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Rates to proofread a script
Thread poster: cendrine marrouat (X)
cendrine marrouat (X)
cendrine marrouat (X)
English to French
+ ...
Jun 19, 2004

Hello all!
I have a question regarding proofreading. Someone wants me to proofread a translation they did themselves (100 pages).
I was wondering what's the usual rate for that type of work. Do you usually charge per page, per hour, per word?
Thanks a lot.
 
Margaret Schroeder
Margaret Schroeder  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 23:25
Spanish to English
+ ...
Define task, see text first Jun 19, 2004

The first step is to clarify what proofreading means to the client. Words like "proofreading" and "editing" are used differently by different people, regardless of their formal definitions. Therefore it is important to determine whether you are being asked only to correct things that are expressed badly or wrongly in the translated script, or also to compare it with the original to verify that it correctly expresses the meaning of the original.

Secondly, the time and effort you requ... See more
The first step is to clarify what proofreading means to the client. Words like "proofreading" and "editing" are used differently by different people, regardless of their formal definitions. Therefore it is important to determine whether you are being asked only to correct things that are expressed badly or wrongly in the translated script, or also to compare it with the original to verify that it correctly expresses the meaning of the original.

Secondly, the time and effort you require could vary by a huge factor. Imagine a text so well-written that you only have to read it and perhaps correct a mistake every few pages. At the other extreme, imagine a text so poor that you can hardly decipher what it means, and your advice will be to have it retranslated properly because that would be less effort than fixing it as it is. It is no exaggeration to say that the difference in time between these two extremes could vary by a factor of 30 times or even more.

You could ask to see the text and calculate an estimate of the time you will require based on a sample. Be sure to select at least 5 different sample passages not only from the beginning of the script but also around the middle, the end, and some places in between.

[Edited at 2004-06-20 00:45] ▲ Collapse
 


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Rates to proofread a script







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