Re: Re: Agency rates are politics by other means

[Guest guest]

In response to Lev,

Wow, this sounds like the advocate of the cheap.

First, I'd like to rectify one detail. My financial freedom was actually

generated by end clients, not agencies.

Second, if I was able to do what I did last month and over the past 3 years

(cars, renovations, travels), it was because I love deals, as a go-getter, I

am always on the watch and I sell my services at the right value.

Don't get me wrong, I have NEVER bought any rotten tomatoes, since I don't

like to waste. What's the point to buy cheap and to discard??? Especially

the poor, they don't like to buy and discard. I would say that the least

fortunate are more willing to pay for expensive products. Look at the

clientele for PlayStation. I don't think these are cheap products. Let's

talk about the manufacturers of these gadgets. While they are piling up

money, profits, you name it, they are the ones not willing to pay a

reasonable fee for translation, localization services.

Third, there are NO poor clients for translation. Everyone knows that

translation costs money.

Instead of an analogy, here is a concrete example of people trying to take

advantage of any instances.

One day I received a call for an important legal document. A whole entire

Mining code.

I even got the privilege to be delivered the hard copy to my office by the

translation buyer.

As a professional, I sent my estimate the next day. Guess what, a call

followed and of course the person had, supposedly, no idea of what the costs

could be.

His next request was for me to provide the professional translation for all

the titles, headers, etc.. So then he could give the document to his

daughter who was studying French. While I really thought about telling him

the F word, I stayed professional.

The funny thing is that a few months later his wife (in fact owner of the

translation agency who didn't have the guts to face me but sent her husband

instead) was accredited the most successful business woman who generated

hundreds of Ks of dollars.

Fourth, it's time to drop all of these notions of market, free market, etc.

In 4 years my dentist has doubled his rate for a routine visit.

I maintain that translators create the market. I don't blame translation

agencies. They go for the reasonable cheap but good.

I'd like to add that especially translators located in some very specific

geographical areas innovated the today's tendency.

Now I would like to ask this simple question.

'How many translators have created, or produced something that could help

them to stand out of the mass?' Not so many.

This is a good way to attract direct clients.

From: medical_translation

[mailto:medical_translation ] On Behalf Of Lev Abramov

Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2012 5:07 PM

To: medical_translation

Subject: Re: Agency rates are politics by other means

Sorry about being a bit late for the party, folks. I keep reading your

postings and I just say to myself: how can it be that people cannot see the

other side of that coin?

<rant>

OK, let me give you an analogy. You want some tomatoes, and you have enough

money to buy the best. You go to the most expensive supermarket in the

vicinity and you buy some expensive tomatoes.

Last week you wanted some, too - but your funds were a bit tight, so you

went to the market and bought some that were not as perfect. In fact, they

were past their prime, a bit wilted, and one came out rotten when you were

sorting them out at home, and had to be discarded.

Were you angry at the greengrocer at the market for the fact he was willing

to sell his stuff much cheaper than what the supermarket would charge for

their stuff?

But the same laws and principles apply to the market we operate in. There

are agencies that fail to procure high prices from their customers. They

simply cannot afford to pay more, because they do not make enough. Let's

call them " translation agencies for the poor. " Translations they produce

are not of a very high quality, to put it mildly (and some may even be so

bad as to eventually get discarded) - but the customers that cannot afford

to pay a premium price suffice with what they get - and they sure get what

they pay for.

(Of course there are agencies that DO charge their customers an arm and a

leg, but fail to pass a fair portion of their loot to the translator; they

go out of business fairly quickly - or learn to share fairly and thus stay

afloat...)

There are all sorts of translation agencies. They make money, and they earn

it: after all, they are the ones to provide us with enough work to afford

to pay back our mortgages in the comfort of our study. We don't have to do

the legwork looking for customers - they do us a service by finding these

customers, closing the deals, and sending us the files to translate. Don't

they deserve at least AS MUCH for their efforts as we get for our work?

You want higher rates (we all do!)? Do your homework. Learn another CAT

tool. Add a language pair. And keep looking for better-paying agencies.

Once you have found one, drop the one that pays the least. Repeat the step

every time you find an agency that is willing to give you a better rate.

I have been doing freelance translation for 42 years. And I have learned a

simple rule: if someone is willing to pay you some money, don't get mad if

you think it's not enough. You can haggle. You can reject a job. But it

makes no point whining about life being unfair. What is a pittance for you

may well be enough to live through a day for someone else - it all depends

on the standard of living in that particular country.

</rant>

Happy 2012 to all of you, and enjoy your translation work no matter what

you get paid for it. Just because it feels good to be proud of a

translation well done.

Best -

Lev

-----------------------------------------------

Lev ABRAMOV MD

-----------------------------------------------

http://il.linkedin.com/in/levabramov

[Guest guest]

Lev,

Sorry, I think it's a false analogy.

1. We are not supplying products, but a professional service. A rotten

tomato can be discarded - you see it's rotten. A poor translation will, in

many cases, not be spotted by the end-client, and will be (e.g.) published

at great expense, only to backfire and cause the client further expense

and loss of reputation.

2. The cheap agencies that use less-than-professional translators are not

marketing their 'product' as 'cheap, grade C tomatoes' but as 'grade A'.

To that extent, they are engaged in rather dubious practices.

> Sorry about being a bit late for the party, folks. I keep reading your

> postings and I just say to myself: how can it be that people cannot see

> the

> other side of that coin?

>

> <rant>

>

> OK, let me give you an analogy. You want some tomatoes, and you have

> enough

> money to buy the best. You go to the most expensive supermarket in the

> vicinity and you buy some expensive tomatoes.

>

> Last week you wanted some, too - but your funds were a bit tight, so you

> went to the market and bought some that were not as perfect. In fact, they

> were past their prime, a bit wilted, and one came out rotten when you were

> sorting them out at home, and had to be discarded.

>

> Were you angry at the greengrocer at the market for the fact he was

> willing

> to sell his stuff much cheaper than what the supermarket would charge for

> their stuff?

>

> But the same laws and principles apply to the market we operate in. There

> are agencies that fail to procure high prices from their customers. They

> simply cannot afford to pay more, because they do not make enough. Let's

> call them " translation agencies for the poor. " Translations they produce

> are not of a very high quality, to put it mildly (and some may even be so

> bad as to eventually get discarded) - but the customers that cannot afford

> to pay a premium price suffice with what they get - and they sure get what

> they pay for.

>

> (Of course there are agencies that DO charge their customers an arm and a

> leg, but fail to pass a fair portion of their loot to the translator; they

> go out of business fairly quickly - or learn to share fairly and thus stay

> afloat...)

>

> There are all sorts of translation agencies. They make money, and they

> earn

> it: after all, they are the ones to provide us with enough work to afford

> to pay back our mortgages in the comfort of our study. We don't have to do

> the legwork looking for customers - they do us a service by finding these

> customers, closing the deals, and sending us the files to translate. Don't

> they deserve at least AS MUCH for their efforts as we get for our work?

>

> You want higher rates (we all do!)? Do your homework. Learn another CAT

> tool. Add a language pair. And keep looking for better-paying agencies.

> Once you have found one, drop the one that pays the least. Repeat the step

> every time you find an agency that is willing to give you a better rate.

>

> I have been doing freelance translation for 42 years. And I have learned a

> simple rule: if someone is willing to pay you some money, don't get mad if

> you think it's not enough. You can haggle. You can reject a job. But it

> makes no point whining about life being unfair. What is a pittance for you

> may well be enough to live through a day for someone else - it all depends

> on the standard of living in that particular country.

>

> </rant>

>

> Happy 2012 to all of you, and enjoy your translation work no matter what

> you get paid for it. Just because it feels good to be proud of a

> translation well done.

>

> Best -

>

> Lev

> -----------------------------------------------

> Lev ABRAMOV MD

> -----------------------------------------------

> http://il.linkedin.com/in/levabramov

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Well said a, thank you.

 

Kis-Major