One of the keys to a lasting collaboration and harmonious working relationship is when both parties are able to meet the expectations set and agreed upon.
If you have been in the translation industry for a long time, you will know that clients and suppliers alike have diverse expectations and I have summarized quite a few below. Being both a client and a supplier, I was able to notice the view from both ends and more so the reason behind it.
I have encountered a lot of clients who are prioritizing time so much that a few hours delayed in your output then you are sure to see deductions on their payment, unfortunately, clients tend to forget that translating or transcribing a file is not as easy as pushing a button. If you have been reading my articles earlier, you would know of the different processes that a quality translation must go through, and so simply selling a service based on a deadline is not a game controller in the industry, sadly, there are those who want to have the best of both worlds overpromising to the end client and tightening so much of the budget and yet expect quality anyway… be realistic.
If you are the end client, you have to tell the translation agency the level of quality you expect and remain open to the agency’s suggestions. A good translation company will still maintain the same processes and not cut corners to send off a timely delivery and only cause a great deal of embarrassment for you and the company you represent. As an agency, it is equally important to provide realistic expectations and inform the client on the very things you are only able to provide. Both parties should be willing to discuss and exchange information especially to the level of quality expected. As an agency, I was able to encounter suppliers who will tell you straight out that they won’t be able to reach your deadline, or even find the file too difficult and turn me down so as not to waste my time, in whole honesty, i'd prefer to be dumped that way rather than shaking hands on something only to be left hanging right in the middle of the job, or worst, inform you on the deadline date that they suddenly had a freak accident, busted computer and other reasons that leaves you with almost no time to reassign and search for an alternative.
Here are some requests you should consider openly saying to your suppliers:
“Please prioritize the deadline, and submit to me when you are finished then afterwards we can negotiate for editing if we have time”.
"Please mind the consistency and use this attached style guide and glossary religiously"
"This is a highly visible content please assign only to your best translator"
As agencies and translators, here are some things you should openly say to your client:
“The file is not working (corrupted, broken..etc)”.
“The total number of words are more than what you informed me".
“We don't have available (reccommendable) linguist for this project, please do reassign the job".
“Do you have a style guide, glossary, TM we can use for this project”.
Quality and deadline are parallel, consider the ratio below the next time you assign and/or accept a translation job:
-A person can only translate “properly” (note: attentively noting glossaries and style guides) at 2,500 words within 8 hours, or about 300 words in an hour.
-Editing takes 1000 words per hour, and we’re talking about jobs that were translated on a 2,500:8 ratio.
Once the output is sent and acknowledged by the client, the process for payment will now begin and are usually transferred to the accounts or payment department. This means the job is now officially closed. However, agencies who want to assure quality would normally run an editing task for the file from a third party editor, or for those who tried to sell services with speed, they probably are dealing with the unpleasant feedback of their end client by then. Whether you are a the end client, agency or end translator for a project, it is always important to be open and detailed about feedbacks.
If you were a happy client, let your linguists know. Most of the time thou, because everybody is in hurry, a lack of follow up would mean that the client no longer has questions and was generally pleased with your services, however, do find the time to communicate good feedback specially if you want a harmonious working relationship with your suppliers.
On the other hand if you are unhappy with the output, you have to be specific about it. Comments like, "Our editor said it is a bad translation, we will no longer pay you” will cause you a long trail of emails and a blacklist post. Remember, there should be a proper process for instances like this, and if your company still doesn’t have one, you better start moving. Before you decide not to pay, you have to show proof of what you find unsatisfactory about the translation, because your translator knows that you do not speak the language you had them translated, and that this doesn’t qualify you to judge their translation, hence you should provide in detail your quality expectation and at what point did they fail. For example, you might say:
“The terms used were not consistent in the glossary or style guide"
“There were too many spelling errors found in pages 3, 5 and 6"
“The file contained inconsistencies for the term “department””.
A good translation company would take necessary steps to rectify the issue and provide you with solutions to improve their services, and beforehand would have already asked you of your quality standards anyway.
I have mentioned that time allotment is parallel to the quality of the translation. Now what about the cost? Would a higher cost guarantee a quality output? It should. But it doesn’t always guarantee. As an end client, you have to think of it this way, the amount you pay goes to
1.The Project Manager
2.The Translator
3.The Editor
If you will cut the budget short, you are cutting the time spent short for one of the above and will more likely cause you to:
1.Waste time to discuss issues with translation.
2.Pay for reviewer to check on output.
3.Pay for output on a discounted price.
4.Pay for rework made by another translator.
5.Pay for new editor.
This means you will end up paying for more than what you have haggled. Not to mention your irate client.
Probably, the most ideal scenario between a client and supplier is to be able to finally send off a job and to receive it back as expected. I am lucky Black Eyed Peas Imma Be (92-122 Bpm) (Remixed By Party Bangaz) free downloads to work with very good clients and suppliers on this scenario, while it did not took overnight to achieve that relationship, the common denominator is that both parties were open to discuss our realistic expectations and were able to work harmoniously since then. So to sum it up, here are important pointers for clients and suppliers alike:
1.Discuss expectations realistically.
2.Don't cut corners.
3.Provide detailed feedback.
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