One of the main worries for any freelance translator (or any freelancer in general) is not getting paid after having delivered the work. The vast majority of clients (translation agencies and direct clients) are of course honest and will pay the translator’s invoice on time. Unfortunately, some clients are not so honest and won’t pay. If this happens, the translator can only resort to contracting a collection agency or taking the client to court to get his money. A long and costly process which is often not worth the trouble.
How can you know in advance whether you can trust a potential client or not?
Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing for sure whether a client will pay you or not. There is always a risk of non-payment, but if you follow a few simple rules, you can make sure that this risk is as small as possible:
- Do not work for a client if you do not have his full contact details. Always ask for a physical address and a phone number and double-check the information if possible (company website, business registry, Yellow Pages, directories of translation agencies, etc.). Always check the IP address of the emails a potential client sends you. If they claim to be located in country X, but the IP address tells you that the email was sent from another country, you should be careful. I would also be suspicious of translation agencies or companies that use free email addresses, such as Yahoo or Hotmail. This is ok for a private client, but I would be surprised to see a large corporation or translation agency use a Hotmail address.
- Do not accept large jobs from first-time clients or ask for (partial) payment in advance if you don’t know anything about the client in order to minimize your monetary loss should the client not pay.
- Make sure you have a clear written agreement stating your obligations (translation from language X into language Y, volume, delivery deadline, etc.) and the client’s obligations (rate agreed, payment terms, etc.) which can serve as proof in court if necessary.
- There are a number of websites and mailing lists where translators can rate translation agencies and direct clients they have worked for and warn their colleagues about slow payers and non-payers. A good rating is not a guarantee, of course, as an agency’s payment practices can change over time and their financial situation can change. Many negative comments, however, are a rather clear indication that one should better stay away from this client. Before working for a new translation agency, be sure to check their rating on the following websites and request information on them from your colleagues through the mailing lists.

Websites
Payment practices
ProZ – Blue Board
Translatorscafe – Hall of Fame and Shame
Globtra ratings
Translationdirectory – List of untrustworthy translation agencies
Translator Client Review List
GoTranslators – Black and white list
Translation Agency Payment Practices Reputation Rating Form
Brotherhood of translators

Mailing lists
Translation agency payment
Business practices discussion
Betaalmoraal (in Dutch)
World payment practices free
Translation agencies payment practices
Zahlungspraxis (in German)
The checklist (in Italian)
Tradpayeur (in French)
Translation payments who when what

The best way of avoiding non-payment is using common sense and trusting your gut feeling. If you don’t trust a potential client or think that there is something fishy about a job offer, better stay away or request upfront payment. Better safe than sorry.
If you do have problems with a non-paying client, send payment reminders regularly, contact a collection agency or a lawyer and warn your colleagues.

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