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"Freelance Isn't Free" Act goes into effect in NYC

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Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.)
Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.)  Identity Verified
Thailand
Local time: 11:36
Member (2004)
Inggris menyang Thai
+ ...
My dispute with a large translation agency in NYC Jun 2, 2017

My case related to freelance translation non-payment was in 2014 but I am not living in NYC. I do not think I will be protected by this law. Now I proceed this case in a court of another country. In recent days I become very happy since I "won" the defender on many steps in court and imagine that I may defeat a dishonest largest translation agency located in NYC. The output is expected to be judged by year 2018. The dispute amount is nearly USD 10,000.

Soonthon L.
 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 00:36
Spanyol menyang Inggris
+ ...
The importance of managing risk Jun 2, 2017

Hi Soonthon,

I am very sorry to hear of your difficulties, but I have to say that I wonder why you allowed an unpaid debt of $10,000 to accumulate in the first place. My own limit for any outsourcer (even those I've worked with before and consider reliable, those who have sterling BB ratings, etc.) is more along the lines of $3000-$5000. And for those without such grounds for trustworthiness, a good deal less.

I say this not "to pour salt in your wound," but to alert co... See more
Hi Soonthon,

I am very sorry to hear of your difficulties, but I have to say that I wonder why you allowed an unpaid debt of $10,000 to accumulate in the first place. My own limit for any outsourcer (even those I've worked with before and consider reliable, those who have sterling BB ratings, etc.) is more along the lines of $3000-$5000. And for those without such grounds for trustworthiness, a good deal less.

I say this not "to pour salt in your wound," but to alert colleagues to exercise proper risk management.

A reasonable approach on a large project involving an amount exceeding $4000 or so would be to set a debt limit and require payment of that balance before taking on further work. Most reasonable agencies will agree to such an arrangement. If they do not, that is a huge red flag.

And anyone who allows a massive debt to accumulate needs to know that they risk facing the very problem that Soonthon has described here. ▲ Collapse
 
Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.)
Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.)  Identity Verified
Thailand
Local time: 11:36
Member (2004)
Inggris menyang Thai
+ ...
Learning curve? Jun 2, 2017

Robert Forstag wrote:

A reasonable approach on a large project involving an amount exceeding $4000 or so would be to set a debt limit and require payment of that balance before taking on further work. Most reasonable agencies will agree to such an arrangement. If they do not, that is a huge red flag.

And anyone who allows a massive debt to accumulate needs to know that they risk facing the very problem that Soonthon has described here.


It is exactly what you are saying. Risk management is not easy for recent translation projects when price level descends and excessive competition is in place.
My strongest advantage against non-payment is collections of wisdom and knowledge on how to manage with debts, thanks to information out of large volume translation I have done so far.

In short, I insist that the "Copyrights Law" is still the powerful authority to defend against non-payments.

Soonthon L.
 


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"Freelance Isn't Free" Act goes into effect in NYC







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