| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Demand of discount after delivering translation Thread poster: Anabel Martínez
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Cathy Flick 
United States
Local time: 14:27
Member (2003)
Russian to English
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| get more details | Feb 15, 2007 |
[quote]Nina Khmielnitzky wrote:
"I just got an email from a major US agency that asks if I can give them a discount for extra proofreading fees they incurred in my work."
You need to get precise details about "extra proofreading fees", in particular a copy of the revised document. Tell them that you need this to show a consultant to determine if this is a reasonable request, as well as for your records. (They need to know that a third party will be involved in determining if their claim is valid.)
What might have happened is simply that the person available for proofreading charged more than they wanted to pay, and they are trying to pass the difference on to you. This does not mean that your work necessarily was more difficult than usual to proofread. For example, their usual (cheaper) proofreaders might not have been available.
It is also possible that the proofreader was incompetent and made unnecessary or even incorrect changes. I was afflicted with a "rogue editor" once who changed nearly every technical term and phrasing (incorrectly, because he did not know the field or patent language) even though he admitted that he found no errors or omissions. I pointed out many of the errors he made to the agency and strongly suggested that 1) they get a second opinion from another editor experienced in the field and with patents and 2) that they should not use this editor again for technical work. Sometimes the end client hands the text over to an incompetent "in-house" editor, often someone whose native language is not the language of the translation. Then they try to reduce the agency's fee, and the agency trys to reduce the translator's fee to avoid any cut in their own profit.
My own feeling is that proofreading fees are always the agency's responsibility, no matter how bad the translation (and I have edited some horrible translations!). If they feel a translator requires too much extra proofreading, they have the option of either not hiring the translator again or simply considering the cost of such extra proofreading into the budget when deciding whether or not to accept the translator's offered fee for the job. If it's the first job with a particular translator, the proofreading cost (no matter how high) is simply the normal cost for evaluating a new translator - and the cost of that is not the translator's responsibility. This is why we provide references - people who have worked with us before, and can tell the new agency about our abilities. This can help the agency know whether or not the risk is worth it. But it is the agency's risk, not the translator's risk.
It is possible that the contract you signed either separately or on the purchase order (if they require a signed copy sent back) did have some clause about deducting from the translator's fee for "extra proofreading costs". I always cross out such clauses before signing anything. I expect my bill to be paid in full, no excuses. I also add a clause saying that all disputes (including payment disputes) will be determined by a third-party mediator acceptable to all sides.
If I accidentally overlooked such a clause and the agency wanted to reduce my payment for "extra proofreading", I would sign another copy of the contract with my indicated revisions of the terms, send it to the agency, and tell them that in future this will be the binding contract (not the original signed copy) if they intend to work with me. I also would show another competent translator in the language pair and field their revised version of this job and get a second opinion before agreeing to any discount.
Don't be misled by the fact that this is a "major US agency". One "major US agency" that often offers jobs on ProZ frequently used to ask for discounts after my invoice was submitted. Their excuse was always that they hadn't expected it to be "so high" (even for jobs in the US$100 range) and had promised their client a lower bill etc. (They were notorious for underestimating word counts.) I lost my patience for this when the amount was closer to US$80 than to US$10, and contacted one of their vice presidents about it. I also told them clearly that if my bill was not paid in full within the 30 day deadline, then I would take further action. (They paid. The VP apologized.) It is not the translator's fault that the agency hasn't budgeted properly for the project.
Peace, Cathy Flick
| | | | | rule of thumb | Feb 15, 2007 |
Look at your contract with the agency. If there is a special clause in it regarding extra proofreading, do as per the contract clause.
Otherwise decline politely any proposal on discounts.
That's what I should do.
| | | | | Responsibility for your work | Feb 20, 2007 |
As an outsourcer, every now and then I come across some absolutely outrageous translations - I normally pay for them, but there is one now that I am actually contesting. It was so bad that I had to get it done again, it was delivered late and there were all sorts of problems.
I hire translators on the understanding that I will get a "professional quality" translation back (after all, I pay top dollar rates). I use proof-reading as a standard QA method and I budget for it accordingly... See more As an outsourcer, every now and then I come across some absolutely outrageous translations - I normally pay for them, but there is one now that I am actually contesting. It was so bad that I had to get it done again, it was delivered late and there were all sorts of problems.
I hire translators on the understanding that I will get a "professional quality" translation back (after all, I pay top dollar rates). I use proof-reading as a standard QA method and I budget for it accordingly. So I guess my opinion would depend on how bad the original translation was.
If its unusable, I think it's outrageous for the translator to even think about sending in an invoice for it. It's always easy to say "don't use the translator again" but that's bull.
If you buy any product, say a fridge, from a store and it doesn't work. You will take it back to the seller and get a replacement. If it can't be replaced, how many of you will say - oh well, keep the money, I'll just not shop here anymore?
Same for services - you pay someone to do your garden and they come and dig it up instead, so you have to pay someone else twice that much to do the garden properly, after putting right the damage the original gardener caused. I think it's pretty much a given that you won't use that first gardener again, but in addition none of you will pay the invoice that the first gardener sends to you. If someone would, I want to know who you are.
As far as changing terms of payment or anything like that after the work is done satisfactorily, you can tell that agency to 'jog on' because that's a sign of an exploitative agency and nobody should have to work for someone like that. If I make a mistake on a word count, I will kick myself in the arse and pay up. It's not your mistake, it's my mistake and I'll pay for my own mistakes.... sometimes repeatedly.
As a freelance translator, if I get negative feedback (and I actually had a situation like this a few weeks ago I'm ashamed to say), I reviewed the work that I did and sort of agreed. I didn't send in an invoice for that job - yes, I lost one evening's work, but I take too much pride in the quality that I produce that I won't accept payment for something that isn't spot-on. I don't think that everyone has to go as far as I do with their satisfaction guarantees, but if you are shown where you've made mistakes and if there are a lot of them, I think you should contribute to putting it right.
That's my two pence worth! Take care y'all. ▲ Collapse
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