| Pages sur ce sujet: < [1 2 3] > | Some 3000 words within the next couple of hours and your best rate to boot! Auteur du fil: Narasimhan Raghavan
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Narasimhan Raghavan 
Local time: 06:05
anglais vers tamoul/tamil
+ ...
AUTEUR DU FIL In memoriam | Fixing a deadline is not that difficult | Mar 4, 2008 |
The outsourcer knows that 3000 words are involved. He can say that he requires the work within a fixed time after the receipt of the job.
Anyhow, your version is just far-fetched. The posting in full has been reproduced and it appeared in a translators' portal (not Proz.com). And it is clear that he thinks nothing of asking for the impossible that too at the "best" rate.
Regards,
N.Raghavan
Harry Bornemann wrote: Narasimhan Raghavan wrote:
Come on, the sentence cannot mean what you say
In that case, the outsourcer should have indicated a deadline. How could he determine a deadline if he does not even know exactly when the source text will be available? Since you are the only one knowing the job poster, maybe you could ask him to get your point (or not)? By the way, I do remember the duckpond, as I had, after all, mentioned it at that time! That's why I searched it in the forum and inserted the link! 
[Edited at 2008-03-04 09:48]
| | | | Goran Tasic
Serbie
Local time: 02:35
Membre (2006)
anglais vers serbe
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| I personally know... | Mar 4, 2008 |
...a colleague who did 250.000 words of translation last month. It is no typo. 250.000 words. And I feel no envy, only admirableness.
Regards
| | | | | That can be slow | Mar 4, 2008 |
Goran Tasic wrote:
...a colleague who did 250.000 words of translation last month. It is no typo. 250.000 words. And I feel no envy, only admirableness.
Some years ago I translated 200.000 words in 2 weeks,
but it was 98% repetitions...
| | | | Marc P (X)
Local time: 02:35
allemand vers anglais
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| Notorious best rate... | Mar 4, 2008 |
Valery Kaminski wrote:
Why has 'the best rate' become such a red rag?
Because it implies that it is the supplier's normal procedure to haggle. It is tantamount to saying: We know that when you first state a price, you don't seriously expect anyone to pay it, so just give us a realistic price straight away.
Marc
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Stephen Gobin
Royaume-Uni
Local time: 01:35
allemand vers anglais
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| Agree with Marc | Mar 4, 2008 |
I am surprised at some people's entries when they say/imply that there is nothing wrong with a client asking for "the best rate". Any native English speaker knows automatically what this means, i.e. the client will want to haggle.
Try asking your dentist, solicitor, doctor, accountant for his best rate, tell him that you'll pay 50% less than he asks for because you'll make sure you will tell your family and all your friends to use his services in the future.
| | | | | What's so wrong about haggling? | Mar 4, 2008 |
Marc P wrote: Valery Kaminski wrote:
Why has 'the best rate' become such a red rag? Because it implies that it is the supplier's normal procedure to haggle. It is tantamount to saying: We know that when you first state a price, you don't seriously expect anyone to pay it, so just give us a realistic price straight away. Marc
As I wrote - it's the way we see it. There is a market out there... It's a norm to meet half-way, isn't it?
Sure there are quite a few KTAs (a great acronym for a Kitcen Table Agency invented by a colleague in another thread!) that are fishing for the lowest possible rates. But it doesn't mean IMO we should start imagining things and ascribe the same attitude to everybody.
| | | | Goran Tasic
Serbie
Local time: 02:35
Membre (2006)
anglais vers serbe
+ ...
| No, no repetitions here. :-) | Mar 4, 2008 |
Harry Bornemann wrote: Goran Tasic wrote:
...a colleague who did 250.000 words of translation last month. It is no typo. 250.000 words. And I feel no envy, only admirableness. Some years ago I translated 200.000 words in 2 weeks, but it was 98% repetitions...
| | | | | The usual miracle | Mar 4, 2008 |
I must be missing out if I don't get such offers all that often. But some short answers:
- no language specified; if you can't be be bothered, then why should I?
- not addressed to me personally; looks like spam. If in doubt, check the details of the sender in the e-mail (Raw View or the like)
- 3000 words; that takes a very full day. Nobody can type that fast. Any client who is ignorant of such basic facts won't be much fun to work with.
- best rate; my best rate... See more I must be missing out if I don't get such offers all that often. But some short answers:
- no language specified; if you can't be be bothered, then why should I?
- not addressed to me personally; looks like spam. If in doubt, check the details of the sender in the e-mail (Raw View or the like)
- 3000 words; that takes a very full day. Nobody can type that fast. Any client who is ignorant of such basic facts won't be much fun to work with.
- best rate; my best rate is the one that is best for me. And that includes a surcharge for rush jobs.
Some customers need to be trained in the realities of how fast we can work and how much we should be paid. Others are simply salesmen who essentially sell text. They always want the lowest rates, so basically I don't bother with them.
Solidarity! Hold out for reasonable rates, sane deadlines and hefty surcharges for rush jobs. Otherwise, you might as well put your linguistic skills to use by saying "Would you like fries with that?" in ten different languages. ▲ Collapse
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Steven Capsuto
États-Unis
Local time: 20:35
Membre (2004)
espagnol vers anglais
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Valery Kaminski wrote:
Why has 'the best rate' become such a red rag?
Because in practice, every time I've responded to a posting asking for a "best rate" the client was only willing to pay a fee about one millimeter above slave labor (usually in the 2 to 3 cent range, usually for a rush job, and usually requiring "Trados discounts" to boot).
Result: like many other translators, if I see "best rate," I move on to the next posting.
[Edited at 2008-03-04 14:35]
| | | | Steven Capsuto
États-Unis
Local time: 20:35
Membre (2004)
espagnol vers anglais
+ ...
| Cross-cultural differences again? | Mar 4, 2008 |
Valery Kaminski wrote:
As I wrote - it's the way we see it. There is a market out there... It's a norm to meet half-way, isn't it?
No. It's a norm to charge a rate that allows you to pay your bills and eat.
At least in the culture I was raised in, haggling is a sign of disrespect. It is what people do with a vendor who is selling something they don't value, or who they think is trying to cheat them by charging too much. If I tried to haggle with the cashier at the supermarket or my doctor's receptionist or a bus driver, they would think I was crazy or rude.
I also don't haggle when hiring editors and proofreaders; I assume they're serious about the rates they quote and I make decisions accordingly.
The only exception I can think of is in the purchase of real estate, where negotiating is customary.
[Edited at 2008-03-04 14:39]
| | | | | I have nothing against dentists but... | Mar 4, 2008 |
Stephen Gobin wrote:
...Try asking your dentist, solicitor, doctor, accountant for his best rate, tell him that you'll pay 50% less than he asks for because you'll make sure you will tell your family and all your friends to use his services in the future.
Why do so many people like comparing translators to dentists, plumbers etc? Isn't it obvious that we provide a totally different kind of service? Put simply: 'they' are in 'business to man in the street' league; 'we' are in 'business to business' league.
I have interpreted at quite a few 'business to business' meetings and translated tons of faxes and e-mails between various kinds of members of the latter league. Need I tell you what the essence in most cases boiled down to? They never call it haggling though... It is now called 'trying to achieve a win-win situation'
| | | | Ralf Lemster
Allemagne
Local time: 02:35
anglais vers allemand
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| Quote your price | Mar 4, 2008 |
Hi Valery,
As I wrote - it's the way we see it. There is a market out there... It's a norm to meet half-way, isn't it?
Most certainly not.
If meeting half way is a price that's (still) acceptable for you - fine. But I don't think you should reduce your price just to accommodate a client's request.
Best regards,
Ralf
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Ralf Lemster wrote:
If meeting half way is a price that's (still) acceptable for you - fine. But I don't think you should reduce your price just to accommodate a client's request.
Best regards,
Ralf
Hi Ralf.
Of course I meant the price within my range! I do not think people here only charge x and never x+1 or x-2. Numerous reasons for that: US and Euro, deadlines, weekends and lots of other things.
I have some experience regarding 'the best rate' and 3000 words in 5.5 hours in one case and ~14,000 in 48 hours in another. My experience was positive.
So, as they say in Britain: "There are best rates and best rates"
If I make effective use of the 14.5 cm between my ears I am sure I will be able to tell one from the other
[Редактировалось 2008-03-04 13:03]
[Редактировалось 2008-03-04 13:56]
| | | | megane_wang
Espagne
Local time: 02:35
Membre (2007)
anglais vers espagnol
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| The point is "your best rate" | Mar 4, 2008 |
I urgently need around 3000 words translated (probably in the next couple of hours) from German to English. Interested colleagues may send their application to xxxx@aaaaaa with job number kkkkk and your best rate in the email subject line. No spam or unrelated emails please".
If you are interested, just send your best rate. Your best rate means....
- That one that allows you to live the way you like to.
- That one that compensates the things you will not be able to do if you accept that (rush?) job.
What if your "best rate" for that project is 0.20 USD/word?
By the way, 5500 words a day is nothing impossible, if the original is good, you know about the subject and you use appropriate tools.
Best,
Ruth @ MW
PS: Note that I also hate reading anything like "best rate" in rush job offers, but at last I learned to take them or just forget completely about them. Life is too short to teach every stone-headed person what a fair price is.
[Edited at 2008-03-04 13:05]
| | | | Tatty
Local time: 02:35
espagnol vers anglais
+ ...
| Spot on Narasimham | Mar 4, 2008 |
Dear Harry,
Narasimham is right. Your version would not be giving the sentence its natural meaning, but a distorted one. If you look at the cadence of the sentence, the main thrust of the sentence falls on "urgency", the rest is subordinated to it. You must then look at the extrinsic factors, it was addressed to translators. The client knows, at least, that translating 3000 words in a couple of hours constitutes an urgent job. And lastly, when have you ever seen a job asking whether... See more Dear Harry,
Narasimham is right. Your version would not be giving the sentence its natural meaning, but a distorted one. If you look at the cadence of the sentence, the main thrust of the sentence falls on "urgency", the rest is subordinated to it. You must then look at the extrinsic factors, it was addressed to translators. The client knows, at least, that translating 3000 words in a couple of hours constitutes an urgent job. And lastly, when have you ever seen a job asking whether you are free in the next few hours, if at all?
It is not that your reading isn't possible, it is just not the natural reading of it, given the circumstances. ▲ Collapse
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