correct way of charging Thread poster: Galina F
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Galina F
United States
Local time: 03:23
English to Russian
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Dear colleagues,
help me please with some explanations.
My question might seem a bit funny but I'm lost in it:)
It is about charging the clients for translation.
In Proz profile there is a table of rates per word and per hour.
So it is common for Russia to charge per quantity of characaters or pages for translation, and interpreters are paid per hours of interpretation.
This is how I was thinking - prices per word are given for the translation and prices per h... See more Dear colleagues,
help me please with some explanations.
My question might seem a bit funny but I'm lost in it:)
It is about charging the clients for translation.
In Proz profile there is a table of rates per word and per hour.
So it is common for Russia to charge per quantity of characaters or pages for translation, and interpreters are paid per hours of interpretation.
This is how I was thinking - prices per word are given for the translation and prices per hour concern only interpretation.
I was thinking like this till I talked to my American close one. He said that in America they are paid for the work and also for hours he or she spent doing this work, and his suggest was to charge for the quantity of translated words and also for the quantity of hours spent on this work.
So now I'm wondering how should I charge my clients for being fair to them and to myself:)
Thank you in advance ▲ Collapse
| | | | Hepburn 
France
Local time: 09:23
English to French
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Galina Pakhomova wrote:
I was thinking like this till I talked to my American close one. He said that in America they are paid for the work and also for hours he or she spent doing this work, and his suggest was to charge for the quantity of translated words and also for the quantity of hours spent on this work.
So now I'm wondering how should I charge my clients for being fair to them and to myself:)
Galina, this is the first I have heard of such ways of charging. I know about the American drive but unfortunately my American agencies only pay for "peanuts" per word OR per hour (for proofreading or interpreting), not both - and I do not know of any other way
Would your close one not have played an April fool on you on April 1st?
However, if I am mistaken, I would gleefully jump on the bandwagon or try to
| | | | Galina F
United States
Local time: 03:23
English to Russian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
lol, thank you, Claudette. No, I don't think it was a joke, just the fact is that he isn't related with the translation but working in a different field, so it might be different in other job. So... Thank you for your answer. I feel things getting clearer in my mind:)
| | | | Ralf Lemster
Germany
Local time: 09:23
English to German
+ ...
| No 'right' or 'wrong' way of charging | Apr 5, 2006 |
Hi Galina,
There are common and uncommon ways of charging - but as long as the conventions are agreed upon at the outset, there's no 'wrong' way.
Translations are predominantly charged on the basis of text volume; this can be measured in words, characters, or in other ways (in Germany, for example, it's common to charge by 'line', whereby a line is often defined as 50 or 55 characters including spaces). In any case, it's essential to agree upon in advance whether... See more Hi Galina,
There are common and uncommon ways of charging - but as long as the conventions are agreed upon at the outset, there's no 'wrong' way.
Translations are predominantly charged on the basis of text volume; this can be measured in words, characters, or in other ways (in Germany, for example, it's common to charge by 'line', whereby a line is often defined as 50 or 55 characters including spaces). In any case, it's essential to agree upon in advance whether the invoice will be based on the source or target text.
Even so, from your point of view as a businessperson, these conventions are just measures, as the amount earned per unit of time is important to you.
HTH, Ralf ▲ Collapse
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Galina F
United States
Local time: 03:23
English to Russian
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TOPIC STARTER | You are right | Apr 5, 2006 |
Thank you, Ralf.
You're right, I had to ask about a common way of charging.
Thank you for the information and sharing your experience.
Just I want to be adequate with my international clients and I do esteem the words of my close one, so I just had to check things - the way it works for translation:)
Best wishes,
Galina
| | | | | Another option | Apr 5, 2006 |
Another option could be the transcription and translation of video and/or tapes or DVDs. What I do is to charge for the time I spend reviewing the recorded material by the hour (as we all know a 30 minute interview could translate into 5 hours of transcription work); then the translation of the transcription is charged by word. Some other people charge only an hourly rate for the tape/disc's duration and then present the transcript translated to the client, without turning in the transcript in t... See more Another option could be the transcription and translation of video and/or tapes or DVDs. What I do is to charge for the time I spend reviewing the recorded material by the hour (as we all know a 30 minute interview could translate into 5 hours of transcription work); then the translation of the transcription is charged by word. Some other people charge only an hourly rate for the tape/disc's duration and then present the transcript translated to the client, without turning in the transcript in the original language.
Just as it was mentioned before, there is no right or wrong. You do what you want..... and the free market will judge you. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 03:23
German to English
| Extra charge for additional services | Apr 5, 2006 |
Normally translation charges are based upon the text translated with standard formatting. If, however, you are asked to perform desktop publishing services or extensive translation of graphics, then an additional charge would be in order.
| | | | Galina F
United States
Local time: 03:23
English to Russian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you, Rolando and Kevin. It's interesting and helpful:)
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