The client’s feedback generally provides correct information about entire context of the translation contents. Normally staffs on any progress of localization project respect, accept and try to implement client's feedbacks to generate better quality works and ensure the improved work for the next project. But sometimes there are some inconsistent feedbacks from the same client for same issues among similar projects. Any project manager, linguist or translator might be frustrated on this situation and confused about the issues. In this case, some project managers, linguists or translators can be trying to discuss the inconsistency of feedback and it can be sometimes a little bit aggressive. And we know this doesn't look good.
To avoid this uncomfortable conversation between the vendor and client about feedback issues, I think of following rules to comply with:
1. Do not be nervous to get client's feedback on your projects. Giving and receiving feedbacks with your client is a very natural and necessary process to improve the final quality of the localized contents.
2. Do not express that you are uncomfortable with the inconsistency of the client's feedback. All you have to do is asking again about the issue comparing with the previous feedback in the similar case. It gives the client’s that you are properly confirming and following the client's feedbacks, and I know actually you are.
3. Do not turn on your client in anger even if you don't agree with the client's evaluation on your work if you are not crazy. Tell your clients that you respect the client's decision and then politely suggest your alternative options.
4. Sometimes clients are not satisfied with your work and ask you the reason of the result. Every unsatisfied works has always its reason such as lack of appropriate resources, short turnaround schedule or immature project management, or sometimes your client don't even understand the quality of the work and just see the change logs from the out-put contents made by their in-house reviewers or third part reviewers. Whatever, you should be honest to your client and tell them what you think of as a reason of the unsatisfaction and why it happened. All the resolutions start from here.
All these rules come from one thought: be honest and try to keep communicating with your client. We know we and our clients are not 100% prefect, and so they do.
