I am sure you know what I am about to write: in the database I found the exact same text that I was to deliver as a test. Of course, it was already in Polish. After I read it, I had very little “from-scratch” source to translate.

I informed the TC that in the course of my research, I found the Polish counterpart of the test in the database and that the fact is that test did not serve its purpose. The company acknowledged receipt of my email and since then…. silence.

Not sure how to explain it. Perhaps it just takes this long to review it. This, though, made me think how difficult it is to derive a test that has not been translated before? Maybe for certain subject areas it is more difficult to find a unique document, but then at least change all brand names to XXX, AAA or really anything.

In fact, I started to doubt as to the usefulness of test translations. Can 200 words tell anything about a translator’s skills?

Firstly, we should always assume good faith and stay courteous. No need to send an email rant or worse offend our client. If our payment is just a few days late, send an email along the lines of:

„Dear XYZ,

I hope you are well. I am writing to you as I have noticed that invoice no. 2 is now 10 days overdue. I am sure this is just an oversight on your part, so could you kindly attend to this matter as a priority?

I am re-attaching the original invoice.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,“

If we are lucky, an accountant or a project manager will reply to say that, indeed, this was simply an oversight and the payment is now on its way. But what should we do if our message remains unanswered for a number of days? Though emails are fast and convenient, we should now resort to snail mail to highlight to the client in question that we are serious and dissatisfied with their unprofessional behaviour. We should be firm and clear on our expectations and next steps.

REMINDER 1 / non-payment

„Dear XYZ,

I am writing to you, as I have not had a reply from you to my email dated –/–/—-. Invoice no. 2 for the job I delivered on time and to your satisfaction is now outstanding by XX days. This is disappointing and unprofessional.

Please, make the outstanding payment by –/–/—-. If I do not receive the payment within this time, I shall resort to other means. I will:
a) Make an appropriate entry in your BlueBoard record.
b) Contact ProZ.com staff for support.
c) Contact your local debt collectors.
d) Contact end client.

I am looking forward to your prompt reply.

Best regards,“

In the two non-payment cases I personally experienced, I received the outstanding balance after sending the above letter. Of course, I have never worked with these clients again. Unfortunately, cases have been reported where translators were not paid for months and had to take legal action against a client. This, of course, is our last resort and still does not guarantee the payment.

In our personal circumstances, we may use a combination of emails and formal letters. It depends on our previous track with a given client.

This post is by no means exhaustive but as I always assume good faith and have great trust in my outsourcers, I shall hope these tips will be sufficient to deal with cases you may experience.

When I worked with the 2007 version, I saved all my translation-related files in the Mac environment.
I could open them just fine from Trados accessed via Parallels. Yet, with the 2011 version this seems to be tricky.

When I tried to upgrade my TMs, at the last stage of the process Studio showed an error which said: 
„Invalid URI: The hostname could not be parsed“. I sought advice on this issue by posting a message on proz.com and the answers I obtained from colleagues can be summarised as follows:

When working in Studio 2011 on a Mac, you should ideally save all your Studio and translation-related files on the C: drive, or the same drive as where you installed Studio. This gurantees stability of our software. The reason why Studio throws an error when you work with files saved in the Mac environment has something to do with how it accesses databases when you work in the 2011 version (I do not know the technical details).

Another proposed solution was to create two folders: one in the Mac environment and one in the Windows environment and synchronise them at regular times so that the content is always up to date. The limitation is the double use of space on our disk.

The third proposal was to disable the Shared folders option, but the limitation is that you will not be able to access the C: drive from Finder in your Mac.

I guess for me the easiest solution would be to just save everything on the C: drive, but I have not yet decided if what is easiest is also best for me.

For the original discussion,

please see my post

Also useful:

http://fra.proz.com/forum/sdl_trados_support/178735-trados_2009_error:_invalid_uri:_the_hostname_could_not_be_parsed.html

Article in Polish

Article in English

It would be wise to hire a country-specific language consultant or perhaps just google the phrase! What a shame. Unless, of course, this is all intentional, as fellow colleagues have suggested on proz.

1. Look for a freelance translator. An experienced and qualified translator will always be the most affordable option.
2. Try and commission your translation in advance so that there is no extra charge for a short deadline.
3. Hire an experienced and qualified professional. Doing the reverse in order to save money will, in the end, cost more.
4. Provide an editable version of your document. A straightforward format does not cost extra.
5. If possible, provide concise reference materials.

If you need any guidance on how to search for a translator, please email me at mylingua [at] mylingua [dot] pl

1. Try not to use Flesh. It looks fancy, but can be annoying when you wait for it to load.
2. Make sure your contact details are visible on the home page. This saves clicking.
3. Your email address should be clickable. Graphic is a no-no.
4. A contact form is fine BUT make sure to provide your email address too. Some users prefer it.
5. Contact form should also have an option to attach a file. Especially, if you do not mention your email address elsewhere on your website.
6. Use simple layout and not too much content. It may sound harsh but no one really reads it.
7. Make sure your website is not cluttered and uses appropriate colours. Anything too bright or too dark is difficult to read.
8. Try to check for spelling and grammar mistakes before you publish anything.
9. Keep your details up-to-date.
10. Maintain your website. If you don’t visit it, why your customers should?

Good luck!