Freelancers
never have it easy. At times, translators have it easy as they work on a time
set by them. But most of the time, life for people going to the office and
knowing that they are getting their pay checks at the end of the month is
better than most freelancers. It’s every freelancer’s dream to have jobs where
payment is guaranteed at the end of completion without having to ask or beg for
it. Though there are ways that freelancers can go through to make sure they are
paid for the work that they have completed.
Trust is Important
For
freelance translators, trust is a very important part of their job. When
working online, it has to be kept in mind that translators don’t get to meet
their clients. So if it’s the first time translators are working on projects
with new clients, they have no choice, but to trust that the clients will pay
as soon the translation is completed. There used to be a facility that some
clients would use some time back, it was known as an escrow. Those days when
translators were hired for projects, new clients would put in an escrow for
them. An escrow is not only a promise of the payment, it is a part of the
payment that was promised to the translators for the projects they are working
on. When the projects are completed, the clients would then authorised the
payment to be released to the translators. These days, an escrow is not that
frequently used by clients anymore. So, all translators have on their hands
today is just the will to trust.
Just Forget It
What happens
if translators are not paid after the job is done? Nothing happens! Basically
if translators are not paid for their work, they should just forget about it as
there’s no way to trace or force the clients to pay. How is it possible to find
someone online if they have chosen to disappear? Even if they are found, how
will they be made to pay what they are owed? It’s a tricky yet sad situation
for any freelancer to be in. This is obviously the worst part of working online
and not meeting the clients face to face. The best thing to do in this
situation is to just forget about it as wasting any more time and energy on
finding that person to pay you will be useless. It’s done, just forget about
it!
Not an Easy Life
Compared
to people with 9 to 5 jobs, online freelancers never had it easy. A 9 to 5 job
holder knows that he/she will be paid at the end of the month whereas an online
freelancer has a chance of never getting paid even after completing the
project. It is a dream to have a client that pays as soon as the project is
done, but more often than not, translators have to chase clients to get paid.
To ensure that translators are paid for their work, verbal agreement is the
best way to go. The rest really depends on fate!
Trust your Instincts
It doesn’t
matter if translators do a good job or not, there’s just no guarantee for
translators to get paid as soon as they finish the project. If the client’s
intention is to cheat and run away without paying, that’s exactly what they
will do. But if the client likes the way the work was done, then there’s a huge
chance of seeing the payment and getting projects from the same client in the
future. To be safe, translators should take time before working with clients to
research on the clients first. Still, researching the clients will not make
translators know about their real intentions. This is why going with one’s
instincts works in this business.
Read some important blogs:-
Translators and Working Hours
Is Sample Translation The Right Audition?
Different Rates for Different Projects
Skype Translator Preview Program
Getting on the Translation Express Train
