| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Beginner rates Thread poster: Toralf Mjelde
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Toralf Mjelde 
Local time: 21:17
Member (2007)
English to Norwegian
Hi everybody!
I'm educated within translation, but have very little knowledge about rates. What are the normal rates, per word, hour and so on? Appreciate some help!
Sincerely,
Toralf
| | | | Oleg Prots
Ukraine
Local time: 07:17
English to Ukrainian
+ ...
| I would also assume | Sep 26, 2003 |
that rates differ from one language pair to another, so I suggest that you'd better browse through profiles of colleagues who work in the same language pair as you do.
Cheers,
Oleg
| | | | Geir Vikan
Norway
Local time: 06:17
Member (2003)
German to Norwegian
+ ...
This is one of the things you will get for a platinum membership, which I recommend very much. But dont trust all info on rates, you must feel your way here. One of the "tricks of the trade" ....
Geir
| | | | | Dont believe everything they say. | Sep 28, 2003 |
Toralf wrote:
Hi everybody!
I'm educated within translation, but have very little knowledge about rates. What are the normal rates, per word, hour and so on? Appreciate some help!
Sincerely,
Toralf
The rates you get to see in the profile pages may be widely off the mark. I would recommend you write personal letters to experienced translators. It is not necessary that they would tell you the truth. Most of them tend to overrate themselves. Trick of the trade. Take an average for the particular language pair from the range of rates revealed(?) by the Old pros. Devide it by two and you have your rate. It can be a starting point. Frankly speaking, there is no hard and fast rule. However dont try to undersale yourself. You will be branded a Cheapie ! Alternatively you can calculate a descent rate by simply dividing your expected daily income (which you consider reasonable by your standards ) by 1000. It worked for me. I am not sure whether it will work for you. Others may not agree with my unconventional methods. But you can give it a try. All the best.
[Edited at 2003-09-28 15:58]
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Marc P (X)
Local time: 06:17
German to English
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Order the rates and salaries survey, GBP 10 from the ITI at www.iti.org.uk.
Instead of thinking in terms of charging less than experienced translators (presumably for lower quality), aim to charge the same amount for the same quality, and achieve the same quality by taking more time (producing less).
Marc
| | | | | Not a bad idea. | Sep 28, 2003 |
MarcPrior wrote: Order the rates and salaries survey, GBP 10 from the ITI at www.iti.org.uk. Instead of thinking in terms of charging less than experienced translators (presumably for lower quality), aim to charge the same amount for the same quality, and achieve the same quality by taking more time (producing less). Marc
That is a neat proposition Marc.But would your clients allow you the luxury of producing 500 words per day? They dont give you time to play with words. Many a time you are left with the feeling that you could have done much better. The Dead Line is like a rope around your neck where quality gets sacrificed for sheer quantity.
| | | | | Very good point | Sep 28, 2003 |
Syeda Tanbira Zaman wrote:
calculate a descent rate by simply dividing your expected daily income (which you consider reasonable by your standards ) by 1000.
get-rich quick expectations aside, this is the only good way to compete within your market.
| | | | Marc P (X)
Local time: 06:17
German to English
+ ...
Syeda Tanbira Zaman wrote:
would your clients allow you the luxury of producing 500 words per day? They don't give you time to play with words.
Mine give me time. When I'm working in an unfamiliar area (which I try to avoid anyway if at all possible), I need lots of time, and if I don't get it, I don't accept the job. If you work very thoroughly, particularly with regard to research and background reading on the subject, you are not only providing your customers with better translations, but are also training yourself as you go along, and you become able to translate more quickly in that field as a result.
Marc
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| DEAD LINE OR LIFE LINE | Sep 30, 2003 |
MarcPrior wrote:
Mine give me time. When I'm working in an unfamiliar area (which I try to avoid anyway if at all possible), I need lots of time, and if I don't get it, I don't accept the job. If you work very thoroughly, particularly with regard to research and background reading on the subject, you are not only providing your customers with better translations, but are also training yourself as you go along, and you become able to translate more quickly in that field as a result.
Marc
Yours is an ideal situation what we all aspire for. But it does not happen most of the time. I hope that the clients read this.
| | | | lien
Netherlands
Local time: 06:17
English to French
+ ...
| Thank you very much | Oct 3, 2003 |
Syeda Tanbira Zaman wrote:
Alternatively you can calculate a descent rate by simply dividing your expected daily income (which you consider reasonable by your standards ) by 1000. It worked for me.
[Edited at 2003-09-28 15:58]
for the tip ! Made things much easier to me.
| | | | Marc P (X)
Local time: 06:17
German to English
+ ...
| Dead line or life line | Oct 3, 2003 |
Yours is an ideal situation what we all aspire for. But it does not happen most of the time. I hope that the clients read this.
You have to make it happen. It is dependent upon you, not your clients.
I can understand that if you have the choice between doing a job in an unfamiliar field and starving, you do the job an in unfamiliar field. That stark choice is not the most common scenario, though. It is much more likely that a relatively inexperienced translator will be asked by an existing (agency) customer whether they can do a job in an unfamiliar field or to an excessively tight deadline, and will be reluctant to refuse for fear of losing the customer altogether. Translators need to realize that by concentrating on jobs in the fields they do best and with acceptable deadlines, they are improving their value to customers, at least to the type of customers who are worth having. Price and service (availability, fast turnaround) are obviously aspects, but must be kept in perspective with the essential factor of translation quality.
Marc
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José Luis Villanueva-Senchuk (X)
Argentina
Local time: 01:17
English to Spanish
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lien wrote: Syeda Tanbira Zaman wrote:
Alternatively you can calculate a descent rate by simply dividing your expected daily income (which you consider reasonable by your standards ) by 1000. It worked for me.
[Edited at 2003-09-28 15:58] for the tip ! Made things much easier to me.
Tell your friends about it. I call it the SKWD Scale(Syeda's Kilo Words per Day Scale).
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