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Poll: Your strategy against inflation/exchange rate fluctuations is...
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Apr 19, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Your strategy against inflation/exchange rate fluctuations is...".

This poll was originally submitted by Alan Corbo, CT. View the poll results »



 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:13
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Apr 19, 2018

Find different clients -- i.e., ones that pay better and don't give me problems collecting their money.

Have you ever noticed that the ones that put you through the most hassle are also the ones that pay the least?

[Edited at 2018-04-19 08:46 GMT]


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 10:13
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Apr 19, 2018

Just like Muriel my strategy has been to find good clients who pay well and without any hassle. Anyway, most of my clients are in the euro zone. Inflation in the euro zone was 1.3% in March and 1.1% in February.

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Inflation_in_the_euro_area


[Edited at 2018-04-19 10:50
... See more
Just like Muriel my strategy has been to find good clients who pay well and without any hassle. Anyway, most of my clients are in the euro zone. Inflation in the euro zone was 1.3% in March and 1.1% in February.

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Inflation_in_the_euro_area


[Edited at 2018-04-19 10:50 GMT]
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Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Simple Apr 19, 2018

Exchange rates: I bill in my own currency.

I have worked almost exclusively with foreign customers for 25 years and have never billed in anything other than my own currency, and nobody has ever had a problem with that.

Inflation: I raise my rates every year.

No direct customer has ever objected. A few agencies have dropped by the wayside over the years due to pricing, but there are plenty of fish in the sea.


 
Justin Peterson
Justin Peterson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:13
Member (2007)
Spanish to English
I've actually lowered rates ... due to increased productivity Apr 19, 2018

I've actually lowered my rates for some clients ... as, thanks to increased knowledge, skill, and, above all, dramatically improved MTs available, I am able to translate about double what I used to daily.

What puzzles me is ... with the huge improvements in MT technology, why aren´t prices dropping?


 
writeaway
writeaway  Identity Verified
French to English
+ ...
Are you actually complaining that prices haven't dropped? Apr 19, 2018

Justin Peterson wrote:

What puzzles me is ... with the huge improvements in MT technology, why
aren´t prices dropping?



Just wondering...


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Wow Apr 19, 2018

Justin Peterson wrote:
I've actually lowered my rates for some clients ... as, thanks to increased knowledge, skill, and, above all, dramatically improved MTs available, I am able to translate about double what I used to daily.

Why would you want to drop your prices? Why not just earn twice as much?


What puzzles me is ... with the huge improvements in MT technology, why aren´t prices dropping?

The impression I get is that prices at that end of the market have dropped. At the other end, MT is of little relevance.


 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 12:13
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
Most translation happens in the EU Apr 19, 2018

So there is no fear of exchange rate fluctuation. All my customers pay in Euro.

 
Germaine
Germaine  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 06:13
English to French
+ ...
Are you serious? Apr 19, 2018

Justin Peterson wrote:
I've actually lowered my rates for some clients ... as, thanks to increased knowledge, skill, and, above all, dramatically improved MTs available, I am able to translate about double what I used to daily.


I read "MTs" and I wouldn't dare to put a number to the fabulous losse$ you incurred working around the clock at 80%, 70%, 50%, 10% of your rate on the way to these magical "dramatically improved MTs". Yet you're so grateful, you feel you need to donate even more. I certainly hope that we're not talking of the rates that we often see around here!

Should you need to thank your clients for all that you gained over time for working hard, logic would be to just keep your rates as they are (as if there were no inflation) or giving a disccount for fast payment, longer delay, an anniversary, whatever, once in a while, NOT to lower them. Then, you would be able to enjoy working less to make the same, or working the same to collect on the savings, retirement plan, health insurance, vacation, etc., that you couldn't afford while getting such increased knowledge, skills and improved MTs.

If you don't see a price dropping, it may be that they are already too low.


 
texjax DDS PhD
texjax DDS PhD  Identity Verified
Local time: 06:13
Member (2006)
English to Italian
+ ...
Just curious... Apr 19, 2018

Justin Peterson wrote:

I've actually lowered my rates for some clients ... as, thanks to increased knowledge, skill, and, above all, dramatically improved MTs available, I am able to translate about double what I used to daily.

What puzzles me is ... with the huge improvements in MT technology, why aren´t prices dropping?



Are you speaking as a freelance translator or as Director, Founder and Chief Translator of a company with "100-500 employees"?
https://tinyurl.com/y9876d3l


 
Mario Acosta
Mario Acosta  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 07:13
English to Spanish
Investing? Anyone? Apr 19, 2018

I wonder why investing is not a possible answer here.

 
Justin Peterson
Justin Peterson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:13
Member (2007)
Spanish to English
Both Apr 19, 2018

texjax DDS PhD wrote:

Justin Peterson wrote:

I've actually lowered my rates for some clients ... as, thanks to increased knowledge, skill, and, above all, dramatically improved MTs available, I am able to translate about double what I used to daily.

What puzzles me is ... with the huge improvements in MT technology, why aren´t prices dropping?



Are you speaking as a freelance translator or as Director, Founder and Chief Translator of a company with "100-500 employees"?
https://tinyurl.com/y9876d3l


 
Justin Peterson
Justin Peterson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:13
Member (2007)
Spanish to English
Not complaning. Just puzzled. Apr 19, 2018

writeaway wrote:

Justin Peterson wrote:

What puzzles me is ... with the huge improvements in MT technology, why
aren´t prices dropping?



Just wondering...


In every other field, when technology increases productivity, prices drop.

Why should translation be any different?

By the logic of many colleagues on here, we should be charging the same rates as when we wrote by hand, or on typewriters, or when no MT technology existed.

Some people apparently think being a Luddite is somehow admirable. (I don't use MTs ... scowl...)

And some people resent others for lowering rates, as if it were an assault upon them. (You're ruining it for everyone else...)

Fascinating.

JRP


 
gayd (X)
gayd (X)
MT is free Apr 19, 2018

Justin Peterson wrote:

writeaway wrote:

Justin Peterson wrote:

What puzzles me is ... with the huge improvements in MT technology, why
aren´t prices dropping?



Just wondering...


In every other field, when technology increases productivity, prices drop.

Why should translation be any different?

By the logic of many colleagues on here, we should be charging the same rates as when we wrote by hand, or on typewriters, or when no MT technology existed.

Some people apparently think being a Luddite is somehow admirable. (I don't use MTs ... scowl...)

And some people resent others for lowering rates, as if it were an assault upon them. (You're ruining it for everyone else...)

Fascinating.

JRP



MT is free so economically speaking, the rates should tend to zero.
But luckily we really don't compete on the same markets. Many agencies forbid the use of MT.
I doubt that Swiss or German clients would appreciate it if they had to gobble MT translation and pay for it. They simply wouldn't. But the rates are not the same obviously. And it's not the same product either.

But you're only working for the Spanish market so MT is good enough for them. They are unable to assess
the quality of your English translations anyway and are not quality oriented. Anybody can use MT, but technology also enables to compare instantaneously 2 translations (the one you're selling and the one translated for free ).
So it can provide your clients with a good reason for not paying for something which is available for free.
[Modifié le 2018-04-19 23:01 GMT]

[Modifié le 2018-04-19 23:06 GMT]

[Modifié le 2018-04-19 23:07 GMT]

[Modifié le 2018-04-19 23:08 GMT]

[Modifié le 2018-04-19 23:11 GMT]


 
Justin Peterson
Justin Peterson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:13
Member (2007)
Spanish to English
Good grief. It's a tool, not a substitute! Apr 19, 2018

Good grief. Obviously, I do not put my texts through an MT and then just turn them into my clients! (Is this what people think using an MT is?)

Of course they are thoroughly read, checked, revised (often extensively) and polished for style and accuracy.

But the MT, obviously, expedites the translation process by translating lists of simple terms, phrases previously translated, and giving one a rough draft to work with.

Many trades are now expedited and re
... See more
Good grief. Obviously, I do not put my texts through an MT and then just turn them into my clients! (Is this what people think using an MT is?)

Of course they are thoroughly read, checked, revised (often extensively) and polished for style and accuracy.

But the MT, obviously, expedites the translation process by translating lists of simple terms, phrases previously translated, and giving one a rough draft to work with.

Many trades are now expedited and rendered more efficient by new technologies. That doesn't mean the trade is dead. It's just evolving.

I am intrigued as to why you think that: "for the Spanish market so MT is good enough for them. They are unable to assess
the quality of your English translations anyway and are not quality oriented" (?!) What??

I can assure you that plenty of clients here are very much quality-oriented, and expect and demand excellent translations, which they deserve, and receive.

JRP
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Poll: Your strategy against inflation/exchange rate fluctuations is...






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