“la parole exportée”

I went to listen to a conference on open formats today. It was delivered at my local university (see announcement here). This was not for work, I was just listening and taking notes for my own benefit. There wasn’t much that I didn’t know already, but simply listening to experts in your own language, and not having to translate at the same time is a useful reinforcement. It’s also how I see lifelong education. It works well for me. I don’t attend translation conferences anymore, but I follow a number of subjects closely. For translators in general, and conference interpreters more specifically, it is definitely a must.

photo credit: PauLoX.net

Back to the conference. I came away with a pretty grim outlook for consumers in general, and a few reinforcements.

Buy today (at a high price!) the latest proprietary technology and expect to see it superseded fairly soon, and buy a new one. We know it, yet advertising is there to make us forget about it somehow, and buy again. Or, thinking of my own equipment, I bought a new computer last year, and I know that I’ll have to change it again next year.

For professionals, there is the added problem of the continued use and storage of data. Backups are indispensable. If only for tax purposes, I print out every bill or purchase order that comes via e-mail or downloaded from a website. Like those telephone bills that my operator insists that I download from their servers, as part of being kind, oh so kind, to the environment. I can’t tell for sure. Anyway I can’t afford to have my computer die on me and lose those bills. And how encouraging is it to hear that paper is probably still the most reliable backup medium for extreme security in some cases?

Worse still, I heard that the use of Skype is formally banned from French universities and research laboratories, for security reasons. Whether universities are right or wrong in implementing this policy is not for me to decide. But this fact immediately brought to mind some research I did about who was providing translation services over Skype. When some organizations are pointing accusing fingers at freelance or contract translators for being a confidentiality hazard (vs. translation agencies in some cases, or vs. employee interpreters in other, how can these translators afford to offer that kind of service with any degree of peace of mind?

Skype is very useful and I use it all the time. But I wouldn’t dream of using it to provide any kind of paid service. There is too much at stake in our relationship with our clients. This much got reinforced today.

I have one client who qualifies for ‘Best Client,’ for these qualities:

1. planning ahead: They call as soon as they decide to hold a meeting, in order to make sure that their preferred interpreter will be free on that date. They called me yesterday for an end-of-May meeting. Purchase order is sent by return of e-mail.
2. planning professionally: They know exactly what interpreters need in order to perform, and they make plans accordingly. For preparation, they provide a full set of documents before the meeting. If equipment is needed, they retain one of the best equipment suppliers in Paris, best for hardware, and best for quality of service. The supplier they use hasn’t been recommended by me, yet I have used his services on many occasions. He has been in this market for many years, and he is very reliable.
3. looking for best value, not lowest cost: It is important for them to make sure that their participants feel at ease with the speaker, either listening to him or her directly, without interpretation, or with interpretation, and asking questions. So although they won’t splash on interpreting, they do not wrangle over money either. Because the negotiations are not a never-ending struggle, the rest of the assignment is very fluid.
4. understanding that human relations count, and suppliers have to eat: They send the check on the exact day when they receive the invoice, even though I allow for a 30-day period. I cannot stress enough that feeling responsible for your suppliers, whether you are a big company, or a small business, is part of your duty as a buyer. I have another client that has a self-imposed commitment to pay within 30 days. The money is always in my account after 29 days. That means less hassle, no frustrated phone calls, and better business relationships.
5. shall I add that their PA is wonderful to work with: efficient, trustworthy, with a good sense of humor? Yet her manager is always very busy. That could be the surest sign that she is happy working for them.

And no, this is not a myth, that client does exist. I’m happy to work for them, and I told them so yesterday. It’s so easy to take their money as a due and never say Thank you in exchange. These clients are not easy to find, but they are greatly appreciated. Can you think of one such client (or several, that’s even better), that you would like to show your appreciation to?

photo credit: mlinksva

Darren Rowse of Problogger, a highly-regarded professional blogger, has declared today the unofficial Blogger Appreciation Day, on which bloggers worldwide are invited to thank other bloggers for their contributions to the blogosphere.

Several bloggers are sources of inspiration for me, but I’d like to write this post to introduce a fellow translator from far away.

I ‘met’ Jianjun Zhang last December on Facebook, where he had set up a group called ‘Translation 2.0.’ I liked his perspective on translation and we have been sharing tips and opinions since then.

Jianjun has been blogging for a few weeks, reporting on events of interest in his technical fields of expertise, and sharing snippets of modern Chinese culture. Despite his uncomfortable position as a member of ‘the Chinese,’ a blanket label that is even less meaningful than ‘the French,’ he continues to believe in international dialogue and cooperation.

Jianjun is also active on YouTube, Seesmic and other platforms to which he brings his personal view of his world.

For all these reasons, I’d like to show him my appreciation as a fellow citizen of the world.