Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you usually charge per source or per target word? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you usually charge per source or per target word?".
This poll was originally submitted by Caterina Esteva. View the poll results »
| | | David Wright Austria Local time: 09:44 German to English + ...
Target line of 55 keystrokes. | | | it depends.. | Jan 22, 2015 |
on the client. most of the are charged per source word, others prefer to be charged by target page, others per target line... No problems with that, as long as I get what I consider fair. | | | It depends on the client's location | Jan 22, 2015 |
In Israel, local agencies pay per translation unit that is 250 words in the target language (final document). The rest of agencies I work with abroad pay per source word. The same, in most of the cases the client is the one who decides to pay per source or per target, not me | |
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Per source word | Jan 22, 2015 |
I prefer to charge my clients per source word, but (there is always a "but") one of my clients (a Portuguese media group) asks to be charged per target character and I have no problem with that… | | | EvaVer (X) Local time: 09:44 Czech to French + ...
Per target normalised page. But as others said before, it depends on the client - I also have "source word", "target word", and "source equivalent word" clients (I have never really understood what the last one means). And the target NP may be calculated in two different manners. And a non-negligible number of jobs where a lump-sum remuneration is negotiated. A total chaos. | | | neilmac Spain Local time: 09:44 Spanish to English + ...
Average to low basic rate, BUT no fuzzy or rep discounts (unless I happen to feel like it). | | |
If you charge by target word, then you effectively have an incentive to pad out the target text, thus impairing the quality of your own product. | |
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Tim Drayton Cyprus Local time: 10:44 Turkish to English + ...
I charge by whatever unit the client wishes and I note that I charge more often per target word than source word. Most frequently, though, I set a fixed fee in advance. | | | I'd rather not | Jan 22, 2015 |
Never really grasped why we're not paid by the hour. Companies manage to pay bricklayers by the hour rather than by the brick, and to allow for some being quicker than others, so why not translators? It's no wonder we're not taken seriously or treated like professionals when we charge piecemeal as though all words were equal and no skill was required. | | | Tim Drayton Cyprus Local time: 10:44 Turkish to English + ...
Chris S wrote: Never really grasped why we're not paid by the hour. Companies manage to pay bricklayers by the hour rather than by the brick, and to allow for some being quicker than others, so why not translators? It's no wonder we're not taken seriously or treated like professionals when we charge piecemeal as though all words were equal and no skill was required. I fully agree with you there. I notice if I get builders in to do some work around the house, they charge me for materials used plus the hours they put in. Ask a plumber what his rate is per metre of pipe, and you will get a very funny look. Commoditisation is what is killing our business. | | | Julian Holmes Japan Local time: 17:44 Member (2011) Japanese to English None of the above | Jan 22, 2015 |
I charge by source character not word. It's a cultural thing. And, believe me, there are some nasty characters out there. | |
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Usually per target word (Spain and rest of Europe) | Jan 22, 2015 |
I am a translator since 1989 and I have always be paid (in Europe) per target word. I think this is pretty fair, since in my speciality (Sworn and legal translations) we have to explain rough terms or acronyms that are different form country to country, or write "what we see" (i.e. stamps, illegible signatures...); all of this increase in 10% the word count. If we stick to translation definition as "transferring written texts to equivalent written texts in another language" (more or... See more I am a translator since 1989 and I have always be paid (in Europe) per target word. I think this is pretty fair, since in my speciality (Sworn and legal translations) we have to explain rough terms or acronyms that are different form country to country, or write "what we see" (i.e. stamps, illegible signatures...); all of this increase in 10% the word count. If we stick to translation definition as "transferring written texts to equivalent written texts in another language" (more or less), we have to agree that this is not that simple: a method that is commonly applied is paraphrase or rewording. Of course, we try to avoid it, but sometimes this is the only way. Or translators' notes, on the other hand. Why not to be paid for this work? Plus counting target words is as easy or easier than counting source words, since the majority of my documents comes in "strange" formats (like paper or .pdf). Well I feel ok invoicing per target word and so do my clients (so far). ▲ Collapse | | |
That's the norm for my clients. It's not worth arguing about because the effort averages out over the months and years. There's no perfect solution. Oliver Lawrence wrote: If you charge by target word, then you effectively have an incentive to pad out the target text, thus impairing the quality of your own product. Oliver, I can't imagine that a serious professional would even think of that. Furthermore, a briefer text is not always better. It's not unusual to have an expansion factor in the target language because of the need to elaborate on concepts that have to be explained. In English, texts that are too compact can be confusing or ambiguous and slow the reader down. In other words, one expands and contracts as the context requires and monetary compensation should have nothing to do with it. One more point: It does depend on the language, as others have mentioned. By tradition, the wordier or the two languages is the one that's counted. For example, it would behoove a translator working from German to charge either by the source character or by the target word.
[Edited at 2015-01-22 11:02 GMT] | | | Tim Drayton Cyprus Local time: 10:44 Turkish to English + ... This can be incorporated into the rate | Jan 22, 2015 |
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote: ... One more point: It does depend on the language, as others have mentioned. By tradition, the wordier or the two languages is the one that's counted. For example, it would behoove a translator working from German to charge either by the source character or by the target word.
[Edited at 2015-01-22 11:02 GMT] Your point is certainly very valid for those who translate from an agglutinating language such as Turkish into an isolating language such as English, but this expansion can be factored into the price, such that if, for example, I am asked to quote my per-word rate in euro, I will currently state this as: 11 cents per source word/7 cents per target word. | | | 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 » Poll: Do you usually charge per source or per target word? Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
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