r/TranslationStudies • u/prikaz_da • 10h ago
Agency asking about displaying a headshot and blurb on their website
I recently got an email from a project manager asking if I could send them a headshot and blurb for their website. The idea seems to be to show prospective clients some of the real people who have been working with the agency for a long time, in order to inspire confidence in the fact that there are real, skilled humans handling this work, so I imagine folks on the agency side have been receiving queries along the lines of "How do I know you're not just going to put my file into ChatGPT and hand me the result? What am I really paying for?" They provided some examples of the kind of blurb they're looking for, which consisted of confidence-inspiring copy along the lines of "When I translate a book, I always strive to preserve…"
I'm not sure how I feel about this. I don't totally hate the idea, but I feel like I should get some kind of compensation for this beyond the vague promise of people maybe choosing the agency in the future because I appear on its website. I also recently accepted a full-time position outside the language services industry, so translation is strictly something I do on the side now because I enjoy it. I haven't yet broken the news about the full-time role to the agency, for what that's worth, although the volume of work I get from them these days is such that I don't expect to have to decline all that much anyway.
Any of y'all ever gotten a similar request and/or have thoughts about how to handle this?
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u/_palantir_ 8h ago
I was asked to provide a headshot when I was applying for a specific client with an agency I already worked for. They were putting together a team package for the project and wanted all resumes to have photos. Apparently it was a request from the client.
I didn’t mind, but it was for a specific use and not just to display on their website. I’d be wary of doing it for an agency I wasn’t already receiving steady work from.