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Agency changes payment terms (30->60 days)
Thread poster: Niels Stephan
RobinB
RobinB  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:18
German to English
Good point Apr 15, 2010

Niels Stephan wrote: the important point however is the collectively. There is no collective of freelancers, everybody is talking to them on their own.


You're right, of course. Organising translators is like herding cats.

I was wondering why nobody discussed that publicly so far, trying to do exactly that, collect opinions and create a collective response.


Fear? Shock and awe? An almost total failure to understand the dynamics of the translation industry?

Don't the freelances understand what it means if a company unilaterally extends its payment terms and otherwise introduces provisions into its T&Cs that adversely affect its suppliers? It means that the company is in trouble. Hands up everybody who wants to work for a company that's in trouble - a company that, despite its size, accounts for only a fraction of a percent of the global translation market.

Of course, this sort of thing happens in other industries as well. The auto industry is a prime example, and the automakers really were/are in trouble, so they've been squeezing their suppliers, hard. But they've also been adding sweeteners, too, mainly in the form of longer guaranteed procurement contracts. As a result, some suppliers have gone under, while others are on a roll.

But in the translation industry, the boot's on the other foot, at least as far as the Big Agency/freelance relationship is concerned. So I really don't understand the standard freelance response, which seems to be "Beat me, beat me. I love it!". Maybe translation just attracts people like that...


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:18
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
What do you think would be the *effect* of this? Apr 15, 2010

Niels Stephan wrote:
One month ago I got an email from one of my agency clients talking about a new quality assurance program, cleverly including the announcement of a change of payment terms from so far 30 to now 60 days to "align with our client payment terms and business standards".


What I find interesting is speculating about what the effects of such long payment terms would be on a translator. I suspect it would lead to translator accepting only small jobs, because longer jobs would leave less time available to do other jobs that may have shorter payment terms.


 
Roy OConnor (X)
Roy OConnor (X)
Local time: 17:18
German to English
Imposing your terms Apr 15, 2010

With direct customers and maybe even agencies you can sometimes win through in insisting on your terms if you have good relationships with the actual recipients of your translations.

For example, in the technical field engineers often get fed up with having to correct inappropriate terminology in specifications etc. Once they find a good translator they will be keen on retaining his services. So if the purchasing department increase the payment period to an unacceptable length, refu
... See more
With direct customers and maybe even agencies you can sometimes win through in insisting on your terms if you have good relationships with the actual recipients of your translations.

For example, in the technical field engineers often get fed up with having to correct inappropriate terminology in specifications etc. Once they find a good translator they will be keen on retaining his services. So if the purchasing department increase the payment period to an unacceptable length, refuse these new "standard" conditions, but make sure the direct recipients know this. As happened to me once, they may be able to get the purchasing dept. to make an exception in your case.
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RobinB
RobinB  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:18
German to English
How to stop a thread dead in its tracks Apr 15, 2010

Niels Stephan wrote: I totally agree with you here, the important point however is the collectively. There is no collective of freelancers, everybody is talking to them on their own.


Make some acute observations, ask some difficult questions, and you'll quickly get outside most translators' comfort zones, certainly the translators here on ProZ.

Wehret den Anfängen?


 
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Agency changes payment terms (30->60 days)







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