How to Answer: How do you handle a client that is unsatisfied with your translation or finds an error within the translated text?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Translator job interview.
2. How do you handle a client that is unsatisfied with your translation or finds an error within the translated text?
How to Answer
It can be difficult to please everyone, particularly in a profession that specializes in interpreting and executing someone else's vision. Unsatisfied clients can be expected at one point or another, and mistakes happen. The interviewer is looking for how gracefully you handle the customer-facing aspect of this job. Allow your customer service skills to come through in this response, and consider drawing connection to a story of when you've navigated an unsatisfied client in the past.
Written by Clara Canon on November 30th, 2019
Answer Example
"First, I always try to frame my thinking and perspective around the situation. The client is the reason I am able to work on this project, so it is my job to complete it to a standard that they expect. I am very receptive to feedback from my clients because I believe that it better informs my work in the future and makes me a better translator. If I find that a client is unsatisfied, then I apologize that the result isn't currently up to their expectation, ask how I might best be able to bring it up to their standards, and seek feedback on what I could do in the future to better fulfill their needs earlier on. If they find an error, then I fully own the error and apologize for it. I do not offer excuses or promises that I can't keep."
Written by Clara Canon on November 30th, 2019