| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | First proofreading assignment - and I guess it is badly paid. Should I take it? Thread poster: mafia (X)
|
|---|
I have a proofreading job of about 30,000 words, but they only pay me for the words that have changed. Should I take it?
I have never accepted a proofreading job as a separate task, how does it work?
If I proofread all the 30,000 words and nothing needs to change, is that mean I don't get paid at all?
I read some of the proofreading posts on this forum, so I charge them by the no. of words for the whole project.
Please advise.
<... See more I have a proofreading job of about 30,000 words, but they only pay me for the words that have changed. Should I take it?
I have never accepted a proofreading job as a separate task, how does it work?
If I proofread all the 30,000 words and nothing needs to change, is that mean I don't get paid at all?
I read some of the proofreading posts on this forum, so I charge them by the no. of words for the whole project.
Please advise.
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2008-12-19 11:14 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
I'd definitely tell you that you can't accept such a nonsense!
In proofreading assignments you get paid for all the words you proof, in this case they should pay you for all those 30,000 words you will actually be revising.
Good luck!
| | | | Taija Hyvönen
Finland
Local time: 07:14
Member (2008)
English to Finnish
+ ...
| You should be paid by the number of hours | Dec 19, 2008 |
Or words. Not by the number of corrections.
| | | | Fabio Descalzi 
Uruguay
Local time: 01:14
Member (2004)
German to Spanish
+ ...
| Charge per changed words: how it really works | Dec 19, 2008 |
Proofreading is a task by itself, and if you are commissionned with a proofreading job, then you must be paid for it, be it per word, per hour or for a reasonable lump sum.
I have a proofreading job of about 30,000 words, but they only pay me for the words that have changed. Should I take it?
I very well remember some agencies that had the following policy, which was part of their Terms and Conditions and had to be undersigned by the translator and the proofreader: If the proofreading job shows that part of the text must be re-translated, then the proofreader will perform that task, he/she will be paid accordingly, and that amount will be deducted from the translator's payment. Which means: suppose there are 1,500 words to be translated and proofread; person A, the translator, is promised a pay of USD 0.06 per source word and person B, the proofreader, a pay of USD 0.02 per word for proofreading; it means, in principle, person A gets paid USD 90 for the translation and person B gets USD 30 for the proofreading. BUT: if there are 400 words that must be plainly re-translated by person B, then that person will get 30 + 24 = USD 54, and person A will get just 90 - 24 = USD 66.
In your case, and with that philosophy in mind, you should be promised TWO different payments, one for your own proofreading job, and an extra pay for eventual re-translations.
| | |
|
|
|
| Definitely not | Dec 19, 2008 |
Certainly don't take it under those conditions. Personally, I wouldn't take it at all, in light of the situation outlined by Fabio, which is totally unreasonable in my opinion - revision is part of the added value offered by an agency, and the cost of it should not be borne by the original translator. Likewise, the revisor should be paid for his/her time, however few or many corrections have to be made.
I'd be inclined to steer well... See more Certainly don't take it under those conditions. Personally, I wouldn't take it at all, in light of the situation outlined by Fabio, which is totally unreasonable in my opinion - revision is part of the added value offered by an agency, and the cost of it should not be borne by the original translator. Likewise, the revisor should be paid for his/her time, however few or many corrections have to be made.
I'd be inclined to steer well clear of this agency. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Encouraging you to make changes that are not necessary | Dec 19, 2008 |
Beleive it or not, it is a practice in some organisations to encourage revisers to change translated text when it is unnecssary, so it can be seen that they have actually done some work. I
n this case you are being encouraged to make changes in order to get paid.
This is complete rubbish - don't have anything to do with them unless they pay you by the hour
| | | |
Don't accept that!
Charge per word (total word count) or per hour. Personally, I prefer the former...
| | | | | I rejected the offer | Dec 19, 2008 |
Is this because I am a newbie to this business?
Although I am prepared to be conned for the first few times to learn some lessons, I am glad I'm not alone with the help of this forum.
Thanks for all your advise.
| | |
|
|
|
| If they knew ... | Dec 19, 2008 |
mafia wrote:
Is this because I am a newbie to this business?
Although I am prepared to be conned for the first few times to learn some lessons, I am glad I'm not alone with the help of this forum.
Thanks for all your advise.
.. you were a newbie, then yes, they probably decided to try and pull a fast one on that basis alone.
You did the right thing.
Rule of thumb: if something smells fishy, always ask here first (after checking the forum search for similar threads first). You aren't alone
| | | | Fabio Descalzi
Uruguay
Local time: 01:14
Member (2004)
German to Spanish
+ ...
| Proofreading, part of QA | Dec 19, 2008 |
Thanks for using this forum to ask about this issue.
You see, the concept itself of proofreading is often discussed: who should do it, for which price, under which circumstances, etc. But in any case, it is a very necessary part of the complete translation process. It is all about QA (quality assurance)
If you are interested in possible future proofreading jobs, I invite you to further read other related threads. An important concept you should bear in mind is: E... See more Thanks for using this forum to ask about this issue.
You see, the concept itself of proofreading is often discussed: who should do it, for which price, under which circumstances, etc. But in any case, it is a very necessary part of the complete translation process. It is all about QA (quality assurance)
If you are interested in possible future proofreading jobs, I invite you to further read other related threads. An important concept you should bear in mind is: EN 15038 http://www.proz.com/topic/77033
Good luck and happy proofing!
[Edited at 2008-12-19 16:48 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Sabrina Ciserchia wrote:
In proofreading assignments you get paid for all the words you proof, in this case they should pay you for all those 30,000 words you will actually be revising.
I completely agree: all words are important, all should be paid. And in fact, this approach will be bad for the outsourcer in my opinion: a less professional person would have accepted and would have changed many things unnecessarily (and often incorrectly), just to be paid more!
| | | | Khrystene (X)
Australia
Polish to English
+ ...
| Absolutely ridiculous... | Dec 19, 2008 |
You have to read the whole text don't you, so of course you have to get paid for the entire word count, not just the words you 'change'. What a load of...
Don't accept this. If you do, you'll set yourself up for worse.
| | |
|
|
|
Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 21:14
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | While I agree with my colleagues | Dec 19, 2008 |
They tried to pull a nice stunt on you - but you need to give yourself more credibility in your profile page. Listing 10 years of experience while stating that you started translation in 2002 (how about some basic math?) doesn't scream "professional" and is waaayyy too inviting... You may also consider a different user name. I don't think that I have to explain the reason why. The way you represent yourself (worldwide!) will be the way you are treated.
Sorry, off topic.
... See more They tried to pull a nice stunt on you - but you need to give yourself more credibility in your profile page. Listing 10 years of experience while stating that you started translation in 2002 (how about some basic math?) doesn't scream "professional" and is waaayyy too inviting... You may also consider a different user name. I don't think that I have to explain the reason why. The way you represent yourself (worldwide!) will be the way you are treated.
Sorry, off topic.
▲ Collapse
| | | | | I didn't realize that at all................ | Dec 19, 2008 |
Nicole Schnell wrote: Listing 10 years of experience while stating that you started translation in 2002 (how about some basic math?)
Thanks for telling me that, when I entered my info, I was only asked to select the number of years of working experience.
Now that you mention it, I view my profile url, it displays as the years of translation experience.
[Edited at 2008-12-19 16:09 GMT]
| | | | | Two-tier charge? | Dec 19, 2008 |
How about charging by hour for the whole document?
Next, charge by word only to those being changed.
I think this is more acceptable to the agency.
Soonthon L.
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » First proofreading assignment - and I guess it is badly paid. Should I take it? | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
| | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
