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Poll: In general, how long between submitting your quote on a job and the start of work on that job?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 21:41
French to English
This could work in your favour May 15, 2018

Eden Cope wrote:

Because I am in the US right now and a lot of the companies I work with are in Europe, I often send quotes late at night and don't start the project until the morning. That makes it rather annoying when there are tight deadlines just a few hours from when the project is sent, because then I have to turn the project down. I'm not going to stay up all night and turn in a project at 5 am.
I am always impressed when companies have reasonable deadlines because they are aware of how time zones would complicate things otherwise. It's much more professional.

[Edited at 2018-05-14 15:21 GMT]


When I worked as a PM in an agency in Paris, my new world translators were the emergency solution. If by early afternoon I hadn't found anyone, I would ask them, and I would find the translation in my inbox the next morning. Of course, the translator had to be 100% reliable and resourceful because I wouldn't be around to answer questions, then they would be asleep while I was proofreading their stuff so I couldn't ask why they had used a particular term. I believe they would look at their e-mail very early in the morning to be able to confirm. Ah, and they were on the east coast.


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 13:41
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other: I start when the job is confirmed May 15, 2018

Depending on what else I have to do, I may start right away.

This question is a bit strange because no translator should start working on a job without confirmation.


 
Edith van der Have
Edith van der Have
Netherlands
Local time: 21:41
Member (2016)
English to Dutch
+ ...
Other May 15, 2018

This can range from minutes to months (or never because many of my quotes are not accepted).

[Edited at 2018-05-15 07:50 GMT]


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 21:41
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Usually hours... May 15, 2018

I quote on availability and delivery times as well as the rate. My clients are agencies, and we have usually agreed on rates already.
Most of my jobs are small, so I have fairly fast turnaround times, and can often start within hours after the order is confirmed.

The first enquiry may only have come a short while before everything is agreed. Mails asking 'are you available?, my reply and any negotiations can be completed within an hour. Depending on how rushed the job is, I ca
... See more
I quote on availability and delivery times as well as the rate. My clients are agencies, and we have usually agreed on rates already.
Most of my jobs are small, so I have fairly fast turnaround times, and can often start within hours after the order is confirmed.

The first enquiry may only have come a short while before everything is agreed. Mails asking 'are you available?, my reply and any negotiations can be completed within an hour. Depending on how rushed the job is, I can usually start the same day or later the next day. Otherwise I am too busy, and may have to turn down the job altogether.

Yesterday and today, however, I have been working on two jobs where the clients were willing to wait, one for more than two weeks, because I was absolutely offline on family business. The second client asked about a week ago when I would be available.

Of course, they can't all wait, but it is great when they can, and I often have work in my in-tray like that when I come home from a break.
Good planning and time to check and revise the results are still important quality parameters.
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Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 17:41
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Hours vs. eternity May 15, 2018

For regular clients, it's a matter of hours or even minutes.
For potential clients, there is no way to measure.


 
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Poll: In general, how long between submitting your quote on a job and the start of work on that job?






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