Best rates Thread poster: Gitte Hovedskov (X)
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Gitte Hovedskov (X)
Denmark
Local time: 04:02
English to Danish
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WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH TRANSLATION BUYERS?
Why do they, repeatedly, insist on translation sellers stating their 'best rates'?
Don't they understand that translation sellers' 'best rates' will NEVER be what translation buyers hope for?
I am a translation seller.
My 'best rate' will always be a rate that makes it feasible for me to work as a translator.
It is NEVER going to be a ridiculously low rate that does not match my qualifications and expe... See more WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH TRANSLATION BUYERS?
Why do they, repeatedly, insist on translation sellers stating their 'best rates'?
Don't they understand that translation sellers' 'best rates' will NEVER be what translation buyers hope for?
I am a translation seller.
My 'best rate' will always be a rate that makes it feasible for me to work as a translator.
It is NEVER going to be a ridiculously low rate that does not match my qualifications and experience.
Translation is not a matter of 'just typing the words in another language' or 'googling and then fiddling around a bit with editing afterwards', or whatever it is some translation buyers imagine. It takes knowledge and expertise. It is not just something you can pull off the shelves in a text supermarket.
PLEASE! Translation buyers:
Show us a bit of respect as professional language experts.
STOP THIS NONSENSE of requesting BEST RATES.
Deal with us as professionals, equals, and we will not only give you FAIR RATES, we will also supply you with PROFESSIONAL WORK.
That is what you want, after all, isn't it? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 04:02
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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Gitte Hovedskov wrote:
STOP THIS NONSENSE of requesting BEST RATES.
And while you're at it, stop saying silly things like "please find attached" and signing your mails with "sincerely, kind regards, yours" etc. if you're not sincere, don't truly send kind regards, or declare yourself to be in the other party's service. Oh, and please don't start your mails with "dear" unless the recipient is truly dear to you.
(-:
In my culture of origin, the appropriate and polite way to address someone who is more than 10 years older than you or who is in a position of authority and doesn't have an existing title like "professor", "doctor" or "reverent", is "uncle" and "auntie". Now there are some people out there who do not care for social conventions and choose to take such politenesses literally when used by young people in good faith, by responding "I AM NOT YOUR AUNT!!!" Being offended by "best rate" reminds me of this.
[Edited at 2019-11-19 09:57 GMT]
| | | | | Your / our target audience won´t read it here, sorry. | Nov 19, 2019 |
Gitte Hovedskov wrote:
PLEASE! Translation buyers:
Show us a bit of respect as professional language experts.
STOP THIS NONSENSE of requesting BEST RATES.
Deal with us as professionals, equals, and we will not only give you FAIR RATES, we will also supply you with PROFESSIONAL WORK.
That is what you want, after all, isn't it?
| | | | LEXpert
United States
Local time: 21:02
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
| No longer getting worked up about common PM-ese | Nov 19, 2019 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
Gitte Hovedskov wrote:
STOP THIS NONSENSE of requesting BEST RATES.
And while you're at it, stop saying silly things like "please find attached" and signing your mails with "sincerely, kind regards, yours" etc. if you're not sincere, don't truly send kind regards, or declare yourself to be in the other party's service. Oh, and please don't start your mails with "dear" unless the recipient is truly dear to you.
(-:
And while we're at it, why do they always say that my translation has been "well-received", when I have just sent it a moment ago and they clearly haven't had an opportunity to read it yet? I like to imagine the recipient opening it, reading a few lines and then starting off a "slow clap" that is soon joined by the entire office in an infectious crescendo culminating in thunderous applause.
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Gitte Hovedskov (X)
Denmark
Local time: 04:02
English to Danish
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TOPIC STARTER | They might... | Nov 19, 2019 |
Matthias Brombach wrote:
Your / our target audience won´t read it here, sorry.
Who knows?
You saw it, why shouldn't they? 
| | | | Vadim Kadyrov
Ukraine
Local time: 05:02
Member (2011)
English to Russian
+ ...
| I will now tell you why. | Nov 19, 2019 |
The thing is that at proz, each and every job post attracts 30-40 translators (in my language pair it is 50 or even 60).
When you have a list of people willing to work for someone that long, inevitably price becomes the only factor.
It is like ABC of marketing.
The other day I saw a job post where the outsourcer said that he wouldn`t pay for repetitions at all. Just for new words. And there were some 50+ translators willing to accept the job.
The only way t... See more The thing is that at proz, each and every job post attracts 30-40 translators (in my language pair it is 50 or even 60).
When you have a list of people willing to work for someone that long, inevitably price becomes the only factor.
It is like ABC of marketing.
The other day I saw a job post where the outsourcer said that he wouldn`t pay for repetitions at all. Just for new words. And there were some 50+ translators willing to accept the job.
The only way to get out of this crowd is to stop looking for job here, or anywhere else, where you compete with 50+ people at the same time. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | "Best rate" = "Low rate" | Nov 19, 2019 |
When I see a translation agency asking for my "best rate", I automatically assume they are asking for my "dirt cheap rate". I do not have such a rate, fast-track their email to the trash, and think no more of it.
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In a way, the phrase "best rate" is an advantage. Think of it as a filter, a sign that the agency in question isn't willing to pay decent rates.
A big flashing sign saying "Professionals Steer Clear!"
Precious minutes saved by not replying to an agency who isn't worth your time.
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Thomas Pfann
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:02
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
| It means nothing | Nov 19, 2019 |
The phrase 'best rate' is an empty figure of speech in which the word 'best' has no meaning. 'What's your best rate?' simply means 'How much does it cost?'.
Whether a client asks for my 'rate' or my 'best rate' does not influence the rate I will quote. And I don't see why any translator (or anyone else for that matter) would quote a different rate when asked for their 'best rate'. And I certainly don't see why anyone should be offended when asked for their 'best rate'.
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