Need help coming up with a quote (new translator) Thread poster: Jonathan Smith (X)
|
|---|
Jonathan Smith (X) 
Canada
Local time: 13:31
German to English
Good day, everyone!
I have received a local project offer for a 165-page document of 50,000 words. My work up to this point has been short documents (news releases, etc.), and I charge a fairly low per word rate.
The person offering the project would like a quote, and so I'm wondering if someone might help me. Do you have any suggestions or any advice from your experience, what you might do in this situation, etc. I'd like to know what more experienced translators have ... See more Good day, everyone!
I have received a local project offer for a 165-page document of 50,000 words. My work up to this point has been short documents (news releases, etc.), and I charge a fairly low per word rate.
The person offering the project would like a quote, and so I'm wondering if someone might help me. Do you have any suggestions or any advice from your experience, what you might do in this situation, etc. I'd like to know what more experienced translators have to say with regard to hours and charges, etc.
Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for looking.
Jonathan Smith. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Raise your rate, multiply by word count | Feb 13, 2007 |
It is relatively easy, raise your rate (what about 0.15 instead of 0.12) and multiply it with 50,000.
Thats about it. Don't lower your rate!
Siegfried
| | | | Wenjer Leuschel (X)
Taiwan
Local time: 01:31
English to Chinese
+ ...
| Volume discounts in translation don't make sense. | Feb 13, 2007 |
Siegfried Armbruster wrote:
It is relatively easy, raise your rate (what about 0.15 instead of 0.12) and multiply it with 50,000.
Thats about it. Don't lower your rate!
Siegfried
Right, don't lower your rate.
Remember that there is a timeframe. If it is tight, say less than 42 days, you would need help from colleagues for translating, proofreading and editing to catch up the deadline and ensure the quality. That would cost you more than doing short documents on your own. Solely for that reason, you should not lower your rate.
Even if they let you plenty of time to do the whole job on your own, don't lower your rate. As one colleague puts it: "Translation is not scalable. Volume discounts in translation don't make sense." (Per N. Döhler)
- Wenjer
| | | | | Break it down | Feb 13, 2007 |
If you are asked to quote on a large project and you have no experience with projects of this size it is always helpful to break the project down into more palatable pieces.
You should have some idea of how many words you can translate in one day, so you could break down 50.000 words into the number of days you have to work on them. Include some time for preparations, terminology work, editing and proofreading.
Then you know approximately how long it will take you.
... See more If you are asked to quote on a large project and you have no experience with projects of this size it is always helpful to break the project down into more palatable pieces.
You should have some idea of how many words you can translate in one day, so you could break down 50.000 words into the number of days you have to work on them. Include some time for preparations, terminology work, editing and proofreading.
Then you know approximately how long it will take you.
And then you can check what money you wish to earn in that time to make it worth your effort. You have to live and pay bills etc. and some translators even wish to have some fun from time to time, so they have to have exceptionally high rates ...
This way you can find out, what rate you can afford. And then you can decide whether you really wish to get the job and offer for a relatively low rate, e.g. if you wish to name it as a reference in the future or just gain experience with larger projects. But you should calculate a healthy minimum, which still enables you to live. No job is worth going lower than that!
On the other hand you could decide to quote higher to leave some room for negotiating or just because you have enough work anyway.
A day-based calculation can also help you manage larger projects . You can set daily goals and thus always know if you are still on schedule. This is how I do it with books, for example.
Good luck and have fun! ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Ralf Lemster
Germany
Local time: 19:31
English to German
+ ...
| Moving the thread... | Feb 13, 2007 |
...to the 'Getting Established' forum.
Please use this forum for postings in German only - thanks!
Best regards,
Ralf
| | | | Daniel Bird
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:31
German to English
| Be realistic... | Feb 13, 2007 |
...especially about the timeframe. A project schedule that might seem generous can soon be eaten into by the unexpected. Never underestimate the ugly factor.
As for rates, suggest keeping them at your maximum and hold your nerve.
Good luck.
DB
| | | | Buck
Netherlands
Local time: 19:31
Dutch to English
| Translation is not scalable | Feb 18, 2007 |
I agree. Do you think, say, a lawyer, would lower his fee just because someone was giving him a lot of work? I always think its funny when someone asks for a discount simply because they are offering a big job. Unfortunately, it is common in the Netherlands.
[Edited at 2007-02-18 15:22]
| | | | Jonathan Smith (X)
Canada
Local time: 13:31
German to English
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for the help, folks! | Feb 18, 2007 |
Hello again everyone,
Thanks so much for your replies, they are much appreciated. I will offer the potential client a quote with my usual rate -- if I get it, good, and if I don't, then that's good, too.
It's interesting how people are often a little shocked by the price of larger translations, at least when they don't really understand the specialized nature of the work involved.
Take care, everyone.
| | |
|
|
|
| Large jobs, discounts etc | Feb 24, 2007 |
There are a few points about large translations on http://portreference.com/000001-Pricing.htm . It's from how I dealt with a 75,000 word job once.
In short I left it to the client to decide how many portions he'd want the job done in and asked him to pay for each in advance. I suggested around 10 portions. He paid 50% for the first in advance 40% for the second part in advance. T... See more There are a few points about large translations on http://portreference.com/000001-Pricing.htm . It's from how I dealt with a 75,000 word job once.
In short I left it to the client to decide how many portions he'd want the job done in and asked him to pay for each in advance. I suggested around 10 portions. He paid 50% for the first in advance 40% for the second part in advance. The final payment was when I finished, since the source was actual booklets and not by email or Word format or some way that the words could be pre-calculated.
There's more in that article about how to give discounts without really giving discounts. In saying that, I think you already got the idea ▲ Collapse
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Need help coming up with a quote (new translator) | Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.
More info » |
| | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
