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Translation - art & business » Money matters »
Pricing for translation of a musical play
Thread poster: Simon Geoghegan
Simon Geoghegan
Simon Geoghegan  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:48
Russian to English
Oct 6, 2005

Hi,
Does anyone out there have any experience of pricing for a literary translation of a "musical".

It is going to involve a number of lengthy revisions and like all musicals includes the translation of dialogue and song lyrics.

My problem is two fold. Firstly, how to charge for my time when confronted with lenghthy revisions and re-writes. Secondly, how to charge so that I am being paid properly for the generally more difficult and time consuming job of transl... See more
Hi,
Does anyone out there have any experience of pricing for a literary translation of a "musical".

It is going to involve a number of lengthy revisions and like all musicals includes the translation of dialogue and song lyrics.

My problem is two fold. Firstly, how to charge for my time when confronted with lenghthy revisions and re-writes. Secondly, how to charge so that I am being paid properly for the generally more difficult and time consuming job of translating song lyrics.

For obvious reasons my usual method of charging per thousand words doesn't fit the bill in this case.

I would be most grateful if anyone has any suggestions or can share their experiences of pricing for this or similar types of jobs.

Many thanks in advance.

Simon Geoghegan ▲ Collapse
 
Davíd Lavie
Davíd Lavie
United States
Local time: 12:48
Russian to English
+ ...
Context, Atmosphere, Authors' Idiosyncrasies Oct 6, 2005

Simon,

First, congratulations on the chance to translate a musical. As far as I know, most musicals being translated in the Russian/English pair have been going in the opposite direction.

Should you have the opportunity to first sit down with the authors, be assured that every minute spent with, and every question asked of them *up front* will save you precious time in the process of translation and editing/re-writing.

I would specify a flat rate that take... See more
Simon,

First, congratulations on the chance to translate a musical. As far as I know, most musicals being translated in the Russian/English pair have been going in the opposite direction.

Should you have the opportunity to first sit down with the authors, be assured that every minute spent with, and every question asked of them *up front* will save you precious time in the process of translation and editing/re-writing.

I would specify a flat rate that takes into account either: 1) a certain number of versions/re-writes or 2) hours spent translating or editing (no. 2 may be harder to implement adn control). Anything beyond that initial figure should be charged at a pre-negotiated rate (which, depending on the comfort level of those paying, may also be flat).

Time limits are also important. For reasons of funding, intra-production-company political jockeying and creative perturbances, it may sometimes be in the interests of those commissioning the translation to delay things like final-final versions of the original (and therefore payment) as the translation is either in the third trimester or already finished. Make sure to specify a time frame within which - as they say in the UK, come rain or come rain - you must be paid for the work done as of a certain date.

Best,


Gennady ▲ Collapse
 
Simon Geoghegan
Simon Geoghegan  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:48
Russian to English
TOPIC STARTER
Many thanks Gennady Oct 7, 2005

Gennady,
Many thanks for your comments and for sharing your experience. They were extremely useful - especially as I have to talk to the producer today!

Once again many thanks for your time.

Best Regards,

Simon Geoghegan
 
Davíd Lavie
Davíd Lavie
United States
Local time: 12:48
Russian to English
+ ...
Sure thing, Simon, Oct 7, 2005

Simon Geoghegan wrote:

Gennady,
Many thanks for your comments and for sharing your experience. They were extremely useful - especially as I have to talk to the producer today!

Once again many thanks for your time.

Best Regards,

Simon Geoghegan



 
Davíd Lavie
Davíd Lavie
United States
Local time: 12:48
Russian to English
+ ...
Sure thing, Simon, Oct 7, 2005

Let me know how it turns out. It's always useful to learn from the experience of others, especially in a varied and unpredictable industry such as musical theatre.

Best,


Gennady

Simon Geoghegan wrote:

Gennady,
Many thanks for your comments and for sharing your experience. They were extremely useful - especially as I have to talk to the producer today!

Once again many thanks for your time.

Best Regards,

Simon Geoghegan



 


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Pricing for translation of a musical play


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