Páginas no tópico:   [1 2] >
Poll: Which language do you use most when writing emails to your clients?
Tópico cartaz: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
EQUIPE DO SITE
May 16, 2021

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Which language do you use most when writing emails to your clients?".

View the poll results »



Aziz Erinç (X)
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:49
Membro (2007)
inglês para português
+ ...
Source language May 16, 2021

If the email is written in English or French I’ll use the source language, but if it’s written in Italian or Spanish I’ll explain that my written skills in those languages are rather rusty and ask the client what language I can use. Most of the times they say English, occasionally French or even Portuguese. I have an Austrian customer who sends emails in German, though she knows that this is not one of my working languages, so I’ll use GT to be sure I understand what the email says (I ha... See more
If the email is written in English or French I’ll use the source language, but if it’s written in Italian or Spanish I’ll explain that my written skills in those languages are rather rusty and ask the client what language I can use. Most of the times they say English, occasionally French or even Portuguese. I have an Austrian customer who sends emails in German, though she knows that this is not one of my working languages, so I’ll use GT to be sure I understand what the email says (I have a very basic knowledge of German) and answer in English.

P.S. It’s the only professional use I make of GT…
Collapse


expressisverbis
Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
Reino Unido
Local time: 17:49
Membro (2008)
italiano para inglês
Italian May 16, 2021

Italian

 
Wolfgang Schoene
Wolfgang Schoene  Identity Verified
França
Local time: 18:49
Membro (2007)
inglês para alemão
+ ...
All the languages I know May 16, 2021

That is, German, Italian, French, English.

expressisverbis
Robert Rietvelt
Sanjin Grandić
 
Peter Shortall
Peter Shortall  Identity Verified
Reino Unido
romeno para inglês
+ ...
Active versus passive use of languages May 16, 2021

Like Teresa, I will generally answer emails in the language in which they are written whenever I can, with the exception of Russian, which - let's be frank now - I can't write (or speak, for that matter!) for toffee. But if someone with a French or Romanian name writes to me in English, I make a point of replying in French or Romanian, partly out of a desire to seem polite and willing to make an effort, and partly in the hope that they'll feel I am a good linguist, and therefore worth hiring! So... See more
Like Teresa, I will generally answer emails in the language in which they are written whenever I can, with the exception of Russian, which - let's be frank now - I can't write (or speak, for that matter!) for toffee. But if someone with a French or Romanian name writes to me in English, I make a point of replying in French or Romanian, partly out of a desire to seem polite and willing to make an effort, and partly in the hope that they'll feel I am a good linguist, and therefore worth hiring! So I see this as a marketing tool, in a way. It can help to get a business relationship off to a good start.

I regularly work on my ability to use my source languages actively as I want to get better, partly for the purposes of communicating with clients, and partly because I simply feel that I ought to be good at using them actively, even though I don't do so when I translate. I can well imagine that our clients might find it very surprising that any of us would have difficulty in writing in one of our working languages, and yet I know that some of us do; and what this highlights is the fact that passive and active use of a language are two very different skills indeed. You don't need to be fantastic at one to be fantastic at the other! And then there is the speaking/writing dichotomy; an excellent interpreter I know speaks English superbly, yet is surprisingly poor at writing it, and has made no discernible improvement over all the years I've known him. These are perhaps two of the ironies of language and translation.
Collapse


P.L.F. Persio
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Christopher Schröder
Zibow Retailleau
neilmac
Christine Andersen
María José Domínguez Camba
 
neilmac
neilmac
Espanha
Local time: 18:49
espanhol para inglês
+ ...
Source May 16, 2021

Spanish is my source language and the native language of most of my clients. Some of them address me in English, probably because they are keen to practise, and in that case I'll respond to them in kind. However, most of the time my Spanish is better than their English, and if I really want them to understand something, it's usually safer to communicate in Spanish.

[Edited at 2021-05-16 15:03 GMT]


 
Baran Keki
Baran Keki  Identity Verified
Turquia
Local time: 19:49
Membro
inglês para turco
Interesting May 16, 2021

Tom in London wrote:

Italian


Are you only working with Italian agencies/clients?


expressisverbis
 
jyuan_us
jyuan_us  Identity Verified
Estados Unidos
Local time: 12:49
Membro (2005)
inglês para chinês
+ ...
Always in my second language May 16, 2021

I hesitated to use “target language” because I work in both directions.

 
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Espanha
Local time: 18:49
espanhol para inglês
+ ...
Deleted May 16, 2021

Deleted.

[Edited at 2021-05-16 16:20 GMT]


 
Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brasil
Local time: 13:49
português para inglês
+ ...
Depends May 16, 2021

English for overseas clients and Brazilian Portuguese (usually) for local clients.
As they say, it depends on the context.
Geographical context in this case.


Philip Lees
 
Ventnai
Ventnai  Identity Verified
Espanha
Local time: 18:49
alemão para inglês
+ ...
In this order May 16, 2021

German, English, Spanish, Catalan, French, although my Catalan and French are not as good as the others.

 
Barbara Cochran, MFA
Barbara Cochran, MFA  Identity Verified
Estados Unidos
Local time: 12:49
espanhol para inglês
+ ...
Half And Half May 16, 2021

Most of my literary clients know at least some English. But if they initially contact me in their native language, that is the one I use to establish contact with them. After that, we might write half the time in their native language (French, Spanish, Italian, but only rarely in Portuguese), and the other half in mine.

 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Dinamarca
Local time: 18:49
Membro (2003)
dinamarquês para inglês
+ ...
Probably my source language May 16, 2021

I am really not sure.

About half and half, but I possibly use my source language most. A lot of clients write to me in Danish, and we speak Danish on the phone if they call me.
If Scandinavians mail me in Norwegian or Swedish, I answer in Danish, as I can write it correctly, avoiding a few false friends and pitfalls between the languages.

When clients write to me in English, I reply in English, and I am afraid most of my answers to German and French mails are in E
... See more
I am really not sure.

About half and half, but I possibly use my source language most. A lot of clients write to me in Danish, and we speak Danish on the phone if they call me.
If Scandinavians mail me in Norwegian or Swedish, I answer in Danish, as I can write it correctly, avoiding a few false friends and pitfalls between the languages.

When clients write to me in English, I reply in English, and I am afraid most of my answers to German and French mails are in English too these days!
Collapse


 
Philip Lees
Philip Lees  Identity Verified
Grécia
Local time: 19:49
grego para inglês
Both equally May 17, 2021

I normally communicate with Greek clients in Greek and with clients elsewhere in English. I would guess that overall it comes out about equal.

 
Elena Kharlamova
Elena Kharlamova  Identity Verified
Japão
Local time: 01:49
Membro (2020)
japonês para inglês
+ ...
Using English when dealing with Russian-Japanese language pair. May 17, 2021

Mostly using English when dealing with Russian-Japanese language pair.
I've been wondering about the percentage, and it turned out to be less then 5%.
Feeling exceptional 😂😎!

[Редактировалось 2021-05-17 05:59 GMT]


 
Páginas no tópico:   [1 2] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderador(es) deste fórum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Which language do you use most when writing emails to your clients?






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 »
TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »