Freebies
From ProZ.com Wiki
The problem is that there are many clients in this - global - industry using the so-called agency standards in order to a) widen the payment timeframe terms and even in order to test b) non-payment practices (colloquial term in the industry: "clever business practices"). Since this in fact is a global industry, it's not easy to catch a client owing a translator the bill payment when the client is sitting safely in an office on another continent.
That's why upfront payment with milestone project structures are not a seldom negotiation result for translations.
There are platforms trying to close the lack of payment security between translator providers and translation clients. Unfortunately, many of these platforms so far tend to attract more bottom feeder clients and providers than real professionals or to settle themselves at the lower-average rate and quality range. Experienced providers prefer not to get in deeper touch with low-end price environments, so the direct client contact with an upfront payment + milestones still tends to interest professional freelance translators more than any intermediate solution.
It might be worth to notice that companies develop interesting and always surprising new attempts in order to justify inquiries for freebies, corwdsourcing strategies among professionals. Facebook was just one attempt among several, here's another example case. It's important for new and less experienced translators to know about them, recognize them and to skill themselves in differentiating between a student freeby delivered in order to gain some practise (for an NGO being not that perfect in fund raising, as a student - why not) and the unprofessionalism of freeby delivery for a company which was founded as a profit gaining cooperation of people who officially intend to deliver professional results done by professionals and to pay the LSP's accordingly.
