A word about test translations: I am happy to do a test translation for you, if this is a requirement in your agency. For various reasons, however, I will have to charge a flat rate of EUR 20.00:

- in order to avoid time spent in vain: I have done a plethora of test translations in the past years, and although nearly all agencies that actually came back to me gave positive feedback, many tests remained unanswered to the day. While I understand how busy agencies are, the least I expect for the time I spend working for free is some kind of reaction, even if it's a negative one. I am a full-time translator, and my only income is the time I spend on paid translations/reviews. If your agency is willing to pay a small fee for your test translation, I know that you are really interested and will not let it disappear unnoted in a drawer never to be seen again. And I will have this extra motivation to meet and exceed your expectations!

- in order to avoid abuse: unfortunately, there have been cases where real translation requests came in the guise of test translations to be done for free, while the requesting agency in turn charged their customer for it. Clearly, I do not support this malpractice, which also is a waste of the translator's time and money!

While I am sure that this does not apply to your agency, I hope you will agree with my point of view concerning test translations. I am working for more than a dozen returning translation agencies in 6 countries, and you can also check the list of clients which I hope will convince you of my professionalism as a translator.