How to recognize a scam June 24, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices.9 comments
One of the most common questions I get from beginning translators is how to tell if a job request is a scam. I developed a PowerPoint presentation for the KSU grad students several years ago and thought I would share some of the tips with you so you don’t fall for a scam.
The most common warning signs:
- Offer advanced payment (which the “client” would overpay and/or then claim a change in plans and ask you to “return” the overpayment.)
- Spelling and grammar errors
- Capitalized information suggest form letter
- No contact information (freemail account like Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.)
- Not much concrete information offered about the job
- Wife, daughter, etc. does not speak English and is coming to the U.S. for a shopping trip, conference, etc.
- Require the purchase of software (my one agency client that also sells a TEnT supplies me with the software and license for free, so you should not be expected to buy software as a prerequisite to work with a client. We are freelancers and as such should be “free” to choose which tools we use)
I find most legitimate job requests give lots of detailed information about the job, offer concrete contact information, do not suggest payment up front, and usually do not use a freemail account. Gmail is an exception to that rule.
Some agencies aren’t as forthcoming with information as they should be and do have project managers who may not be the best spellers, so a job request from an agency may in fact be legitimate. Any agency that is upstanding will have its own domain or will pay for their Internet access. You can quickly check their payment record on a site like Payment Practices or Translator Client Review (PP costs $19.99 a year for non-ATA members and $14.99 for ATA members and TCR costs $12.99 – money very well spent!). I published a post on payment practice lists a while back, but it is still fairly current. If you aren’t following one or two of them you really should!
If you do get a job request from an individual that perhaps doesn’t fit all the criteria, but your gut tells you it is most likely legitimate, there is nothing wrong with requesting payment in advance.
If you have any other tips for new (and even experienced) translators to help recognize a scam please share them in the comments.
Freelance Folder: How to overcome freelancing stress June 17, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices.3 comments
We all know freelancing can be stressful. The ebb and flow of freelancing can sometimes be hard to deal with. If you are busy, you have lots of work and deadlines to contend with. Jobs can sometimes fall through the cracks. Your work-life balance suffers. If you have a day or two with no translation requests, you worry when the next job will come (and if it will come in at all) and might even worry about how you will pay the bills if business slows down significantly. Freelance Folder published a must-read post on How to Overcome Freelancing Stress that offers “Seven Tips for Reducing Your Freelancing Stress.” It is a must-read for every freelancer and contains tips for dealing with common stressors such as client conflict and not finding enough clients. You might find a solution you haven’t thought of to one of your biggest stressors. If you feel something is missing that affects translators in particular and have found a solution, please share it here in the comments.
It’s official… I hate moving! June 16, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Random musings.3 comments
I know I have been really quiet here of late. Regular readers and my Twitter followers know that I moved at the beginning of the month. The first couple days were tough. Yes, I translated 10,000 words DURING my move and several thousand immediately afterward. Ah, the life of a freelance translator… I worked off my back-up computer with an English keyboard. After two days of that I set up my office computer and German keyboard on a provisional solution of the legs and the middle panel of my new desk. I’m still waiting for my friend who gave it to me to come by and help me put it together. I still don’t have the office set up to anywhere near what I would call comfortable, but at least I can walk in the room amidst the boxes. I can’t find my hanging file folders for this year’s check stubs, bills, business expenses and bank statements, which is frustrating. And to top it all off, yesterday our estimated taxes were due and I can’t find my refill checks in any of the boxes. I need to check the garage to see if a box slipped through the organization process. But at least most of the important things have been unboxed and have found a home in the new place. It took about a week for my dog to settle into the new place and feel comfortable. I love the new neighborhood and the serenity. And most of all, I love having a real office with a tall ceiling and walls I can hang things on! OK, maybe moving isn’t SO bad…
Freelancing means the freedom to say no June 7, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices.8 comments
I love freelancing. It affords me the freedom to work from home and to work when I want on the jobs I want. As freelancers we are free to say no. I just said no tonight and do not regret it one bit. I received an e-mail from a client informing me they were changing their payment terms to 60 days (“60 days after receiving the invoice, on the 15 or last day of every month” to be exact). They also informed me they would only be paying in Canadian dollars and only via Paypal. If I didn’t have a Paypal account I was to “please attain one, and provide us with your Paypal email address.” I sent them an e-mail asking them to remove me from their database. I am willing to accept quite a few things from my clients, such as a payment term of 45 days from my favorite client; however, it is a two-way street. Treat me with respect, and I will treat you with respect and bend over backwards for you (like translating 10,000 words during my move when I initially agreed to 5,000 and being happy to do so). I don’t like being dictated to, and luckily I am free to choose the clients with whom I wish to I work. They feel like they needed to change their payment terms because their clients changed theirs. I am glad that I at least have the freedom to say no.
Scam alert: Dr. Paul Vanderser May 18, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Scam alert.67 comments
Many people on the various payment lists to which I belong are discussing a scammer making the rounds. One person reported being approached by a “Dr. Paul Vanderser” (doyenski09@yahoo.co.uk and puresthoney1@yahoo.com are two of the e-mails that have been used so far) about a 10-page translation job. The document and the wording of the e-mails caused him to be suspicious, so he asked for 50% payment upfront (not a bad idea when dealing with new clients who appear to be private clients). The “client” agreed, and in a few days the translator received a check for six times the amount of the quoted price. The smart and savvy translator was rightly suspicious and found the local branch of the bank, which confirmed that the check was fraudulent. Several other colleagues wrote in reporting similar requests from this “gentleman” (and I use the term loosely). He has been trolling the ATA directory and ProZ.com for Hungarian and Dutch translations (among others I’m sure).
Dr Vanderser will most likely be sending the translator an e-mail informing him that he inadvertently sent him an amount in excess of the agreed fee (or a payment intended for another translator, etc.). He will then ask the translator to transfer the overpaid amount back to his bank account. By the time the translator’s bank determines that the check is fraudulent the money and the bank account holder will be long-gone. As one colleague wrote, “While most (intended) victims will ensure that his cheque clears before parting with their own funds, some will be trusting enough to fall into the trap.” Don’t be that person!
This should serve as a reminder that caution should be exercised when dealing with people with free e-mail accounts or people you do not know and do not have a known reputation in the industry. It is never a bad idea to implement a practice such as demanding upfront payment for new private clients, and if the client sends you more than the quoted amount, ten times out of ten (!!) the check will be fraudulent! It is very difficult to prosecute someone for issuing bad checks that are sent to a foreign jurisdiction.
Snopes.com is a good source to research Internet scam and fraud cases. This particular type is called the ‘Cashier Check Scam’ http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/cashier.asp
Subject: Fwd: FW: Experianced Linguist Ready to Work! April 6, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Fun stuff.2 comments
The following e-mail has been making the rounds. Thought I would share it with you all to brighten your day. The e-mail tells you to scroll to the bottom, but I have flipped it here to make it easier to read in blog format. Enjoy!
Subject: Fwd: FW: Experianced Linguist Ready to Work!
Names have been changed, to protect the innocent.
________________________________
From: Joricho Muachos
To: Linguistic Resources Coordinator
Sent: Thu, April 1, 2010 2:52:03 PM
Subject: Experianced Linguist Ready to Work!
Greetings Ms. Linguistic Resources Coordinator,
I hope this email finds you well! I was given your name by a colleague of mine in reference to making myself available to work with Your Company. I’m primarily an English to Portuguese translator but also can do revision and proofreading as well. Can you let me know what we need to have me start working for Your Company?
Regards,
Joricho Muachos
Professional Portuguese Translator
________________________________
From: Joricho Muachos
Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 10:09 AM
To: Linguistic Resources Coordinator
Subject: Re: Experianced Linguist Ready to Work!
Hello Ms. Linguistic Resources Coordinator,
Can you please advise on what steps are needed to start work with Your Company. Money has been very scarce lately and my Mule Milosh is almost without feed.
Regards,
Joricho Muachos
Professional Portuguese Translator
________________________________
From: Linguistic Resources Coordinator
To: Joricho Muachos
Sent: Mon, April 5, 2010 10:43:15 AM
Subject: RE: Experianced Linguist Ready to Work!
Hi Joricho,
Thank you for your email. If you would like to be considered for work with our Company, please send me your CV. I will review it and see if you
qualify to undergo our translation testing process.
Best,
Linguistic Resources Coordinator
________________________________
From: Joricho Muachos
Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 2:51 PM
To: Linguistic Resources Coordinator
Subject: Re: Experianced Linguist Ready to Work!
Hello Linguistic Resources Coordinator,
Attached is my resume. I would like to breifly summarize it for you.
In my earlier years I spend time as both a Goat Herder and a Mule Whisperer. As unorthodox as this sounds both of these professions are highly regarded in my country. Mule whispering is not a skill but a gift from our lord. It is with this blessing I can speak the thoughts of mules and become their intimate friend. Soon after whispering to many a mules I decided to shift my expertise to Goat Herding. In this job I showed the
goats where to go. If one got sick or was slow I had to beat it death with a rock so not to slow the rest of the herd down.
Thanks,
Joricho
________________________________
From: Linguistic Resources Coordinator
To: Joricho Muachos
Sent: Mon, April 5, 2010 4:04:36 PM
Subject: RE: Experianced Linguist Ready to Work!
Hi Joricho,
Thank you for you CV. You have a lot of very interesting experiences. However, Our Company requires that all of our translators have a university degree. They also must have 5 years of translation experience and provide 2 end-client references. Therefore, you are unfortunately not a candidate for working with us.
Thank you for you time and have a nice day.
Best,
Linguistic Resources Coordinator
________________________________
From: Joricho Muachos
Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 4:22 PM
To: Linguistic Resources Coordinator
Subject: Re: Experianced Linguist Ready to Work!
Linguistic Resources Coordinator,
This is most dissappointing to hear. Someone told me translation was an easy way to make additional money for my new film “The Quiet Mule who Spoke Loudly one time because he was Naseous that Day”. If this doesn’t pan out its back to Goat Herding. Do you think if I use more business words in my resume like instead of “Telling Goats where to go” to say “Managed a team of 148 Goats” might help some of my future job potential? Can a Mule that I’ve whispered to count as a reference? I know you cannot understand them but I can tell you what they are saying. One of my Mule Whispering clients is the most famous Mule breeder in all of Europe for our lords sake!
I want to move to the united states but the need for Goat Herders and Mule Whisperers is small which worries me. Also my personal Mule will not be able to come because of your laws. I know you see a lot of resumes and anything to help me make mine better would be appreciated! Maybe i can give you a free Mule whispering lesson in return! 🙂
Joricho.
A change is gonna come… April 1, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Translation.5 comments
Everyone is all atwitter about the changes to the ProZ.com’s job posting system. I’m hoping it isn’t an April Fool’s joke and change is truly coming to the ProZ.com job posting system.
First a little background for those of you who are hearing about this for the first time. On February 23, a small group of freelance translators (mainly based in Italy) created a petition to protest ProZ.com’s job policies. As the linked article explains, “The main point of the petition was to ask Proz to stop allowing outsourcers to set rates in the job posting section of the website, in the belief that this facility (for outsourcers to state the rate offered along with the job) is a fundamental distortion of the client – buyer relationship, a distortion that has contributed, the instigators of the petition claimed, to the continuing downward drive in market rates for professional translation services, and the ensuing race to the bottom.” 844 translators signed in support, but the petition was closed early before more translators had a chance to sign it. However, the ProZ.com staff (and Henry D.) sat up and took notice.
ProZ.com has just announced it will remove the pricing field (client-set fees) from job postings and will be posting information concerning the price of professional translation. There will be other changes as well, as yet to be determined. This is a huge change, but I cannot help but think that the damage has already been done. These controls should have been in place from the very beginning. Hopefully these changes will be the first step in stopping the downward spiral of translation prices.
Are you a self-injuring translator? March 29, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Random musings.5 comments
One of my colleagues posted this to one of my listservs, and I thought it was well-worth sharing with the rest of you. The post is entitled “Toxic Translation: A Twelve-Step Program for Self-Injuring Translators.” We need to keep reminding ourselves that the only behavior we can truly change is our own. My favorite quote from the post is “Translation rates are dropping because translators accept low rates. If you want rates to stop descending, you must take your finger off the elevator button.” If you are unhappy with the way an agency is treating you, you need to stand up for yourself and ask for what you want. And if the agency isn’t able or willing to give you what you want, you need to have the courage to walk away – and most importantly let them know why! If more of us walk away we will be in a better position in the long run. There are good and bad agencies out there. Let’s encourage the good ones and run from the bad ones. We need to stick together. United we stand, divided we fall!
Would you pay to work for a translation agency? March 25, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Tools, Translation.46 comments
There is a very interesting discussion going on at ProZ.com at the moment about Lionbridge’s new plan to have its translators pay a subscription in order to use its tool, Logoport. In other words, translators will now have to pay Lionbridge a subscription in order to be able to work with a system that “has no visible benefits for translators and all the benefits for Lionbridge!”
They are known to be one of LSPs on the lower end of the pay spectrum, so I highly doubt they will be willing to allow their translators to adjust their word rates to factor in the cost of the subscription fee. I can’t imagine this going over very well with its translators, and will not be surprised if it backfires on them. As one translator stated in the discussion, “Working for a low rate, being forced to use their proprietary tool, and being forced to be a customer to their CAT tool business as part of the deal is not quite my idea of an interesting customer…” My issue is that no client should be allowed to force its freelancers to use a tool in order to work with it. If they do, that makes us quasi employees.
Logoport is apparently a “one-way, Internet-based” system. My big question with this Internet-based systems is how can the client maintain quality? For example, I use Trados. When I translate, I translate a rough draft first and then go back, edit it (sometimes several times) and clean it up into the TM. I then edit it one more time to make sure the text flows and sounds like a native English text. I frequently find typos or duplicate words that I missed the first or second time around. A one-way, Internet-based system does not allow that freedom and control that I need to deliver a quality translation.
No thanks, Lionbridge!
Interesting reads for today March 22, 2010
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Random musings, Translation.1 comment so far
Fabio, a German-Portuguese translator based in Bonn, Germany (well, Rheinbach), published a great little review of MemoQ with screenshots on his blog this morning. If you are curious about MemoQ you might want to check it out.
I was aghast to read that students in the Manalapan-Englishtown, New Jersey elementary schools will learn Spanish from a computer next year instead of being instructed by a foreign language professional to save money. This is not a good trend at all. I can’t imagine school administrators trying to outsource teaching mathematics from a computer or videotape. Why do they think this will be a good idea? Teachers are there to answer questions and make sure students are pronouncing things properly. No computer will be able to do that!
And finally, Price for Profit and Sanity is a good article about the “good, fast cheap – pick two” mantra. As the author explains, small business owners should quote services using ‘good, fast or cheap’ matrix. In our case, every customer wants a “high quality” translation “to be completed in a very short time (because they failed to plan ahead) for very little money (because they failed to establish adequate budgets).” In reality we can only reasonably offer two out three. It is a very interesting article.
Musings from an overworked translator 