Translation rates in Scandinavia Thread poster: Laura Gómez
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Laura Gómez
Spain
Local time: 05:39
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Dear all,
I have received an offer from a Scandinavian translation and they are asking me about my price expectations per source work. This company has many branches in different countries, including Spain so I guess that I should ask a rate which is "normal" in Spain at the moment.
Any help?
Thanks so much.
NB: Please let me know if I haven't posted my question in the right forum.
Best regards
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2008-04-30 16:53]... See more Dear all,
I have received an offer from a Scandinavian translation and they are asking me about my price expectations per source work. This company has many branches in different countries, including Spain so I guess that I should ask a rate which is "normal" in Spain at the moment.
Any help?
Thanks so much.
NB: Please let me know if I haven't posted my question in the right forum.
Best regards
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2008-04-30 16:53]
"Sorry about capital letters!"
[Editado a las 2008-04-30 16:56] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Natalia Elo 
Germany
Local time: 05:39
English to Russian
+ ...
| Simply charge YOUR normal rate | Apr 30, 2008 |
Dear Laura,
I'm sorry, but I don't really see any point in your question. Let's say you charge 10 cents per source word in Spain and I tell you that a normal rate in Sweden is 2 cents per word. Would you be happy with that? Don't think so.
Just deal with this company as you would deal with any other new client. If you want to have a bit more than your normal rate, just ask them for that.
Best regards,
Natalia
| | | | | respect for Scandinavian colleagues | May 1, 2008 |
I think you are right to inform yourself on the ongoing rates in Scandinavian countries. Although that might be a bit complex, it's only fair to try in order not to undersell yourself and do your colleagues a disservice.
| | | | Laura Gómez
Spain
Local time: 05:39
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Dear Natalia, | May 1, 2008 |
I just try to get some useful information, nothing else. I think it is fair to do it. Thanks.
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Laura Gómez
Spain
Local time: 05:39
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
I think you are right to inform yourself on the ongoing rates in Scandinavian countries. Although that might be a bit complex, it's only fair to try in order not to undersell yourself and do your colleagues a disservice.
Thank you very much for your support. I do not think it is such a strange question myself.
| | | | | Around 30% more than in Nordic countries (Germany, the Netherlands,...) | May 1, 2008 |
I agree with Giovanni. My sister works for a Scandinavian agency and she gets around 15 eurocents per word (English into Dutch; depends on the subject). Spanish may be slightly lower.
| | | | | It's a global market | May 2, 2008 |
Marijke wrote:
I agree with Giovanni. My sister works for a Scandinavian agency and she gets around 15 eurocents per word (English into Dutch; depends on the subject). Spanish may be slightly lower.
Sorry guys, but this is nonsense.
Sure, there are some agencies here in Scandinavia that pay premium rates. But that means that they are:
1. ...paying for rare language combinations, or for translators who are actually based in the Nordic countries (for jobs that demand local experience and knowledge of the society and colloquial expressions).
If you live outside of the Nordic countries, you don't have that unique selling point.
2. ...stupid enough to overpay for something that is available cheaper. No offence, but if you have a very common language pair, it's a global market, and it only takes a single search on Proz for an agency to find the best value for money!
Laura, pretend for a second that you are an agency rep. Make a search on Proz for a hypothetical job, given one of your language pairs and specialities. How many hits come up? As an agency rep from Scandinavia, would you choose a freelancer that charges 15 eurocent or 11 eurocent? It's a simple as that...
/J
[Edited at 2008-05-02 09:50]
| | | | Laura Gómez
Spain
Local time: 05:39
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Marijke wrote:
I agree with Giovanni. My sister works for a Scandinavian agency and she gets around 15 eurocents per word (English into Dutch; depends on the subject). Spanish may be slightly lower.
Dear Marijke,
thanks for your advise. I just love your Spiderman!
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Laura Gómez
Spain
Local time: 05:39
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you very much,
I understand your point and you are right. My question was just to know a bit more about this kind of things work out of my country.
Regards.
J-a-n S-ndstr-m wrote: Marijke wrote:
I agree with Giovanni. My sister works for a Scandinavian agency and she gets around 15 eurocents per word (English into Dutch; depends on the subject). Spanish may be slightly lower. Sorry guys, but this is nonsense. Sure, there are some agencies here in Scandinavia that pay premium rates. But that means that they are: 1. ...paying for rare language combinations, or for translators who are actually based in the Nordic countries (for jobs that demand local experience and knowledge of the society and colloquial expressions). If you live outside of the Nordic countries, you don't have that unique selling point. 2. ...stupid enough to overpay for something that is available cheaper. No offence, but if you have a very common language pair, it's a global market, and it only takes a single search on Proz for an agency to find the best value for money! Laura, pretend for a second that you are an agency rep. Make a search on Proz for a hypothetical job, given one of your language pairs and specialities. How many hits come up? As an agency rep from Scandinavia, would you choose a freelancer that charges 15 eurocent or 11 eurocent? It's a simple as that... /J [Edited at 2008-05-02 09:50]
| | | | Laura Gómez
Spain
Local time: 05:39
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks for your point, J-a-n S-ndstr-m. I think your reason is very valid. I just wanted to know how things work in these kind of cases.
Regards,
J-a-n S-ndstr-m wrote: Marijke wrote:
I agree with Giovanni. My sister works for a Scandinavian agency and she gets around 15 eurocents per word (English into Dutch; depends on the subject). Spanish may be slightly lower. Sorry guys, but this is nonsense. Sure, there are some agencies here in Scandinavia that pay premium rates. But that means that they are: 1. ...paying for rare language combinations, or for translators who are actually based in the Nordic countries (for jobs that demand local experience and knowledge of the society and colloquial expressions). If you live outside of the Nordic countries, you don't have that unique selling point. 2. ...stupid enough to overpay for something that is available cheaper. No offence, but if you have a very common language pair, it's a global market, and it only takes a single search on Proz for an agency to find the best value for money! Laura, pretend for a second that you are an agency rep. Make a search on Proz for a hypothetical job, given one of your language pairs and specialities. How many hits come up? As an agency rep from Scandinavia, would you choose a freelancer that charges 15 eurocent or 11 eurocent? It's a simple as that... /J [Edited at 2008-05-02 09:50]
| | | | | 15 Eurocents is good I think. | May 8, 2008 |
Living in Sweden I would not work for less than 10 Eurocents/word.
My normal rates for translation-work through an agency is 12 Eurocents/word. When I'm working with a client directly I usually charge 15-20 Eurocents/word.
I really have no idea if these are standard-rates in the Nordic region though.
[Edited at 2008-05-08 12:09]
| | | | Stephanie Sirot (X)
Canada
Local time: 20:39
English to French
+ ...
| Just give them your rates | May 11, 2008 |
I think you should just give them your rates, i.e. what you would normally charge. You shouldn't necessarily adapt your rates to the country where the agency/client is.
As a member pointed out, you don't live in Scandinavia, so you don't have that selling feature. You can't just ask for local rates. What if they are lower than yours?
And it is a global market...
Stephanie.
[Edited at 2008-05-11 22:58]
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| High rates - highest cost of living... | May 28, 2008 |
I'm a Brit living and working in Norway. Norwegian companies pay high rates for my services, and rightly so. In a country where a beer costs a fiver and VAT is 25%, we have somewhat higher living costs than you lucky folk in sunny Spain, to put it mildly.
After a while you build up a base of clients and can pick and choose who to work for, and get paid what you believe you are worth. It took me several years but it does happen. Now and again I may lose a job to a cheaper translator,... See more I'm a Brit living and working in Norway. Norwegian companies pay high rates for my services, and rightly so. In a country where a beer costs a fiver and VAT is 25%, we have somewhat higher living costs than you lucky folk in sunny Spain, to put it mildly.
After a while you build up a base of clients and can pick and choose who to work for, and get paid what you believe you are worth. It took me several years but it does happen. Now and again I may lose a job to a cheaper translator, but my clients tend to approach me right away and not post jobs anywhere else now. It's a great position to be in, but I work very hard for it.
Give good service, you'll get well paid. Simple, but true.
Now it's time for a five-quid pint in the sun, as it happens... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Stephanie Sirot (X)
Canada
Local time: 20:39
English to French
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| The point is that she doesn't live in Norway | May 31, 2008 |
Andrew Higgs wrote:
I'm a Brit living and working in Norway. Norwegian companies pay high rates for my services, and rightly so. In a country where a beer costs a fiver and VAT is 25%, we have somewhat higher living costs than you lucky folk in sunny Spain, to put it mildly.
After a while you build up a base of clients and can pick and choose who to work for, and get paid what you believe you are worth. It took me several years but it does happen. Now and again I may lose a job to a cheaper translator, but my clients tend to approach me right away and not post jobs anywhere else now. It's a great position to be in, but I work very hard for it.
Give good service, you'll get well paid. Simple, but true.
Now it's time for a five-quid pint in the sun, as it happens...
Sure, but Laura doesn't live in Norway, that's the whole point. And she works in English/Spanish, which is more common than English/Norwegian.
But one can definitely try to ask for the normal rates in Scandinavia. If you don't ask for something, you will never get it!
Stephanie.
| | | | | If you don't live in an expensive country, you can't charge higher rates on that basis | Jun 2, 2008 |
Exactly Stephanie, I am agreeing with the point you previously made. You can't charge Scandinavian rates based on the cost of living if you don't live here, just as I don't work for Indian rates for Indian companies as I cannot get by on the amount they pay.
It comes down to charging what you are worth, and building relationships where both parties are satisfied. If an agency is prepared to pay you Scandavian rates then so much the better...
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