| Pages in topic: [1 2] > |
Proofreading rates Thread poster: Elisabete Cunha
|
|---|
Elisabete Cunha 
Portugal
Local time: 14:57
Member (2006)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I want to share with you something that has just happened to me and I wanted to know your opinion on this.
I was offered a job that was basically a second proofreading of a 22.000 word text.
I was going to accept when I noticed in the PO that they we're paying only 2.000 words. I sent an email asking them to change the PO, but it seems that the PO was just fine, because they only pay 10% of the wordcount for second proofreadings?!?
I rejected, of course. No way, I don't work fo... See more I want to share with you something that has just happened to me and I wanted to know your opinion on this.
I was offered a job that was basically a second proofreading of a 22.000 word text.
I was going to accept when I noticed in the PO that they we're paying only 2.000 words. I sent an email asking them to change the PO, but it seems that the PO was just fine, because they only pay 10% of the wordcount for second proofreadings?!?
I rejected, of course. No way, I don't work for peanuts.
Has anyone heard of this practice before? Please let me know what is your opinion on this.
TIA
Elisabete ▲ Collapse
| | | |
| Please, de more specific | Nov 8, 2007 |
Dear Elisabete,
Sorry, but it's unclear to me what rates was proposed. Is it 10% of normal translation or proofreading rate? You also have not specified whether the first proof is OK. May be you should only persue and slightly correct the text? If it would take 10 times less than the translation of the text from scratch, why do you think it's too cheap? For example, if one translate approx 2000 words per day for $0.10 per word or proof 22.000 per day for $0.01 per word - the total s... See more Dear Elisabete,
Sorry, but it's unclear to me what rates was proposed. Is it 10% of normal translation or proofreading rate? You also have not specified whether the first proof is OK. May be you should only persue and slightly correct the text? If it would take 10 times less than the translation of the text from scratch, why do you think it's too cheap? For example, if one translate approx 2000 words per day for $0.10 per word or proof 22.000 per day for $0.01 per word - the total sum is the same. ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Elisabete Cunha
Portugal
Local time: 14:57
Member (2006)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | 10% of the word count | Nov 8, 2007 |
Vladimir,
It's 10% of the word count, according to the proofreading rate. To make it more clear, they intended to pay 78 EUR for proofreading 22.000 words.
I don't know if the 1st proof is OK, because I would only receive it Monday, but I had to accept now!
Anyway, I didn't accept, because the payment is way too low.
[Edited at 2007-11-08 13:25]
| | | |
Elisabete Cunha
Portugal
Local time: 14:57
Member (2006)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | $0.01 to proof? | Nov 8, 2007 |
I would never accept $0.01 to proof.
Vladimir Romanov wrote:
Dear Elisabete,
Sorry, but it's unclear to me what rates was proposed. Is it 10% of normal translation or proofreading rate? You also have not specified whether the first proof is OK. May be you should only persue and slightly correct the text? If it would take 10 times less than the translation of the text from scratch, why do you think it's too cheap? For example, if one translate approx 2000 words per day for $0.10 per word or proof 22.000 per day for $0.01 per word - the total sum is the same.
| | |
|
|
|
| just an example | Nov 8, 2007 |
Dear Elisabete,
It was just an illustrative example
| | | |
Elisabete Cunha
Portugal
Local time: 14:57
Member (2006)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank God you were not serious
Vladimir Romanov wrote: Dear Elisabete, It was just an illustrative example
| | | |
Buck
Netherlands
Local time: 15:57
Dutch to English
| USD 0.01 to proof? | Nov 8, 2007 |
That's a ridiculous and insulting offer. It isn't even ONE euro cent!
| | | |
| I don't proofread by word count | Nov 8, 2007 |
I find little relevance for setting my personal rates in what other people do or don't do because I don't price proofreading by word count, but by time.
| | |
|
|
|
| You did the right thing ... | Nov 8, 2007 |
Let them go search for a monkey to work for peanuts.
Um abraço
Debs
| | | |
Elisabete Cunha
Portugal
Local time: 14:57
Member (2006)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | That's what I thought | Nov 8, 2007 |
Yes, that was what I thought.
Why bother? Why wasting my precious time working almost for free?
Lawyer-Linguist wrote:
Let them go search for a monkey to work for peanuts.
Um abraço
Debs
| | | |
| Thanks for bringing this up | Nov 8, 2007 |
This is a very important posting actually - once again highlights how important it is to check all PO details before accepting a job.
Very sneaky of them to offer a rate and then adjust the word count by 90% - one wonders what these cowboy characters will dream up next. Hope it's not one of our local agencies!
With the extended sunshine we're having at the moment Elisabete, you'd really have been fed up working for that rate - I'm glad you noticed in time.
... See more This is a very important posting actually - once again highlights how important it is to check all PO details before accepting a job.
Very sneaky of them to offer a rate and then adjust the word count by 90% - one wonders what these cowboy characters will dream up next. Hope it's not one of our local agencies!
With the extended sunshine we're having at the moment Elisabete, you'd really have been fed up working for that rate - I'm glad you noticed in time.
Debs ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Elisabete Cunha
Portugal
Local time: 14:57
Member (2006)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | It is indeed important | Nov 8, 2007 |
Because we must be very careful in the verification of all details, like you say.
I already had surprises in the past, that's why now I always double check the information before accepting anything.
Surprisingly though this agency is among the best agencies, according to the blueboard and one of best payers, according to other translation site. I can't help wondering why? So strange...
| | |
|
|
|
Translation revision is almost always costed in terms of hourly rates. This notion of 10% of the word count is unheard of in my experience. And it is completely unjustified, since revision is a time-intensive exercise and not one which depends on volume of words.
| | | |
Alexey Ivanov
Russian Federation
Local time: 16:57
English to Russian
| A question to Vladimir | Nov 8, 2007 |
Vladimir Romanov wrote:
or proof 22,000 per day
Can you proofread 22,000 words per day? Then you are super fast. I after more than 30 years in this business am not that fast. Even with the best quality text I can't do more than 1,000 (or 1,500 at best) per hour.
| | | |
Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 15:57
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| Can you read 22 000 words a day? | Nov 8, 2007 |
Alexey Ivanov wrote:
Can you proofread 22,000 words per day? Then you are super fast.
Well, I think there is evidence here that normal "proofreading" was not required. Remember, the client had asked for a "second proofread" and they might be referring to a very cursory reread.
In fact, the fact that they do offer as a matter of policy only 10% of the normal proofreading rate, already says that they're not looking for a normal, proper, comprehensive proofread -- they must mean something else.
If they offer only 10% of the normal rate, I suppose they'd be happy if you spend only 10% as much time on it as you would normally do if you do proofreading at the full rate... what do you think?
| | | |
| Pages in topic: [1 2] > |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
