.jpg "Have you ever received a call at 3 am asking to translate a birth certificate? Share your story!")
Based on ideas by Heike Kurtz and Taru.
Friday, June 15, 2012
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Mox is a young but well educated translator. Two PhDs, six languages...
and he hardly earns the minimum wage.
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My sites
Traducciones técnicas - My professional site
Vita Brevis (Spanish). Publishing house whom I collaborate with.
That's not Mox, that's me every other day since I purchased a very expensive spot in the yellow pages. Never again!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, me too! I paid for a yellow pages ad ONCE and all I ever got was things like this. Oh, and students wanting their transcripts translated for studies abroad. Which generally requires a form of certification I don't have. As you say, never again!
DeleteOh yes, the yellow pages! Every year I tried to get my name out of them but it just wasn't possible. And all they brought was this kind of crap. Like the couple that wanted German car papers translated into French, came to my house and sat on my couch waiting for their translation. And then asked why I didn't have a sign on the door. "Er... because this is my home?" I had to move and change my number to get out of the yellow pages.
DeleteI have had a corporate client (aka Individual No 3), who asked once why I charged for proper names (cities and persons)... The client said: "How come your quote is so high? I thought you would have used your common sense to leave out the parts that do not need to be translated." (sic)
ReplyDeleteNot wanting to lose this prestigious client (a well-known photographers agency) I "politely" asked her to send me back a file without the parts that did not need translating so I could provide her a new quote...
You are right, dear prestigious well-known photographers agency, but please be assured that I will not make this mistake twice. My common sense dictates me to say you farewell and good luck with your future translations.
DeleteP.S. I am glad to be a freelance translator and I can be free from clients from you and can live in Lëtzebuerg, Warszawa, Москва́ or 北京.
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DeleteNumber 4 (like 3)
ReplyDelete"Coouldn't you make a summary?"
:)
I charge extra for summaries unless they're like Woody Allen's. ("Just read War and Peace. It's about Russia.")
DeleteBrilliant as always! Surprisingly enough, we've had very good experiences with non-corporate customers... but we always make sure to kindly request payment up front.
ReplyDeleteI know of someone who was asked not to charge all the articles, prepositions and such EVERY time they appeared, just once, it made no sense to keep charging them when they had already been translated.
ReplyDeleteThe translator took the trouble of sending the translation without all those words. She's my hero.
great :)
DeleteVery nice. (c:
DeleteReminds me of the recurrent discussion whether spaces in-between words really ought to count as strokes (for languages with per-stroke translation rates). Solution: if spaces aren't paid, send the file without them!