How to charge for proofreading if... Thread poster: Natalya Zelikova
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I have translated a text (actually retranslated somewhat amended text), which I myself translated about 2 years ago. (So there were few proofreading stages already.) Now I am asked about the charge for proofreading DTP-ed PDF.
Earlier I read in the forums that some translators do this for free, since this is a part of the job, but the document is about 500 pages, so it'll take some time to proofread it and I am not sure how to set a rate. Probably I should reduce my per hour rate, o... See more I have translated a text (actually retranslated somewhat amended text), which I myself translated about 2 years ago. (So there were few proofreading stages already.) Now I am asked about the charge for proofreading DTP-ed PDF.
Earlier I read in the forums that some translators do this for free, since this is a part of the job, but the document is about 500 pages, so it'll take some time to proofread it and I am not sure how to set a rate. Probably I should reduce my per hour rate, or (since it's rather print errors' spotting proofreading) this will simply take me less time to proofread the file.
I would appreciate any comments or advice. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Vito Smolej
Germany
Local time: 23:19
Member (2004)
English to Slovenian
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SITE LOCALIZER | test proofread a part of it... | May 12, 2006 |
and extrapolate your time to the 500 pages total. At least you will have an idea, how much time it takes. Now you know neiter time nor the rate, but this way you get one unknown out of the equation. Plus you feel comfortable when haggling with the agency over the price.
smo
| | | | | Regular hourly charge | May 12, 2006 |
Obviously, you are not proofing your text because you made mistakes when translating. So, you shouldn't do it for free.
To me, it's simple. Charge your regular hourly rate. After all, it all comes down to compensating you for time, not number of words or ease of work. The ease of work is already taken into account when charging regular hourly rates. If this is the umpteenth time the text is proofed ()and corrected, it should be in good enough a shape for the work to go much faster t... See more Obviously, you are not proofing your text because you made mistakes when translating. So, you shouldn't do it for free.
To me, it's simple. Charge your regular hourly rate. After all, it all comes down to compensating you for time, not number of words or ease of work. The ease of work is already taken into account when charging regular hourly rates. If this is the umpteenth time the text is proofed ()and corrected, it should be in good enough a shape for the work to go much faster than the first proofing.
Also, please consider this: if the company asks you to proof a text four times (they REALLY want it to be perfect), just because you are the original translator and they assume that because of this you should do it for free, how much of your time are you giving away for free? A week? Two weeks? Makes no sense!
Also, it's been two years. Your work has been accepted a long, long, LOOONG time ago... This should then be considered as an entirely new job - and charged accordingly.
By the way, your hourly rate should NEVER, under NO circumstance, be reduced, no matter how easy a job is. Of course, when a job is very easy, it takes less time than the same size job that's very difficult. So, if you charge the same rate, of course, you will be paid less for the easy job than for the hard one. Your hourly rate is the amount of money an hour of your time is worth. An hour of your time is an hour of your time. For the same reason, we all have minimum per word rates. We know approximately how many words we can handle per hour and how much money an hour would come down to if charging by the word. Once you get $.15 per word, would you accept jobs at $.10? No way! So, NEVER lower your hourly rates. That's how much you cost per hour, period, no matter what work you perform.
[Edited at 2006-05-12 19:34] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Natalya Zelikova 
Poland
Local time: 23:19
English to Russian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you, Vito and Viktoria.
So far I have already informed the client about my normal hourly rate and suggested that the job will just require less time.
The client just wants to know how much, and I am not sure that I can say this even after I proofread a part of it. I already know that errors are usually not spread through the text evenly. So I gave a rough estimation with some reservations.
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| Way to go, Natalya! | May 13, 2006 |
Vito's suggestion was great, but your reflection on it was also great. While you can make an approximate prediction of the time it will take to do the job, errors are, as you say, not spread evenly throughout the document. So, it is a good thing to say to the client that you expect it to take x time or cost x money, but that you will only give them the exact time of day once the job is completed. However, if the amount you will end up charging is superior to the amount you first guessed you woul... See more Vito's suggestion was great, but your reflection on it was also great. While you can make an approximate prediction of the time it will take to do the job, errors are, as you say, not spread evenly throughout the document. So, it is a good thing to say to the client that you expect it to take x time or cost x money, but that you will only give them the exact time of day once the job is completed. However, if the amount you will end up charging is superior to the amount you first guessed you would have to charge, be prepared to explain to the client why it took a little more time. Not only will this optimize your chances of staying out of trouble, it will also have your client appreciate you and your work more. You never know, they might just end up putting you higher up their translator top ten list ; )
Good luck!
[Edited at 2006-05-13 02:53] ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Colangelo
United States
Local time: 17:19
Member (2006)
Arabic to English
+ ...
| If it´s your translation ... | May 23, 2006 |
Natalya Zelikova wrote:
I have translated a text (actually retranslated somewhat amended text), which I myself translated about 2 years ago. (So there were few proofreading stages already.) Now I am asked about the charge for proofreading DTP-ed PDF.
Earlier I read in the forums that some translators do this for free, since this is a part of the job, but the document is about 500 pages, so it'll take some time to proofread it and I am not sure how to set a rate. Probably I should reduce my per hour rate, or (since it's rather print errors' spotting proofreading) this will simply take me less time to proofread the file.
I would appreciate any comments or advice.
... you shouldn´t charge for proofreading. It is your obligation to translate it as precise as possible. If it is someone else´s or your translating into your B language and add an amount for your proofreader, then you can charge extra.
| | | | Marc P (X)
Local time: 23:19
German to English
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| How to charge for proofreading if... | May 23, 2006 |
John Colangelo wrote:
... you shouldn´t charge for proofreading. It is your obligation to translate it as precise as possible. If it is someone else´s
Proofreading is by definition someone else's - the typesetter's.
Marc
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