Translation - art & business » Money matters »
Format of documents: how much to charge?
Thread poster: Pablo Mayen
Pablo Mayen
Pablo Mayen  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 19:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
Jun 23, 2006

Hello everybody,

Just a little advice (perhaps a thread) on suggestions to charge a customer for DTP (i.e. translation plus formatting) will be greatly appreciated.

Tnak you in advance.

Pablo
 
Dyran Altenburg (X)
Dyran Altenburg (X)  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 21:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
DTP Jun 23, 2006

I charge per hour for DTP (US$50), plus the corresponding translation rate, of course.

--
Dyran
 
Pablo Mayen
Pablo Mayen  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 19:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Dyran Jun 23, 2006

I appreciate your comment.

BTW, what is your choice of DTP software? I'm completely in the dark in this regard...perhaps a DTP for dummies like me?
 
Nicolette Ri (X)
Nicolette Ri (X)
Local time: 03:35
French to Dutch
+ ...
How much do you cost per hour? Jun 23, 2006

Taking into account all your salaries, social security charges, insurance, costs and investments, on a yearly basis, divided by the number of working hours?
DTP is a commercial job, not an "how much can I get-approach". Normally it will be about the same as your translation rate per hour.
I charge 45 €/h and have an "old" contract of 40€.
 
Dyran Altenburg (X)
Dyran Altenburg (X)  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 21:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
Hola colega Jun 23, 2006

Pablo Mayen wrote:
BTW, what is your choice of DTP software? I'm completely in the dark in this regard...perhaps a DTP for dummies like me?


I work with Quark mostly, although I have also used Pagemaker and Publisher (by client's request).

Ready-for-print quality DTP with a fast turnaround is not for the faint of heart, though. The software is not cheap, the learning curve can be steep, and AFAIK, trial versions are not available.

Feel free to contact me directly, in case I can be of further help.

--
Dyran
(doing DTP since way back when)
 
Stephen Franke
Stephen Franke
United States
Local time: 18:35
English to Arabic
+ ...
MS Publisher for RTL Alphabets, then PDF also Jun 24, 2006

Greetings.

I work in English and to / from several right-to-left (RTL) languages: Arabic, Kurdish (when the cursive alphabet is specified), and Persian (Farsi).

MS Publisher XP/2003 has been a reliable and stable platform for DTP work with RTL support in all those alphabets.

As a back-up, and also in case the PC at the "receiving destination" does not have compatible RTL drivers and fonts installed, I usually make a copy in PDF and send that along with th... See more
Greetings.

I work in English and to / from several right-to-left (RTL) languages: Arabic, Kurdish (when the cursive alphabet is specified), and Persian (Farsi).

MS Publisher XP/2003 has been a reliable and stable platform for DTP work with RTL support in all those alphabets.

As a back-up, and also in case the PC at the "receiving destination" does not have compatible RTL drivers and fonts installed, I usually make a copy in PDF and send that along with the MS Publisher product.

Unsure how well PageMaker supports RTL and cursive text.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Stephen H. Franke
San Pedro, California

[Edited at 2006-06-24 17:04] ▲ Collapse
 


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 »

Format of documents: how much to charge?







Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »
Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »