| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Rates going down: a global trend? Thread poster: LoyalTrans
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| There is a very healthy growth in the rates for handcrafted translations, | Oct 17, 2007 |
but the rates for computer aided translations are going asymptotically towards zero!
Example:
Current levels for American English into Swedish:
Handcrafted: $.20-.25 per source word, increasing with 5-10% per year
CAT: $.06-.08 per source word, decreasing with 10-15% per year
Supply and demand!
***********************
Sven Petersson
Medical translator
Web site: www.svenp.com
**********... See more but the rates for computer aided translations are going asymptotically towards zero!
Example:
Current levels for American English into Swedish:
Handcrafted: $.20-.25 per source word, increasing with 5-10% per year
CAT: $.06-.08 per source word, decreasing with 10-15% per year
Supply and demand!
***********************
Sven Petersson
Medical translator
Web site: www.svenp.com
*********************** ▲ Collapse
| | | | LoyalTrans
Local time: 22:27
English to Chinese
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TOPIC STARTER | China still not fully opened-up | Oct 18, 2007 |
Chinese Concept wrote: Robert Cai wrote:
...while keeping my reasonably paid in-house job.
You talked about your "reasonably paid in-house job" so I assumed you were working for a translation agency. Are you working in-house doing something else? Well, my guess is that if you work for an (Chinese) agency, you will not get reasonably paid. No, I am working as an in-house linguist for a US company now and have never worked as a full-time employee for any agency. But I don't think there are many freelancers in China who just rely on their translation income. That is way too low!! I just don't understand why so many Chinese people with an excellent command of English just look for work within China. Have they not heard of the Internet??? Yes, Huangshan was a great choice! Not so great for shopping for a westerner like me...particularly supermarkets...but a beautiful place to live for scenery and fresh air and hiking etc. Sometimes I wished I lived in Shanghai or Beijing, but then I go to those places and I can't wait to get the hell out of them...reminds me too much of living in London:) Mark
Maybe I rush to the conclusion too fast. There are some Chinese translators working in a global context (here on proz for instance), maybe they are just not very active so their existence is overlooked. However, as far as I know, the majority of Chinese translators only target domestic market while the whole Chinese market is just a chaos lack of rules.
Another reason why Chinese translators (even good ones) are not doing cross-border business might be that they do not have the experiences dealing with foreign clients or even foreigners (no offense) at all. Believe it or not, most Chinese learn English solely in China and don't have the chance to visit English speaking countries. A decade or two ago, a foreign visitor would easily got approached by eager young English learners clumsily saying "hello". Not just a gesture of hospitality, they want to grasp the practice opportunities that are so few.
And although there is some relevance there, IMHO a good command of English does not necessarily result in good translator. When the market is so segmented into different disciplines, you need to be an expert in certain areas to be really good (not including literature translation I gather).
| | | | Oleg Rudavin 
Ukraine
Local time: 17:27
Member (2003)
English to Ukrainian
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| Would anybody complain about high rates? :-) | Oct 18, 2007 |
Ramon Somoza wrote:
I live in Spain, and here the usual rates are so low that I have effectively locked myself out of most of the Spanish market, as my prices DOUBLE what the agencies usually pay here.
However, 99% or my work is abroad, either in the U.S. or in the European Union. And I make a very good living, in one of the most expensive cities in Europe.
So, as very well suggested by Chinese Concept, look abroad. It's a big big world.... 8>))
I live in Ukraine, and here the usual rates are so low that I have effectively locked myself out of all of the Ukrainian market, as my prices are 4-8 times higher of what the agencies usually pay here.
However, 99% or my work is abroad, either in the U.S. or in the European Union, including Spain which pays pretty high rates. And I make a very good living in a country which is on its way to become one of the most expensive in Europe.
I hope you will see the joke; but it's mostly in taking Ramon's posting and changing but a few words there to describe my situation.
Prices are going down - in places where they were above the "average international level". Prices are going up - in places where they were below that. Globalization tends to smooth them out in different national markets.
Then, part-timers accept lower rates. Good translators have their rates set and have clients who are willing to use these translator's services no matter what their rates are.
Cheers,
Oleg
[Edited at 2007-10-18 06:55]
| | | | Angela Dickson (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:27
French to English
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| Evidence please | Oct 18, 2007 |
Sven Petersson wrote:
There is a very healthy growth in the rates for handcrafted translations,
but the rates for computer aided translations are going asymptotically towards zero!
Example:
Current levels for American English into Swedish:
Handcrafted: $.20-.25 per source word, increasing with 5-10% per year
CAT: $.06-.08 per source word, decreasing with 10-15% per year
Supply and demand!
What evidence do you have for any of this?
And how do you differentiate between a 'handcrafted' and computer-aided translation if the translator uses a CAT tool for his/her own purposes (to increase productivity, for instance) and does not inform his/her agencies that a CAT tool is being used?
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Angela Dickson wrote:
And how do you differentiate between a 'handcrafted' and computer-aided translation if the translator uses a CAT tool for his/her own purposes (to increase productivity, for instance) and does not inform his/her agencies that a CAT tool is being used?
Precisely - it's called making the CAT tool work for you, not to line someone else's pockets.
I use my CAT tool for almost every project, but unless asked I don't discuss the fact. The tools/methods I use to increase my productivity are my business, whether that be a CAT tool, voice recognition, or choosing to work an early shift when normal mortals are sound sleep.
As far as discounts go, I work on a case-by-case basis. If they are asked for, I either work out a deal that still pays me handsomely for my time, or suggest they pass the project to somewhere else. Period.
So yes, I'd also like to see this evidence and, as Angela indicates, how accurate could it be anyhow, given that many jobs are done behind the scenes using CAT tools, unbeknown to the client, and so treated as "handcrafted"?
[Edited at 2007-10-18 10:36]
| | | | Angela Dickson (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:27
French to English
+ ...
I agree with Lawyer-Linguist (well, apart from the part about the early shift, but that's just me...). I am sometimes asked if I use a CAT tool, and if asked I'll answer, but most often I am not asked.
| | | | NMR (X)
France
Local time: 16:27
French to Dutch
+ ...
| I agree with Sven | Oct 18, 2007 |
Angela Dickson wrote: Sven Petersson wrote:
There is a very healthy growth in the rates for handcrafted translations,
but the rates for computer aided translations are going asymptotically towards zero!
Example:
Current levels for American English into Swedish:
Handcrafted: $.20-.25 per source word, increasing with 5-10% per year
CAT: $.06-.08 per source word, decreasing with 10-15% per year
Supply and demand! What evidence do you have for any of this? And how do you differentiate between a 'handcrafted' and computer-aided translation if the translator uses a CAT tool for his/her own purposes (to increase productivity, for instance) and does not inform his/her agencies that a CAT tool is being used?
Let's call the first category "creative translation", the second one "repetitive translation". Or "marketing, technical and scientific" vs. "manuals". "Handcrafted" also means "a very precise translation for which thorough documentation is needed". I receive regularly (on the same day) proposals for which I can ask € 0.18 and others for which € 0.08 is too much. Of course, if you do only manuals you won't see the other translation market(s). The only solution is differentiation and investment in time and other methods.
As for the use of CATs, I am a Wordfast fan and use it for everything. It speeds me up for about 30%, even for non repetitive translations. My clients generally don't know that I have been building TMs for five years. From time to time if they have two or more texts which are almost the same, I calculate 50% for the repetitions, but if I use my own last year's TM I invoice everything, of course.
| | | | | Not only an Italian thing | Oct 18, 2007 |
Bin Tiede wrote: lingomania wrote:
In Italy, it works this way: if a translator or interpreter drops his / her fees too much, he / she is seen as a "flimsy" operator. I always keep my fees rather up there and people seem to appreciate this, but I DO back this up with good results and professional work.
Rob 2 weeks ago I did a small interpreting job for the local court. The court called me after receiving my invoice, because I did not charge as much as the court was ready to pay. The woman on the phone informed me that I could charge up to 55 Euro per hour and I could send them another invoice if I liked. But I guess this is German way.
Hello. I see that you understand "where I'm coming from"! Personally, I don't really care if GLOBAL fees go down, I'll be keeping MY fees up there to align with the cost of living (in Italy at least). I'm dead sure many of my clients will NOT turn to other translators because I offer post-translation assistance and help out with any corrections after consignment of the work. I see that this part of the work is HIGHLY appreciated by the SERIOUS clients out there.
Rob
[Edited at 2007-10-18 11:38]
[Edited at 2007-10-18 11:39]
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elitxan
Local time: 16:27
English to Catalan
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| Yes, quality is important | Oct 18, 2007 |
lingomania wrote:
In Italy, it works this way: if a translator or interpreter drops his / her fees too much, he / she is seen as a "flimsy" operator. I always keep my fees rather up there and people seem to appreciate this, but I DO back this up with good results and professional work.
Rob
I think this is a very positive policy for translators community.
| | | | | How I love Germany!!! | Oct 20, 2007 |
2 weeks ago I did a small interpreting job for the local court. The court called me after receiving my invoice, because I did not charge as much as the court was ready to pay. The woman on the phone informed me that I could charge up to 55 Euro per hour and I could send them another invoice if I liked. But I guess this is German way.
People in Germany are the best-paid in the world.
And people in China are among the worst-paid in the world.
I think Oleg is right. I have already noticed that the rate in China is growing. I actually started a sort of translators' union at taobao.com, a C2C website where people look for bargains, trying to promote higher pay for translators. I think we have successfully eliminated rates under $0.01 one word (yes, $0.01!). And I have to admit that I have been such a shameless undercutter since I came to proz.com.
[Edited at 2007-10-20 16:43]
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