CMA, squared...

A recently dispatched email, to my client:

As I mentioned in yesterday's email, the comparison document you sent for assignment 729 grossly underrepresents the extent of the changes made to the previous version of the document.

Instead of a relative handful of changes, representing a few hours of effort that I had planned to finish yesterday (Saturday), pretty much the entire document starting at section 1.3 consists of new text, which I estimate represents about 9,000 new words to be translated.

Translating 9,000 new words for Monday morning would have been a difficult enough goal had I been aware of it when the work was assigned, but is no longer possible at this point. If I continue to work on 729, not only will I not make the deadline for the assignment, but the deadlines for assignments 735 and 739 will not be met either.

I have attempted to call your office this morning (Sunday), twice, on the off chance there might be a way of contacting someone who might provide guidance in this matter. As there is still a chance that someone might be reading email, please be advised that it is my intention to halt work on assignment 729 and commence work on the other two assignments, according to the work plan I devised for myself when I accepted the work.

What I have of 729 - which incorporates virtually all of the changes in your original comparison document, by the way - will be in your inbox tomorrow morning, along with a more accurate comparison document for your review.

My preliminary assessment of the actual changes in the other two assignments shows that the extent of the deltas was pretty accurately represented. Still, I have my fingers crossed.

Cheers...

UPDATE: Someone read the email. (hooray!) New course has been plotted. All is right - mostly - with the world.