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Reduction based on mistakes: is it fair?
Thread poster: Macià Falgàs i Planas
Macià Falgàs i Planas
Macià Falgàs i Planas  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 07:23
English to Catalan
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TOPIC STARTER
I had free time Apr 12, 2008

Michael GREEN wrote:

But, without wishing to be unfair to you, I wonder why you accepted such a big job at such low rates in the first place ?!
16500 words in 10 days at € 0,028 gives you just € 462 - can you live on € 230 / wk ?


Because I hadn't any big project in my calendar for those 10 days, so I thought I hadn't anything to loose. It was either accepting the project or having free time.
 
Viktoria Gimbe
Viktoria Gimbe  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 02:23
English to French
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Oh, but you do have a lot to lose Apr 13, 2008

Macià Falgàs i Planas wrote:

Because I hadn't any big project in my calendar for those 10 days, so I thought I hadn't anything to loose. It was either accepting the project or having free time.


How much is your free time worth? I bet it is worth more than this.

By accepting to work at rock-bottom rates, you are putting yourself in a position where, even when you are busy, agencies are not willing to pay you good rates anymore. It's like a drug - give them a low rate once and they will require it of you on all subsequent jobs. And why should the agency not expect you to always charge a low rate like this one? If it was good for you last week, it should be good for you this week still. And it goes without saying that by undervaluating your free time, you are lowering the value of other translators' time, and this will not help them to keep their rates up. It is hurting the market as a whole.

When you don't have a lot of work, you can do two things to fill in your work schedule. Either you lower your rate, or you find more clients. The second option is more difficult and takes more time. But once you do have enough clients to always work full time, which option pays better? The one where your 40 hours per week are spent working for about $10 per hour, or the one where you get $40 per hour?

Sometimes, having free time is much more worthwhile than working at rock-bottom rates. No, actually, it is ALWAYS more worthwhile, because you can use that free time to find clients who are willing to pay for your services (there are lots) and will not deduct money from your payment only because of a few typos.

By accepting substandard rates just because you have time on your hand, you are putting yourself in a position that will soon be difficult to get out of. It will be hard to raise your rates from two cents to ten cents once you get to that point...

[Edited at 2008-04-13 15:55]
 
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Reduction based on mistakes: is it fair?







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