transcription rates Thread poster: imane stanton
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I am doing my first so called transcription and translation job. The mmeting itself lasts 2 hours + poor quality and there is a small doc to translate as well.
I am charging by the hour then wondered whether they were expecting me to charge 2 hours??? it certainly willtake way longer than that. Any feedback would be much appreciated.
| | | | samehme
United States
Local time: 17:55
English to Arabic
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| You should charge by hour of work and.. | Sep 9, 2008 |
not the duration of the video. Of course, it will take you more to transcribe the video.. From my experience, it may take 3-5 hours of work transcribing one hour of video.
Good luck,
Sameh
| | | | Textpertise 
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:55
Member (2008)
Dutch to English
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| 4 to 6 hours is average for good sound quality | Sep 9, 2008 |
Have been transcribing and supervising transcription since 1974. An average typist with a good speed will take between 4 to 6 hours per hour of original to transcribe recorded material which is clearly audible. If the material is not of optimum sound quality or there is background noise or if it is a group discussion with people interrupting each other, it is impossible to tell how long transcription will take and therefore it is very difficult to quote on this type of job. You need to estimate ... See more Have been transcribing and supervising transcription since 1974. An average typist with a good speed will take between 4 to 6 hours per hour of original to transcribe recorded material which is clearly audible. If the material is not of optimum sound quality or there is background noise or if it is a group discussion with people interrupting each other, it is impossible to tell how long transcription will take and therefore it is very difficult to quote on this type of job. You need to estimate and you can often lose out. If those instructing you are in any way experienced, they should realise that it will be more than two hours of transcription time. However, you should always make this clear when you quote. ▲ Collapse
| | | | JPW (X)
Local time: 01:55
Spanish to English
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| Just a general point- | Sep 9, 2008 |
If those instructing you are in any way experienced, they should realise that it will be more than two hours of transcription time. However, you should always make this clear when you quote.
Absolutely.
You need to estimate and you can often lose out.
It doesn't have to be like that.
If you quote, and they accept, then your hands are tied if it takes substantially longer than you thought.
If you give an estimate and make it clear that you may have to revise (upwards) depending on the quality, then you are free to do so (within reason of course). And they should accept that.
So, it's the difference between quoting a price and estimating a price. If you are in doubt about the quality of the material supplied, it is safer to give an estimate.
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1279 (X)
Local time: 20:55
| Transcription takes much longer than it seems like it should | Sep 9, 2008 |
If you are in doubt about the quality of the material supplied, it is safer to give an estimate.
I like this idea, although I've never done it myself.
I do a lot of transcription as well, and I've settled on a per-audio-minute rate that pretty much always nets me a per-hour rate in my target range. However, it always varies slightly depending on the recording quality. I would definitely listen to a sample of audio from a new client before quoting the project, because some audio is really difficult and I would charge more. Since you haven't done much of this kind of work before, you might even consider transcribing a few minutes of the audio before you get the job, just so that you don't quote way too low. (Consider it a small investment in your sanity. When I first started transcribing a couple of years ago, I wasn't sure about how to charge either...so my first job took me about a week to complete and I earned about $90.) Frankly, with a recording such as the one you described, I can't imagine it would take you any less than three full business days to transcribe verbatim (using a pedal!) It is very easy to underestimate the amount of work it takes for transcription/translation. Consider yourself warned!
| | | | Juan Chen
China
Member (2008)
English to Chinese
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| I dislike this kind of job | Sep 11, 2008 |
Low rate and time wasting
| | | | | Average transcritpion rates??? | Nov 19, 2008 |
Hello to everyone!
I was just sent a transcription job offer. It is a less than one hour audio. I really do not have any idea of how to quote this kind of jobs. Can you please give me an example of the rates you apply?
Tanks in advance.
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