Advice re Quote for Translation of Long, Confusingly Written Text Thread poster: Joshua Lesk
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Joshua Lesk
Israel
Local time: 11:57
Hebrew to English
+ ...
Hi there.
I have a question:
Hopefully soon I'll be offered
a 100K word translation job, of
abstruse theology.
Originally I quoted a standard
translation rate of $.10/word.
However, after looking over a 5 page sample,
I found the text is quite confusingly
written and will probably
need a decent amount of smoothing.
Does this sound like a standard situation?
Should I include some kind of editing fee or
di... See more Hi there.
I have a question:
Hopefully soon I'll be offered
a 100K word translation job, of
abstruse theology.
Originally I quoted a standard
translation rate of $.10/word.
However, after looking over a 5 page sample,
I found the text is quite confusingly
written and will probably
need a decent amount of smoothing.
Does this sound like a standard situation?
Should I include some kind of editing fee or
different rate?
How and when should I raise this with the
contracting translation business?
I want to stay an attractive candidate but
I also want to be paid fairly for my work.
I appreciate any and all thoughts.
Thank you.
[Edited at 2017-01-09 04:11 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jan Willem van Dormolen (X) 
Netherlands
Local time: 10:57
English to Dutch
+ ...
| Translator or editor | Jan 10, 2017 |
The way I see it, you will work either as translator or as translator/editor. In the former case, you simply translate the source, and if it's confusing, so will the translation be. For this you would receive a normal translation fee.
In the latter case, you will have to do extensive editing, which is specialized work that is generally paid at a (much) higher level than translating. For this you would receive both a translation AND an editing fee.
So you should confer with your clien... See more The way I see it, you will work either as translator or as translator/editor. In the former case, you simply translate the source, and if it's confusing, so will the translation be. For this you would receive a normal translation fee.
In the latter case, you will have to do extensive editing, which is specialized work that is generally paid at a (much) higher level than translating. For this you would receive both a translation AND an editing fee.
So you should confer with your client about what s/he wants. And make sure s/he understands that editing will be costly. If s/he is not prepared to pay you for this, don't. Then just translate and don't try to improve the source text (much). ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Ask the client before you begin | Jan 10, 2017 |
Clients do not have unlimited funds, and they need to know if you are going to charge more than they initially expected. If you are going to need extra time, can they extend the deadline?
If their budget permits, some will negotiate things like this, but you can't expect them to pay you for extra work if they simply don't have the money. Some may actually want the source translated as it is, for their own reasons!
The same principle applies to editing that takes far lon... See more Clients do not have unlimited funds, and they need to know if you are going to charge more than they initially expected. If you are going to need extra time, can they extend the deadline?
If their budget permits, some will negotiate things like this, but you can't expect them to pay you for extra work if they simply don't have the money. Some may actually want the source translated as it is, for their own reasons!
The same principle applies to editing that takes far longer than expected, or any other problem you may run into. Tell the client as soon as you are aware of the question or problem, and agree in good time how you will solve it. There is no time to discuss things if you leave it until just before the deadline! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 04:57
German to English
| Always see a sample before bidding on a large job ... | Jan 10, 2017 |
or any job might require more than the usual effort.
Joshua Lesk wrote:
However, after looking over a 5 page sample,
I found the text is quite confusingly
written and will probably
need a decent amount of smoothing.
I've found that philosophical or psychological texts take longer to translate than, say, service manuals, due to complex ideas, sentence structure and in some cases, neologisms that take time to resolve. In reality, such texts should be paid better than, for example, instructions for replacing a windshield wiper assembly, but alas, the rate is often far less. Sadly, 10 cents/word is probably a good rate for your project.
Good luck.
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| Translation IS editing. | Jan 10, 2017 |
Jan Willem van Dormolen wrote:
The way I see it, you will work either as translator or as translator/editor. In the former case, you simply translate the source, and if it's confusing, so will the translation be. For this you would receive a normal translation fee.
In the latter case, you will have to do extensive editing, which is specialized work that is generally paid at a (much) higher level than translating. For this you would receive both a translation AND an editing fee.
If it's badly written and so is your translation, you've done a bad job. That's the "garbage in, garbage out" school of thought, which I've never subscribed to. What you're saying is "I can do you a bad translation for $x, or a good one for $y".
| | | | Joshua Lesk
Israel
Local time: 11:57
Hebrew to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks very much for your help guys.
Any ideas re rates for Translation + Editing?
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 10:57
French to English
| warning bells! | Jan 18, 2017 |
"abstruse theology" sets off all sorts of warning bells. I remember a guy coming to our agency with a rambling manuscript to be translated into 20 languages. There was some pretty offensive stuff in there about keeping women in their place and other questionable morals. So before you even think about taking the job on, who exactly is the client and how much can you trust them to pay? If it's an academic paper, is it a university that will be paying? if it's a private individual, forget it, there... See more "abstruse theology" sets off all sorts of warning bells. I remember a guy coming to our agency with a rambling manuscript to be translated into 20 languages. There was some pretty offensive stuff in there about keeping women in their place and other questionable morals. So before you even think about taking the job on, who exactly is the client and how much can you trust them to pay? If it's an academic paper, is it a university that will be paying? if it's a private individual, forget it, there's a very good chance they won't pay!
If the text is incomprehensible, it's the author who needs to do some editing, or have it edited. Otherwise you won't ever be able to trust that they mean what they say, even when it seems straightforward.
I wouldn't touch this sort of project with a barge pole myself. However if the subject matter was important to me, I might suggest they edit it first, possibly pointing out some passages that would need reworking in the sample they showed. If they ask me to do likewise for the rest of the document, I would charge by the hour for it, and reserve the right to still request clarification during translation, because you sometimes only realise that something doesn't really make sense until you get your teeth into the translation.
For a short translation I would simply make a list of all points that don't seem clear and wait for their clarification before handing in the text, or at least tell them what I would do if they don't answer in time to honour the deadline.
For a very long text, if it's badly written all the way through even after "editing", I would probably quote extra to cover the time I would have to spend listing points to be clarified, checking the answers, maybe asking fresh questions in light of the answers. I would happily slap on 50% extra. Based on past experience, it's better to overestimate than underestimate. If you underestimate, it's delicate to then ask for more, especially if you've seen a sample featuring woolly wording, and you might find yourself seething with resentment as you plough through it. You can always say you'll offer a discount at the end if it turns out that you overestimated the work, but this should always be at your discretion, it's not up to the client to decide.
Also, I would quote a flat rate rather than specify the price per word and the extra charge, as a way to avoid bickering. All or nothing mate, take it or leave it. ▲ Collapse
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