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Being on a permanent standby list - do you respect yourself?
Thread poster: sdvplatt
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 18:06
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Due diligence Apr 17, 2023

sdvplatt wrote:

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:

I have been translating for over 30 years, and I’ve only been asked to be on standby once or twice. Translation agencies are not the enemy, translators just have to know who to choose. For every bottom-feeder offering a pittance, there are lots of agencies that could be a worthwhile source of income. One way to achieve that is by carrying out due diligence on every translation agency you come across. It’s okay to be picky about who you choose to work with. I always do my homework before sending my CV, meaning that I only send it to agencies that work in my language pairs and my fields of specialization. A few have contacted me, some have become my clients, others didn’t. That’s the name of the game…


Proportions will vary. There are enough in my experience to write this post. Was not the case 5-10 years ago but the industry further consolidated and will continue to do so.
How do you do due diligence?


I haven’t been looking for new clients for some time (though they are always welcome) as I have a steady client base, but when I am contacted by a potential client, I start by searching the Internet in all the right places (BB, Hall of Fame and Shame, Payment Practices, LinkedIn groups, etc.), reading very carefully what my peers say (I do not work with companies - translation agencies or direct clients - with bad reviews) and trusting my gut feeling (over the years I developed a sixth sense when it comes to bad payers). When I can't really find anything about that potential client but it doesn't feel good, I don't proceed…

Thomas T. Frost
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Being on a permanent standby list - do you respect yourself?







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