Poll: Do you imagine what your clients look like if you have never seen them? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you imagine what your clients look like if you have never seen them?".
View the poll results »
| | | |
Why should I waste my imagination on that? To be honest, I don't care at all what my clients look like. I know what some look like because they have profile photos in their emails (assuming those images are not fake...). The only thing I really care about is having a pleasant and reliable business relationship, preferably long-term.
| | | |
Of course I don't have time for that kind of game with all contacts, but I definitely have mental pictures of some of them, especially if they have called me on the phone, and I have a voice as an added dimension.
I could clearly hear that one was a 'spirrevip' - slim and energetic - and I imagine another, who does a lot of technical work, as a bearded engineer.
There is no way of knowing whether those images fit, because they do not seem to have pictures on social media.
... See more Of course I don't have time for that kind of game with all contacts, but I definitely have mental pictures of some of them, especially if they have called me on the phone, and I have a voice as an added dimension.
I could clearly hear that one was a 'spirrevip' - slim and energetic - and I imagine another, who does a lot of technical work, as a bearded engineer.
There is no way of knowing whether those images fit, because they do not seem to have pictures on social media.
At powwows and other gatherings I can very soon put names to faces, even when people use logos instead of photographs on their profiles or, like me, have used the same old photo for many years! ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 05:39
Spanish to English
+ ...
I think it's part of human nature to sort of imagine or conjure up a mental image of our interlocutors when we haven't actually seen or met them in the flesh. So, my answer would be yes. I tend to assume that most people would operate in more or less a similar fashion, but then again, you never know.
| | |
|
|
|
| I confess that I do | May 22, 2019 |
I've been known to look them up to see if they're on LinkedIn or Facebook. I almost always look up the authors of the documents that I translate. They are easy to find. I feel much more comfortable when I can attach a face to the person I'm dealing with or the author of the document I'm translating.
[Edited at 2019-05-22 10:34 GMT]
| | | | | Trust that face | May 22, 2019 |
When I take a job I always want to see the face, it sort of give me more trust which usually is a confident look, a smile, a clean aspect, and a clear photo. Those are things that everybody can have without the need of breaking the bank.
But again I suppose that in part these are just judgements we base on own understanding. For example, a rule in many countries is you cannot smile on your passport photo, well in Spain you can ... See more When I take a job I always want to see the face, it sort of give me more trust which usually is a confident look, a smile, a clean aspect, and a clear photo. Those are things that everybody can have without the need of breaking the bank.
But again I suppose that in part these are just judgements we base on own understanding. For example, a rule in many countries is you cannot smile on your passport photo, well in Spain you can if you want to!
The clue, really, in a reliable business, is reflected on communication and efficient time management, keeping their word and so on. Have a lovely day y'all! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney 
France
Local time: 05:39
French to English
It's not a matter of time, my brain goes there whether I want it to or not.
At the agency, I also used to imagine what the freelance translators we outsourced to looked like. I invariably got it very wrong. One woman, who was extremely competent and hard as nails when negotiating rates, turned out to be small and round and rather dumpy when I had imagined her thin and angular and towering over me. A guy I had imagined like George Harrison circa 1971 turned out to have short hair and a lea... See more It's not a matter of time, my brain goes there whether I want it to or not.
At the agency, I also used to imagine what the freelance translators we outsourced to looked like. I invariably got it very wrong. One woman, who was extremely competent and hard as nails when negotiating rates, turned out to be small and round and rather dumpy when I had imagined her thin and angular and towering over me. A guy I had imagined like George Harrison circa 1971 turned out to have short hair and a leather jacket.
Nowadays a lot of PMs have their photo in their signature, and I have connected with a lot of clients on Linked In, so I get to see their photo straight away, my imagination doesn't get as much opportunity get things completely wrong. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Do you imagine what your clients look like if you have never seen them | May 22, 2019 |
Well... I think it comes naturally
The way he/she writes or speaks force you to
| | |
|
|
|
Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 05:39
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Some of my clients have sent Christmas greetings with their photo in it, so there was no need to imagine what they look like.
Others have sent me add requests on LinkedIn. There photo is displayed there.
Other than this, it doesn't matter what they look like. The only thing that matters is that our collaboration is pleasant and fruitful for both parties.
| | | |
Photos aside, I almost never look them up, but the names and surnames somehow help me to shape an image in my head. This is pure fiction, though.
| | | | | Most have websites with profle pictures | May 22, 2019 |
I do like to see what they look like, but sometimes there is too much information in a photo. One PM at an Italian agency has a Skype image of herself on a beach that is bordering on soft-porn.
| | | | | No Need To... | May 22, 2019 |
..when I am going over to Europe to meet them, since in that case, they always send me a picture.
| | |
|
|
|
The pretty French names always make me imagine Disney princesses.
| | | | Anne Schulz
Germany
Local time: 05:39
English to German
+ ...
I never consciously imagine what my clients might look like, and if you asked me, I'd say "No idea!" with utter conviction. Yet, the few times I happened to come across a photograph of someone I had known by voice or email, I had a clear feeling of "That's him/her - of course" or "THAT'S him/her - impossible!" Unconsciously, I guess, I do form images of my clients in my mind.
| | | |
No. It does not matter to me what they look like.
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Do you imagine what your clients look like if you have never seen them? | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
| | Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
