Poll: What is your style for a summer vacation out-of-office email? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What is your style for a summer vacation out-of-office email?".
View the poll results »
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I haven't take a summer vacation for a long time, I prefer taking some days off here and there over the year.
| | | | | Check emails as normal | Jul 9 |
In the current climate, I don't even tell some clients that I am away, albeit I don't usually go away for more than ten days now and if some work comes along at a convenient time when I am away, I'll accept it
| | | | Thayenga 
Germany
Local time: 17:53
Member (2009)
English to German
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I state that I will check my emails whenever possible (there is not always an Internet connection available in my vacation locations), and that I will therefore be unable to take on any urgent projects until ... date of return. Thank you for your patience and loyalty.
[Edited at 2026-07-09 15:53 GMT]
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 17:53
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Timeline plus regular checks | Jul 9 |
I use "Out of the office until 15 July" as the subject line and then "Dear clients, I'm on vacation until 15 July, but I'll check my email periodically. During this time, I can't offer same-day or next-day service." Then I check my email regularly via my phone, and I reply to all incoming emails as soon as possible with a personalized message that basically repeats the out-of-office message.
| | | | Vincenzo Di Maso
Portugal
Local time: 16:53
Member (2009)
English to Italian
+ ...
| I MUST be available | Jul 9 |
I realised years ago that we cannot indulge in the luxury of telling clients we’re on holiday. In the good old days, I lost clients because I was on holiday. At the same time, when others were on holiday and I was available, I’m well aware that I gained clients because they saw me as the most accessible person.
Last year, during my holiday, I took my laptop with me and worked for part of the day, just as I have done in previous years. I lost an important client because I was on... See more I realised years ago that we cannot indulge in the luxury of telling clients we’re on holiday. In the good old days, I lost clients because I was on holiday. At the same time, when others were on holiday and I was available, I’m well aware that I gained clients because they saw me as the most accessible person.
Last year, during my holiday, I took my laptop with me and worked for part of the day, just as I have done in previous years. I lost an important client because I was on my honeymoon in the US. That was in 2016, a year when the translation industry was thriving and there was plenty of work.
Clients – or at least a significant number of them – couldn’t care less about your private life, whether you’re on holiday, have a health issue, and so on. They might tolerate one day when you’re unavailable, but not two. I heard through the grapevine that one of my clients said: ‘Vincenzo is skilled and professional, but he’s not always available, so I choose other colleagues.’ Perhaps I’d had to turn down work once or twice.
These days, with the translation industry facing such challenges, turning down jobs – even if it’s because we’re on holiday – can have dire and devastating consequences. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Danielle Crouch
Germany
Local time: 17:53
Member (2019)
German to English
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| Vacation is for fully disconnecting | 07:14 |
I state that I will be unavailable from X to Y dates and that I will respond to my emails on Z date when I return.
If I've delivered something right before I leave that I feel might have follow-up questions or need some attention from me, I will write to that client directly and let them know that they can call me if there are any issues, but that's been very rare.
To me, taking a vacation is about fully disconnecting from work, and I do not check my email or do anythi... See more I state that I will be unavailable from X to Y dates and that I will respond to my emails on Z date when I return.
If I've delivered something right before I leave that I feel might have follow-up questions or need some attention from me, I will write to that client directly and let them know that they can call me if there are any issues, but that's been very rare.
To me, taking a vacation is about fully disconnecting from work, and I do not check my email or do anything work-related when I have set that out-of-office. I give my clients plenty of notice that I will be away so they can plan around my dates if they need to.
I live in Germany and most of my clients are also in Germany. Here (and in other places in Europe, like Sweden) it is completely understood and expected that people will take vacations, sometimes for several weeks at a time and often multiple times a year. So I have never had a problem with this approach, and I have never lost a client because of it.
That being said, I don't actually take vacations that often, mostly because I don't like to travel. Following through on a full "staycation" is harder, because I figure I might as well be working if I'm at home. I managed a week-long staycation earlier this year for my birthday, but I've hesitated to plan the next one. As others have said, it unfortunately feels precarious right now to take time off and lose out on that income. ▲ Collapse
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