Roughly, what would be a reasonable range for rates? Thread poster: Franjo Varšić
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What would be a reasonable range in EUR for per word rates for translating and proofreading respectively?
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Appreciate it. Any place I might find out proofreading rates, again, medical translation (EnglisCroatian)?
| | | | | And remember that the average is probably not too high | Jan 19, 2018 |
The Proz.com average rates only show one rate for many languages, regardless of the subject area.
I assume this is because there are not enough statistics to divide meaningfully into subgroups.
In theory you should set your own rates, but it is often a matter of agreeing (or not) to a rate proposed by the client. Always try to negotiate if the rate is lower than you think reasonable.
I accept quite a large range of rates. This week I have turned out 8000 words at my abso... See more The Proz.com average rates only show one rate for many languages, regardless of the subject area.
I assume this is because there are not enough statistics to divide meaningfully into subgroups.
In theory you should set your own rates, but it is often a matter of agreeing (or not) to a rate proposed by the client. Always try to negotiate if the rate is lower than you think reasonable.
I accept quite a large range of rates. This week I have turned out 8000 words at my absolute minimum rate, but at high speed - they were newspaper articles, not very demanding. So the amount earned per hour was quite reasonable.
Other weeks I might spend three times as long on 8000 words of medical records... and need to check everything. Medical records are often sent in a format where I cannot use my CAT, so I push the rate up as far as possible for those.
If you have to spend time researching for terminology etc. don't forget to allow for that when setting your rate. The same applies if you have to spend a lot of time rephrasing and making the translation sound idiomatic in the target language.
If you accept a rate that is below the average, ask yourself why!
[Edited at 2018-01-19 10:53 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| I couldn't sum it better | Jan 19, 2018 |
Christine has said it all!
And especially: " If you accept a rate that is below the average, ask yourself why!" Although she also accepted [ 8000 words at my absolute minimum rate]. There might be times you feel like taking a job (and/or need to) at an absolutely low rate. But do remember that it has to be puntual. Otherwise, you will be stuck in this range of rate.
Good luck!
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 03:16
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Franjo Varšić wrote:
What would be a reasonable range in EUR for per word rates for translating and proofreading respectively?
To answer this question, we need to know at least: what are your source and target languages, where do you live, and where do your clients live?
| | | | | Medical, Croatian English | Jan 25, 2018 |
I should say, this question relates to medical translation. SOmeone asked about the language pair, it's CroatianEnglish, the agency is, as best I can tell, English.
Christine Andersen wrote:
The Proz.com average rates only show one rate for many languages, regardless of the subject area.
I assume this is because there are not enough statistics to divide meaningfully into subgroups.
In theory you should set your own rates, but it is often a matter of agreeing (or not) to a rate proposed by the client. Always try to negotiate if the rate is lower than you think reasonable.
I accept quite a large range of rates. This week I have turned out 8000 words at my absolute minimum rate, but at high speed - they were newspaper articles, not very demanding. So the amount earned per hour was quite reasonable.
Other weeks I might spend three times as long on 8000 words of medical records... and need to check everything. Medical records are often sent in a format where I cannot use my CAT, so I push the rate up as far as possible for those.
If you have to spend time researching for terminology etc. don't forget to allow for that when setting your rate. The same applies if you have to spend a lot of time rephrasing and making the translation sound idiomatic in the target language.
If you accept a rate that is below the average, ask yourself why!
[Edited at 2018-01-19 10:53 GMT]
You say I need to set my own rate, but my problem is I'm so new to this I don't even know what a reasonable ball park is. That's why I was talking in terms of a range, rather than a specific price. What would be an EUR price for medical translation for a language like Croatian (you probably don't know about Croatian prices, but maybe some language of similar size).
| | | | | A few more details | Jan 26, 2018 |
The average standard rate reported on this site for Croatian to English is € 0.09 (Minimum € 0.06) per word.
The same rates are reported for English to Croatian, as far as I can see regardless of which subject field you choose.
https://search.proz.com/employers/rates?source_lang=.cr&target_lang=eng&disc_spec_id=95��cy=e... See more The average standard rate reported on this site for Croatian to English is € 0.09 (Minimum € 0.06) per word.
The same rates are reported for English to Croatian, as far as I can see regardless of which subject field you choose.
https://search.proz.com/employers/rates?source_lang=.cr&target_lang=eng&disc_spec_id=95��cy=eur&submit=Submit
Compared with the standard reported rate for Danish to English, which is € 0.12 (minimum € 0.9)
The rates for English to Danish are € 0.12 standard, minimum € 0.10.
I have to admit, I would not do medical translation for less, and would ask for more in many cases for medical work. I try not to go under €0.13, and some agencies pay me more like € 0.16 (in Danish kroner) for medical work. Danish rates are high, partly because of the language structure - you may get about 20% more English words on average, (1200 English target words for 1000 Danish source words.)
Bear in mind that medicine is a demanding subject area, and the average reported rate is for all subjects, from easy texts that are quite routine, to medical work where you really have to know and check the terminology. So if you have the expertise, you should definitely be asking for rates above the average.
Many people can and do translate standard café menus and tourist information for rates around the average, and newspaper articles or texts for the general reader run quite quickly as a rule. So you can translate a larger number of words per hour. It can still be quite well paid from that point of view. And some must work for below-average rates...
Medical translation calls for greater expertise - you really have to know the terminology and be sure to get it right. So add 25% or 33% to the average rate for medical work. Start high and see whether the client accepts it. They may tell you what they are expecting to pay, and what kind of rates they pay other translators. If that is only slightly below the rate you asked for, you could go along with it. It is up to you to decide whether you will take on the job at the rate they suggest.
You say you are new to translation, but remember, a professional translation has the same value for the client, no matter who did it. Either it is fit for purpose, and they must pay the full rate, or it is useless...
If you, as a beginner, need to spend more time on a translation or even pay a colleague to check it for you, that is a good reason for charging the full rate!
Good luck!
[Edited at 2018-01-26 17:32 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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John Fossey
Canada
Local time: 21:16
Member (2008)
French to English
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| Different rate scales | Jan 26, 2018 |
In addition to the comments by others, I find it makes a huge difference who the client is. I have essentially three rate scales, one for general agencies (close to the Proz.com average), one for direct end clients, where there is no agency involved (close to double my agency rate), and a lower rate for when I am competitively bidding on easy work.
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