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Poll: Do you work with direct clients? Лице кое објавува дискусија: ProZ.com Staff
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Tim Drayton (X) 
Кипар
Local time: 18:26
турски на англиски
+ ...
Rarely. Most of the time the end client has to pay far more for my services by coming to me via an agency (although I accept that reputable agencies add value through services such as proofreading).
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I work with a good mix (almost 50/50) of direct clients and translation agencies.
[Edited at 2013-02-07 09:16 GMT]
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neilmac
Шпанија
Local time: 17:26
шпански на англиски
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| Yes, sometimes | Feb 7, 2013 |
Most of my clients are direct and have come to me by word-of-mouth recommendation. In fact, in the past 3 years I've only really worked for 2 or 3 agencies. Lucky me!
Yesterday I had to turn down an offer from one of them because I'm too busy trying to sort out my taxes etc due to an unexpected audit by Hacienda...
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David Hayes
Франција
Local time: 17:26
француски на англиски
only for one-off jobs (happened three or four times last year). My only source of regular work is from agencies.
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| Very occasionally | Feb 7, 2013 |
I work for industry since almost 100% of my work is tech trans.
And industry-based customers can be tough nuts to crack and work with. Also, regular visits to their offices as part of sales are mandatory.
This is why I actually prefer to work with agencies who actually act as a "buffer" and do all the proofreading and interfacing with the end customer. Japanese customers can be quite picky and finicky, and make unnecessary demands on you.
By working with ag... See more I work for industry since almost 100% of my work is tech trans.
And industry-based customers can be tough nuts to crack and work with. Also, regular visits to their offices as part of sales are mandatory.
This is why I actually prefer to work with agencies who actually act as a "buffer" and do all the proofreading and interfacing with the end customer. Japanese customers can be quite picky and finicky, and make unnecessary demands on you.
By working with agencies who actually work to earn their "cut" and commission, I am actually freed from a lot of aggravation, which lets me concentrate of what I do best -- the actual translation.  And my agency customers know this. So, it's a win-win situation.
Although I appreciate and enjoy the social aspects of cooperating and working directly with end clients, I think it'd drive me bonkers to deal with the crass inquiries, etc. that my agency customers have to front on my behalf. ▲ Collapse
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Wonder why that wasn't an option.
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| What he said... | Feb 7, 2013 |
Julian Holmes wrote:
This is why I actually prefer to work with agencies who actually act as a "buffer" and do all the proofreading and interfacing with the end customer. Japanese customers can be quite picky and finicky, and make unnecessary demands on you.
By working with agencies who actually work to earn their "cut" and commission, I am actually freed from a lot of aggravation, which lets me concentrate of what I do best -- the actual translation. And my agency customers know this. So, it's a win-win situation.
Couldn't have put it better myself - there are so many cultural hurdles to cross when dealing with Japanese clients that I find myself feeling incredibly grateful that there are agencies that stand between me and the client. I've also managed to find a lot of agencies that offer very decent rates - much higher than I initially expected at times - none of this 0.05 USD per word nonsense...
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Tim Drayton (X)
Кипар
Local time: 18:26
турски на англиски
+ ...
I have a hypothesis that, while agencies are happy to work with people on the other side of the globe, direct clients want to work with somebody close by.
This means that, if you want to work mainly for direct clients, location is very important.
Is this hypothesis correct?
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Tim Drayton wrote:
I have a hypothesis that, while agencies are happy to work with people on the other side of the globe, direct clients want to work with somebody close by.
This means that, if you want to work mainly for direct clients, location is very important.
Is this hypothesis correct?
I have direct clients in France, Portugal, USA, Mozambique, Germany and... Belgium!
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Alison Sabedoria (X)
Обединето Кралство
француски на англиски
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I like being involved in the creative process and providing broad, ongoing support for a small number of long-term clients - rarely possible with the way most agencies operate. But there are some good eggs out there that I'm very happy to work with... 
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Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 11:26
англиски на шпански
+ ...
Tim Drayton wrote:
I have a hypothesis that, while agencies are happy to work with people on the other side of the globe, direct clients want to work with somebody close by.
This means that, if you want to work mainly for direct clients, location is very important.
Is this hypothesis correct?
Tim, your hypothesis is correct. I gained a new direct (and repeat) client last year precisely because of location. I beat an out-of-state provider (a translation agency) because I live/work relatively close by. Price was not the main concern.
I answered sometimes I work with direct clients as I am currently moving the needle towards always in my marketing, PR, advertising and networking efforts. The thing is that some direct clients may not become repeat clients, not by fault of the translator but because of a different set of circumstances.
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And I want to have more direct clients in the future for my pair, English-Indonesian.
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| direct clients ONLY | Feb 7, 2013 |
I wouldn't touch agencies with a five foot bargepole. Much better to cut out the middleman and deal directly with the end customer. The price is higher and the satisfaction of working in dual harness with a regular partner, to whom you can even make suggestions (don't say that, the end customer in such-and-such a country wouldn't appreciate it, there are inconsistencies in your text, quoting chapter and verse.....) is far greater than working for an anonymous client visible only to the agency.... See more I wouldn't touch agencies with a five foot bargepole. Much better to cut out the middleman and deal directly with the end customer. The price is higher and the satisfaction of working in dual harness with a regular partner, to whom you can even make suggestions (don't say that, the end customer in such-and-such a country wouldn't appreciate it, there are inconsistencies in your text, quoting chapter and verse.....) is far greater than working for an anonymous client visible only to the agency.
And, I would add, once they get to know you, the end clients come to you and not the other way round, provided that you can do the job, of course.
Agencies - I leave them to the bottom-feeders.... ▲ Collapse
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Despite what Julian says, working with direct clients can be more satisfying and profitable than working for agencies.
Approximately 50% of my work if for direct clients. I have a client that has sent me work consistently for about fifteen years and who alone amounted to a good chunk of my income last year. Needless to say, any work coming from that company gets top priority.
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