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tranfree issue 7 - 12 October 1999
Payment Practices and Reputable Translation AgenciesBy Karin Adamczyk When I first started using the Internet, I found incredible sources of information for translators and interpreters. One of the very first sites I found was Aquarius. I was amazed at the type of information available to us and the dedication of those who provided the information. From a background of many hours of volunteer work on the board of directors of The Missing Children’s Network in Montreal and as a Brownie leader (Snowy Owl to be exact), I started wondering about what kind of information I could provide. The more I searched the Internet for information, the more I found. I started applying to job postings and started getting work from companies in all kinds of wonderful places. The problem was, I knew nothing about them. That’s when it hit me. The one thing that is of concern to everyone in this industry is whether they will be paid and if they will be paid on time. With all these resources and with so many freelancers on-line, there must be a way to get information about these companies. There wasn’t so I had to create something myself. The Payment Practices mailing list has now existed for nearly 3 years to provide this type of information. Subscribers post requests in which they ask about the creditworthiness of a company and freelancers who have worked with the company reply with details of their experience. It is absolutely fantastic how subscribers from so many different countries help each other every day. At this time, we have 600 subscribers from ALL over the world. Can you think of any other resource you can use to ask about a company in China (from your home in London, England or Beloeil, Quebec or anywhere else) and receive information from a translator in China within a matter of minutes? This kind of thing happens all the time. Subscribers constantly write to thank me for providing this service, but I must thank all our subscribers who go to great lengths to help each other. Without them, it just wouldn’t work. The list is very strictly moderated and there is zero tolerance for inappropriate or off-topic messages. This is absolutely essential to maintain the reliability of information provided. There are no chats or discussions since the sole purpose of the list is to provide relevant information. Most of the information provided is positive, but the list also does help identify companies that have not paid translators and those that take longer than agreed to pay for work done. It is then up to the individual whether or not they want to accept work based on the information they have received. There is also an on-line interview published by Amy Russell at the Northern California Translators Association Some members wanted to be able to have discussions about other issues related to payment practices. To fill this void, a discussion list was started. It currently has just over 300 subscribers. More recently, I published a database of reputable translation agencies. This database contains agency names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, Web site addresses, names of recruiting contacts, names of owners, annual sales, year established, languages, specialties, payment terms, criteria for being selected and the agencies preferences for receiving your information. The database is updated continually and only agencies for which a positive payment practices report has been received are included. It is a complete database application that does not require additional software. You may view a sample record at http://www.translation-agencies.com If you are interested in joining the Payment Practices mailing list, please visit http://www.translation-agencies.com
Karin Adamczyk |