Pages in topic:   [1 2 3] >
Off topic: OMG. I think I just got my first ever job through ProZ!!!
Thread poster: Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Mar 12, 2021

I’ve been hanging around here in one way or another for at least 15 years, including one as a paying member, the rest as a freeloader, and despite stellar KudoZ rankings my exorbitant pricing structure has meant I’ve never had a job off ProZ before.

It’s come out of the blue from a random agency in an unlikely country. They didn’t haggle on the price, they have extended the deadline to suit my schedule, they are happy with delivery in Word, and they haven’t sent me anythin
... See more
I’ve been hanging around here in one way or another for at least 15 years, including one as a paying member, the rest as a freeloader, and despite stellar KudoZ rankings my exorbitant pricing structure has meant I’ve never had a job off ProZ before.

It’s come out of the blue from a random agency in an unlikely country. They didn’t haggle on the price, they have extended the deadline to suit my schedule, they are happy with delivery in Word, and they haven’t sent me anything to fill in or sign.

Sounds a bit too good to be true by all accounts, but they seem professional and like all German businesses it’s run by a bunch of doctors, and everyone knows you should always trust a doctor.

They presumably found me on here, as I don’t have a website or do any marketing, and it’s unlikely my fame will have drifted on the wind all the way to sunny Hamburg or Munich or wherever.

But I don’t dare ask them. I’m too ashamed. What if they didn’t find me on here and I asked and then they lost all respect for me as a professional?

Does that say something about me or something about this site?
Collapse


Baran Keki
Dan Lucas
P.L.F. Persio
expressisverbis
Zibow Retailleau
 
Sadek_A
Sadek_A  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:22
English to Arabic
+ ...
..... Mar 12, 2021

I think the least you can do is buy us all drinks, for having stuck by your side until you made it this big.

I will have a "sober" Bahama Mama, thank you! 😃

Go ahead and take orders from the rest.


Christopher Schröder
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Joanna Posylek
Fatine Echenique
Wolfgang Schoene
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Hauke Christian
 
Simon Cole
Simon Cole  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:22
Member (2008)
French to English
The acid test... Mar 12, 2021

Hi Chris.
Of course, the 'acid test' is when it comes to payment. I would expect a German firm to be ethical and efficient.
As regards your question to yourself, there is no shame in asking how they got your name. Many websites and companies survey their customers to find out where you heard about them. It's the easiest way to find out which marketing channels are most effective. In the old days of mail-order in newspapers, every advert said something like "Quote reference DT018 with
... See more
Hi Chris.
Of course, the 'acid test' is when it comes to payment. I would expect a German firm to be ethical and efficient.
As regards your question to yourself, there is no shame in asking how they got your name. Many websites and companies survey their customers to find out where you heard about them. It's the easiest way to find out which marketing channels are most effective. In the old days of mail-order in newspapers, every advert said something like "Quote reference DT018 with your order". This was so they knew you saw their advert no.18 in the Daily Telegraph.
BTW, being a paying ProZ member does make you much more visible in searches.
Power to your elbow, Simon
Collapse


Baran Keki
Christopher Schröder
expressisverbis
Christine Andersen
 
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:22
Member (2004)
English to Italian
Too good to be true... Mar 12, 2021

these agencies don't exist (any more)...

Edited for stupid typo

[Edited at 2021-03-12 12:44 GMT]


Christopher Schröder
expressisverbis
 
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:22
Spanish to English
+ ...
Does the PO ... Mar 12, 2021

... say anything about a plane crash in Nigeria?

Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
IrinaN
expressisverbis
Matthias Brombach
Sadek_A
Hauke Christian
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Chequemate Mar 12, 2021

Mervyn Henderson wrote:

... say anything about a plane crash in Nigeria?


No but I have just received a cheque with advance payment of a million euros. Is this normal business practice in The Land of the Rising Sausage?


Mervyn Henderson (X)
P.L.F. Persio
expressisverbis
Andy Watkinson
Angie Garbarino
Emanuele Vacca
Adieu
 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:22
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
I assume ... Mar 12, 2021

... your PO is just a bill from the German Bibliographic Institute for your request in one of the German threads, that was dealing with the correct gender spelling of names and terms. I remember that you posted (in German) a question about how to call yourself when you are not satisfied with the current solution for the correct choice of sex the German monolingual dictionary (Duden) offers. I understand that you are impressed by an answer issued by doctors and in German, but they nothing else bu... See more
... your PO is just a bill from the German Bibliographic Institute for your request in one of the German threads, that was dealing with the correct gender spelling of names and terms. I remember that you posted (in German) a question about how to call yourself when you are not satisfied with the current solution for the correct choice of sex the German monolingual dictionary (Duden) offers. I understand that you are impressed by an answer issued by doctors and in German, but they nothing else but bill you for your question and it would be wise to pay the bill. They handle a strict scale of charges and fees.

[Bearbeitet am 2021-03-12 13:49 GMT]
Collapse


Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Mervyn Henderson (X)
IrinaN
expressisverbis
Hauke Christian
Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 11:22
English to German
In memoriam
Get used to it Mar 12, 2021

Chris S wrote:

Mervyn Henderson wrote:

... say anything about a plane crash in Nigeria?


No but I have just received a cheque with advance payment of a million euros. Is this normal business practice in The Land of the Rising Sausage?


Of course it is. You are expected to write back and ask "Can I have mustard with that?"

[Edited at 2021-03-12 13:46 GMT]


Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Jo Macdonald
Sarah Maidstone
expressisverbis
Fatine Echenique
 
IrinaN
IrinaN
United States
Local time: 05:22
English to Russian
+ ...
My first and last job from Proz Mar 12, 2021

Was in 2004.

That interpretation assignment took me to Madrid, and later the project proceeded with Rome and Paris trips. And then the project ended The subject was helium recovery plants, gas-condensate separators and helicopter support for gas condensate fields. And a little bit about the money attached:-)

To tell the truth, a new PM got kicked hard when the owner of the agency learned about publishing
... See more
Was in 2004.

That interpretation assignment took me to Madrid, and later the project proceeded with Rome and Paris trips. And then the project ended The subject was helium recovery plants, gas-condensate separators and helicopter support for gas condensate fields. And a little bit about the money attached:-)

To tell the truth, a new PM got kicked hard when the owner of the agency learned about publishing it on Proz, and apologized to me for not contacting me directly:-).

I was too busy ever since to apply on Proz and my profile, the lousiest of all here, proves it. A few attempts were but the experiments on a human subject in a spare moment. Failed!
Collapse


Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Mervyn Henderson (X)
 
Peter Shortall
Peter Shortall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Romanian to English
+ ...
Achtung! Mar 12, 2021

Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:

these agencies don't exist (any more)...



Mmm... Personally, had I landed this gig in the circumstances described by Chris, I would have just posted directly in the 'Scams' forum and had done with it.

I thought I had been hired out of the blue through this site earlier this week for a nice meaty job, which would have been my first unsolicited one through ProZ for yonks. Rate agreed, job confirmed, PO issued, the works... but the very next morning, the agency got back to me and said, in time-honoured fashion, "our client has realised the document was already translated so they don't need the translation". That old standby... Zero out of ten for the originality of that excuse. But at least the agency concerned doesn't appear to have been a scammer.

Do keep us posted on what happens in the end, Chris. You've piqued my curiosity with this story. And in the meantime, Achtung! as they say in that country.

[Edited at 2021-03-12 15:24 GMT]


Mervyn Henderson (X)
Rachel Fell
Christopher Schröder
IrinaN
Matthias Brombach
P.L.F. Persio
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Hold that thought Mar 12, 2021

Sadek_A wrote:

I think the least you can do is buy us all drinks, for having stuck by your side until you made it this big.

I will have a "sober" Bahama Mama, thank you! 😃

Go ahead and take orders from the rest.

I’ve just transferred the balance of 999,500 euros to their account, so all I need to do now is complete the job and drop that cheque off at the bank.

Sadly, ProZ forum etiquette means that I must now disappear off the face of the Earth rather than come back in a month to tell you all whether or not the drinks are on me. Soz.


Mervyn Henderson (X)
Tretyak
Peter Shortall
Sadek_A
Fatine Echenique
P.L.F. Persio
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Sadek_A
Sadek_A  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:22
English to Arabic
+ ...
Don't be so economic! 😃 Mar 13, 2021

You admitted to having received "a cheque with advance payment of a million euros", what is a "balance of 999,500 euros" compared to that? You still have fat FOUR zeros left from that initial six zeros figure.
You know what, why don't we all chip in and buy YOU a drink, how does Budget Chris Chequedonnay sound? 😃


Christopher Schröder
 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:22
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
My order Mar 13, 2021

Chris S wrote:
I have just received a cheque with advance payment of a million euros.


Sadek_A wrote:
I think the least you can do is buy us all drinks ... take orders from the rest


I will take a "Cheques on the Beach", please.


Christopher Schröder
Dan Lucas
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Emanuele Vacca
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Lol Mar 13, 2021

Matthias Brombach wrote:
I will take a "Cheques on the Beach", please.

Lol. Very good, Matthias! Who needs a Mervyn anyway?


Matthias Brombach
Mervyn Henderson (X)
P.L.F. Persio
 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:22
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Now, that you have a huge cheque like that ... Mar 13, 2021

Chris S wrote:
Lol. Very good, Matthias! Who needs a Mervyn anyway?

... you are free to go your own ways and look for other allies. Perhaps you can even walk the TiL-path now.

[Bearbeitet am 2021-03-13 13:02 GMT]


Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Mervyn Henderson (X)
 
Pages in topic:   [1 2 3] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Fernanda Rocha[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

OMG. I think I just got my first ever job through ProZ!!!






CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »
Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »