How It Works
With the username and password selected during registration, buyers can log in to their TDA Direct Buy accounts, at www.tdabids.com, to create a new project and start buying language services. Once a new project has been created, buyers may request bids from translators, editors, technical writers, desktop publishing specialists, the company’s internal language service department (LSD), or both.
“How do you want to manage this project?”
Requesting Bids from Language Professionals
Independent translators, editors, technical writers, desktop publishing specialists, etc.
Buyers can select language professionals from the database, or add their own preferred language professionals, and invite them to bid on projects. Buyers may choose to send a bid request to just one language professional or to multiple language professionals simultaneously in order to compare bids or split a large project among several language professionals.
The Bid Assignment Table outlines the project conditions while providing a forum for open negotiation. When the buyer and the language professional both agree to the project terms, the buyer issues an online purchase order and the language professional is given the go ahead to start the project.
“Assignment Table”
Files are shared through the TDABids.com file system. Language professionals deliver completed projects by uploading files to a project specific folder, accessible by the buyer once a project is completed.
After a project is delivered, the buyer is invited to rate his/her experience with the language professional and leave additional feedback.
“Leave Feedback window”
Requesting Bids from LSD
A corporation’s internal language service department.
After a project is created in TDABids.com, buyers may request a quote from their internal language service department (LSD) at the same time they request bids from independent language professionals. From the Project Info page menu, buyers may request quotes from the LSD and will be notified by email when the quote is available for their review. Buyers with pre-arranged, fixed rate may also opt to skip the quoting process and delegate the LSD to manage the project by choosing “LSD: Start Now” from the window.
“LSD Price Quote”
Buyers are notified by email when the project is complete, and they may retrieve the files from the “processed” folder under the project files tab. Project status and information can be tracked online anytime in the buyer’s TDA Direct Buy account.