Poll: With new clients you take on, how many email exchanges usually happen before you start working?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
May 14, 2020

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "With new clients you take on, how many email exchanges usually happen before you start working?".

View the poll results »



 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 12:47
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other May 14, 2020

I'm not really looking for new clients, although I might be able to squeeze the odd one in if I really, really wanted to. I prefer to keep things as simple as possible at all times, so 2 or 3 e-mails is usually enough to get things off the ground from my end.

 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 11:47
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other May 14, 2020

It varies enormously, anywhere from just one or two to more than several emails. The number of emails exchanged is usually linked to the length of the project and to the type of the client. Major organizations with a project of considerable dimension require a lot more information than a direct client or a boutique agency with a small project.

Liena Vijupe
Anna Herbst
Pascale van Kempen-Herlant
Alaa Mahm
tradu-grace
Laura Kingdon
 
Liena Vijupe
Liena Vijupe  Identity Verified
Latvia
Local time: 13:47
Member (2014)
French to Latvian
+ ...
Other May 14, 2020

It depends. Might be only a few if they already have a confirmed project that just needs to be sent to a translator, or a lot more if they expect something to come in and inquire about my availability, need NDAs to be signed, registration forms filled out etc.

 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
One May 14, 2020

Them: Can you translate this?

Me: Yes.


Sundar Gopalakrishnan
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:47
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Too many May 14, 2020

ProZ.com Staff wrote:

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "With new clients you take on, how many email exchanges usually happen before you start working?".

View the poll results »



In the case of an agency based in Spain with a name that sounds a bit like "Blarney": that was all I got from them: Blarney and time-wasting, and a flood of emails with smileys in them and lots of "great!" etc. So gave up on them. It was "tutto fumo e niente arrosto" as the Italians say.


 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 08:47
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
The usual cycle May 14, 2020

The usual cycle is: You receive an email from a potential client, and check the blue Board to see if it's worth answering.
1. If the client does not send a decent e-mail explaining the job in detail.
You request the details and say a bit about yourself.
2. If the original email explains the job and requests information, and if it includes your name instead of "dear translator" and the persons name, company, website, etc.
You agree with the conditions, answer all qu
... See more
The usual cycle is: You receive an email from a potential client, and check the blue Board to see if it's worth answering.
1. If the client does not send a decent e-mail explaining the job in detail.
You request the details and say a bit about yourself.
2. If the original email explains the job and requests information, and if it includes your name instead of "dear translator" and the persons name, company, website, etc.
You agree with the conditions, answer all questions, and provide the required data.
3. If the client agrees with your rates/conditions, and requests a translation test.
You send the test translation and wait for the approval and eventual jobs.
3. If the client does not agree with your rates and you try to negotiate it ONCE.
4. If after the negotiation and agreement, there is a translation test.
So it may vary from 1 to 4 or more emails.
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Poll: With new clients you take on, how many email exchanges usually happen before you start working?






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