"I translated 10,000 words for a really well-known
translation agency, but they haven’t paid me!"
We often receive emails containing comments similar to this
one. Also, translation-related forums are full of questions about unpaid
translation assignments and similar queries.
Most freelance translators work from their homes - often on
a full time basis - and their only income is made from what they translate, so
we really don’t need to stress how terrifying it can be to not receive a
payment on time.
I want this to be a practical text, so here are some brief
tips that can help translators to deal with unpaid translations.
1. Check to make sure that the problem is not on your side:
A. From my
personal experience, I can tell you that more than half of the invoices
translators send out are erroneous. A project manager can be managing 10
different assignments at a time, and he/she will generally not have time to
check your invoice carefully immediately after you have submitted it. Have you
calculated taxes correctly? Did you include your bank information? Is the
branch name spelled correctly? Did you also add your Paypal address just in
case they don’t send bank transfers to your country?
B. Are you sure
that the client has received your invoice? Call him two days before the
expected payment date, and double check to confirm that you will be receiving
your payment by the deadline.
C. Did the
client include the payment date in their purchase order (PO)? When working with
a particular client for the first time, this must be checked.
2. Take precautions:
Freelance translators NEED to work to make a living, that’s
obvious. But sometimes that need leads them to accepting assignments they should
have rejected. The below were my golden rules when I was working as a
translator:
NEVER accept a translation from a client who only owns a
website but does not specify where they are based.
NEVER accept a translation without checking that particular
client’s payment record in any translation Blacklist, Proz, or somewhere
similar.
NEVER accept 100,000 word assignments from clients you’ve
never heard of. If so, ask them for a 25% advance. If the client really wants
to work with you, they will pay you. If not, instead of taking risks you can
always use your time to find other companies.
NEVER accept to be paid after the client receives the
payment from the end client. Make it clear that as far as you’re concerned,
there is NO CLIENT OTHER THAN THE ONE PAYING YOU THE MONEY. If you received a
PO from Mr. X, then, Mr. X must pay you the full fee in time no matter what
happens with his/her client.
3. THE CLIENT DID NOT PAY ME!
Take a deep breath of fresh air, relax, call your client,
and politely ask the reason you were not paid. It is very common for
translators to start shouting at the client the day after the expected payment,
but then it turns out that the bank account info was wrong, or the translation
was delivered after the deadline or something like that. Blaming a client
without first asking what’s going is the shortest path to not receiving further
assignments.
Also, when a client doesn’t pay you but apologizes, offer
them the option of paying in two or three installments. Business is business:
Try to get your money no matter what the conditions; receiving your payment
little by little is still receiving your payment.
4. THE CLIENT IS A SCAMMER
Well, the Internet is full of them, and working as a
freelance translator the possibilities of being offered a scam assignment
someday are of about 99.9%.
If you are scammed, report it to any Blacklist and post it
in forums, including a link to the scammer as well. Also, if you think that the
client is not simply in financial trouble, but did not intend to pay from the
very beginning, then report it and file a complaint to the Internet Crime
Complaint Center if your client is based in the U.S.A or if you live there http://www.ic3.gov
IN CONCLUSION...
If you want to avoid payment delays, just professionalize,
updating your invoicing standards and creating some very strict job acceptance rules.
After 5 or 6 years in the business, you should be able to
“feel” when a client is trustworthy or not.
