ProZ.com Translation Forums

Translator rates calculator | Lel us establish a Trade Union

Marek Urban — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 03:04:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Marek Urban
Post title: Lel us establish a Trade Union

You all are right. The discussion touches the basics of social and economic system philosophy, the basic principles of economic doctrines.
We cannot change the free market rules overnight. However, as we have witnessed in the past, in certain circumstances of exploitation there are some, acceptable instruments of reaction. These are trade unions - very capitalistic invention. Why don’t we have our Trade Union of Translators (TUT), so powerful tool in some countries, able to rise or put down governments?
Exploitation is not a new invention. Equally, the defending tools are long-known.
Trade union is the most just reaction to globalization attempts in any industry. To put action behind words, as a first step I suggest making a list of supporters. If the support is proved to be substantial, then we can arrange a conference, choose authorities, set membership fee and there we go. To facilitate the process, let each supporter listing his/her name suggest his/her nominee (of remarkable character) for The Board. You can list your name here:

[url removed]

Translator rates calculator | 8000 wpd is possible...

Michael Chirichigno — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 09:59:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Michael Chirichigno
Post title: 8000 wpd is possible...

[quote]Hennadiy Klapanov wrote:

provided the "translator" is a skilled user of such CATs as machine translation systems (MT), but not TMs.
Although, there was a funny case. It was several years ago when a manager from an agency I worked with asked me to translate, say, 15 pages a day. I was very surprised and told her it was unreal. She argued she had several translators who work out 35 pages a day! When I replied that only MT users can achieve that high capacities, she answered somewhat... But my wife guessed she was offended with my words. I think my wife was right because that conversation was the last deal with that agency. [/quote]

Translator rates calculator | 8000 wpd is possible...

Hennadiy Klapanov — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 10:15:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Hennadiy Klapanov
Post title: 8000 wpd is possible...

provided the "translator" is a skilled user of such CATs as machine translation systems (MT), but not TMs.
Although, there was a funny case. It was several years ago when a manager from an agency I worked with asked me to translate, say, 15 pages a day. I was very surprised and told her it was unreal. She argued she had several translators who work out 35 pages a day! When I replied that only MT users can achieve that high capacities, she answered somewhat... But my wife guessed she was offended with my words. I think my wife was right because that conversation was the last deal with that agency.

Translator rates calculator | I just recently stated that I charge 0.12 $ per word for the translation from English into German...

Erick Andrello Nietto — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:04:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Erick Andrello Nietto
Post title: I just recently stated that I charge 0.12 $ per word for the translation from English into German...

[quote]Marina Steinbach wrote:

...and was called "cheap" by a ProZ colleague. This was according to ProZ the average for my language combination. What shall I do now? I'm thinking of charging 0.20 $ per word...

I don't know what to say... every single ad I see on this website involves working for USD 0,04 /word or even less... And something tells me that these clients will look for translators somewhere else, in case we do not offer them these poor rates on proz.com.... Someone has to do something about it.

[img] [url removed] [/img] [/quote]

Translator rates calculator | 300 words per hour, 3 hours a day, 3 days a week... really?

hsnava — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 02:58:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: hsnava
Post title: 300 words per hour, 3 hours a day, 3 days a week... really?

[quote]Gabriela Hebin wrote:

REALITY CHECK: 1000 words per day is NOT a professional rate of production! All of the translators who I work with can produce a minimum of 4000 words per day, some of them up to 8000, so let's get real here. Step it up.

[/quote]

Hi everyone,

Although this post is not recent, I would still like to comment. I think 8000 words per day is a crazy number. I worked at a translation agency for about three years and there are only a handful of translators who would accept that volume. In fact, I think I have never even dared to ask a translator to do 8000 words in one day. As far as I'm concerned, it's not possible or I would seriously doubt of the quality of such translation.

A production matrix I would say in any translation agency is 1500 to 2000 words per day, depending on the language of course. I have seen super fast translators do 3000, even 4000 words per day, but I have never seen 8000 words in a day. I'm talking about English, French, Spanish, German. The demand for a freelancer is usually higher than for an agency translator. In-house translators are booked at 300 words per hour, believe it or not. But of course they are salaried employees with all benefits. On the other hand, if the agency would think they can translate faster without hurting quality, I would think they would change this, no question about it! After all agencies are all about making the most possible profit and the translators are usually very well paid (at least in Canada they are).

Anyway, for me, a translator myself, 2000 - 3000 words per day it's the most I would dare to translate if I want to produce a good quality text, depending on the type of content. So I guess, I would have to base my rate according to that number.

Translator rates calculator | Living costs

apk12 — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:12:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: apk12
Post title: Living costs

[quote]sambacats wrote:

@apk12
Of course living costs are relevant to the translator, but taxes look only at the job/business-related costs, such as your PC, a part of your living area used as office (some percentage of your rent and heating and telephon costs), etcetera. Your food and furniture and possible luxury costs are supposed to come from your net salary[/quote]

Yes, and how exactly does this relate to the connection living costs/rates? See, I personally cannot translate really well with just a "percentage" of heating costs and rent paid, can you? How about translating with a "percentage" of luch in your stomach? Unfortunately they all cost a hundred percent of what they unfortunately cost in our countries. There are not many translators working from under a bridge and I personnaly plan to offer my translations next year still from a place that I paid the full "percentage" of the rent for, so in my case (for my own rates) I will definitely take care to stick with the relation living costs/rates for my offers in future, too.

[Edited at 2012-05-04 20:14 GMT]

Translator rates calculator | Living costs

sambacats — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:43:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: sambacats
Post title: Living costs

@apk12
Of course living costs are relevant to the translator, but taxes look only at the job/business-related costs, such as your PC, a part of your living area used as office (some percentage of your rent and heating and telephon costs), etcetera. Your food and furniture and possible luxury costs are supposed to come from your net salary, which you are trying to be profitable enough to sustain a living, and cannot be made to be job-related unless you make it a business meal, what I suspect you cannot do too often if you don't want to cause suspicion. :)

In any case, I think we should also look at the times we are in. It's crisis time! We have to lower our standards if we want to get a deal. Although I am used to getting deals paying 100-300 euro (giving workshops, not translating), you don't get such deals every day, and not at all anymore since the crisis. So, back to translating for less then, and I'll simply follow the guide lines. If it's minimally 0,09 per word, I can certainly manage. I would be more happy with 0,20 per word, but I can't predict the future. Hope for the best, for you all.

Ian

Translator rates calculator | some countries charge by character

guyaneh20 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:57:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: guyaneh20
Post title: some countries charge by character

Hey guys, sorry to say this but some countries do not even count by worked hour, since you might be able to do twice or 3 times more in an hour than someone else, actually they charge per page and for page they count 1800 characters without spaces or 2000 with spaces and they charge for a page of work. The other depends on how many pages a day someone can do.

[Edited at 2012-01-06 08:00 GMT]

Translator rates calculator | Some comments to an older reply

Samuel Murray — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:15:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: Some comments to an older reply

[quote]Gabriela Hebin wrote:
Hello??? ON WHAT PLANET can you support yourself working 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, 48 weeks a year, if you're only good enough to produce 300 words an hour?[/quote]

As Arianna had correctly surmised, the 3x3x3 formula relates not to the ideal situation but to the start-up situation. However, I recognise the flaw in the 3x3x3 formula, namely that it creates the impression that this is all that a translator needs to do to make a living.

I think the 3x3x3 formula should be used as an [i]eye-opener[/i] for new translators about what they will earn initially, and not about what they should realistically expect at the end of their first year.

I would not recommend that a new translator aim for anything more than 300-400 words per hour, because new translators need to learn how to translate well before they can learn to translate fast. A new translator who focuses on speed too early will end up being a fast mediocre translator instead of a fast good translator.

I wonder what would be formula be for translators in their second year? At 400 words per hour, in a 9-hour day, a translator will do 3500 words per day, or 50 000 words per month. Assuming a nett/gross ratio of 2.5, the formula for people who want to use a simple formula to calculate their ideal per-word rate would be:

[b]Take what you want to earn per month (after taxes), and divide it by 20 000[/b].

[quote]I'm sure this post will create hate mail, but so what?[/quote]

No, there is no hate mail, but I do think it would be nice to hear your opinion about what you think is a good formula for a new translator to calculate a fair rate.

Translator rates calculator | Average rate

Michele Fauble — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 06:48:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Michele Fauble
Post title: Average rate

[quote]Marina Steinbach wrote:

I just recently stated that I charge 0.12 $ per word for the translation from English into German...

This was according to ProZ the average for my language combination.
[/quote]

You have more competitors at this price than at any other price. Something to think about.

Translator rates calculator | Your standard rate is really EUR 0.02 per word?

Marina M. Steinbach — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:24:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Marina M. Steinbach
Post title: Your standard rate is really EUR 0.02 per word?

That's very low considering that you have a MD.

[img] [url removed] [/img]

Translator rates calculator | I just recently stated that I charge 0.12 $ per word for the translation from English into German...

Marina M. Steinbach — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:17:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Marina M. Steinbach
Post title: I just recently stated that I charge 0.12 $ per word for the translation from English into German...

...and was called "cheap" by a ProZ colleague. This was according to ProZ the average for my language combination. What shall I do now? I'm thinking of charging 0.20 $ per word...

[img] [url removed] [/img]

Translator rates calculator | Can't agree more.

JHosary — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:03:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: JHosary
Post title: Can't agree more.

[quote]jferedo wrote:

Too many newcomers believe that they are translators (on the basis of speaking more than one language) and accept jobs for next to nothing.

Especially in my language combination. After the revolution in my country young people started to travel to English speaking country and after a year or so when they came back all of a sudden they became professional translators. Then a question emerges... How can a client or agency find out who is a real translator and who is just a speaker of foreign languge? I guess rate can be considered as one of the indicators. Professional translator will never accept lower than average rate.

Translator rates calculator | Oha? Costs of living irrelevant?

apk12 — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 09:14:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: apk12
Post title: Oha? Costs of living irrelevant?

[quote]Krzysztof Kajetanowicz wrote:

I admit that to the extent that the article compiles what most people here would say on the subject, it's a good summary.

However, I think it's a mistake to focus on the cost of living and what the translator "would like" to earn. ...

[/quote]

No, I don't agree. Economists may think what they want to think and count whatever they count. If they forget this fact - that it should be a living translator, not his skeleton - actually the costs of living in the given target language country is a cost they HAVE to embed in their calculation, the translator won't deliver a professional translation from right of his grave.

The consequences, if economists forget that, are... translations starting world trips. With expectable quality afterwards. Well...

[Edited at 2011-06-11 13:06 GMT]

Translator rates calculator | Using a similar method to the rates calculator...

Daniel Grau — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 08:30:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Daniel Grau
Post title: Using a similar method to the rates calculator...

... in this BMI chart:

• [url removed]

I just determined I am over 2 meters tall.

Translator rates calculator | I read Samuel's post another way

Arianne Farah — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 06:43:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Arianne Farah
Post title: I read Samuel's post another way

@Gabriela - from what I understand of Samuel's post he's not using the 3x3x3 as what a newbie should be aiming for but rather the volume one can realistically expect to obtain at the beginning of a career, the rest of the time spent prospecting new clients and firing off CVs. If a newbie makes his calculations based on a 40-hour work week chances are he/she won't book enough work to fill those 40 hours and the budget will be way off!

Translator rates calculator | 300 words per hour, 3 hours a day, 3 days a week... really?

Gabriela Hebin — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 06:08:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Gabriela Hebin
Post title: 300 words per hour, 3 hours a day, 3 days a week... really?

Please, just look at the default values on this formula.

A newbie translator might see this formula and expect to support his/her family's lifestyle by translating during only 70% of their "working" time, yet expects to do so by only translating 300 words per hour. Of course he/she feels it is perfectly reasonable to expect 4 weeks a year of what amounts to a paid vacation, and then to only work for 3 hours a day, 3 days a week.

Hello??? ON WHAT PLANET can you support yourself working 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, 48 weeks a year, if you're only good enough to produce 300 words an hour?

THEN someone else chimes in agreeing that they can only manage to produce some 1000-1200 words per day, so the newbie feels justified in the presumptions.

REALITY CHECK: 1000 words per day is NOT a professional rate of production! All of the translators who I work with can produce a minimum of 4000 words per day, some of them up to 8000, so let's get real here. Step it up.

What is the amount that you are willing to earn while you sit at home in front of your lapton in your jammies?
What is the value of being able to watch your own children rather than send them off to be "cared for" by strangers?
How cool is it to be able to take a break from your emails to move your laundry from the washer to the dryer?
Or to water your garden between assignments?
What is the value of NOT having to wear a suit and tie (or nylons and heels)?
Of NOT having to commute X number of hours each week?
Of NOT having to waste the the gas and wear and tear on your car?
How amazing is it to be in touch with people from all over the world and not have to sit in some fluorescent-lit office listening to some yahoo spouting the usual office gossip and politics while you pretend to care?
And what could be better than to avoid ALL of those things and still earn MANY times more than what an office worker earns?

To me, that kind of freedom is priceless.

Please enlighten me, even in the most Socialist of societies, since when does 300 words per hour X 3 hours a day X 3 days a week constitute an effort to earn a living? A business owner always works MORE than a full-time employee, not less. Greater freedom only comes with greater responsibility.

Enough said.

I'm sure this post will create hate mail, but so what? I'm sitting at home making my own coffee and listening to the TV while I laugh at the flames from the newbies who can only translate 1000 words per day.

Translator rates calculator | Thanks for advice.

Morten Alme — Sat, 28 May 2011 00:53:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Morten Alme
Post title: Thanks for advice.

[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:

[quote]Moral26 wrote:
It seems hard to put a price on words. As a freelancer new to this business, some good advice is highly appreciated...[/quote]

Options:

1. Charge what other people in your language combination charge (for that, you need to do some research into what other people charge).

2.1 Assume (as a beginner) that you can do 300 words per hour and that you would be busy 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, 3 weeks a month.
2.2 Decide how much money you would like to earn per month, and then multiply that by 3 (to make up for taxes, insurance, etc).
2.3 Then... then divide that amount by the number of words that you would be able to translate in that month.

3. Let your clients decide how much they want to pay. Say something like "I don't have a single rate for all clients -- why don't you start by telling me what you think is reasonable". Good agencies will offer you what is reasonable, bad agencies will take advantage of you, but either way, you'll learn a lot about money and the value of translation.

Lastly, find a good average between all of the above, play with the numbers, and adjust your expectations accordingly.

Oh, and don't forget that some clients in some countries are willing to pay more (or are unwilling to pay less) than some clients in some other countries. And don't forget that once you've asked a certain rate for a certain client, it is nearly impossible to increase it later (except a little bit).

[Edited at 2011-05-27 07:39 GMT] [/quote]

Thanks for the good advice. I saw Svens price list, and it gave me good pointers. Though I reckon medical translations are a lot more time consuming and technical than mere web content, literary or catalogue content.

Good point in letting the client put up an offer first, and then compare with the prices I already have.

I do remember being able to write about 4-6 pages a day while rewriting a short story collection a few years ago. And then I set forth to translate the main story to Norwegian. It was the same there. Between 3-6 pages a day.

I gather I would be able to do at least a 1000 to 1200 words a day on the clients projects. And I range my prices from 9 to 13 eurocents per source word.

This seems to be something that I have looked for a long time, while struggling with my own writing. Except for deadlines, you are your own boss.

Again, thanks for good advice.

Translator rates calculator | At the risk of repeating what the wiki article says

Samuel Murray — Fri, 27 May 2011 07:30:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: At the risk of repeating what the wiki article says

[quote]Moral26 wrote:
It seems hard to put a price on words. As a freelancer new to this business, some good advice is highly appreciated...[/quote]

Options:

1. Charge what other people in your language combination charge (for that, you need to do some research into what other people charge).

2.1 Assume (as a beginner) that you can do 300 words per hour and that you would be busy 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, 3 weeks a month.
2.2 Decide how much money you would like to earn per month, and then multiply that by 3 (to make up for taxes, insurance, etc).
2.3 Then... then divide that amount by the number of words that you would be able to translate in that month.

3. Let your clients decide how much they want to pay. Say something like "I don't have a single rate for all clients -- why don't you start by telling me what you think is reasonable". Good agencies will offer you what is reasonable, bad agencies will take advantage of you, but either way, you'll learn a lot about money and the value of translation.

Lastly, find a good average between all of the above, play with the numbers, and adjust your expectations accordingly.

Oh, and don't forget that some clients in some countries are willing to pay more (or are unwilling to pay less) than some clients in some other countries. And don't forget that once you've asked a certain rate for a certain client, it is nearly impossible to increase it later (except a little bit).

[Edited at 2011-05-27 07:39 GMT]

Translator rates calculator | Thank you for a good input

Morten Alme — Fri, 27 May 2011 04:05:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Morten Alme
Post title: Thank you for a good input

[quote]Krzysztof Kajetanowicz wrote:

I admit that to the extent that the article compiles what most people here would say on the subject, it's a good summary.

However, I think it's a mistake to focus on the cost of living and what the translator "would like" to earn.

Economics a cruel science. Your aspirations and needs are hardly relevant. What counts are your [b]options[/b], as well as the client's options.

If you're not making enough, you can demand more. If the client has other options, you won't make more. If you thus find yourself unable to make enough money translating, are you able to do something else and make more?

If not, then living costs are a poor reference point. You will prefer to make too little than to make nothing. The cost of food is not a cost you have to bear in order to translate. It's a cost you'll bear regardless. If you choose between translating for little and doing nothing for nothing, unless your country has a generous unemployment benefit, you'll choose to translate for little.

If yes, very well - but then again, the cost of living is not a good reference. Rather, you look at the fact that the buyer is willing to pay because they won't get a much better deal (price/quality-wise) somewhere else.

Let the flaming begin. [/quote]

It seems hard to put a price on words. As a freelancer new to this business, some good advice is highly appreciated....

Translator rates calculator | rate per hour in the calculator

dynamitecottage — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:48:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: dynamitecottage
Post title: rate per hour in the calculator

If hourly rate was included it would be handy. This also lets you see when you should stop translating and take up garbage removal or similar as the rate´s better! I think a good sign is that, provided your overheads are low (and one must remember to depreciate capital investment over 3 to 5 years), translating can deliver a livable (freelance) income - comparable, say to teaching, nursing and other (somewhat underpaid) professions. It´s a viable departure point, from which to build a (somewhat) higher income as you get better at it. As a (re-) starter in the field I find this consoling! At least it´s a field in which there´s constant demand!

Translator rates calculator | good to read...

-V- — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 12:26:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: -V-
Post title: good to read...

all yours are "good sentences"... let's say I'm not so much of a good translator... and still trying to step into this translator's world, seeking hope for a better future, doing what I THINK I could do.. reading felipe's and dawn's has given me some sort of hope and self-confidence, though krzysztof's might also be right to the contexts that in the real life, things just don't go well by doing the calculation of how much do you want to earn or else... so, I'm not saying which one is preferable... all of your sentences are good to read and learn...

cheers

-V-

Translator rates calculator | Felipe is absolutely right.

jferedo — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:24:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: jferedo
Post title: Felipe is absolutely right.

Too many newcomers believe that they are translators (on the basis of speaking more than one language) and accept jobs for next to nothing. Stick to your price. If agencies want quality, they will pay the price or ask for proofreading. Never accept proofreading without seeing a sample. My long-term customers all went through this and now I have no problem (or not too much).

Translator rates calculator | Yes

AGDANE — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:20:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: AGDANE
Post title: Yes

[quote]Krzysztof Kajetanowicz wrote:

However, I think it's a mistake to focus on the cost of living and what the translator "would like" to earn.

Economics a cruel science. Your aspirations and needs are hardly relevant. What counts are your [b]options[/b], as well as the client's options.

If you're not making enough, you can demand more. If the client has other options, you won't make more. If you thus find yourself unable to make enough money translating, are you able to do something else and make more?

If not, then living costs are a poor reference point. You will prefer to make too little than to make nothing. The cost of food is not a cost you have to bear in order to translate. It's a cost you'll bear regardless. If you choose between translating for little and doing nothing for nothing, unless your country has a generous unemployment benefit, you'll choose to translate for little.

If yes, very well - but then again, the cost of living is not a good reference. Rather, you look at the fact that the buyer is willing to pay because they won't get a much better deal (price/quality-wise) somewhere else.

Let the flaming begin. [/quote]

That is precisely right. The only thing that determines the price is what the buyer is willing to pay.

Although of course, in the long course living costs should theoretically affect the rate for translation, because translators being paid less that they could subside on would supposedly leave the profession (or sleep under bridges), and thereby lower supply relative to demand. However, that is not really relevant to price setting for the individual who needs the projects.

[Edited at 2010-10-02 00:23 GMT]

Translator rates calculator | Value your work and dictate your rates

Felipe Jendrysiak — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:57:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Felipe Jendrysiak
Post title: Value your work and dictate your rates

Hey,
I agree with Dawn,
Quality comes with price and further more agencies only offers extremely low rates and demanding top quality translations because translators accepts such imperative. Do not translate for little if you are a real qualified translator. If the professional values the career you won't subject yourself to work for little. DO NOT WORK FOR LITTLE. If everyone simply refuses to accept low payers (agencies) they will eventually rethink the way a translation work worth. If you translator prefer to work for little please do something like working in a bar. For certain that will be less distressing with less responsibility.

Translator rates calculator | Krzysztof is partly right, but it's not the whole story

Dawn Montague — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:06:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Dawn Montague
Post title: Krzysztof is partly right, but it's not the whole story

Although Krzysztof is partly right (the realities of economics can be cruel indeed), it is not the whole story. From experience, I can tell you that if you can deliver top notch quality and service that pleases top notch clients (and you market yourself effectively to them), you will be able to say no to the low payers. It's as simple as that. It takes time and hard work to get to that point, but it can be done. I would suggest also reading Corinne McKay's blog post entitled "Secrets of six-figure translators" at [url removed] , or any of Danilo Nogueira's articles on translator economics such as this one: [url removed] or this one: [url removed]

Translator rates calculator | note

Krzysztof Kajetanowicz — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: Krzysztof Kajetanowicz
Post title: note

I admit that to the extent that the article compiles what most people here would say on the subject, it's a good summary.

However, I think it's a mistake to focus on the cost of living and what the translator "would like" to earn.

Economics a cruel science. Your aspirations and needs are hardly relevant. What counts are your [b]options[/b], as well as the client's options.

If you're not making enough, you can demand more. If the client has other options, you won't make more. If you thus find yourself unable to make enough money translating, are you able to do something else and make more?

If not, then living costs are a poor reference point. You will prefer to make too little than to make nothing. The cost of food is not a cost you have to bear in order to translate. It's a cost you'll bear regardless. If you choose between translating for little and doing nothing for nothing, unless your country has a generous unemployment benefit, you'll choose to translate for little.

If yes, very well - but then again, the cost of living is not a good reference. Rather, you look at the fact that the buyer is willing to pay because they won't get a much better deal (price/quality-wise) somewhere else.

Let the flaming begin.

Translator rates calculator | Article on determining rates and fees

l Gaston l — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Forum: Translator resources
Topic: Translator rates calculator
Poster: l Gaston l
Post title: Article on determining rates and fees

The article Determining your rates and fees as a translator is meant to provide translators with helpful tips in answering the question "What rates should I charge?"

The article is a joint project of ProZ.com members and guests; all translators are invited to contribute freely and add their experience.