References Thread poster: Paul Dixon
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Paul Dixon 
Brazil
Local time: 13:58
Portuguese to English
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In memoriam
I have noticed that more and more translation agencies are asking for references. What is the best way to get these, as I have always believed that names of clients should be kept confidential?
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 16:58
Member (2007)
English
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| They are confidential | Sep 3, 2012 |
But many agencies are getting to think they're big employers and we're their employees. Up to us to put them straight on that.
You MAY be able to give references - it might be worth asking clients, although I never have as it just doesn't seem right, really. However, you can always suggest that clients may like to say a few words on that section of your profile for that purpose: LWA or WWA - I always get them mixed up.
| | | | John Fossey
Canada
Local time: 11:58
Member (2008)
French to English
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I never give references except for those who have decided to publicize themselves on my WWA, and then only through a link to that listing. Anything else would be a breach of confidentiality. I tell clients that I will not disclose their confidential information and I ask them not to request any from me.
I do generically state the names of some giant and well known organizations that I have done work for (such as UN, government departments, etc.) - ones which are so large it would ... See more I never give references except for those who have decided to publicize themselves on my WWA, and then only through a link to that listing. Anything else would be a breach of confidentiality. I tell clients that I will not disclose their confidential information and I ask them not to request any from me.
I do generically state the names of some giant and well known organizations that I have done work for (such as UN, government departments, etc.) - ones which are so large it would reveal nothing about the work or the buyer to say that I have done work for them. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 08:58
English to German
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In memoriam | That's the way to go | Sep 3, 2012 |
John Fossey wrote:
I never give references except for those who have decided to publicize themselves on my WWA, and then only through a link to that listing. Anything else would be a breach of confidentiality. I tell clients that I will not disclose their confidential information and I ask them not to request any from me.
I do generically state the names of some giant and well known organizations that I have done work for (such as UN, government departments, etc.) - ones which are so large it would reveal nothing about the work or the buyer to say that I have done work for them.
I absolutely agree with John and Sheila.
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Paul Dixon
Brazil
Local time: 13:58
Portuguese to English
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TOPIC STARTER In memoriam | How would the agency take it? | Sep 3, 2012 |
So this brings up a new point:
If you were the owner of an agency which had asked for references, how would you react if I replied "unfortunately I am unable to mention my clients, due to confidentiality considerations"? Also, how would I go about getting WWA remarks - I guess I could ask agencies but not end clients, as they (end clients) have probably never heard of ProZ anyway.
| | | | John Fossey
Canada
Local time: 11:58
Member (2008)
French to English
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| Request entries | Sep 4, 2012 |
The WWA feature has a "Request entries" feature, which sends out a somewhat generic email. I have on occasion sent out these emails, but only to a few selected clients (my direct client that knows me) with whom I have a great relationship. All have been prepared to post an entry, but it's not something I make a habit of doing. However, an entry once made keeps doing it's job for years.
Very rarely (maybe once or twice) I have had a potential client say the WWA reference is unacce... See more The WWA feature has a "Request entries" feature, which sends out a somewhat generic email. I have on occasion sent out these emails, but only to a few selected clients (my direct client that knows me) with whom I have a great relationship. All have been prepared to post an entry, but it's not something I make a habit of doing. However, an entry once made keeps doing it's job for years.
Very rarely (maybe once or twice) I have had a potential client say the WWA reference is unacceptable, but in most cases it is acceptable, since they are able to contact the client by clicking on their name in the WWA entry.
Clients are usually understanding of the confidentiality aspect, since in return they want the translator to keep their information confidential.
[Edited at 2012-09-04 00:10 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Paul Dixon wrote:
I have noticed that more and more translation agencies are asking for references. What is the best way to get these, as I have always believed that names of clients should be kept confidential?
Yes, I have noticed it as well, I keep on sending the link to my WWA (which is good) but... nothing... 2 days ago I had to refuse a job for this reason, or better they refused to send me it because I referred them to my wwwa, other than to sign a NDA they requested: 3 references, copies of my diplomas (again I told them that proz.com has verified my credentials) ouc.
Me too, I never give references.
I really don't like this trend.
| | | | Kathrin Caiger
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:58
English to German
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| It's even trickier... | Sep 4, 2012 |
...when you are a relatively young (and new) translator. Many agencies have asked for references, their phone numbers and private contact details. Now, this is really off-limit for me, but a helpful client of mine agreed and gave me a reference. He said that he had to do a phone interview (which was about me and my work, of course) and then a 3-page questionnaire. It is ridiculous what they put you through (and your clients, for that matter), instead of trusting your credentials and experience. ... See more ...when you are a relatively young (and new) translator. Many agencies have asked for references, their phone numbers and private contact details. Now, this is really off-limit for me, but a helpful client of mine agreed and gave me a reference. He said that he had to do a phone interview (which was about me and my work, of course) and then a 3-page questionnaire. It is ridiculous what they put you through (and your clients, for that matter), instead of trusting your credentials and experience. Also, I have been asked to supply evidence for my 700,000 translated words, which falls into the same category: Confidentiality! I could never submit a document to proof this (I've translated contracts, quotes, company information, or texts that have a pending copyright authorisation etc.). ▲ Collapse
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| It's often a client-poaching tool | Sep 4, 2012 |
Once I ran a test.
One agency told me I must provide three verifiable professional references to be considered by them as a translator. They said it was a requirement to keep their ISO-whatever certification. The last part of it sounded fishy to me.
So I contacted three of my most loyal clients, and they agreed to do it.
I gave that agency my three clients' e-mail addresses via the online enrollment f... See more Once I ran a test.
One agency told me I must provide three verifiable professional references to be considered by them as a translator. They said it was a requirement to keep their ISO-whatever certification. The last part of it sounded fishy to me.
So I contacted three of my most loyal clients, and they agreed to do it.
I gave that agency my three clients' e-mail addresses via the online enrollment form, and waited. By the (short) time it took, the system was probably automated. In less than half an hour, all my three clients told me they had received:- An arm-length questionnnaire on me; and
- An e-mail to the tune of "Whatever this jerk does for you, we can do it faster, better, and cheaper!
(It seems that unless my clients have put these guys on their antispam, they are still getting this or an equivalent message at least once a week.)
So I use my Proz WWA and built this page to provide its URL to anyone obdurately requesting references from me. If they don't like it, I won't like them either. ▲ Collapse
| | | | LEXpert
United States
Local time: 10:58
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
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| It's just ISO-babble... | Sep 4, 2012 |
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
One agency told me I must provide three verifiable professional references to be considered by them as a translator. They said it was a requirement to keep their ISO-whatever certification. The last part of it sounded fishy to me.
Jose, having previously audited, developed and managed corporate ISO documentation for over 10 years, I can tell you that when somebody says "This {insert ridiculously burdensome requirement here} is mandated by our ISO certification", they're either just blowing smoke, or they have an incorrect understanding of the standard. Every ISO quality standard can be boiled down to 1) You must have documented procedures to address each clause of the standard (e.g., Supplier Control) 2) The documented procedures must be effective, and 3) You must follow the documented procedures.
ISO standards are extremely general - after all, the same standard needs to apply to any company within its scope. They do not - as a rule - mandate particular methods to be used.
So, "ISO says we have to..." usually just means "The ISO consultant we hired to set up our system told us that the easiest way to meet the requirement was to use this inflexible checklist and shift the entire burden of compliance to the supplier. Because we paid the consultant an obscene amount of money, he must be right."
I wonder if I can add "iso-babble" to my working languages
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