| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Which is the most frequent reason why you turn down a job? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | | Where is the option: because it's in a field I don't know??? | Jan 18, 2012 |
Judging by Kudoz questions, it's becoming very noticeable that people seem to accept all sorts of translation jobs in all sorts of fields they know little or nothing about.
Does anyone ever turn down work because it's not a field they know and they have no clue about the jargon used/required? Or because it's in and/or into a language they don't master at a professional level.
Or is this no longer considered a professional approach to translation?
| | | | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:49
German to English
+ ...
Most often it's jobs from existing customers, so we're already in agreement on rates, I just don't have the capacity to take the work on. If it's a new client, the most likely reason would be the rates. If they offer rates I'm happy with, I'm more likely to make the effort to fit the work in!
| | | | Rob Grayson
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:49
French to English
| Agree with writeaway | Jan 18, 2012 |
I agree with writeaway's comment above. This is a glaring omission from the available answers, perhaps indicative of the fact that a growing proportion of users don't care whether they actually understand the field (or properly master the target language).
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Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 15:49
English to French
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Rob Grayson wrote:
This is a glaring omission from the available answers, perhaps indicative of the fact that a growing proportion of users don't care whether they actually understand the field (or properly master the target language).
...or maybe they are not asked: my customers know my fields, my rates and my languages, and they do not waste time asking me things I cannot deliver!
[Modifié le 2012-01-18 16:30 GMT]
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 15:49
Spanish to English
+ ...
Apart from low prices, in my case usually because they are too demanding in terms of deadline or format, or don't take into account my own conditions.
For example, I dont "do" Trados, or discounts for reps or matches, fuzzy or otherwise. I don't "do" acronym guessing unless really, really forced into it, and I also prefer not to have to deal with awkward, unworkable formats (scanned PDFs, any program not intrinsically conceived and designed to work with text). This somewhat limits... See more Apart from low prices, in my case usually because they are too demanding in terms of deadline or format, or don't take into account my own conditions.
For example, I dont "do" Trados, or discounts for reps or matches, fuzzy or otherwise. I don't "do" acronym guessing unless really, really forced into it, and I also prefer not to have to deal with awkward, unworkable formats (scanned PDFs, any program not intrinsically conceived and designed to work with text). This somewhat limits my working options, but also keeps (what I personally find) annoying, timeconsuming, thankless tasks away and lets me get on with what I do best.
PS: Am not recommending my example, but regarding in-depth knowlege of the field, I believe that is is not always necessary to be an expert in the subject matter per se, and frequently translate or revise/correct stuff that I haven't the faintest idea about, for example fuzzy logic, brain surgery or epigenetics. The key is to have access to the authors, or somebody to consult who DOES know the subject.
(Don't try this at home folks!)
[Edited at 2012-01-18 09:15 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Too busy AND the rate's too low | Jan 18, 2012 |
Last year I caved and agreed to work for 2 cents lower than my usual rate because I liked the subject. While I was working on it, I had to turn down a large job that paid much, much more. Since then, I have tried to be more available for this really nice client by accepting only short jobs in between. It has paid off.
| | | | Oleg Osipov
Russian Federation
Local time: 16:49
English to Russian
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Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
I have tried to be more available for this really nice client by accepting only short jobs in between.
Very reasonable.
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Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 15:49
Member (2009)
English to German
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| A combination | Jan 18, 2012 |
Usually I turn down jobs because I'm too busy with other projects and because of, at times ridiculously, low rates. There are a couple of (ex-)clients whose job offers I turn down because of negative experience with their payment conduct.
| | | | Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:49
Hebrew to English
| It's all about the money ♫♪♫ (twas a song) | Jan 18, 2012 |
Too busy (with other translation jobs)
....rarely an issue for me with such a "small/rare" language pair, although I do have to fit translation in with teaching, which I do occasionally.
The rate offered (is lower than mine)
....A rate is very rarely offered to me, I usually offer my rate to them, ... I guess I am too expensive for some "clients", I sometimes get a polite (but transparent) excuse with the vague promise of... See more Too busy (with other translation jobs)
....rarely an issue for me with such a "small/rare" language pair, although I do have to fit translation in with teaching, which I do occasionally.
The rate offered (is lower than mine)
....A rate is very rarely offered to me, I usually offer my rate to them, ... I guess I am too expensive for some "clients", I sometimes get a polite (but transparent) excuse with the vague promise of future work to soften the blow...though I don't see this as a great loss. I don't charge extortionate rates, if someone baulks at them, then they probably aren't in the market for a decent translation.
Unreliable potential client
....Depends on how you define "unreliable". I tend to notice that most become a bit "unreliable" come payment time!
Previous bad experience with client
....It's difficult to generalize, but this would most likely preclude the possibility of me working with someone who had in some way wronged me in the past. There are a bunch of idioms dealing with this:
●Once bitten, twice shy
●Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Weekend, vacation, time off
I think being a freelancer, weekends start to lose their meaning, given that you can have days off whenever you want. I certainly wouldn't turn down a job just because it's a friday night. Vacation (especially planned & paid for etc) is a bit different.
Non-specialist field
I know this wasn't an option, but others have raised it. I've never been approached with a translation that isn't in my remit, subject-wise. I don't tend to translate medical (specialist), but I did once do a very generic medical exam which was well within my abilities (as a non-medical specialist).
I much prefer to stay within my specialities (legal and commercial) but occasionally it is nice to do something a bit different - although there are many fields I would never accept a translation in, for example I would never touch anything connected with religion (not because I'm anti-religion, I just wouldn't know what I was talking about).
To answer the question....
The question asks what is the most frequent reason for turning down work, this would have to be rate I suppose, as with most things, it usually boils down to money. ▲ Collapse
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I think the most frequent reason for me is being too busy with other jobs, followed by being on holiday/unavailable. I also occasionally turn down jobs because I don't feel comfortable with the subject matter.
| | | | wonita (X)
China
Local time: 09:49
| All in all a matter of price | Jan 18, 2012 |
When I have a steady work flow for 10 Yuan per word job, I have no time for new clients at these rates, but 12 Yuan per word jobs are still welcome.
I am never too busy for interpreting jobs at 700 Euro per day.
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avsie (X)
Local time: 15:49
English to French
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| Too busy with my day job... | Jan 18, 2012 |
That's my unfortunate reason for turning down jobs the past 6+ months. I've been promoted to a more demanding role, and I just don't have the time (nor the energy!) to do freelance work on the side. Hopefully things will settle down eventually, as I do miss the variety in projects... and the extra income 
| | | | DianeGM
Local time: 16:49
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
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| Case by case .. varies | Jan 18, 2012 |
Can be for various reasons, subject (there are some fields I just don't do or if I were to accept the job the price or timescale would be prohibitive for the customer), the quality of the source text or its reproduction is often an issue with medical texts (many medical text I work on are handwritten and have been faxed and poorly converted along the way), available time or project timescale is often a factor, but I think most common reasons are financial (either rate or the payment terms don't ... See more Can be for various reasons, subject (there are some fields I just don't do or if I were to accept the job the price or timescale would be prohibitive for the customer), the quality of the source text or its reproduction is often an issue with medical texts (many medical text I work on are handwritten and have been faxed and poorly converted along the way), available time or project timescale is often a factor, but I think most common reasons are financial (either rate or the payment terms don't meet my terms/expectations).
Also not offered as an option - inappropriate language pair - I work in three source languages Dutch, English and Greek and translate into my two (native) languages English and Greek, still I am often offered jobs translating into Dutch which I almost invariably turn down. ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 15:49
Spanish to English
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| Unreliable potential client | Jan 18, 2012 |
I rarely if ever turn down a job. That doesn't mean I'm not busy most of the time (have been for 11 years). It just means that in regard to taking on another project, I'd answer the same as John D. Rockefeller answered when he was asked "How much money is enough?" His reply was, "Just a little more". My reply would be, "Just one more project is enough".
Actually, I suppose my most frequent reasons for turning down a job would... See more I rarely if ever turn down a job. That doesn't mean I'm not busy most of the time (have been for 11 years). It just means that in regard to taking on another project, I'd answer the same as John D. Rockefeller answered when he was asked "How much money is enough?" His reply was, "Just a little more". My reply would be, "Just one more project is enough".
Actually, I suppose my most frequent reasons for turning down a job would be: unreliable potential client/ bad experience with previous client. I'm serious about my work and expect those I deal with to be the same. ▲ Collapse
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