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Poll: Generally, do you apply discounts for repetitions in the source text? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Generally, do you apply discounts for repetitions in the source text?".
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Yes, only if I use a CAT tool (of course!!!!!) AND only if the client has required so.
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Why is "sometimes" not on the list?
I apply discounts if there are really MANY repetitions, for example when I receive a series of related texts.
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Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:46
German to English
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Sophie Dzhygir wrote:
Yes, only if I use a CAT tool (of course!!!!!) AND only if the client has required so.
Yes, the sometimes option is lacking!
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Simon Bruni
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:46
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
| Only when explicitly asked | Jul 7, 2010 |
And even then, if the project is not particularly attractive, I might refuse or renegotiate the discounted price. The point of investing in CAT is defeated if its benefits are 'cancelled out' by discounts.
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:46
Spanish to English
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Not usually.
I did give a client a discount last week though (10% on some docs, 15% on another), because the texts were quite repetitive, and this is a long-standing clent who has provided me with a lot of work over the years as well as recommending me to others.
Normally my rates are low-average for my area of Spain (8 cents/wd, calculated by MS Office wordcount) so any discounts I allow are purely discretional.
Agencies asking clients for 11+ cents a word can afford to offer... See more Not usually.
I did give a client a discount last week though (10% on some docs, 15% on another), because the texts were quite repetitive, and this is a long-standing clent who has provided me with a lot of work over the years as well as recommending me to others.
Normally my rates are low-average for my area of Spain (8 cents/wd, calculated by MS Office wordcount) so any discounts I allow are purely discretional.
Agencies asking clients for 11+ cents a word can afford to offer rep discounts, but usually I can't... ▲ Collapse
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NMR (X)
France
Local time: 22:46
French to Dutch
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| Other - sometimes | Jul 7, 2010 |
Only if there are a lot of repetitions. And if the source files are huge (not on 300 or 1000 words). It all depends of the time I am going to spend. I can even imagine discounts on PDF source files because copy&paste saves lots of time, and clients know that. Once I had several dozens of highly repetitive food descriptions (ingredients): I made one basic table in a Word file and extracted it each time, and then modified and deleted the parts which weren't applicable. It seemed to me that countin... See more Only if there are a lot of repetitions. And if the source files are huge (not on 300 or 1000 words). It all depends of the time I am going to spend. I can even imagine discounts on PDF source files because copy&paste saves lots of time, and clients know that. Once I had several dozens of highly repetitive food descriptions (ingredients): I made one basic table in a Word file and extracted it each time, and then modified and deleted the parts which weren't applicable. It seemed to me that counting the whole wordcount was cheating the client. I didn't work on an hourly basis either because I am too fast in manipulating files, so I calculated a discount. ▲ Collapse
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Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 22:46
Member (2006)
German to English
Sophie Dzhygir wrote:
Yes, only if I use a CAT tool (of course!!!!!) AND only if the client has required so.
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Minna Wood MITI (Purring CAT Ltd.) (X)
United Kingdom
English to Finnish
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I did use to offer a discount for repetitions (I always use a CAT tool) but now I only give a discount if client explicitly asks for it.
Minna
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Nikki Graham
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:46
Spanish to English
| Hate giving these discounts | Jul 7, 2010 |
I agree that giving these discounts seems to defeat the object of having a CAT tool in the first place. However, more and more agencies and their clients are demanding them, so sometimes it's a case of agreeing to a discount or not doing the work and risk having nothing to do instead. However, there are discounts and daylight robbery. I was offered a largish project and told the agency only paid 25% for all fuzzy matches. That's only a quarter of the usual rate for 50%-99%, which is plain ridicu... See more I agree that giving these discounts seems to defeat the object of having a CAT tool in the first place. However, more and more agencies and their clients are demanding them, so sometimes it's a case of agreeing to a discount or not doing the work and risk having nothing to do instead. However, there are discounts and daylight robbery. I was offered a largish project and told the agency only paid 25% for all fuzzy matches. That's only a quarter of the usual rate for 50%-99%, which is plain ridiculous. A lot of the 50%-84% matches can hardly be used and need to be totally rewritten, so if I had accepted that job, I would have been paid a pittance for translating sentences from scratch.
I have agreed to discounts where I get paid 25% for reps and 100% matches, and if I like the client I sometimes throw in 95%-99% too. The rest has been paid the full rate.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think these discounts are becoming inevitable, but don't let agencies and clients walk all over you by agreeing to silly prices for fuzzy matches. ▲ Collapse
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DianeGM
Local time: 23:46
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
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| No, but I have... | Jul 7, 2010 |
No and I don't work for agenices or on projects that require it. As a rule I don't give discounts and I don't provide TMs unless the client has provided me with their own useful and accurate TM. I also have one client, who was one of my first clients, who provided me with a license [and updates] and compensated me for training to learn their software and each project with them, I agree a project rate which does involve a discount for reps. But I have learned that this client is an exceptional ... See more No and I don't work for agenices or on projects that require it. As a rule I don't give discounts and I don't provide TMs unless the client has provided me with their own useful and accurate TM. I also have one client, who was one of my first clients, who provided me with a license [and updates] and compensated me for training to learn their software and each project with them, I agree a project rate which does involve a discount for reps. But I have learned that this client is an exceptional case, unfortunately.
I have occassionally agreed to a slightly lower rate per word for technical projects, manuals, etc and tender documents which are extremely repeating. Also I might agree a slightly lower rate for standard legal documents, [disclaimers, articles of association, leasing contracts, etc for which I have extensive TMs and/or templates]
There is a great deal of work and lots of very different clients in the market and we are free to pick choose our own clients from that pool on our own criteria. Currently for me there is no sound business case as to why I should give such a discount for using software that I have paid for and learned to use at my own expense. ▲ Collapse
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Giles Watson
Italy
Local time: 22:46
Italian to English
In memoriam | Possible business case for discounts | Jul 7, 2010 |
DianeGM wrote:
Currently for me there is no sound business case as to why I should give such a discount for using software that I have paid for and learned to use at my own expense.
Γειά σου Νταϊάνα.
I would agree that sliding-scale discounts are time-consuming to administer and rather too complicated for the average direct client to be bothered understanding. That said, a "no change, no charge" policy for 100% matches and repetitions from past jobs can be a useful way of generating direct client loyalty, particularly if you demand ambitiously high rates.
Once clients are satisfied with the standard of your work, the discount can help to lock them in.
"No change, no charge" also means clients can send an entire updated document (the same wine profiles, for example, tend to come back to me every year with very few alterations) but will only have to pay for the changes that have been made. A lot depends on your client portfolio and range of text types, though.
Χαιρετίσματα από την Ιταλία,
Giles
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| No discounts except based on a TM provided by a reliable client - if asked | Jul 7, 2010 |
If a regular client sends me an up-to-date and accurate TM and explicitly asks for a discount on repetitions or 100% matches, fine. If not, then I do not offer discounts. With the type of texts I translate, I generally still need to check the repetitions to see whether it's appropriate to the context, even if the source text is identical. The more creative the translation needs to be, the less relevant the repetition factor becomes.
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Many times it takes the judgment, experience, and special skill of a translator to determine whether a "match" really is one. So in principle I don't buy the notion that the software and the client are entitled to call the shots.
However, when large chunks are repeated over and over again, I have been known to _offer_ a discount, which builds good will.
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