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Another new trend? Thread poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
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For years I was very rarely booked in advance by my clients and it only happened for very long projects, but this week a new trend emerged. I was booked in advance by 3 different clients for smallish projects: a 1,000 word revision FR-PT, a 5,000 word translation FR-PT and a 3,000 word translation EN-PT. Is this an unforeseen consequence of the pandemic?
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Stepan Konev 
Russian Federation
Local time: 16:02
English to Russian
| A good translator is money | Jun 4, 2021 |
You can't split yourself in two as an earthworm, and your clients know that. They just recognize you as proven language reserves.
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| Alarming trend indeed | Jun 5, 2021 |
That is worryingly organised. Perhaps it’s the Bill Gates chip in action.
Of course, one will be late, one will be twice as long as advertised, and one will be cancelled at the last minute.
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Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 08:02
Spanish to English
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| But what if... | Jun 5, 2021 |
Ice Scream wrote:
That is worryingly organised. Perhaps it’s the Bill Gates chip in action.
Of course, one will be late, one will be twice as long as advertised, and one will be cancelled at the last minute.
Sprightly levity aside, this does raise the question of what to do if these "bookings" are cancelled. When they involve small projects for regular and generally dependable clients, perhaps it's a non-issue. But what if you've set aside one or more full days to work on a project - and you are later informed that the project is cancelled?
In such a case, a pre-negotiated "kill fee" would seem appropriate. (This is standard practice for interpretation assignments.]
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You’re right, but I have no reason to suspect a last-minute cancellation as they all are long-standing customers, though very sporadic. As far as I can remember, they had never booked me in advance before…
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| I don't do that... | Jun 5, 2021 |
I don't give my clients a 100% commitment in advance to any project. I just say, get in touch again when you get it and let's fix a suitable deadline for both then... I should be available.
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Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 08:02
Spanish to English
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| Generally the way to go | Jun 5, 2021 |
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
I don't give my clients a 100% commitment in advance to any project. I just say, get in touch again when you get it and let's fix a suitable deadline for both then... I should be available.
This strikes me as the most sensible way to proceed - unless any of the following apply: 1.) the client in question is so valuable that you don't mind being stiffed in the end without compensation; 2.) the projects booked are so small that they don't require much of a time commitment; or 3.) you have negotiated beforehand a "kill fee" commensurate with both the time you have set aside and the time elapsed before notification that the project is cancelled.
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Tony Keily
Local time: 14:02
Italian to English
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| These people are chancers | Jun 5, 2021 |
The reason this is happening is that lots of agencies, specially small ones, are now bidding (often against one another) online for jobs. They want to try and keep you on hold for a projects that very often don't materialise.
So just don't do it. Or at least -- as the previous poster suggested -- commit yourself subject to availability.
[Edited at 2021-06-05 14:43 GMT]
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Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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| Perhaps your price is too low? | Jun 5, 2021 |
Or the rest of their freelancers are known to be unreliable?
Future bookings suggest that the conditions you offer are in some way noticeably preferable to what they usually get from hiring whoever once the job is ready.
Maybe they just like you, but it may well also suggest that they DISLIKE most of the other people they can find at short notice, and are intentionally giving you first dibs.
Whether this is happy news or a reason to contemplate raising rat... See more Or the rest of their freelancers are known to be unreliable?
Future bookings suggest that the conditions you offer are in some way noticeably preferable to what they usually get from hiring whoever once the job is ready.
Maybe they just like you, but it may well also suggest that they DISLIKE most of the other people they can find at short notice, and are intentionally giving you first dibs.
Whether this is happy news or a reason to contemplate raising rates (by a lot) is up to you. ▲ Collapse
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As I said before, these are repeat customers and I have no reason to suspect that work won’t materialize: the FR-PT revision is from a Belgian agency I have been working with since 2015; the 5,000 word translation FR-PT is from a French agency I have been working with since 2016 (recommended by a Prozian colleague) and the 3,000 word translation EN-PT is from an Irish agency I have been working since 2018. Only the second one said that the work was expected to arrive on the 11th June and to be... See more As I said before, these are repeat customers and I have no reason to suspect that work won’t materialize: the FR-PT revision is from a Belgian agency I have been working with since 2015; the 5,000 word translation FR-PT is from a French agency I have been working with since 2016 (recommended by a Prozian colleague) and the 3,000 word translation EN-PT is from an Irish agency I have been working since 2018. Only the second one said that the work was expected to arrive on the 11th June and to be delivered on the 18th at the latest. The other two didn’t give precise dates. I’ll keep you posted… ▲ Collapse
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| Parallel universe | Jun 5, 2021 |
Anthony John Keily wrote:
The reason this is happening is that lots of agencies, specially small ones, are now bidding (often against one another) online for jobs. They want to try and keep you on hold for a projects that very often don't materialise.
So just don't do it. Or at least -- as the previous poster suggested -- commit yourself subject to availability.
I see nothing sinister here.
Most of my work is booked in advance.
This is because they know when they want to publish and they want me to be available.
I see it as a sign of an organised client and a perfectly normal way to do business.
Why would anyone prefer work to come out of the blue when it could have been booked in advance?
I’m a bit flummoxed tbh.
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Adieu wrote:
Or the rest of their freelancers are known to be unreliable?
Future bookings suggest that the conditions you offer are in some way noticeably preferable to what they usually get from hiring whoever once the job is ready.
Maybe they just like you, but it may well also suggest that they DISLIKE most of the other people they can find at short notice, and are intentionally giving you first dibs.
Whether this is happy news or a reason to contemplate raising rates (by a lot) is up to you.
No, I am not cheap. The very idea!
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Ana Cuesta
Spain
Local time: 14:02
English to Spanish
| What about the end client? | Jun 5, 2021 |
Problem is, even if your agency client is reliable, their end client may be or may be not. I have learnt the hard way not to commit to such advance bookings even from regulars.
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We are all different! It looks like I'm more flexible than some of you. Thanks, anyway!
[Edited at 2021-06-05 17:21 GMT]
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Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 08:02
Spanish to English
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| The real *trend* | Jun 5, 2021 |
Teresa Borges wrote:
We are all different! It looks like I'm more flexible than some of you. Thanks, anyway!
[Edited at 2021-06-05 17:21 GMT]
Well, yes, we are all different - and that helps explain why what you initially described in this thread seems to be something that applies to your own circumstances. It cannot therefore reasonably be adduced as evidence of any larger "trend."
I think that the more reliable and longstanding trend (i.e., the one many of the respondents are viscerally reacting to here) is that of numerous urgent e-mails sent by anxious agencies regarding either potential work that never materializes or actual confirmed assignments that end up being cancelled.
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