In the translation industry, negotiation is sometimes a daily practice; vendor managers negotiate with potential suppliers, project managers negotiate with freelance translators and clients negotiate with LSPs to get the best deal possible.  I used to be the kind of person who shied away from negotiating at all costs. I felt uncomfortable and overpowered when trying to negotiate. That is why, in 2017, I attended a short negotiation course, and I realised that everyone in the room that day had the same problem as me. This course taught me some basic principles, so that I was able to build   my negotiation skills at my own pace. The truth is that the more you negotiate, the better you get at it.  In my opinion, preparing for a negotiation is key in order to get the best outcome. What could you do to prepare for a negotiation?  Learn as much as you can about the person/company you are going to talk to.  Think about the relationship you have...

Translation Vendor Management Group

Talking about rates can be a delicate subject for many people in the translation industry. Pricing the services you offer is a very personal (and sometimes difficult) thing, both for freelance translators, and for agencies. Am I bidding too low? Will the client agree to my rates? How low am I ready to go? Per word or per hour? Before diving in, consider, have you got the same rate for each of your clients? Do you offer discounts and surcharges on specific projects? Do you offer a different rate for each subject matter which you translate? Do you offer a customised rate for each project? End clients set a yearly budget to spend on translation services. This starts what could feel like a race to find the supplier with the cheapest rates. Translators working with both end clients and translation agencies might see the difference between the rates paid. Translation agencies will use a fraction of the total paid by the client to cover the supplier's costs. However, this doesn't alwa...