Translation - art & business » Money matters »
How to receive payment from Japanese customers/agencies (I am US-based)
Thread poster: zephyr
zephyr
zephyr
Japanese to English
+ ...
Jan 6, 2009

I have a few questions for US-based translators that provide their services to Japan-based customers or agencies.

1) What is the most typical mode of payment? (I suspect wire transfer)
2) Is there a way for customers/agencies to pay online via credit card (JCB, AMEX etc.)? Are you dinged with significant transaction costs?
3) Are International Postal Money Orders used at all as a mode of payment?
4) In the case of wire transfer payments, who absorbs the cost of pa... See more
I have a few questions for US-based translators that provide their services to Japan-based customers or agencies.

1) What is the most typical mode of payment? (I suspect wire transfer)
2) Is there a way for customers/agencies to pay online via credit card (JCB, AMEX etc.)? Are you dinged with significant transaction costs?
3) Are International Postal Money Orders used at all as a mode of payment?
4) In the case of wire transfer payments, who absorbs the cost of payment transmission?
5) Can you share war-stories about the process of getting a "kouza" or account established at an end-customer? (I assume this can be pretty painful)

I am a freelancer looking to do some translation work for my prior employer, a Japanese company. Any pointers will be truly appreciated! ▲ Collapse
 
Stefan de Boeck (X)
Stefan de Boeck (X)  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 04:41
English to Dutch
+ ...
bank transfer Jan 6, 2009

zephyr wrote:
Any pointers...

Typically, I’d say, going from my experience with a Tokyo based translation agency, payment goes as follows:
They pay by bank transfer;
Payment arrives the tenth of any month, provided that day is a working day (in Japan, the US or Europe); if not, it’ll arrive on the first following;
They’ll pay you in USD (or Yen or EUR --being an American you may find this is only natural --it isn’t.)
This’ll cost you as much as your bank charges you for the transfer (with me, it’s a EUR 5 point something fixed fee.)
 


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

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jorge Rodrigues[Call to this topic]
Andriy Bublikov[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 »

How to receive payment from Japanese customers/agencies (I am US-based)







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 »
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! »