Diane Goullard Parlante, Independent consultant
Serving Since 1984
(602) 870-1000
French to English and English to French /
Anglais au français et français à l'anglais
www.FrenchAndEnglish.com
Diane Goullard Parlante's Terms of Service & Policies
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• Prospective clients...
• Free estimates...
• How to prepare...
• Free consultation...
• Bids...
• Quotes...
a) Definition
b) Simple quotes
c) More elaborate quotes
• Quality assurance...
• Service and Cancellation...
• Samples...
• Method...
• Billing and Collection Policies...
• For the public in general...
• Make this book a GIFT to someone...
• Links
All inquirers are not prospective customers or clients. To better serve those who really need my services and because there is only one of me, please understand that I will ask any question I deem appropriate. I ask of every inquirer to please:
a) peruse this website
b) consider purchasing a copy of this book
b) provide me with the following information, regardless of whether or not we will ever do business together, as a simple courtesy, in exchange for my giving you so much information on what you need to make an informed decision. Knowing a little bit about who is the person who is serving you and is behind this website, not only informs you, but it gives you a sense of comfort and establishes a certain level of trust, key factors in personal and business relationships, much needed values in the world. For more information on trust and other character values, you may, if you wish, scroll to "Character counts" on my Links page:
Every inquirer is asked to provide the following information:
• your complete name and company name
• your URL and e-mail addresses
• your mailing address and telephone number
• an objective description of the document(s) to be translated, or of the services requested
• due date, and all other relevant information
:-) Needless to say, all the information provided needs to be true!
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FREE ESTIMATES:
Definition: a free estimate is a rough calculation. Click here to see a list of My Suggested Rates to help you calculate your own estimates, free of charge and without obligation. For a quote, or a range of price specific to you and your project needs, please refer to QUOTES below. Top
HOW TO PREPARE:
The Checklist helps you, the prospective client, expedite your request for my language services and ensure success for each project. Clients who wish their source document(s) to be returned to them MUST provide a self-addressed stamped envelope and let me know prior to commencement of project. Top
FREE CONSULTATION:
A free consultation by telephone or e-mail—generally not exceeding 15 minutes—is available to assess general clients' requirements, after which a consultation fee applies. Top
BIDS:
• I do not get involved in government bids, "sealed bidding," the "issuance of an Invitation for Bid" ("IFB"), "Requests for Quotations" ("RFQs"), "Negotiated Procurement" used to negotiate procurements to communicate government requirements to prospective contractors for planning process, etc. Please refer to Suggested rates to help you calculate your own estimate, and to "Quotes" in the next section.
• Government officials and procurement agencies are invited to call when INTENDING to use my services, and when ready and serious about negotiating mutually acceptable terms and pay for my time and services. Negotiating a quote, administrative or otherwise related tasks are billable. Please read section "c" below, "More elaborate quotes." Top
QUOTES:
a) Definition: a promise to perform a task for a specified amount. A quotation may be for:
• a fixed fee - when all particulars to the assignment are known
• a price range and/or an hourly rate - when there are variables
• a quote may also involve layered steps as in a presentation (the preparation of the presentation and the presentation itself, both begetting a fee), or a series of assignments, etc. Top
b) Simple quotes:
Some quotes are simple to give and to get: the expectations are clearly defined, the particularities of the assignment are straightforward, each party clearly understands what is needed and expected, the decision-maker is the information taker, the user is clearly defined, the discussion time is brief (often less than 15 minutes), one or two brief exchanges totalling less than 15 minutes generally suffice to set the stage of the assignment, etc. I will continue giving prospective clients some of those simple quotes at NO charge. Top
c) More elaborate quotes:
Some quotes are more elaborate: the parties inquiring or the nature of the situation require some back-and-forth, a client wants extra special care, extraneous parties are involved in the negotiating process, testing, bidding, shopping around are covert, some or a lot of explaining needs to be had (kind of like taxes where you have to fill one form before you can get to the next), unconscious or wounded feelings prevent the deal from moving, much time needs to be spent ironing details for smooth sailing, research has to be conducted just to answer a question, studying and research may need to be done before the before assignment can be performed, and so on.
Quoting takes time and effort, energy, skill, and experience. Since 1984, I have served about 10,000 users in French and in English, given more than 3,000 quotes, estimates, or bids—all free of charge. I have become aware that quotations have served many roles, including educating peers and would-be translators and/or interpreters, informing competitors and agencies who sought to know how much to charge their own clients or how much to offer to pay independent contractors like me, as well as responding to earnest requests from individuals, some of whom have become my clients (my heartfelt thanks to each one of you, as you know who you are or have been).
Since there is only one of me, to meet others' needs as well as my own, and to better serve the persons who need my services, I am communicating that anything less than simple quotes requires some form of compensation to me for my efforts, research, or expertise. In some cases, a non-refundable fee will be requested; in some cases that fee may, at my sole discretion, later be applied to the balance of the principal owed for the services rendered. At times, depending upon the components present, a non-refundable hourly consultation or project fee will need to be received before I continue my involvement. Thank you for understanding. Top
QUALITY ASSURANCE:
Whether you are calling for your own language needs, your agency's, or your company's, personalized service and methodology promote quality of life and allow you to better meet your needs (scroll to "Maslow's hierarchy of needs," on my Link page, if you want to know more about needs you have in common with everyone else). The following are the promises I make about what I can control about my services. This can hopefully lead you to experience the following:
- * By being listened to and heard: you feel validated
* Receiving a direct response to your request: you experience peace, you do not have to get in a competitive mode
* Attention to details: maximizes success, minimizes problems, saves you from chaos, promotes a smooth operation
* A personalized response tailored to your specific needs and not made to fit another's: ads to your sense of well-being, makes you feel valued, promotes the use of positive and constructive energy leading to a healthier lifestyle
* Time devoted listening to you, or reading what concerns you: allows you to feel positive and valuable
* Speaking with one individual where 'the buck stops': saves you from spending energy knocking on doors and innumerable frustrations
* Speaking with you in your native French or your native English: gives you a sense of home, comfort, belonging
* I constantly upgrade and improve my personal and my professional skills to give competent service
* I strive, daily, to give my best. (Scroll to "Anyway - The Paradoxical Commandments, by Kent M. Keith" on my Link page) to learn more about this philosophy of life
* Assurance of quality - your work is being conducted by a capable professional who has extensive training. You will receive personal attention, your information will be kept confidential.
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There is a time to give, and a time to receive. Under circumstances where my time has been invested to meet your request for information or services--and you will know that because that fact will have been communicated beforehand, and/or, you will have the vague, or not so vague, sensation of "getting somethin' for nothin'"--, and/or where other engagements have been turned down for you, the prospect, and/or where other professionals have been contacted and their time promised, considered, or put on hold for you, and/or in other circumstances justifying a compensation be had... In such cases, Diane reserves the right to receive a consultation fee, or stop serving you, and/or to receive a cancellation fee not to exceed the amount of principal of the assignment that would have been had based on her consultation fee schedule. This policy will be applied with good-will and in good faith, on an individual basis, based on the assignment and the particulars for each individual and set of circumstances. Top
SAMPLES:
I cannot meet my needs and expenses by giving all my time without compensation. Samples are not free of charge. This website constitutes my only free French and English sample. Samples specific to your industry or your needs can be ordered for a fee. If you've read this website and you feel satisfied with what you see, if you've thought about your needs and you think I'm the right person to meet them, and if you're still not sure whether my work-style will suit you or others involved, I recommend you pay me for a sample. Top
METHOD:
I am a human translator. I use up to date research methods and tools, which do not include machine translation, translation memory, universal semantic processing. Please remember that globalization will never outweigh the necessity for good communication and compassion. Please click here, to read more information on my professional style. Thank you. Top
BILLING AND COLLECTION POLICIES:
I am a reasonable person, not a machine, and I care. If you have an issue, please discuss it with me: that is the first and foremost policy.
All clients must have some form of work order with me, the author of this website, aka French and English Communication Services, LLC, before work can proceed. New clients are required to submit half of, or the total, balance due as prepayment, and the remaining balance, if any, upon delivery of finished product, as determined by French and English Communication Services. Established clients may negotiate financial terms with French and English Communication Services on an individual basis. Payment is accepted via corporate or personal check or money order, in U.S. dollars only. Work may or may not proceed until the check has cleared.
The majority of Clients pay upfront. Some repeat clients benefit from the privilege of paying within 30 days. Terms are set at either Net-before-work-begins, or Net (net amount due as specified in work order). Balances not paid by their due date become past due. Past due balances are subject to two additional charges: a late fee, AND an hourly fee for my administrative time, spent reminding you what you already know. In any event, talk with me about what is causing the delay.
Balances not paid when due become delinquent. If a client's account becomes delinquent, French and English Communication Services reserves the right to decline further work and/or withhold finished projects and/or service until arrangements for payment are made and/or the balance is paid in full. If the language services have already been rendered, delinquent accounts may be forwarded to a collection agency. A client will have received ample notification that he or she is in the process of incurring a delinquent balance. For most people, lateness is due to an error, and no further action needs be taken but to correct the mistake and have a clear conscience. For rare individuals, negligence, dishonesty, incompetence or lie are temptations that the individual is lured into succombing to—please resist the temptation not to keep your promise! The reward for doing the right thing will bring you peace and contentment (that even vacations may not bring you!), while failing to do what you know is right incurs the payment of regret, nagging guilt, resulting consequences, backtracking, and, like some call it, "bad karma."
Accounts forwarded to a collection agency become a matter outside of the control of French and English Communication Services. The late accounts incur further collection fees, extra fees for my time, in addition to the original balance due. The name(s) of the owing individual(s) may become a matter of public record and the resulting action may also be posted on this website. Once a delinquent account is submitted to a collection agency, the client becomes responsible for dealing with that agency directly, and the original amount owed will have nearly doubled. If you think about it two seconds, it's really not worth it! Doing the right thing from the start will make you feel a lot better, I guaranty it. Accounts that necessitate legal action will be responsible for any and all related legal fees incurred by French and English Communication Services, in addition to the original balance due, late fees and interest. These accounts may also be subject to legal processing fee of 20% or more as well as legal fees.
By using or continuing to use the services of Diane Goullard Parlante, French and English Communication Services, LLC, you agree to these terms and conditions, and to contact her the moment you know something isn't according to the terms to resolve the situation amicably. The sooner, the better. Escalating the matter is rarely the most rewarding solution, I guaranty that too. Top
FOR THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL:
Do you have a curious mind? Do you want to know what sets successful outcomes in listening? Would you like to broaden your horizons? Do you want your communications to be something else than background noise? Do you hope to connect with others in meaningful ways? Would you like to feel inspired? Would you like to learn about the business of translating and interpreting from a non-academic point of view? Then this book's for you! Thank you for considering to purchase it and for recommending it to others. Click on Excerpts to read a downloadable four-page announcement. Click on the Books link to see where the book can be purchased. Thank you. Top
Make this book a GIFT to someone click here to know where to order, or click on the title below to order online
Beyond Words ~ Getting to the Heart of Communication in One or More Languages for the 21st Century,
by Diane Goullard Parlante, Authors House Publisher, 2004, 494 pages, ISBN 1403319758