| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Giving Estimate for Large Job (Thesis) Thread poster: Kylie Morgan
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Dan Lucas 
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:56
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Then I offer to do this job under the "book plan"
I don't see myself ever getting involved in translating books, but I do admire your carefully thought out approach to this sort of thing. Flexibility for the client, solid risk control for the translator. Thank you for sharing this.
Regards
Dan
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José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Then I offer to do this job under the "book plan":
a) I lower the total cost by 30%, and calculate the latest final deadline using 15K words per month.
b) I "slice" the book in a suitable number of similar-sized "blocks" which, depending on the book structure, may be chapters, groups of them, or parts thereof. I build a table with each block's word count and the corresponding discounted price.
c) Every time I deliver one such block, the client pays me the corresponding amount within two business days. They have plenty of time to prepare funds for the block I'm working on.
d) I make the first and the last blocks about half the size of the others in-between. The first one, if it was a scam, serves to cut my losses. The last one is because together with it I'll deliver the entire book reviewed from cover to cover, reassembled into one single file.
e) At any time, the client is free to tell me, "Finish the block you re working on, I'll pay you for that, and then STOP!" I'll put the entire project in hibernation for up to one year, and they may ask me to resume at any time.
I am not a book translator but for very long projects I apply a similar scheme.
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 10:56
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Dan Lucas wrote: José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Then I offer to do this job under the "book plan" I don't see myself ever getting involved in translating books, but I do admire your carefully thought out approach to this sort of thing. Flexibility for the client, solid risk control for the translator. Thank you for sharing this.
I've only ever translated a fairly short e-book but I am beginning to get into book editing. That takes fewer hours than translating, but it's (so far, in my case) done for the author so budgets are limited and deadlines are flexible. I'd want to retain the right to go back and change things in already-delivered sections, for the sake of overall consistency (as you do).
Thanks. I'll consider putting something very similar into effect if I get offered another book.
| | | | | Additional info | Dec 1, 2015 |
Sheila Wilson wrote:
I'd want to retain the right to go back and change things in already-delivered sections, for the sake of overall consistency (as you do).
Thanks. I'll consider putting something very similar into effect if I get offered another book.
I make it clear that I don't read the book before translating. I want to preserve the reader's stance, i.e. if something is deliberately intended not to make sense at that point in time, because it will clinch with something else later, I'll refrain from "spoiling" it, because - like the reader - I don't know it yet.
That's why I don't want to know if the butler actually did it before finishing the last block. Then, when reviewing the entire book, I'll fix whatever is needed. To give an idea on how far I might go in this review, I've already changed a couple of character names after having reached the last page, because there were reasons to do so.
In any case, the author and I are moneywise even at block level all the time. Many of them can read the target language, so they are free to change translator after we settle any finished block. Though this has never happened (so far), it is one additional level of freedom they have.
Anyone able to read PT-BR and interested to see my offer to authors when they ask me about book translation may see it on this page. It is not linked anywhere, no keywords there for search engines to find it, I provide them the URL.
The reason it is not available in English yet is that most - if not all - of the book translation requests I get directly from authors come from Brazilian authors. When I offer to refer them to technically legit native EN speaking colleagues, they don't want them!
Of course, translation agencies and publishers only want me to translate into PT.
For the record... I am not at all a frequent book translator. This is definitely occasional for me.
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| Have others already invested in this thesis? | Dec 1, 2015 |
First of all, make the researcher find out if her institution funds the translation. Often they do; if not, there are tons of foundations who fund such projects. Ask her to research it and give you a budget. Why make an offer into the dark? Give her some tips where to apply, it's good client baiting.
I also recommend the strategy of maintaining your nominally high per-word rate but then giving discount. Also insist that you get credit. Don't underestimate what published work can do ... See more First of all, make the researcher find out if her institution funds the translation. Often they do; if not, there are tons of foundations who fund such projects. Ask her to research it and give you a budget. Why make an offer into the dark? Give her some tips where to apply, it's good client baiting.
I also recommend the strategy of maintaining your nominally high per-word rate but then giving discount. Also insist that you get credit. Don't underestimate what published work can do for your future barganing power.
Also look how much the researcher has already invested into making her thesis publishable. Did she pay a proofreader/editor? Is it featured anywhere? Not all theses that are submitted are well written. A well-edited text can save you a lot of work.
Unfortunately, even if you're eager to take the job, sometimes the price just won't be enough. Researchers, like everyone else, need to invest in their business assets, i.e. their publications. You wouldn't go and renovate a house without walls. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Angela Malik
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:56
German to English
+ ...
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Then I offer to do this job under the "book plan":
a) I lower the total cost by 30%, and calculate the latest final deadline using 15K words per month.
b) I "slice" the book in a suitable number of similar-sized "blocks" which, depending on the book structure, may be chapters, groups of them, or parts thereof. I build a table with each block's word count and the corresponding discounted price.
c) Every time I deliver one such block, the client pays me the corresponding amount within two business days. They have plenty of time to prepare funds for the block I'm working on.
d) I make the first and the last blocks about half the size of the others in-between. The first one, if it was a scam, serves to cut my losses. The last one is because together with it I'll deliver the entire book reviewed from cover to cover, reassembled into one single file.
e) At any time, the client is free to tell me, "Finish the block you re working on, I'll pay you for that, and then STOP!" I'll put the entire project in hibernation for up to one year, and they may ask me to resume at any time.
This last item occurred once so far. An investment opportunity came up for the author, and he asked me to halt. Three months later, he told me to resume it, and I finished the translation.
The book plan turns the book into a "filler" in my schedule. To translate it, I'll use all the otherwise idle - hence 'cheaper' - time between projects...
This. is. simply. brilliant. Great idea, really offers a lot of flexibility to both parties. Bravo to you, sir!
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