SecureTrans: the Guide
for Translators
This guide explains in detail and step by step how to use SecureTrans to manage a job with your client from start to finish.
1. Client Initiates Contact
A SecureTrans job is created when the client contacts you, usually using ComConsole,
if you keep it open. Keeping it open will boost your standings on APC searches,
because it sits there connected to the site, waiting to receive messages.
Otherwise, you will be notified of the client's service request via email.
Either way, you will get a link to access the SecureTrans job.
2. General Job details
The first section in SecureTrans is the Job Summary, where you have the basic details of the Job.
Make sure to check the Service Type, Source Language and Specialty, and any notes that the client might
have added.
Non-Disclosure Agreements
If the client requires you to sign an NDA before disclosing the job details to you, the following
section will also appear:
If you see this, you must download, sign, scan and upload the NDA before you can see the job details.
The client will then print it and approve you to see the documents.
Reference Material
The client can also upload Reference material (like glossaries) for you to use, in which case the
following section will show up:
*Please note that if Reference Material is present, it could be used in a court case if initiated by
the client, so you MUST read it and take it into account for the job.
3. Purchase Order
On a given job, the client can request the same documents to be translated into several language pairs,
which will be handled separately. Each of these "sub-jobs" is called a Purchase Order. If you are
contacted for more than one, you can use the tabs to switch between them.
Right at the top of this section, you will have all the information you need to quote:
With the links at the top-right you can send an e-mail to the client, or check the Message Board
(which contains a log of all chats and emails between the parties)
Right below that, you will get an indication of what step the job is in, and if you feel lost, you
can always click on "What should I do now?", and see what's going on.
Word Counts
In this step, you must download the client documents, and go through them. If you find out that the
word count shown by the system is incorrect, you can change it by clicking on "Edit Count", which will
make the Word Count column editable. Now change the word counts of files that are incorrect, and press Save.
You may notice that some files uploaded by the client have a small blue arrow to the left.
This will show if it is a Zip file, which contains other files inside. In this case, you can not edit
the Word Count of the Zip file. You must expand it (by clicking on the icon, or the arrow) to view the
files inside, and edit the word counts of the files in the Zip file.
Status Reports
If the job you are being offered will take a long time, the client can request you to enter status reports to
keep him updated about your progress. If he/she requests so, you will see a "Status Reports" section that will show
how many reports will need to be uploaded throughout the job. Please take this into account when entering your offer,
since you are committing to deliver these.
Your Offer
Once the word counts are correct, you must send your offer to the client by clicking on Edit Offer.
The offer screen will use the rates you entered in your profile, and the final word count on the job
to calculate the time and price automatically for you, however, you can change these freely.
You may also need to add extra charges to the job, for reasons like having to edit images, or any other
extras. In such case, you should use the "Notes" field below to explain why you are adding this charge.
Finally, you must enter how much time you need for the job. This will be used to make sure that you
have at least as much time as you need. If the time you need fits within the deadline entered by the
client, then the client's date will be used as a deadline (giving you more time than you need).
However, if you need more time, the deadline that is proposed to the client will be as long as necessary.
Also, the client will not see how much time you entered, so you don't need to be afraid they will tighten
the deadline to the limit.
Please take into account that the final deadline is not actually set until the client pays for the job
(which is why in this step it shows as "tentative"). Once the user pays, the system will
calculate the actual deadline as explained above.
At this point, all you need to enter is your price. If you have changed your rate, or added extra
charges, pressing "Recalculate" will automatically update the price below.
This is not a necessary step, however, as you can edit the final price freely, but it is recommended to
reduce the possibility for error.
Once you've entered your price, press "Save & Send" and the client will be notified about
your offer. After that, you just need to wait for the client to accept it.
*Please note that as long as the client does not accept the offer, you can modify it as much as you
need, in case you negotiate something different with the client.
4. Doing the Job
Once the client has paid for the job you can start working (you will be notified through an e-mail,
and you can also check the current Step on the right).
We would like to stress the fact that you must not start until the payment is completed, since doing
so will expose you to the risk of wasting your time and effort, if the client never pays. Any attempt by
the client to ask you to begin working before the job is paid, and especially to send him the
work you have done goes against the Legal Terms and Conditions and should be reported to us.
Always remember, until the client sends us the money for the job we have no way of securing your payment.
Once you are done with the job, you must upload the final documents using the section that appears at
the bottom:
Please note that you can only do this one time, and once you do it, the deadline timer will stop.
*If after uploading the final document, you talk with the client and change other things, you can send
the files to him through an email attachment (sent through the Messageboard link at the top, not outside the site).
However, if such mail is sent after the original deadline expires, your job will be considered late.
Should the client start a court case because of the deadline, you may lose it.
5. Entering Status Reports
If the client requested you to enter Status Reports during the job, when the job gets paid you will see a
table in this section detailing the exact dates in which you must update him on your progress.
Also, when those dates arrive, you will get an e-mail, and in SecureTrans you will see the form to enter your report:
Entering a Status Report is a hassle-free process for you. All you need to do is
upload the file containing your work up to date. The system will automatically count the words in it, and calculate
the progress you've done. This will be compared with the expected progress, and will show in a color-coded table in
red or green.
If you cannot upload a file for some reason, you should enter notes explaining your progress to the client.
Your current progress will be shown in a table similar to this one, indicating
whether you achieved each report, and the progress you made in each one.
6. Waiting for Funds Clearance
After you upload your final work, you must wait for the client to approve it (the job will be
automatically approved if no case is filed within 7 days).
Once this happens, the funds (minus Translator's Corner commissions) will be transferred to your
account, and be available for you to withdraw them and start buying nice things for yourself!
7. Rating the Client
While you wait for your job to get approved, you can rate your client.
You must select a score from 1 to 10 that you feel represents his cooperation and professionalism,
and also enter a text feedback for the rest of the community to know what to expect from him.
If you don't rate the client, you will not be able to see the rating given to you
(to avoid retaliatory ratings), and neither will the rest of the community, so you will not earn
experience points for the job until you rate him.
And that's all there is to it! Open ComConsole, and wait for clients to contact you!