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Approaches used in determining payment for translation projects

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Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Malta
Local time: 01:36
Member (2012)
English to Maltese
+ ...
Rate quote Nov 28, 2012

Would like to know if a rate of $0.02 is, as I think, low; it is an ongoing project, so maybe since it is large- to start with 100K(whatever that means) and project will probably for 2 years.
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 00:36
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I would never accept Nov 28, 2012

such a rate, whatever the size of the file, either on an on-going or an one-off basis!

[Edited at 2012-11-28 18:52 GMT]
 
Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:36
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Very low rate Nov 28, 2012

100K means 100,000 words.
With an average of 2500 words per day, it would take 40 full days of work.
40 business days is 8 weeks, in other words, 2 months.
$0.02 per word would bring us to $2000.
What do you think of getting $2000 as a payment for 2 month of full-time work? (With no benefits, no insurance, and remember, it is gross payment, you have to pay taxes on it.)

Hmmm?
 
Sergei Tumanov
Sergei Tumanov  Identity Verified
Local time: 02:36
English to Russian
+ ...
Let's imagine Nov 28, 2012

that current monthly salary of a teacher is something like 2000 currency units.
Let's imagine that you are a teacher.

Would you accept the offer to work in some school for 500 currency units monthly based on the promise that you will be employed for 30 years?
 
Clara Chassany
Clara Chassany  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 02:36
Member (2012)
Finnish to French
+ ...
Way too low rate Nov 28, 2012

I think this is really too low, even for a very easy source text!

In my opinion, the problem is that it is a huge project, so basically you won't be available for weeks because of this underpaid project, and if an other agency/customer contacts you, you would lose a good offer (or at least a better offer than this one) and therefore lose a lot of money in the end.
 
Sarah McDowell
Sarah McDowell  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 18:36
Member (2012)
Russian to English
+ ...
extremely low rate Nov 29, 2012

Is this a translation project? IF so the rate is VERY low. I would not even think about accepting it.

If it is for proofreading then yes, I have heard that it is a common rate for simple proofreading projects.
 
Benno Groeneveld
Benno Groeneveld  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:36
English to Dutch
+ ...
some people think Nov 29, 2012

that translations get cheaper by the kilo.

[Edited at 2012-11-29 00:40 GMT]
 


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Approaches used in determining payment for translation projects






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