on their BB left by translators, who you know to be competent translators based on their Kudoz activity, as recently as a month ago. Why would you take a chance on a new translator every time you get a job in a certain language pair when you already have a tried and tested translator in your database, and go through that 'onboarding' process all over again?
Speaking of 'onboarding', about two weeks ago I received a Proz email from a Vendor Manager who asked me if I'd consider working with them on Turkish translation projects. If she'd checked out their database she'd have seen that I was already registered with them since 2017, having delivered about a dozen projects so far and she'd already contacted me personally at the beginning of this year about my rates for certified translations. She most likely removed me from their database, out of embarrassment, after our email exchange in which I explained all this to her... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Did I understand it correctly? | Aug 9, 2022 |
Baran Keki wrote: Ice Scream wrote:
Have you considered talking to them about it, Baran?
After receiving the usual 'Sorry loser, see you next time' email four or five times in a row, I sent the PM an email yesterday, asking politely if there was any particular reason why they weren't considering me or if she could suggest some tips to improve my chances of getting jobs from them. I have yet to hear from her, and to be honest, I don't think I'll hear from her or any of her colleagues. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to antagonize/pester them further by being persistent on the matter. They're a clinical trials agency, and I discovered that DeepL is doing a capital job translating that kind of content (apologies to those whom I may have taken the piss when they said DeepL was producing 'jaw-dropping results'. It's really good when it comes to clinical trials/medical translations. I simply copy/paste the stuff and let the agency's overzealous reviewers do their job, it won't make a difference to them anyway). Thomas T. Frost wrote:
'Thanks for your message, which has been duly received. All our agents are currently busy, but we will get back to you as soon as possible. Your business is important to us, and you can rest assured that we will attend to your request with all due attention.'
That's a nice one!
When you've had the opportunity to work with this agency, you've sent in a DeepL translation for the price of a decent human translation, and now you're wondering why they no longer pick you, ever? Hm! Puzzling indeed!
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 12:40
Member
English to Turkish
TOPIC STARTER
Korana Lasić wrote:
When you've had the opportunity to work with this agency, you've sent in a DeepL translation for the price of a decent human translation, and now you're wondering why they no longer pick you, ever? Hm! Puzzling indeed!
I had the chance to work with them more than a dozen times so far and, save for the last two occasions, I always delivered 'decent human translation'. But it makes no difference in the end, their reviewers will forever replace words with their synonyms or their preferred terminology without making any meaningful improvements in the quality.
I tried DeepL in the last two jobs and saw that it was really good with that sort of content. Using DeepL has no bearing whatsoever on my getting picked for projects. I was picked for those projects simply because their pet translator was too busy with other projects, or on a holiday or sick on those days. So it's just all down to luck. And, to be perfectly honest, I have no qualms whatsoever about using DeepL with that agency, because I just know the kind of 'corrections' their reviewers will make. I'll save the 'decent human translation' for more deserving clients.
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Baran Keki wrote: Korana Lasić wrote:
When you've had the opportunity to work with this agency, you've sent in a DeepL translation for the price of a decent human translation, and now you're wondering why they no longer pick you, ever? Hm! Puzzling indeed! I had the chance to work with them more than a dozen times so far and, save for the last two occasions, I always delivered 'decent human translation'. But it makes no difference in the end, their reviewers will forever replace words with their synonyms or their preferred terminology without making any meaningful improvements in the quality. I tried DeepL in the last two jobs and saw that it was really good with that sort of content. Using DeepL has no bearing whatsoever on my getting picked for projects. I was picked for those projects simply because their pet translator was too busy with other projects, or on a holiday or sick on those days. So it's just all down to luck. And, to be perfectly honest, I have no qualms whatsoever about using DeepL with that agency, because I just know the kind of 'corrections' their reviewers will make. I'll save the 'decent human translation' for more deserving clients.
I don't dispute the specific DeepL capabilities you mentioned in many pairs and yours, especially if you say so, I was merely thinking of the fact that the PM can run a document trough DeepL themselves. Your moral qualms (or lack there of) are your own. I wouldn't dream of going there! I know one thing for sure, with the horrible reviewers they hire, they do sound like a very annoying lot.
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Metin Demirel
Türkiye
Local time: 12:40
Member (2018)
Italian to Turkish
+ ...
| That happened to me too | Aug 9, 2022 |
Baran Keki wrote:
are perhaps the ones that make you sign, initial and scan countless pages of agreements, asking you to submit all kinds of personal data and documents, and never contact you again for jobs.
You don't hear from them until you see a job ad posted by them here on Proz. You place a bid or send an email saying that you're already on their books and have worked with them before, and you get a lame excuse or no reply at all. Some of these agencies have good reviews on their BB left by translators, who you know to be competent translators based on their Kudoz activity, as recently as a month ago. Why would you take a chance on a new translator every time you get a job in a certain language pair when you already have a tried and tested translator in your database, and go through that 'onboarding' process all over again?
Speaking of 'onboarding', about two weeks ago I received a Proz email from a Vendor Manager who asked me if I'd consider working with them on Turkish translation projects. If she'd checked out their database she'd have seen that I was already registered with them since 2017, having delivered about a dozen projects so far and she'd already contacted me personally at the beginning of this year about my rates for certified translations. She most likely removed me from their database, out of embarrassment, after our email exchange in which I explained all this to her...
I have had several first dates with some agencies too. But then I've learned to ignore the reruns.
| | | | Metin Demirel
Türkiye
Local time: 12:40
Member (2018)
Italian to Turkish
+ ...
Baran Keki wrote:
...because I just know the kind of 'corrections' their reviewers will make. I'll save the 'decent human translation' for more deserving clients.
I don't mean to teach or preach, but wouldn't it be more to your interest if you ditched such clients, who don't seem to be promising collaborators? When I have to deal with a client that I don't like due to their unprofessionalism or poor communication skills, I take into account what percentage of my total income they would constitute and I ask myself if it's worth taking the trouble.
| | | | | 'Bad apple' agencies, DeepL (and other MT engines) | Aug 9, 2022 |
Baran Keki wrote:
I was picked for those projects simply because their pet translator was too busy with other projects, or on a holiday or sick on those days. So it's just all down to luck... And sometimes you get lucky and get the job when you don't expect it at all (usually happens when you have 2-3 other jobs going and you've clicked on the available button thinking 'they're not going to choose me anyway'). How do you get to be the top dog in those agencies (short of forcing their favourite translator into retirement or sending them to Belize)?
So, you had a chance (or chances) to prove your worth, but you were already juggling 2-3 other jobs at the time. If you did a mediocre job due to lack of time, you may have lost your opportunity to become their preferred translator one of these days.
“The key is to set realistic customer expectations, and then not to just meet them, but to exceed them - preferably in unexpected and helpful ways.” © Richard Branson
And, to be perfectly honest, I have no qualms whatsoever about using DeepL with that agency, because I just know the kind of 'corrections' their reviewers will make. I'll save the 'decent human translation' for more deserving clients.
Baran, if you don't like working for this agency, just drop them. Delivering an unedited MT output is not only unprofessional, but it can also qualify as unjust enrichment* (to avoid using another term, namely fraud**).
* A legal principle that if a person receives money or other property unfairly and at the expense of another -- that is, by chance, mistake, or without any personal effort -- the recipient should return the property to the rightful owner. In lawsuits based on unjust enrichment, courts can order that the property be returned (referred to as making restitution).
** A promise that goes unfulfilled may give rise to a claim for fraud only under particular circumstances. For example, in California law, a false promise is only fraudulent if the promisor intended both not to perform on the promise and also that that the promisee would rely on the promise; and, the promisee must have reasonably relied on the promise and been harmed as a result of that reasonable reliance.
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