Comments on: Treat your translators well http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/05/19/treat-your-translators-well/ Random scribbling about programming, translation, and Japan Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:13:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ryan Ginstrom http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/05/19/treat-your-translators-well/comment-page-1/#comment-205 Ryan Ginstrom Mon, 19 May 2008 13:48:03 +0000 http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/05/19/treat-your-translators-well/#comment-205 @Corrine I very much agree that translators should work to delight their customers, especially the ones that they value the most. Sometimes I'll take a tight deadline or do a job I'd rather not in order to help out my good clients. @Adam Of course, good is relative. A fellow translator and I were commenting that we don't seem to be getting any better, but the translators around us seem to be getting worse :) @Glenn I have a good friend and translator who runs an agency. He says he likes the stability; I much prefer the freedom of being an independent operator. Also, being pleasant to work with really is worth a lot, at least to me. I have one client who is really annoying to work with; the kind who'll call you to tell you they're about to send you an email, then call you 5 minutes later to ask if you've read it (i.e. high maintenance). She pays about 15% higher than my average rate -- I consider it an annoyance tax ;) (ps if you're reading this, no it's not you -- it's someone else :) @Corrine
I very much agree that translators should work to delight their customers, especially the ones that they value the most. Sometimes I’ll take a tight deadline or do a job I’d rather not in order to help out my good clients.

@Adam
Of course, good is relative. A fellow translator and I were commenting that we don’t seem to be getting any better, but the translators around us seem to be getting worse :)

@Glenn
I have a good friend and translator who runs an agency. He says he likes the stability; I much prefer the freedom of being an independent operator.

Also, being pleasant to work with really is worth a lot, at least to me. I have one client who is really annoying to work with; the kind who’ll call you to tell you they’re about to send you an email, then call you 5 minutes later to ask if you’ve read it (i.e. high maintenance). She pays about 15% higher than my average rate — I consider it an annoyance tax ;) (ps if you’re reading this, no it’s not you — it’s someone else :)

]]> By: Glenn Cain http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/05/19/treat-your-translators-well/comment-page-1/#comment-204 Glenn Cain Mon, 19 May 2008 13:17:45 +0000 http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/05/19/treat-your-translators-well/#comment-204 Great post. As a translation buyer, I am reminded once in a while that if a translator I use often gets "busy" all of a sudden with other clients and isn't taking my work, I have to make sure that I'm treating him or her right with regard to rate, payment cycle, good communication, etc. On the flipside, we in translation agencies rarely turn down work or "fire" our clients despite having lots of other work already, and I have, on occasion, even secretly envied freelance translators who reach their capacity and say, sorry, can't take anymore. Great post. As a translation buyer, I am reminded once in a while that if a translator I use often gets “busy” all of a sudden with other clients and isn’t taking my work, I have to make sure that I’m treating him or her right with regard to rate, payment cycle, good communication, etc.

On the flipside, we in translation agencies rarely turn down work or “fire” our clients despite having lots of other work already, and I have, on occasion, even secretly envied freelance translators who reach their capacity and say, sorry, can’t take anymore.

]]> By: Adam Rice http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/05/19/treat-your-translators-well/comment-page-1/#comment-203 Adam Rice Mon, 19 May 2008 12:55:49 +0000 http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/05/19/treat-your-translators-well/#comment-203 "Times are good for good translators" Ouch. “Times are good for good translators”

Ouch.

]]> By: Corinne McKay http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/05/19/treat-your-translators-well/comment-page-1/#comment-206 Corinne McKay Mon, 19 May 2008 03:22:52 +0000 http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/05/19/treat-your-translators-well/#comment-206 Thanks so much for this great post! You're exactly right; translation buyers need to put just as much energy into retaining their existing translators as they do into hiring new ones. As a translator, I always try to keep this in mind in my own work; I need to "impress" my longstanding clients just as much as the new ones by going the extra mile for them. Thanks so much for this great post! You’re exactly right; translation buyers need to put just as much energy into retaining their existing translators as they do into hiring new ones. As a translator, I always try to keep this in mind in my own work; I need to “impress” my longstanding clients just as much as the new ones by going the extra mile for them.

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