Poll: Have you ever regretted agreeing to a contract without reading the details first?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Feb 7, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever regretted agreeing to a contract without reading the details first?".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 23:47
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Feb 7, 2018

I've never signed a contract without reading the details first... Well, that's elementary, my dear Watson!

Watson

[Edited at 2018-02-07 10:08 GMT]


 
Antonio Tomás Lessa do Amaral
Antonio Tomás Lessa do Amaral
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Small print Feb 7, 2018

Hey
How do you say: Small Print in your language?


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 00:47
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Never sign without reading the details first... Feb 7, 2018

No.

Would-be clients have occasionally given up, because I have refused to sign contracts or NDAs after reading the details.


 
Nilton Junior
Nilton Junior  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 23:47
Member (2009)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
No Feb 7, 2018

Christine Andersen wrote:

No.

Would-be clients have occasionally given up, because I have refused to sign contracts or NDAs after reading the details.


Same here. I most notably remember an agency that wanted to impose a 10% fine in case I delivered my files even a minute late. I told them I would be happy with that condition if they were also willing to accept a 10% fee in case of late payment, but they refused because they "always paid on time".


 
Stephanie Mitchel
Stephanie Mitchel  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:47
French to English
Contracts Feb 7, 2018

As a fledgling translator, I was told by a woman I admired - whose career had 20 years on mine - that she always read through NDAs and contracts and simply crossed out those phrases or clauses she didn't agree with before signing. I've done it myself, then awaited the reaction. Sometimes there is none; sometimes a PM will come back to me incredulously. Mostly I wonder about the enforceability of such agreements and what body has jurisdiction over any disputes... I'm sure many on ProZ can weigh i... See more
As a fledgling translator, I was told by a woman I admired - whose career had 20 years on mine - that she always read through NDAs and contracts and simply crossed out those phrases or clauses she didn't agree with before signing. I've done it myself, then awaited the reaction. Sometimes there is none; sometimes a PM will come back to me incredulously. Mostly I wonder about the enforceability of such agreements and what body has jurisdiction over any disputes... I'm sure many on ProZ can weigh in on this.Collapse


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 23:47
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
My client had the biggest regrets Feb 7, 2018

I started giving an EFL course to a French businessman. After a few lessons he said he didn't have time for it. I submitted my invoices for hours done but the client pointed out that the contract said I'd only be paid on course completion, and it wasn't completed! They said I had to teach someone else, further away, in the evening! Long story short, I sued them, and won . The judge reckoned the contract was abusive.

 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 20:47
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yes, long ago Feb 8, 2018

And I think everyone has gone through this before learning it.
I currently read every contract before signing it, and I usually suggest changes to the client. If the client refuses to accept or negotiate any changes, I refuse to sign the contract. Many clients say they can't change the terms of the contract, as it is a standard agreement, etc. This is the biggest BS in the commercial world! A contract is an instrument of AGREEMENT between two parties. Otherwise, it is nothing at all.


 
Stephanie Mitchel
Stephanie Mitchel  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:47
French to English
An excellent point. Feb 8, 2018

Mario Freitas wrote:

A contract is an instrument of AGREEMENT between two parties. Otherwise, it is nothing at all.


Remember it's a two-way street... though an agency might try to swap out the road sign


 


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Poll: Have you ever regretted agreeing to a contract without reading the details first?






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