27 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Thirteenish reasons why you might stop working for an agency

543854_10201705191769907_326711284_n — Sometimes it’s time to sail away to pastures new

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the overriding factor causing translators to end their relationship with an agency is not being paid at all (no-brainer really, as continuing to work for a client that is not paying you—whatever their excuses and promises—just doesn’t make good business sense), and secondly being paid late. Fortunately, in all the years that I’ve been translating, I have seldom not been paid. A one-man band went bankrupt just after I completed a shortish job for him and I never saw a penny. Another agency didn’t pay me for all the words I’d translated as we disagreed on how many I’d actually done. However, I have received my money late more times than I care to remember, and I’ve stopped working for several agencies as a result, even some I had been collaborating with for years. “I was enjoying a wonderful holiday on the other side of the planet, so I couldn’t pay you in August, and now have no funds until my clients pay me” just doesn’t cut it.

27 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

18 reasons why an agency might stop working with you

The general advice regarding clients is that you should be actively seeking new ones all the time because you never know what’s around the corner. Not only should you be looking to replace clients already in your circles that you are not overly keen on working for, but you also need others to fall back on if you lose some. This post is going to focus on why an agency might stop working with a translator, although some of the reasons will hold true for direct clients as well.

26 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Client Circles

‘Don’t undersell yourself.’

‘If the rate is too low, then don’t accept it.’

‘Stop working for the bulk market and look for direct premium clients.’

I expect you’ve heard the above in some shape or form quite a lot in your translation career. If you attend conferences, or see the tweets generated at them, and regularly read blog posts, then rates and translation markets will definitely be on the agenda. You’ve no doubt felt yourself stirring to the rallying cry of seizing the moment and steeling yourself to boldly tread where you have not dared venture before now (in other words at the very least not letting others walk all over you).

26 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 11: Spellings Part 8 – Only One Word

Spellings Part 8 – Only One Word

Another quick list of ten spellings today as they are all one word. This might sound easy, but given that most of them are closed compound nouns (two words that have been put together to form a new term), the Microsoft spellchecker might not let you know that you should not have written them separately.

Please remember that all the bite-sized tips entries are based on the New Oxford Style Manual, so spellings may vary in other style guides.

26 May 20155 April 2020 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Presta especial atención a esta traducción o de lo contrario…

¿No os encanta cuando la agencia dice en el último correo de una cadena sobre un encargo, una vez que las condiciones están supuestamente cerradas: «Ah, por cierto, el cliente dice que esta traducción es extremadamente importante, así que te pido que le prestes especial atención»? Incluso cuando lo suavizan un poco añadiendo «Ya sabemos que siempre lo haces», es algo que me exaspera sobremanera.

26 May 20153 February 2023 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Posts of the Day – September 2014

Bloggers were writing fast and furiously in September after the summer holidays with many focusing their attention on the differences between the premium and bulk market, rates and whether complaining (ranting) about our lot can ever achieve anything productive. It’s even become a tad too heated at times, which is extremely unfortunate and far from edifying for our profession. You’ll find a number of these posts below as they all provide food for thought on the complex issues currently affecting the industry. I’ve tried to sum up some of my own thoughts on all the above in my post The Premium, the Bulk and the PEMT.

26 May 201515 May 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

The Premium, the Bulk and the PEMT

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the bulk and premium market and whether ranting or complaining about the poor conditions found in the former will ever do any good, especially as what everyone should actually be doing is following the lead of the gurus, getting out there and grabbing the best jobs, charging a fortune, earning a six-figure salary and flying first class. Because then there wouldn’t be anything for them to complain about, now would there?

If only this were so easy or possible. The translation sector encompasses as many markets as there are language combinations and specialisms. How you fare or how much you might earn probably depends more on the market you operate in than where you live. It also depends on the subjects you have studied and your specialist knowledge, how good you are at translating and your personality; whether you have the drive, get-up-and-go and belief in yourself that will enable you to land direct clients and charge decent rates rather than relying on an agency to do that for you. So many factors are involved that it’s almost impossible to generalise. And it’s also impossible for anyone to know what it might be like for a colleague in a totally different situation to their own.

26 May 201511 February 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Bite-sized Tips No. 10: Spellings Part 7 – Two Words

Spellings Part 7 – Two Words

A quick easy list of ten spellings today as they are all two words (and, therefore, not hyphenated). Please remember that all the bite-sized tips entries are based on the New Oxford Style Manual so spellings may vary in other style guides.

26 May 201528 April 2021 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Las virtudes de una buena agencia

Entre las agencias hay absolutamente de todo, desde grandes multinacionales que pagan a sus directores primas descomunales hasta agencias boutique que operan desde un dormitorio. Yo he trabajado para unas cuantas, la mayoría relativamente pequeñas con gestores de proyectos que suelen quedarse en ellas durante años. Esta situación es ideal para entablar buenas relaciones laborales para beneficio mutuo que por lo general funcionan bien sin mayores inconvenientes.

Pese a que las agencias para las que trabajo de forma habitual cumplen los requisitos suficientes como para que mi relación con ellas merezca la pena, otras dejan mucho que desear. Se me ocurren muchas cualidades que debería tener una buena agencia, pero he limitado la lista en esta entrada a las 20 que me parecen más importantes para que no resulte excesivamente larga. No dudéis en añadir otras en los comentarios si os parece que me he dejado alguna fundamental.

26 May 20153 February 2023 Nikki Graham - Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services

Posts of the Day – August 2014

A few years ago August used to be a relatively quiet month for me since a lot of companies in Spain either close shop for a few weeks in the summer or end their working days early as it’s often just too darn hot to concentrate. However, in recent years I’ve noticed that job offers in this traditional holiday month have been on the rise and this year was no exception. Having just done my accounts, they show that I’ve translated for a higher number of clients than ever before in August.