Translation - art & business » Getting established »
Subtitling for beginners: how to price? What else do I need to know?
Thread poster: Stephanie Dostal-Buchner
Stephanie Dostal-Buchner
Stephanie Dostal-Buchner
Local time: 15:57
English to German
+ ...
Jun 5, 2002

Am a German freelance translator who\'s very keen on getting into the subtitling business. Are there any standards for quoting prices? What else do I need to know?
 
Félix Saiz
Félix Saiz  Identity Verified
Spain
English to Spanish
+ ...
The Beginner's Guide to Subtitling Jun 5, 2002

This is a great site, it will surely help:



http://armitage.crinkle.net/karinkuru/howtosub/index.shtml



Best regards,



Félix

Gabriel Turcato
 
Katza
Katza
Local time: 16:57
English to Romanian
+ ...
Several Questions Jul 19, 2002

There are several aspects you need to check into prior to accepting a contract, to avoid unpleasant surprises later on.



First, there are the technical aspects: some agencies accept 40 characters per title (including spaces), others only want 37 characters. Furthermore, some agencies accept working in the rehearse mode (i.e. cueing the title when you hear the character starts to speak), others want you to be frame accurate (i.e. inputting the title at the exact frame when the... See more
There are several aspects you need to check into prior to accepting a contract, to avoid unpleasant surprises later on.



First, there are the technical aspects: some agencies accept 40 characters per title (including spaces), others only want 37 characters. Furthermore, some agencies accept working in the rehearse mode (i.e. cueing the title when you hear the character starts to speak), others want you to be frame accurate (i.e. inputting the title at the exact frame when the character starts speaking).



If you\'re new in this field and you don\'t know all the aspects relating to subtitling, ask the agency or the client for their specific standards - that will help you avoid subsequent disagreements.



As for the rates, as far as I know you\'re supposed to charge by the minute, not by the title. The current European standards (again, from what I know, and I won\'t claim to be an expert) are between $2 and $2.5 per minute.



Try looking for other postings in the forums, by using the keyword \"subtitling\". There are some links and ideas you might find useful.



Hope this helps,

Narcisa ▲ Collapse
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jorge Rodrigues[Call to this topic]
Rita Pang[Call to this topic]
James Heppe-Smith[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Subtitling for beginners: how to price? What else do I need to know?







TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »
CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »