Poll: Most clients don't say sorry when they should. Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Most clients don't say sorry when they should.".
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| | | | Luca Adie
Германия
Local time: 14:33
German to English
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I don't spend time thinking about apologies from clients. Luckily I have better things to do.
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Not my clients! Some even apologise when they request an urgent translation (they know I don't like urgent jobs), others apologise when they happen to forget to pay an invoice. I can't remember a single case where a client didn't say sorry when they should have. Am I an exception?
| | | | Dan Lucas 
Біріккен Корольдік
Local time: 13:33
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| If you really do have a client who you think is unforgivably rude... | Jun 8, 2025 |
... then don't work with them.
There are probably forum regulars reading this and thinking "Oh come on, that's your answer for everything", but that's because the best way to deal with somebody who is vexatious to the spirit is to not associate with them.
If we were employed by regular companies then we would not be able to choose with whom we worked, but nearly all of us are freelancers. The luxury of choice is one of the few advantages we have. Obviously there are fin... See more ... then don't work with them.
There are probably forum regulars reading this and thinking "Oh come on, that's your answer for everything", but that's because the best way to deal with somebody who is vexatious to the spirit is to not associate with them.
If we were employed by regular companies then we would not be able to choose with whom we worked, but nearly all of us are freelancers. The luxury of choice is one of the few advantages we have. Obviously there are financial downsides to walking away from a client, but sometimes it has to be done. I have been down that road, and I have zero regrets.
It is pointless to sit at your desk and seethe about things.
Shrug and forget about it, or politely decline future work.
Regards,
Dan
PS To echo Maria, my clients are invariably polite, although the terseness of their communications varies ▲ Collapse
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IrinaN (X)
Америка Құрама Штаттары
Local time: 07:33
English to Russian
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| It takes two to tango | Jun 8, 2025 |
Most translators don't say sorry when they should.
| | | | | You cannot generalise | Jun 8, 2025 |
Clients see the world from their point of view, and may not agree entirely with the way you translate their text.
If you convince them you were right after all, some may feel they have lost face, no matter how diplomatic you are when you explain. They are human, and saying sorry is not easy!
On the whole, however, most of my clients are polite, and they do say sorry when appropriate, which is not often.
I work with Danes, who culturally do not spend a lot of time... See more Clients see the world from their point of view, and may not agree entirely with the way you translate their text.
If you convince them you were right after all, some may feel they have lost face, no matter how diplomatic you are when you explain. They are human, and saying sorry is not easy!
On the whole, however, most of my clients are polite, and they do say sorry when appropriate, which is not often.
I work with Danes, who culturally do not spend a lot of time on small talk or asking about your health!
They get down to business straight away, which strikes some people as ´abrupt´, as we say. They do not intend to be rude, and they do not consider it bad manners if your reply is equally short and direct. It suits me fine.
[Edited at 2025-06-08 16:41 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thomas Pfann
Біріккен Корольдік
Local time: 13:33
English to German
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72% of clients say sorry when they should. I think that's great.
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Sometimes I wish the project managers would say sorry when they mess up – and many of them do – and I do, when I mess up – but saying they *should* do that makes me feel like my name starts with "JD" (not trying to be political, just a connection).
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| They say sorry too often! | Jun 10, 2025 |
PMs tend to have better people skills than translators. It's an essential part of their job. Which is why I cringe when I read glowing feedback about 'friendly staff' on the Blue Board. That's the baseline - not a reason to keep working for a company. I never had to worry about a lack of politeness from clients. But there's going to be a problem when their reason for apologizing is more than a simple mistake.
Some of the agencies I stopped working for apologized profusely when, for ... See more PMs tend to have better people skills than translators. It's an essential part of their job. Which is why I cringe when I read glowing feedback about 'friendly staff' on the Blue Board. That's the baseline - not a reason to keep working for a company. I never had to worry about a lack of politeness from clients. But there's going to be a problem when their reason for apologizing is more than a simple mistake.
Some of the agencies I stopped working for apologized profusely when, for example:
- they delayed payment until the end client paid.
- the chatty PM who peppered her messages with emojis kept sending me medical rush jobs, which I refused to take.
- they double-booked me while I'd already been complaining about getting too much work (different times).
- the location director asked to renegotiate my rates after I convinced the vendor manager to raise them.
- another vendor manager made a special proposal on behalf of the end client without their permission. ▲ Collapse
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