How do you decide your discounted rate?

Thayenga wrote:

Right upfront, a "long-term collaboration" is no reason at all to grant a discount. The result would be that you might end up spending most of your time for that client (if other projects then materialize) only to struggle to make ends meet.

Three US cents are neither a rate nor an offer, but plain ridiculous. If I was in your shoes, I'd simply thank that company for their offer, which I, unfortunately, will have to reject on the grounds that I simply can't afford to work at that rate. Click send, then delete their email.

The due dates of payments do vary, however, more than 30 days, especially with clients from Europe, is unacceptable. After all, you're a translator, not a bank (I assume ). And even if you were a bank, you would definitely charge interest for that loan.

It is upon us, the translators, who need to fight dumping rates. After all, the customers can't be blamed for wanting to get top notch translations for crumbs.

[Edited at 2020-01-12 12:41 GMT]

Thayenga wrote:
It is upon us, the translators, who need to fight dumping rates. After all, the customers can't be blamed for wanting to get top notch translations for crumbs

Sheila Wilson wrote:


I couldn't agree more. Further, it's up to us to run our businesses profitably and in a way that will help them thrive. So we don't just want instant profit; we want happy clients who will return and recommend us to others.

We can't set your rate for you, Harija, but I contend that it isnt .15 if you never get paid that. Perhaps it would be better to set a more realistic rate and then stick to it. Doing commercial translations for free does nothing but harm to us all, but there are instances where you may want to negotiate lower rates because it's economically viable: for repetitive texts, for longer texts with particularly relaxed deadlines, maybe for fast payment, etc.

I would never personally ask an established business to pay in advance. Businesses in my area of the world (Europe) have always paid other businesses "on account". But I rarely accept more than a 30-day wait and I'm happy to report that in 20+ years as a freelancer no job has ever been unpaid, apart from two bankruptcies and one €12.50 invoice I preferred to write off. I have had to sue one and been just short of it on another few occasions, but I don't think that's too bad in such a long time. Consumers, OTOH, are used to paying in advance.

Edward Potter wrote:

You did a good job by stating your selling price despite the discrepancy of the buying price. On the stock market it is called "the spread". The spread is constantly changing and depends on different factors. If the numbers don't come together then there is no sale, which seems to be your case here. You can either try negotiating more, or simply move on.

It is a numbers game. You should be trying to get as many offers as possible. Good luck.

Harija Riza Khamal wrote:

Hello everyone,

How much do you charge? How low would you go in discounting your rates? What are the factors for you to cut your rate? Is there anyone here with a 50% upfront payment before beginning a project or that's unknown in the translation industry? Do you just agree to the terms of your client or as a business, you say your terms too -- I wanna be paid, full or partial, upfront. How long do you wait for your payment? What's the easiest way to receive your fee if your client is from another country?

My rate is at .15/word, although the highest I got paid was .10/word many years ago.

So this week, I was approached with a .03/word (US$), and according to the client, this is a long term project with possibly million words. I find the offer waaaaaaaaaaaaay too low

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Anyway, I am confident in my translation capability but I always get offered peanuts rate (from the outsourcers who found me here), to which I refuse the project often, or I just do it voluntarily, especially if the material is short to which really easy for me to do -- because waiting for the payment of $20 takes 6 months, lol. I remember, one time, because of the intricacy of getting the payment, I donated my fee to someone in the outsourcer's country.

I look forward to your guidance, thank you.

Tom in London wrote:
I never give a discounted rate. I always apply my standard rate and then, on a case by case basis, I *might* offer a discount on the total cost of a particular job. But my rate stays the same.

If you discount your rate, you'll find that people expect the same discounted rate the next time - so you'll never get back to where you should be.