| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] > | Aftermath of Coronavirus - Wuhan Thread poster: Hiromasa Funaki
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Dan Lucas 
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:32
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| So, no risk control? | Feb 29, 2020 |
Hiromasa Funaki wrote:
I am not Good Nature
Not good-natured, and also not very good at risk management either, it would seem.
I was living in Japan at the time of SARS and bird flu, so I remember the problems they caused and the intense scrutiny they received in the Japanese media. I'm sure you remember it too, and yet you appear to have dismissed the similar COV-19 as no big deal.
Just to recap, this is a Chinese agency, based in Wuhan, ground zero for the coronavirus. Reports of the virus started to emerge in early January. By January 15, it had been reported that coronavirus had been detected in Japan. You noticed that, right?
Despite this, you continued to work with them through late January and you even took on new projects as late as early February.
Didn't it occur to you that this might be, well, just a bit unwise?
I am reminded of the English common law principle that even those suffering from a breach of contract must show that they took steps to mitigate their losses, rather than sitting around and doing nothing or - even worse - taking steps that exacerbated the situation.
Of course Japan is not a jurisdiction in which common law applies, but one would hope that common sense still applies among Japanese freelance translators.
Regards,
Dan
PS The above aside, I'm with the others - the scale of this outbreak makes it a highly unusual phenomenon, so why not cut the agency a little slack? You may yet get paid.
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
| Acts of gods and humans | Feb 29, 2020 |
As Dan said, nonpayment cases are also a part of risk management, so it's up to you whether to go a hard way--or show sympathy, leaving on good terms. Would you like to work with them again? And what last impression you prefer? Is it your best business decision? And so on.
While every fair labor should get fair pay, they didn't tell lies, just admitted that because of force majeure they don't know when exactly the payment would be... It's very different from lame excuses.
... See more As Dan said, nonpayment cases are also a part of risk management, so it's up to you whether to go a hard way--or show sympathy, leaving on good terms. Would you like to work with them again? And what last impression you prefer? Is it your best business decision? And so on.
While every fair labor should get fair pay, they didn't tell lies, just admitted that because of force majeure they don't know when exactly the payment would be... It's very different from lame excuses.
Say, you've got to pay for a good job, but suddenly--heaven forbid--got into big troubles and your people urgently need money: Would you pay your due to the contractor or to your nearest and dearest? My priority is obviously the family for I would try to pay some part to the contractor, briefly explaining the issue and asking to wait.
A reputation damage is still no health or life damage.
Once after a busy week I took a wrong turn and my Lexus got stuck, running out of fuel. I was looking sharp and dandy, yet the mobile battery died, and while I had a hundred of business cards, a thousand of contacts, ApplePay, some $2000 in cash, and a dozen of big names bank cards, there was no means to do something--until I met a farmer who kindly explained to me where I was, where's the nearest gas station and the phone, and who could help me. People are no gods [yet]. ▲ Collapse
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 02:32
English to Russian
+ ...
| We are happy for your Lexus | Mar 1, 2020 |
DZiW wrote:
Once after a busy week I took a wrong turn and my Lexus got stuck
"My car" would do just fine in a genteel society
[Edited at 2020-03-01 02:09 GMT]
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:32
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| The milk of human kindness | Mar 1, 2020 |
IrinaN wrote: "My car" would do just fine in a genteel society
Your smiley suggests your response is tongue in cheek, but I think his argument is that you can have it all - the flash motor, the wallet full of cash, the nice threads - and even then the human kindness shown by the farmer is what might make all the difference. Structurally speaking, he needed "Lexus" in there to make the point.
Which sort of takes us back to the OP, who seems to be taking a distinctly unkind approach to a payment that has been delayed by a couple of days, when the agency in question is at the epicentre of what is increasingly looking the largest pandemic in recent history.
Dan
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Hiromasa Funaki
Japan
Local time: 16:32
English to Japanese
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TOPIC STARTER
It is impossible for me to confirm the delayed or no payment is actually due to coronavirus.
There has been no response from the company and any PMs of the company.
It is only an episode that a translation company in Wuhan continuing their business after outbreak of cronavirus, suddenly announced pending payment, and stopped communication.
We all are professionals and each must have established own way to solve such matter.
I posted this topic as precaution and t... See more It is impossible for me to confirm the delayed or no payment is actually due to coronavirus.
There has been no response from the company and any PMs of the company.
It is only an episode that a translation company in Wuhan continuing their business after outbreak of cronavirus, suddenly announced pending payment, and stopped communication.
We all are professionals and each must have established own way to solve such matter.
I posted this topic as precaution and to gather relating info, but could not get any positive effect. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 09:32
French to English
I don't work with any Chinese clients but if I were to be asked to translate something for a client in an area as badly afflicted as Wuhan I would either do it for free (especially if it's to help with the crisis there), or at least do it assuming that anything including the worst might happen. I certainly would not expect business as usual. Empathy is more important than money, even in business.
As a project manager I would go to quite some lengths to cut translators as much slack... See more I don't work with any Chinese clients but if I were to be asked to translate something for a client in an area as badly afflicted as Wuhan I would either do it for free (especially if it's to help with the crisis there), or at least do it assuming that anything including the worst might happen. I certainly would not expect business as usual. Empathy is more important than money, even in business.
As a project manager I would go to quite some lengths to cut translators as much slack as possible when they were sick, pregnant, or just coming back after having a baby, in the throes of divorce or in mourning. I can't count the number of times a translator said "I'll do it, but only because it's you asking".
When my father died, my boss let me have three weeks paid compassionate leave. I had been intending to leave and start freelancing, but the boss got several more years of loyal service out of me thanks to her compassion.
And even if there's no chance of getting any financial rewards from cutting this agency some slack, I'm pretty sure I'd feel intense shame if I made a nuisance of myself by banging on about money I'm owed to people suffering through the worst pandemic in recent history. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lincoln Hui
Hong Kong
Local time: 15:32
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Hiromasa Funaki wrote:
It is only an episode that a translation company in Wuhan continuing their business after outbreak of cronavirus, suddenly announced pending payment, and stopped communication.
Well, the outbreak has spread to Japan, so why are you continuing your business?
[Edited at 2020-03-02 12:44 GMT]
| | | | | Professional, not superhuman | Mar 2, 2020 |
Hiromasa Funaki wrote:
We all are professionals and each must have established own way to solve such matter.
I posted this topic as precaution
So you yourself have and had contingency plans in place to ensure your business operations can/could continue as normal after a tsunami, hurricane, earthquake or terror attack or when a nuclear power plant blows up, I presume. I guess the extra radiation would simply give you a boost.
Sarcasm apart, you seem to think that being professional implies being superhuman or even inhuman – or perhaps just robotic and utterly inflexible and pedantic.
Have you ever noticed the force-majeure clauses often inserted in business contracts to ensure that a contracting party cannot be held responsible for disruption in situations beyond the contracting party's control? We don't know if you have such an agreement, but even without it, it would be most unusual for a court to find a party responsible in such circumstances. Anyone with just a little bit of common sense knows and understands that. A professional knows it. Your own behaviour is unprofessional.
Indeed, we cannot, at this time, prove that the late payment is due to the virus, but we can state as a fact that there is an unquantifiable probability that it is. That's life. These things can and do happen. You cannot always provide evidence of everything in real time. Instead of just dealing with it, unfortunate as it is, you are displaying a total lack of situational awareness that does indeed work as a precaution – against working with you, that is. If I worked at an agency, I would avoid you at all cost after what I've seen here.
You may have other problems going on in your life, and this may just be the last straw. Sometimes, when people are stressed out, they overreact to trivial problems. That’s none of our business. But you might want to think about how the image you are giving of yourself could harm you.
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John Fossey
Canada
Local time: 03:32
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
| Coronavirus effects | Mar 2, 2020 |
Thomas T. Frost wrote:
Indeed, we cannot, at this time, prove that the late payment is due to the virus, but we can state as a fact that there is an unquantifiable probability that it is.
FWIW, one of my clients, a large Canadian automotive parts manufacturer, has two suppliers in Hubei province who have gone incommunicado. No response to emails, no one answers the phone. These are major companies and have evidently been seriously affected by the crisis. It is causing my client major problems. So translators are not the only ones feeling the pain.
| | | | Diana Kaplan
Germany
Local time: 09:32
English to German
+ ...
Sorry, I think you´ve been a bit too hard on Hiromasa.
I think he has a point and feels like he is the loser with no means to truly understand whether the virus is used as an excuse in this case. I understand that it makes him upset.
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:32
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| I'd be upset too | Mar 2, 2020 |
Diana Kaplan wrote:
I understand that it makes him upset.
So do I. It's never nice when you suspect an invoice isn't going to be paid on time.
But really, what can you expect if you take on jobs from an agency located in the economic equivalent of a war zone? Most people here seem to understand that this would be a high-risk strategy, but for whatever reason the OP didn't reach the same conclusion. And now he's paying for it.
To top it off, he then shows zero sympathy for those actually living in the war zone. Yes, maybe the agency is using it as an excuse, but it is equally possible that they are under intense pressure. As John pointed out a couple of posts ago, there are other companies struggling.
OP is a little bit KY, methinks.
Dan
| | | | | Press: China's private firms can't afford to pay their workers | Mar 2, 2020 |
We may all need to batten down the hatches until this has blown over. Late or no payment, not just from China, is a real risk.
• ... See more
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Hiromasa Funaki wrote:
I worked with Chinese translation company in Wuhan. I sent an invoice to them, and asked the payment date. They replied that they did not know when the payment would be done, since their bank stopped the activities. I asked them to pay through Paypal, but they rejected.
I think the company may be bankrupt or will soon be bankrupt.
[2020-02-28 02:10 GMTに編集されました]
Hi
Don't worry, if you are a regular translator for this agency, and even if not, this month or maybe next month you will finally get paid.
Just a matter of time, especially if you have a receipt for your job.
I know it is difficult to trust when you live so far away, but anyway if this agency should need your services, they have no other choice except to give you that payment.
….but it can take long long time, true.
| | | | LIZ LI
China
Local time: 15:32
French to Chinese
+ ...
According to a lastest report, lockdown in Wuhan is expected to last till end April.
This is probably "when" translators like Mr. Funaki will start to receive their payments, if the agency in question is NOT using the epidemy as an excuse.
Meanwhile, our beloved Dr. ZHONG Nanshan (who gave such recommendation of the lockdown) is heading to Europe for coronavirus.
Please do keep him safe for us. We need him more than anything.
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 09:32
French to English
LIZ LI wrote:
According to a lastest report, lockdown in Wuhan is expected to last till end April.
This is probably "when" translators like Mr. Funaki will start to receive their payments, if the agency in question is NOT using the epidemy as an excuse.
Meanwhile, our beloved Dr. ZHONG Nanshan (who gave such recommendation of the lockdown) is heading to Europe for coronavirus.
Please do keep him safe for us. We need him more than anything.
I see you are in China, so stay safe Liz, and all other Prozians in affected zones.
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