I have seen/experienced the following so many times, it makes me sick.
The following is a summary of mail communications. Since the first message was in Japanese, I take the liberty of summarizing its contents in English.
Here I refrain from naming the company or involved person.
I am called a "rude, impolite person, giving inappropriate answers".
Is that really the case???
I wonder if someone not involved here could provide some feedback, since I don't like to be rude, but am tired of being "requested" to go to all sorts of trouble, only to be told later: "this won't work".
First message:We are a newly established company in Japan. Having a look at your profile on a translators directory, we would very much like to establish a business relationship with you.
First of all, please register with us, by clicking on the following link. Our coordinators will provide support with the registration process.
My response: (also English transcript of Japanese message)Good morning
Thank you for the invitation.
However, I checked your website and tried the "instant quote" function.
This shows, that your customers would have to pay 50% of my usual rate, meaning that you would most likely offer me something like 30% (maybe less) of my usual rate.
Working for so low rates would make me homeless, even during fulltime occupation.
Unless there is some room for negotiations about the rate, I believe, registering would be a futile effort.
Since the company in question did not respond at all,I sent a second short message:Good afternoon
No response to my mail ...
I presume this means, my assumption about the rate(s) was correct.
Pity.
But I have to survive too ...
Second message from that company:After receiving your second mail I checked the first message once again and hardly could find any questions there that I should answer. You refused to register in quite impolite manner, which is not very appropriate in business world and I understood your position.
As per German language rates, we are in the process of reviewing our rates because as you probably noticed the company is very new and we empirically learn how to match the market in Japan.
Thank you for informing us your opinion and we wish you all the best in your translation activity.
My response to that message:Good evening
Thank you for your feedback.
With all due respect, but I do not think there was anything "rude" in my first mail. It was also not intended to be impolite, offensive etc.
Since I am working in this "business world" for over 27 years already, I believe, I have had sufficienct chance to learn a few things, including "appropriate" answers to mails.
In my long experience the following has happend MANY times:
1) I get a mail offering me work / collaboration
2) This mail requests (often demands) that I "first of all" register.
3) I take the trouble (trouble it often is; sometimes also very time consuming) to register.
4) Later I get a mail: "you are too expensive" (stated often in a language you would consider (to put it mildly) impolite )
-> All the (my) effort was in vain.
Here is the exact same scenario.
I just took the liberty of checking the information listed on your website before registering - based on above mentioned experience.
The results showed, that the effort of registering would most likel y be in vain.
Then I informed you of that result. There was not anything impolite or inappropriate.
I can assure you, I have seen MANY(!) VERY rude mails in my time.
Mine was not one of those.
Thank you.
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A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.
Albert Einstein
