The eternal problem of the word rate (or line rate)
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| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | | User | Thread poster: Astrid Elke Johnson The eternal problem of the word rate (or line rate) |
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Marie-Hélène Hayles 
Italy
 Member (2004)
Italian to English
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Agree with Debs
Lawyer-Linguist wrote:
There are plenty of agencies out there who will place a few thousand euros per month with a competent legal translator at very decent rates, especially in a language pair like German/Dutch to English.
Debs |
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If you work in a niche specialisation it should be easy to become "the" translator in that field for a given agency and regularly invoice hundreds or even thousands a month with them.
[Edited at 2008-06-30 09:41]
| | | | NMR
France
French to Dutch
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Agencies generally prefer mean prices, but I think we always have the right to make a quote if there is something special. The problem is that if you started with a mean price for, say, tourism or commercial work, the agency always comes back later with legal texts and want them to be done at the same price. Sometimes I even ask myself if this is not a system, or a method to keep prices down. Most agencies have different price scales for different kinds of work for their clients, and don't hesitate to add some 30% or 50% in special cases. So, let us do the same. That's why I always reserve the right to make quotes, even to agencies, if there is something special: big files, Powerpoint files, DTP, technical texts, proofreading, files asking for special software, etc. In all other cases (the "normal" work) I leave it as it is, and my regular clients know my prices, in most cases the translation comes along with the PO.
If you make a quote, there should always be a balance between the word price and the time you are going to spend. With some experience you can evaluate this. If you are not sure about how much to quote, take the highest one of the two. And... you are never obliged to take a job, if it isn't feasable at "their" price, leave it to others!
Good luck.
[Modifié le 2008-06-30 10:49]
 
| | | | anjoboira
Spain
Member (2003)
English to Dutch
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| | Branch out to agencies | Jun 30 |
It seems you have a problem with direct clients sending you small jobs asking you to do extra work as well.
My direct clients pay a lot more (and have smaller jobs) than my agency clients, but I do 'educate' them - and all my clients for that matter: if the document is not available in word, e.g. it's a pdf: +15%, and weekend or night jobs are not on, unless there is a reason for it, but not as a rule.
Agency clients often have larger jobs on offer, in this respect technical translation is a niche as well. Manuals generally provide you with a large volume, larger than your average contract (although I am now reviewing an 11,000 words Licence agreement, it does exist ...).
I also have a different rate for legal and technical translation, as legal translations generally take more time. The same goes for my review rates.
Another bonus when working for large agencies is that you get the translation delivered in the format it should be translated in (.itd for instance for SDLX), often there is a TM available, you return the file and you are sure there is quality assurance procedure.
As was remarked before, if you translate manuals or legal texts, your turnover with one single agency could be quite high. I also have a small "fixed" client base providing a large volume and my client base has changed slightly over the years, depending on their willingness to pay higher rates.
| | | | Tatty
Spain
Spanish to English
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| | And your weekends... | Jul 1 |
I have no experience of this situation with end clients but I understand your fears. Why don't you just restate your case when a fresh start comes along, such as after summer; September is like a new year in Spain, failing that after Christmas. Just tell them that you really feel that you need to make some changes.
While I know money is important, I personally would be really worried about my weekends and evenings, about my life. Why don't you think about oursourcing and then checking it yourself. And add this to your fresh start package. Merely suggestions.
| | | | Viktoria Gimbe
Canada
Member (2005)
English to French
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1. Diversify your clientele
2. Have your clients appreciate the work you do
3. Present your price structures/quotes/processes differently to new clients until you get what you want from them - and then you can make a take-it-or-leave-it offer to established clients
The first point is obvious. By having more clients, you create more demand for your services. Then, you end up with more revenue, but also with a client base large enough so that, in case clients are not willing to pay you the way you want, you can always drop some without fearing to be out of work.
The second point is a very important one, but it is also the single most ignored factor. It is fairly simple. When you quote on a job, don't just say "I will charge XYZ per word for this project." Instead, break down all your tasks, the time you spend on each of them and the amount you attribute to each of them. It would look something like this:
Translation: 2300 words / 10 hours / $230 (provided you charge ten cents per word)
OCR: 1.5 hours / $15 (provided you charge $10 per hour)
Proofreading: 2 hours / $20 (provided you charge $10 per hour)
Glossary creation: 1 hour / $10 (provided you charge $10 per hour)
TOTAL: $275
This way, your client understands what your work entails, knows you work hard to produce that quality translation s/he is expecting and will have an appreciation of the fact that all those little freebies cost you time in your day. This also gives you an edge for negotiation. If, for example, the client would rather pay $250 for this job, you can offer them to leave out the OCR and the glossary creation if they can do without (see with them if they really need all of the services you initially offered them). When you charge for this same job, once again, lay out the diffferent tasks on the invoice so the client sees what exactly s/he is getting. Basically, it's about telling them what goes into a translation - it is often much more than just plain translation.
If you feel like giving them freebies, you can still do that - but put the items you give to them free on the quote and on the invoice with their dollar amounts, so the client knows how much he is saving and so that s/he knows that you normally charge for these, so they don't take those services for granted.
The third point is easy. You may not be in a position to change your price structure throughout with established clients, but you can offer your new structure to new clients. Once part of your clientele has accepted this, you can start changing things with your established clients. If you pick up a few regular clients in the meantime, it will not hurt you as much to end your relationship with older clients who have a hard time with your new price structure.
All the best!
[Edited at 2008-07-01 16:32]
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