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FAQ

General

Where does the information in the database come from?
Generally, the contact information about the agency is provided by users. Where possible, we have asked agencies to verify this information and provide a brief description of their services and terms (main language combinations, standard payment terms etc.) Responses are provided by users. Each response is reviewed and edited as necessary. The PPR and TA scores are calculated automatically based upon the user's response.
What are all these responses from username "YG Response"?
Those are the responses from the Payment Practices Yahoo groups list from 2001 through mid-2007. Due to the non-uniformity of the responses and formatting problems, these responses had to be modified to fit the current database structure. For technical reasons, all of these responses were assigned the username "ygresponse". Note: If you provided any of these responses, you are encouraged to review them for accuracy and inform us if there are any problems. It would be preferable if you would take the time to re-enter your responses in the new system. If you do so, please inform us (cite the agency name and original message #) so we can then delete the old response.

Managing your account

I can't remember my username or password. How can I log in?
Click on "Forgot Password" on the sign in page. Enter the e-mail address you provided when you subscribed. A new password will be sent to that address. After logging in again, you can then change your password by clicking on "Change Password".
How do I change my password?
Click on "Change Password" in the left-hand navigation bar.
How do I change the frequency of e-mail notifications?
Click on "Profile" in the left-hand navigation bar and scroll down to subscription options. Choose between daily digest, weekly digest, or never.
I'm going on vacation. What do I need to do?
If you have selected e-mail notifications, change your frequency to never in the subscription options in your profile. If you are subscribed to any RSS feeds, you may unsubscribe from the feed(s) through your feed reader. You can resubscribe when you return. You normally do not need to unsubscribe to RSS feeds due to the nature of RSS.
How do I renew my subscription?
If you paid for your subscription through PayPal, you will be billed automatically. If you paid by any other method, you will receive an e-mail notification 30 days and one week before your subscription expires. You may renew your subscription at any time and your subscription will then be extended for one year from the current expiration date.
How do I cancel my subscription?
You can't, we don't want you to. (Just kidding). The easiest thing to do is to simply unsubscribe from the RSS feeds or change your e-mail notification to never. Your subscription will expire automatically at the end of the one-year term. Just disregard the renewal notice we send out 30 days and one week prior to expiration. Your subscription will then expire. If you change your mind and wish to resubscribe, just log on again using your username and password. You will then be asked to pay the current subscription fee. You may also send an e-mail to subscriptions@paymentpractices.net from the e-mail address under which you subscribed. We will then cancel your subscription manually.

Agency information

My contact data for an agency is different. What do I do?
Use the "Correct/Update Listing" link below the agency's contact information. You may change existing or add missing contact information. Your changes will then be reviewed manually and approved or rejected.
How do I add missing contact information for an agency?
Use the "Correct/Update Listing" link below the agency's contact information. You may change existing or add missing contact information. Your changes will then be reviewed manually and approved or rejected.
How do I find agencies in a particular country?
Use the search function and select the country which you are interested. You may only select one country for each search.
How can I add an agency to the database?
First search for the agency in question to ensure that it is not already in the database. If it is not listed in the search results, click on the "Submit Enquiry" link above the search results.

Responses

How do I contact another user who posted a response about an agency?
If the user has opted to reveal their contact information, click on the username to see the contact information.
I posted a nonpayment response and have now been paid. What do I do?
If you reported a nonpayment and have subsequently been paid, you must update your response. This not only ensures that the information in the database is accurate and up to date, it also avoids legal problems. Click on "My Responses" in the left-hand navigation bar. You will see a list of all of your responses. Find the response you wish to update and click "Edit". Update all applicable information, in particular the "Payment was received" and "work for again" responses and click update. Your updated response will then be viewed, edited if necessary, and approved.
Can I change a response once it has been posted?
Yes. Click on "My Responses" in the left-hand navigation bar. You will see a list of all of your responses. Find the response you wish to update and click "Edit". Update all applicable information, in particular the "Payment was received" and "Work for again" responses and click update. Your updated response will then be reviewed, edited if necessary, and approved.
Can I delete a response once it has been posted?
Yes. Click on "My Responses" in the left-hand navigation bar. You will see a list of all of your responses. Find the response you wish to delete and click "Delete". This activates a mailto command to send an e-mail to us. Please explain in detail why you wish to delete the response. After reviewing your request, we will delete your response if appropriate.
How can I be notified of new responses?
You have two options for being notified about new responses. The preferred method is to use the RSS feed. First, use the search function to define which agencies you are interested in. You may subscribe to a feed that has responses for all agencies (at the top of all search results pages) or you can limit your feed to whatever criteria you set for your search (e.g. agency name, countries, etc.). Set your search parameters and click search. Then click on the "Responses For These Results" listed at the top of the search results page. If you do not have or wish to use an RSS reader, you may receive a daily or weekly digest of all responses by opting in to this subscription option under your profile.
How do I properly complete a response form?
First find the agency about which you wish to respond. Then click on the "Post Response" link under the agency contact information. The response form is broken down in the following questions.
1. Payment terms: What were the agreed upon payment terms? Select the most appropriate response from the drop-down list. If the agency did not specify when they would pay your invoice (don't forget to check the fine print on a purchase order or in any terms and conditions agreement they may have sent you), select your standard payment terms.
2. Invoice(s) issued: Please enter the invoice date for a single invoice or the month and year or just the year for a series of invoices.
3. Payment was received: Your response to this question is the basis for the PPR Score. The agency will be assigned a score from 5 to 0 based on this response. Please indicate the timeliness of receipt of payment using the drop-down list. If your response concerns more than one invoice, indicate the average timeliness for all invoices combined. NOTE: All agencies are given a 10 day grace period to allow for things such as end of week or end of month accounts payable runs, delays in postal mail, vacation etc. If your invoice(s) was/were not paid in full, and YOU DID NOT AGREE to this reduction, please check the check box under this field. Checking this box automatically assigns a 1 rating for the PPR Score. Please do NOT check this box if the reduction was due solely to bank fees.
4. Total amount involved: Please indicate the approximate range of the total amount involved (invoice total) in euro or US dollar equivalent.
5. I have been working with this agency since (years): Enter the year you first began working with this agency.
6. If applicable, did this agency answer your inquiries payment? If you did not need to inquire about payment (does not include inquiries about any other issues about your project, just inquiries about where your money is), then check "Not applicable". If you did inquire about your payment, indicate whether the agency responded appropriately by clicking yes or no.
7. Would you work for this agency again? Your response to this question forms the basis of the TA Score. The agency assigned a score between 5 and 1 based on this response.
8. Comments: This is a free text field where you may enter any additional information or explanations that will clarify your response or provide other subscribers with useful information for them to decide whether or not they want to work for this agency. Please note that hearsay and third-party information is not permitted. Your comments will be reviewed and may be edited to remove such hearsay information or potentially libelous statements before your response is approved for posting. Please try to avoid up emotional or subjective comments and try to keep your comments objective and businesslike.

Searches

How do I find a particular agency?
Use the search function and enter the agency's name. You may wish to enter only the first part of the agency's name as many agencies (particularly those imported from the old Yahoo groups list) may or may not have terms such as "translation services", "Inc", "Ltd", "Traduction" etc. listed as part of their name. For example, an agency with the legal name of "XYZ Translation Services, Inc." may only be listed as "XYZ". If your initial search does not return the agency in question, try a variation on the name or search under a different parameter such as the agency's city or contact name.
How do I find agencies in a particular country?
Use the search function and select the country in which you are interested.
What else can I search on?
The searchable fields in the database are: agency name, country, city, state or province, and the contact first or last name. If you do not enter any search parameters, clicking the search button will display a list of all agencies in the database.
How can I see all the agencies in the database?
Use the search button but do not enter any search parameters.

Email and RSS feeds

What is RSS?
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rss for an explanation of RSS.
How do I limit my RSS feeds, e.g. to certain agencies or countries?
Use the search function to limit your search results to certain criteria, such as an agency name or country. What the search results are displayed, click on the "Responses for these results" link to subscribe to an RSS feed limited to those criteria. For example, if you are a Portuguese - English translator, you might want to subscribe to feeds limited to agencies in Portugal, Brazil, the UK, Canada and the US. You can have separate feeds for all agencies in each of these countries.
Where do I get an RSS reader?
Many browsers now incorporate RSS reader function. You may have to modify your toolbar to display this function as a default. There are also numerous free online readers such as Google Reader. For desktop-based readers, you can find free or inexpensive options at Download.com by searching for "RSS reader".
I don't want RSS feeds. Can I get e-mail notification of new responses and enquiries?
Yes, you can subscribe to a daily or weekly digest of all new enquiries or responses by selecting this option in your profile. Please note that you cannot limit the responses or enquiries with this option as you can with an RSS feed.
How do I change the frequency of e-mail notifications?
Click on profile in the left-hand navigation bar and scroll down to subscription options. Choose between daily digest, weekly digest, or never.
I'm going on vacation. What do I need to do?
If you have selected e-mail notifications, change your frequency to never in the subscription options in your profile. If you are receiving RSS feeds, you do not have to do anything. Your RSS feed will resume where you left off the next time you access your RSS reader.