Let’s face it; most people underestimate the work us translators do. This comes from many different sources throughout our life and is in most cases the result of a general ignorance of translation, its difficulties, and its value.

-Underestimation by friends/acquaintances

When I was studying translation, I often had to respond to offensive remarks from people I knew, ranging from complete ignorance (Are you really studying translation? I had no idea it was an actual programme…I thought that anyone who speaks a foreign language can translate!) to subtle irony (You use a dictionary for assignments? It doesn’t really sound that difficult then…). It was annoying at the time, but it got much more annoying when I started working professionally and had to face similar reactions from potential clients.

-Underestimation by clients

I’m sure you’ve all been there, one way or another. A client sends you a website to translate into a rare language. The website has approximately one trillion subpages and the word count you come up with ends up being 20,000 words. You kindly send them a quote and the reply is “WHAAAAAT? I was expecting something around 150 euro, you are way too expensive” (!!!).

-Underestimation by official bodies

This is not the case in all countries, so I’m only referring to Greece, where this situation is more or less known to all translators. Most people who require a certified translation would go to a lawyer and not even think of looking for a translation company or a freelancer. This is partly because some institutions don’t accept translations bearing a certified translator’s stamp and request a lawyer’s signature. This has devastating consequences for our profession: lawyers often ask for ridiculous prices and then assign the job to a translator (offering about one third of what they are paid) and place their stamp on the translation without even so much as taking a look at it.

I know you feel like getting a bazooka and going after them, but the main problem here is ignorance, and that’s what we should all try to fight against, in our own way. Sure, you can start doubting yourself and end up admitting that you studied the science of nothing or offering a price that is way beneath what you should actually be paid, but you must stop yourself right there and resist the temptation.

What your friends or potential clients don’t know is basically two things:

1. How difficult translation can be.

Take some time to explain to your friends, family members, acquaintances or clients that translation is not just about looking for words in a dictionary and writing them down. If necessary, think of a few words/expressions you’ve had difficulty translating and offer them these situations as examples. Explain how translation is about conveying meaning and not words and restructuring sentences and concepts in a way that makes sense in another language. If they are still having trouble understanding it, tell them to try translating one paragraph to another language; I guarantee they will immediately see what you’re talking about.

2. How time–consuming translation can be.

For some reason, most people seem to think that translators receive the text, put it in a translation machine and it comes out about 5 minutes later. This is the main reason why they don’t understand the prices we offer. If you have the chance, explain that the average translator can translate approximately 2,500-3,500 words per day and therefore their 100,000-word text is going to take a considerable amount of time which should be compensated by a considerable amount of money. Everybody understands that time is money, and when you explain to them the amount of time it would take anyone to finish it they might think again before asking for a lower price.

Of course, you will never manage to convince everybody and there will always be clients asking for the lowest price possible (and often get it for the lowest quality possible). However, the next time you stumble against one of the above reactions do us all a favour and try to explain. Maybe a few minds will be changed in the end.

It is no news to you, I am sure, how important it is for a company or service to have good customer service. The best companies always pay the utmost attention to the people they hire for these positions and usually monitor them on a daily basis to make sure they behave nicely to customers (sometimes even in a scary, Big Brother sort of way).

However, it recently dawned on me how important it is to provide good, personalized, friendly services to the supplier – and that is something many companies, including some of the biggest and most famous ones, often neglect.

Being a freelance translator and having worked with a few companies I was really surprised by the difference in their project managers’ attitude towards me. Some of them would treat me in the best possible way, always addressing me in the friendliest way and apologizing when they had to push me too much about a project, while others would talk like robots, not even bothering to ask me how I am when I picked up the phone. What I was even more surprised with, though, was the impact this has on me and on my level of engagement with each company.

Unfortunately, some companies think that the only way to “make” people work for them and deliver a high-quality product is bullying them. Even if you are the most conscientious and hard-working supplier ever, even if you have agreed to help them when there was nobody else to assign a project to, meaning you would have to stay up all night to finish it, they will still treat you like rubbish if you make even the smallest mistake. And that’s not all; what I find even more annoying is when project managers I have worked with for years talk to me as if they met me only yesterday.

Professionalism should not be a synonym of cold and unfriendly behaviour. I enjoy it much more when people call me about a project and take a few minutes to ask me if it is a good time for me, ask me how I am doing and then whether I can undertake it or not. Always offering and never ordering me to do something. Believe me, this really helps you want to work with them more. This is what attracts good professionals to these companies and makes them want to do more and more things for them. Suppliers –freelancers in this case- feel appreciated, talk to others about this company, create a good image in the freelancer community therefore helping it attract even more good, talented people.

I have often observed that short-sightedness is one of the worst things that can happen to a company. Being strict and relentless with somebody doesn’t make them work harder. If anything, it makes them more reluctant to work with you and do their best to please you, because you have never done anything to please them.

Translation companies should not forget that in most cases they owe their existence to freelancers. If they keep that in mind while dealing with them it just might make them a bit –or a lot- more successful.