Translators – Payment in hand

[bird in hand*]

 

Translation being an Internet-based service, I have experienced, for better or worse, a wide range of payment arrangements. They generally differ in terms of time, with these variances usually depending on the type of customer and payment infrastructure. I can say for certain that payment terms for translation services are not a “one size fits all” category with the major distinction being individual companies as compared to translation companies and other corporations, private and public. The range of conditions include:

Private customers:

Full prepayment – Generally demanded from first-time customers regarding which there is some doubt or used for customers in countries where that method is socially acceptable. I personally find it less comfortable as prepayment somehow puts extra pressure on me but that is a matter of personal approach.

Partial advance payment with the rest upon delivery: This option is ideal for larger projects, reducing the risk to the translator or editor, as well as a compromise in terms of showing how much trust there is in the ordering party. This arrangement is similar to how house renovation is handled: the payee makes an initial partial payment and waits to see the final result before complete payment, which should be made promptly after delivery.

Full payment immediately upon delivery: In my experience, this is the most common manner with individual customers. “Immediately” may involve a few days but not more. This method is very natural for customers as they are used to paying for products at stores upon receipt and the most agreeable for translators and other freelancers in terms of cash flow. It prevents the feeling of becoming an unwilling credit agency.

Monthly invoice: For private customers with regular work, such as law firms in my case, it is often more convenient for both the translator and payer to receive a monthly invoice, which is to be paid promptly.

Invoice plus 30 days: This is the least ideal method for private customers. Not only do payers tend to forget to pay, which then leads to more time investment due to the correspondence, but translators often forget that they are owed money and discover three months later that they still have not received payment. Freelancers should avoid this term of payment unless there is some compelling reason otherwise.

Translation agencies, corporations and public agencies

The playing field changes here. These large bodies have far more bargaining power than freelancers as well as less flexibility than private customers. Thus, in general, they set the terms, which translators can either accept or refuse.

Immediate handling of invoice: This is best of all possible worlds for freelancers. The receiving company is sufficiently streamlined to direct the invoice to the relevant department, which issues payment within one and no more than two weeks. Translators, bless such customers.

Invoice date plus 30 – This is much more common and still reasonable. In practice, the institution allows itself a full month to make the payment. It also guarantees that the translators will not have a long wait before receiving compensation for their work.

EOM (end of  the month): This method is also standard and requires all service providers to submit their invoices by a certain date, generally a few days before or after the last day of the month. The company then issues payments within 1-2 weeks. In practice, it means anywhere from 10-45 days from completion of work, depending on the actually date of completion. Freelancers have to keep records and pay attention to the last date of submission for a month. Otherwise, they can find themselves waiting an additional 30 days.

EOM plus 30: Unfortunately, this policy is quite common. It is identical to the previous one but with one critical difference: the company pays the invoice at the beginning of the month following the month of submission. Thus, the payment delay often reaches 45 days and more.

EOM plus 45 or 60: This is approaching the extreme end of the scale. Translators that work under such terms should take the delay into account and add a “credit” charge to the fee, albeit a hidden one, to compensate for the delay in payment. Accept at your own risk.

Invoice date plus 90: Contracts with public agencies and institutions may be rather large but often involve quite complex payment approval procedures, or at least so these bodies claim. It is not unusual to have such bodies take 90  days or more to approve and execute your payment. Translators and other service providers need to take that into account in terms of cash flow and rates. Clearly, these bodies set the terms. The freelancer can either accept or avoid them. Consider carefully.

In practice, I have worked with all these conditions, including the last one. There is no single “ideal” payment term. Each customer situation has its own elements. Clearly, the faster the payment, the better but, on the other hand, a customer in the hand is income even after 45 days. For translators, the time of payment can be as important as the actual amount.

 

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Respect vs loyalty – on translators and editors

 

[guns at Gettysburg*]

An essential part of any successful translation is another pair of eyes. It is a standard part of the document QA process to have someone else, an editor, review the document as prepared by the translator. In some cases, notably in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, government regulations delineate the responsibility of each editor, ranging from fundamental check of the translation to identification of critical errors and formatting issues. In most other fields, the responsibility of editors is far more ambiguous. Editors can understand that it is their task to correct any translation and language errors but also can assume, as the agent of the paying party, that their mandate is to create the best possible translation, which generally involves also improving the style of the original translation. Depending on the approach, the physical and emotional result is quite different.

Many translation editors, often translators themselves, emphasize the checking aspect of their task. In other words, they compare the source and target document and amend the original translation if they find terminology or syntax issues that affect the reader understanding of the document. In most cases, such editors often think “I would have written this sentence differently but, as is, the content is clear and correct.” The resulting amended document is thus essentially similar to the original with minor changes (assuming that the translators did a reasonably professional job). For translators, viewing the tracked changes can be a bit annoying when they don’t agree but not an emotionally catastrophic event as the amended text shows that the translator expressed the essential elements of the original document in a reasonable way.

On the other extreme are those editors whose vision is solely to produce the best possible text as they see it. These are often in-house or monolingual (just considering the target text). The editing process approaches that of rewriting, with each sentence subject to total revision if the editor find that path appropriate. The translator’s writing style and terminology choices are not relevant factors. The resulting text resembles Picket’s troops after the Battle of Gettysburg, with the red (or other color) of tracked changes dominating the basic black of the original. For the translator receiving the marked up revised version, it is painful even to start to analyze the changes, especially when so many are “preferential”. It is generally but not always correct to say that the new version is better in most ways but that does not necessarily mean that the original translation was poor. For the most part, as a rule, any revision, especially by another person, will improve even the best written document.

Translators have almost no control on which editor their work will fall or the actual instructions to that editor. In the case of a gatekeeper editor that makes only essential changes, all the translators needs to do is to take a deep breath and patiently and objectively (as much as humanly possible) either accept or reject the changes, providing explanations in the latter case. This approach shows professionalism and adds to the translator’s prestige. If we wish to be honest, it is always possible to improve any text. Translators face a much more difficult task when receiving a total rewrite. It is important to avoid the two extremes, i.e., complete loss of self-confidence and indisciminate dismissal of the corrections of the editors. The truth is somewhere in between. Beyond the actual corrections, it is important but admittedly difficult to admit that the purpose of the whole translation process is to produce the best possible translation, with both the translation and editor having important role. In the final analysis, the bottom line is that the customer is happy.

When I work as an editor, I attempt to avoid imposing my writing style on the translation as I believe that a translated document is a piece of writing in itself, unique and characteristic of its writer, who happens to be a translator. In some cases, when the translator has confused or convoluted the content, it is necessary to make wholesale changes but that path is a last resort. There are many roads to Rome and almost as many ways to translate a given text. Yet, I have occasionally almost rewritten translations, producing not only a much better text but probably also harsh emotions in the actual translator.

In technical translation, the golden path in most cases involves some combination of respect of the manner of expression of the translator and loyalty to the text and the customer. For the editor, it is often difficult to find that ideal compromise. For the translator, it is necessary to learn from one’s errors while recognizing that the editor due to personal reasons or professional guidelines chose to rewrite a reasonable translation, which does not take away from the skill of the original translator. Translators need to live, learn and believe in themselves and in their ability to live and learn.

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Escapist pioneers

 

[yellow locker among orange ones]

With the Covid crisis and ongoing wars, escapism has become almost a daily need. It seems obvious today that if reality is too depressing (and drugs are not your style), a few minutes or hours of TikTok, YouTube, Netflix or cable television is the perfect way to create the illusion that everything is fine. However, people forget that once, through the 1970’s, in the United States, a few commercial television stations were the only source of home entertainment and were, on the whole, rather vanilla, i.e., directed to the average viewer as the major networks perceived such a creature (genially referred to as the Nielsen family). Today’s varied and potent range of escapism owes much to the earliest commercial TV pioneers that were willing to be different and prepare future generations how much fun it is, among things, to work out, trash athletes and cook gourmet food at home.

Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne

At a time when most people stopped exercising after high school or even did not know that they should keep in shape, Jack LaLanne had a morning workout show from 1951 to 1985. American housewives from the privacy of their own home would stretch and work out every morning once the children went off to school. One would think that the instructor was a hunky young man but instead he was rather older looking, quite different from today’s high-energy trainers. Somehow, he showed that you  don’t have to be a “jock” to exercise and that it even helped you feel younger and look better. Jack LaLanne had a significant role in creating the “stay fit” culture that impacts people of all ages today.

[Howard Cosell]

Howard Cosell

Watching sports is an ancient pastime. The ancient Greeks did it. Probably Neanderthal man did it but we admittely have no proof of that. Part of the fun of watching sports is making highly critical remarks about an athlete despite the fact that we may have never even played the sport or, at best, last played it several decades previously. However, through the 1960s, sports announcers were either employees of the team or maintained neutrality and only described the action. Then, Howard Cosell became a commentator in Monday Night Football and “told it like is” despite the fact that he had never played any American football in his life. He was the “average Joe” expressing his opinion on how awful the quarterback or team was, just what many of the viewers were thinking. Viewing Monday Night Football became a sort of a menage á trois, i.e., Team A vs. Team B. vs. Howard Cosell, with the third party being the most interesting. Today, any fan with an opinion can set up a podcast or YouTube channel and express their ignorance to the masses. Howard Cosell helped make that cool.

[Julia Child]

Julia Child

American home cuisine in the 1950’s was rather limited not because of the ingredients but instead due to the general ignorance of cooking. Most American women thought that home cooking and fancy restaurant dishes were two completely different worlds, like oil and water. Julia Child came along and showed them how to cook “fancy” dishes at home, changing their whole approach to cooking. Because the programs were live, she even made mistakes, which created more authenticity. Gradually, both men and women began to try to make new and adventurous food (everything is relative). Today, it is possible to watch “foodie” shows 24 hours a day as well as find recipes and demonstrations on the Internet including video demonstrations for any dish you can or cannot imagine. Some of these gurus actually make money doing so.  Julia Child had a major role in creating that culture.

Most people may have forgotten or never heard of these people now but their belief in their way of living helped create a world of personal freedom. It may feel that there are too many options and that people go too far. Yet, escapism is human too and healthy in moderation. All of today’s public fitness freaks, couch critics and cooking fanatics can thank these pioneers for their broadcasting of the joy of escapist life .

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The long trek up – second language mastery

 

[mountain path to snowy peak*]

Many people are amazed by those that have learned a foreign language and even more so by those that can speak more than two or more. Yet, the term “learn” is subject to countless interpretations, ranging from being able to function as a tourist to writing scholarly articles in the foreign language. As a translator that makes a living by working with foreign languages and a person that has conducted my daily routine in my  non-mother tongue for most of my life, I can say that learning a foreign language is a journey with a goal that is essentially unattainable in terms of structure, vocabulary and culture. Nonetheless,  the path  to mastery of another tongue is a pleasure in itself and merely ultimately depends on effort, not on innate ability.

Every language has its unique way of phrasing ideas. For example, some languages, notably English, prefer direct active expressions while others, especially Russian, often use passive or indirect forms. Compare the English I feel like (doing nothing) as compared to the Russian мне хочется [mne hotyetcya], literally to me is wanted. Likewise, the use of delayed subject varies: compare It is raining in English to יורד גשם [yored geshem] in Hebrew, rain is falling, without the “it is”. These variances create native language interference with the foreign language. It may take years of practice and correction to stop the leakage, if ever. Thus, foreigners, even when they speak fluently, struggle to speak like the natives in terms of sentence structure.

Total word knowledge is essentially a mirage. No matter how long a person lives in the country and uses the language, there remains a large quantity of unknown terms. For example, despite some 35 years in Israel, I just learned that gamalim means “camel drivers” as compared to gmal-im, which means “camels”.  Another interesting pair in Hebrew is germanit with the accent on the third syllable means “German” as compared to “Germanic” when the second syllable is stressed. On a more general level, some languages prefer specific language while others tend to make the concrete abstract, notably French. Despite all of one's efforts, it is impossible to know and understand the entire lexicon of a second language.

Culture is a multilayered factor. In most countries of the world, there are many subcultures, each with their own list of preferred and disapproved expression. One interesting example is the use of the word cousin. In most countries, the terms refers to a blood relative. However, many Irish indirectly refer to the British as their cousins while Israeli Jews similarly refer to Israeli Moslems (on the basis of the Biblical story of Hagar and Sarah) simirly. Generational differences also affect language use. For example, Israelis over the age of 50 will easily understand quotes from the legendary comedy trio Hagashah Hahiver while younger ones may have no clue to what they mean. For English speaking audiences, imagine the difference in saying “happy feet” to those over 50 as compared those in their 20’s. Of course, religious references differ depending on the dominant faith in a given culture. As we can only exist in one four-dimensional position at a time (as far I know), it is impossible to master all cultural references.

It may seem that I am implying that learning a foreign language is a waste of time if we can never attain full mastery. On the contrary, being able to communicate in a different language not only opens gates of understanding to so many people, it also enriches the mind. In my experience, regardless of age, it is exciting to learn something new. As the language learning experience is never-ending, it provides a never-ending opportunity to discover the unknown. People always have more to learn.

Not only is this potential not limited by financial or physical capacity, it also does not require extraordinary intelligence. To learn a foreign language only requires effort and practice as well as the willingness to make a fool of yourself and learn from mistakes, just like a four-year old. Clearly, innate ability and intelligence make the task easier but they do not determine success. The worst language learners have become fluent when “forced” by circumstances to function in that language. More importantly, reaching the peak of perfection in a foreign language is ultimately irrelevant. It is important to remember that even native speakers never master all aspects of their mother language. In practice, the trek up that mountain of fluency is filled with amazing discoveries and funny stories. For many people, especially translators and interpreters, it is the intellectual journey of their lives.

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Onions and teaching

 

[red onion cut open*]

I suddenly realized that I am in the middle of my fourth decade of teaching. Not only that, in some four years, I will retire (please note: not get to or will have to) from teaching (but not translating). Clearly, I am a much different teacher today than I was twenty years ago or even ten years ago. As I thought about that evolution. I realized that I had finally reached the third layer of teaching, the emotional connection, which only could follow after attaining thorough knowledge and skillful communication, at least in my case.

To explain, the first step in becoming an effective teacher is exceptional knowledge of the subject matter, which creates both teacher self-confidence and student belief in the teacher. It would seem obvious that teachers master the subject matter but it actually takes years to attain the complete control of all the details required to properly teach the material. “Student” level is not enough to effectively teach anything. It is necessary to know the material backwards and forwards, at 4:00 AM in the morning. That assurance provides the teacher with the backbone to stand in front of a sea of faces and explain a matter as “the expert”. Students quickly identify any lack of certainty. They recognize on whom they can depend for reliable information, which creates their trust in the teacher.

Freed from the stress of subject matter management, teaching becomes the art of classroom management and communication with students. Effective teachers learn what techniques aid students in learning and which actually harm. For example, if a teacher hands out written material that mirror the spoken words, the students will probably not listen. In terms of preparing material, outstanding teachers know now to break down complicated processes into short simple steps, a vital skill for reaching those students that struggle with the material. On a one-to-one basis, student-teacher communication involves openness and patience mixed with wisdom in cultivating and maintaining the learning relationship even when rejecting the substance of the student message. Clearly, teachers being human beings, educators have their own individual style, which must be authentic, as well as strengths and weaknesses. Fine-tuning the techniques takes years and is always a work in progress.

In my opinion, the next, maybe last, stage goes beyond subject matter teaching  and expands to educating, even mentoring in some cases, which involves significant self-confidence and emotional intelligence on the part of the teacher. Students of all ages are people that are developing, often without guidance. They are searching for a way to cope with the challenges of the present and a direction for the future. On the other hand, teachers are also human, also coping with numerous demands not only from the students but also from their own situations, including a decreasing amount of energy as they age. It is clearly impossible for a teacher to take on students as their own children. That is not a practical or even desirable role. Yet, a teacher can influence students by providing words of encouragement and support, suggesting solutions and approaches and merely just listening. For example, a teacher can go the extra mile if a student is going through a crisis or requires extra help. Sometimes, a teacher’s faith in the ability of the student to learn a given skill is far more effective than a grade. Teachers can identify students lacking self-confidence and encourage them. This task require significant time and energy, which is generally only available once the teacher masters the other aspects of the profession.

To avoid any misinterpretation, even with my long experience, my teaching is far from perfect. Teaching is an art, not a science, and is never fully mastered as each class and each day are unique. Moreover, experience and skill do not necessarily have a causal relationship, i.e., there are amazing newbie teachers and awful experienced teachers. Yet, while the material of teaching any material is clearly finite, we teachers are dynamic, changing with the circumstances and age. In the twilight of my teaching career, I am still evolving and discovering new ways to help students, which helps me maintain my enthusiasm for the actual teaching part of the profession. Teaching is truly a bit like an onion not only it can be both taste sweet and cause tears but also because it demands time and effort to master its many layers even if they are not obvious at the beginning.

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Bundling thoughts – addition by addition

[vegatables*]

This last week, I experienced a classic business bundling sitaution. In order to rent out a flat, it became necessary to make repairs and paint it. Consequently, we met the contractor at the flat, who by chance invited his son, a real estate agent, to arrange the matter. As the flat would need thorough cleaning, the handyman mentioned that he could get a quote on that task from a company he worked with. Voilà – one project will provide work to three different companies, all because of the cooperation between them. This almost magical creation let me to consider types of business bunding and question how it works in the translation business.

First, some professionals are by definition bundlers, more commonly known as contractors. Building contractors may do some of the work themselves but they openly subcontract a significant part of the work to specialists, including plumbers, electricians and roofers. In fact, their intrinsic value is that they find the required complimentary professionals.

Other professions have links to complementary experts that are required to complete certain projects but the customer retains the privilege to choose the specific service provider. For example, insurance claims often involve assessors and repair services but the customer has the right to select the actual provider. Likewise, a real estate agent may have a preferred handyman but the renter can limit the agent’s services to finding tenants only.

Some companies bundle their own services. As the State Farm ad reminds us, it is less expensive to bundle home and car insurance. A packing service may also naturally provide storage and shipping. There generally is some connection between the bundled services as the assumption is that the services involves some common expertise or goal. It would be weird if a mortuary service also provided refrigerator repair. To a certain degree, expanding the range of potential services to a customer is an effective way to increase income.

As a translator, not a translation company, which is a contractor in effect, I need to consider what type of bundling I can offer. I work from three languages into English as well as do English editing. This package is a good start but clearly limited in itself. In projects requiring multiple language combinations beyond my expertise, I have occasionally arranged translators of other language combinations for customers, who have appreciated the extra service. As for complementary services that would benefit all parties, I have not discovered any effective combination aside from translator/editor, which is generally only requested in literary translation.

Based on the real-life incident and the analysis of the bundling, all businesses can benefit from partnership with complementary services. The challgenge can be identifying those services and service providers that would create additional value. 

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When time does not equal money – expert services

 

[spine*]

There is this moment of complete shock. A computer technician comes in and solves a vexing problem in five minutes and then charges for a full hour. There is something unjust and absurd, even criminal, about the lack of proportionality between the time spent on the task and the amount you must pay. Yet, if carefully considered, professionals earn their rates if one considers that the years of education and experience it requires to efficiently solve a problem the first time. This assessment impacts not only our reaction when paying for services but, just as importantly, our conscience as professionals when demanding such rates. A qualified service provider not only should demand professional rates but do so with confidence.

It used to bother me that my accountant charged me so much money for preparing my simple tax return when I know that “all” he did was enter the numbers of the various factors into a computer program, press calculate, save the result and send me the bill. However, after considering how long it would take me identify those factors, find and understand a relevant computer application and enter the numbers, I realized that the accountant was saving significant toil and suffering, not to mention further explanations to the IRS. I was not paying for the hour or so of effort by the accountant but instead for the expertise and experience that allowed him to quickly complete the task. In one specific case, I did find the actual amount of the bill obscene and switch to less expensive accountant but I am happy with my choice to pay a professional for the service.

To turn the coin over, if you are a professional with several years’ experience, you probably have all the tools and knowledge required to complete most standard tasks in your field within a minimum time. In practice, the actual work required is far less relevant than how long it would take the customer or an untrained employee to complete the same task at the same level. If you are significantly more efficient or, even better, acting as the client’s “savior” in a given situation, your rate, even if it reflects work time far higher than actually invested, saves the customer meaningful time and effort. Thus, you can justify a respectable rate. So, ideally, service providers should consider the value of the service received by the customer.

As a legal translator, I provide many standard forms but charge by certificate, not time. To illustrate, many authorities require proof of address, generally a utility bill of some kind. With some 20 years’ experience and a large database, this task is not time-consuming but merely requires great attention to details, especially numbers. The customer is not paying for my actual time but instead for my knowledge and skill. As much of my work involves Hebrew texts, many of my customers could not do this themselves nor consider it worthwhile to keep an expert on the payroll. So, like the computer technician in the introduction, they pay for my expertise.

Thus, when considering whether the price of a professional is justified, consider the years it requires to reach that level of expertise and how much time/effort it takes an unskilled person to attain a similar result. Likewise, when setting professional rates, freelancers should also consider the value they are creating as perceived by the customer. Of course, the exact rate depends on the context and is far from exact. Still, the knowledge that a various task requires expertise attained over years should help provide some backbone to accepting and demanding proper professional rates.

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