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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Synergy – on the advantages of being a freelancing couple

 

[A rainy tinny celebration]

There is a power in being a couple not just in dealing with life’s crises but also as working as a freelancer. My wife and I just celebrated our 10^th wedding anniversary. We are both freelance translators, even having met at a translator conference, albeit in different but complementary language combinations (Hebrew – English for me; the opposite for her, in different specialization areas). We can both see how much our individual business have benefited by sharing a profession. These advantages are reflected in the technical, emotional and financial stability.

Giving that not only is no man (or woman) is an island but also no person can be proficient in all areas of business, partners can complement each other’s skills. My wife enjoys technology (and house repairs) and views any hardware or software problem that arises as  an interesting challenge. She eagerly checks out the new features of any new program or upgrade. I, on the other hand, prefer the language aspect of this business. Finding the ideal phrasing for a delicate email  in English to a project manager is a fascinating intellectual exercise for which my American background has prepared me. Furthermore, as we work from opposite source languages, we help each other hone the exact meaning of any word in question and discuss which word or phrase in the target language would best express that sense. Occasionally, we agree to disagree. Having an in-office expert is a great asset.

Clearly, no less important is the emotional support we provide for each other. Freelancing, especially translating sometimes is a lonely, frustrating and unpredictable life style. The nature of the job is  to spend many hours sitting in front of a computer interacting with text whether in the form of a document or email. While written words are far less annoying than most people, it is also far less human by definition. The actual business aspect can be frustrating as, despite our best efforts to avoid them, misunderstandings occur with clients. Even worse, quite often  a job that the translator perceived as a short easy task turns into a translation from hell due to a technical issue or simple misjudgment. Of course, unnecessary and sometimes even incorrect feedback from editors is the bane of all translators. All this friction creates a tension, even anger. In terms of work pace, freelancing in general tends to be feast or famine, i.e., not enough or too much work, with occasional an unpleasant surprise on Friday night or other inconvenient time. Sometimes, there is no choice but to work too many hours, which is ultimately beneficial for the bank account but not enjoyable at the moment. As a couple, we can empathize with these feelings and provide the human element, understanding and logistical support (cups of tea and making dinner) required to ride through these crises. In simple words, you are not alone.

As for income, two freelance incomes are more stable and higher than one. Translator monthly income tends to vary significantly by field and month. For example, financial translators tend to have very busy first quarters of the year due to tax reporting requirements while certain offices push projects in November and December to take advantage of remaining budget to avoid future cuts. Moreover, technical changes, notably neural machine translation and ChatGPT, as well as new laws, such as in regards to translation or certification requirements, have varying effects of the landscape of the language industry. Spreading our income over a wider area helps protects us from “slings and arrows of outragious fortune”. On a more spiritual level, the technical and emotional support we get for each other creates positive vibes, which leads to better productivity and clearer thinking about all aspect of our business. This synergy leads to more business.

Admittedly, working with a spouse requires certain ground rules. First, what happens outside the office does not enter the office. Secondly, it is acceptable to discuss but each person reserves the right to make the final decision for his/her task. Finally, it is necessary to accept that each person approaches business differently, not better or worse. We do the best with what we have at any given moment.

There is a song in Hebrew “yoter tov beshnayim”, or, loosely translated, two are better than one. As we celebrate our tin anniversary (tinny does not ring very pleasant to my ears), we are aware that we have profted not only in our private but also in our business lives. I am looking forward to many such years.

Looking sideways – what being a freelance translator has taught me about selecting other service providers

 

[two towers wtih bridge*]

As a freelance translator for some 20 years now, I have succeeded in retaining numerous customers over the years as well as losing a few. I began knowing almost nothing how to run a small business, even in basic matters such as pricing. Over the years, through the heuristic process, an elegant word for trial and error, I have acquired a solid if not complete picture of how to differentiate myself from others. Since I am also a purchaser of services, I now pay attention to those traits that distinguish the better providers. I seek providers that ask questions, strive for perfection, price their service with self-respect, are honest about time and quality and treat me as important.

Asking – Translators, even those with the narrowest of the niches, cannot know everything. Furthermore, customers do not pay us to be 90% sure. Thus, translation by definition involves questioning and confirming our knowledge if there is the slightest doubt. When I hire any service, such as moving or packing, I prefer those providers that ask me questions to confirm details in order to eliminate any confusion or errors. I do not view this “doubt” as weakness but as a marker of professionalism.

Search for perfection – As a specialist, it is natural to fuss over small details that no customer would notice. Translators can spend an hour considering which word is the best choice knowing full well that this insistence is for their conscience, not the customer’s satisfaction in most cases. Most service providers can reach a satisfactory level of achievement. However, only those that insist on considering all potential issues are outstanding. In short, I seek service providers that strive for the best even at the cost of extra time instead of merely good enough.

Price – The connection between work and money is rather direct. When I perceive myself as being well paid, I am more motivated to go the extra mile when I know that the customer is properly compensating me. While low price does not necessarily mean low quality, high price is far more effective in aligning the quality expectations of the service buyer and provider. If quality is important and the budget is sufficient, I feel more confident confiding the task to a freelancer with a higher bid.

Time/price relationship – High quality results take time. If necessary, it is possible to produce a satisfactory translation in a rush most of the time (but not always). However, producing a seamless translation, one that does not sound like a translation, requires rigorous QA and time between drafts in order to clear the mind and see the actual copy. Likewise, in most tasks, hurrying leads to sloppiness and errors. It is often unfair to ask someone to be fast and accurate. As customers, we need to recognize this fact (as inconvenient as it may be) and decide which is more important. If we require a top-notch job, the service provider must demand and receive sufficient time.

Personal treatment – I work with numerous translation buyers. My customers know it but they still wish to be treated as my most important client regardless of the actual invoice amount. I view these relationships as long-term with my emphasis being increasing the number of steady customers, ones that I do not need to sell myself. While the current project may be small, I do not know when a large project from the same customer may arrive in my inbox. Thus, I communicate with all customers in the same way. Likewise, most service jobs I hire are rather small by nature but I still insist on being treated as important. My value is not the amount of my current order but instead potentially much  higher in the future whether through my orders or through the recommendations I give. I desire respect and choose service providers that respect me.

Running a service business has honed my sense of identifying appropriate service providers. I seek those that ask questions, strive for perfection, respect themselves in their price, are realistic about time and make me feel like a valuable customer. That is what I attempt to do with my own customers and expect from those providers whose services I hire.

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Choosing the right translator – the source issue

[water flowing through hand*]

 

When choosing the most appropriate translator, customers often focus on price and knowledge of the target language, the language into which the text must be translated. One factor that is no less important is the capacity of the translator to understand the source text. Specifically, in order to grasp the essence and intricacies of any document, the translator must have thorough linguistic and subject matter knowledge as well as experience in the field. Only then are linguists capable of ascertaining the full meaning of the text to be translated.

Clearly, formal knowledge of language is a requirement for any translator. This background goes beyond a basic knowledge of tenses and syntax. It involves the understanding nuances differentiating similar structures and words with non-identical meanings. For example, in English, may and can often do not express the same idea. Likewise, I have lived in England for 5 years does not mean the same as I lived in England for five years or I had lived in England for 5 years. It takes extensive education to grasp what the writer meant to said, far more than three years of high school classes. The appropriate translator should have studied the language of the document to be translated.

However, knowledge of the actual subject matter in that language is no less important. A linguist may have a rich general vocabulary but lack knowledge in whole series of fields, notably medicine, law and engineering. This ignorance leads to guessing, lack of confidence, overly literal translation and, far too often, serious errors. For example, a marché in the government realm is often a contact, not a market. The required background goes beyond vocabulary but how experts in that field express themselves in order to catch the nuances of the expressed and unexpressed text. The translation buyer should confirm that the translator has some formal background in the specific subject area in order to ensure a viable product.

That formal knowledge is not enough in many cases as there is no replacement for experience. A translator that has translated tens of thousands of words in a given subject area is far more proficient than one testing the waters for the first time. That person has already worked out many of the translation issues that appear in such texts, particularly how to deal with problematic terms without direct parallels in the target language and the sentence structure transformation often required in translation. For example, experienced translators from Russian understand that is necessary to remove the common Russian phrase "the activity of " and use a verb instead of a gerund. By  contrast, linguists inexperienced in the given field often produce awkward language as they “learn”. If you wish to have a specialized document translated, it is far more effective to let a seasoned expert do it.

Thus, translation buyers need to select their linguist carefully not only on the basis of knowledge of the target language and the price but also taking into account the knowledge of the translator of the language and vocabulary of the source document. Careful consideration of this factor will help eliminate the source of one problem in translation buying.

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