[Subtitling Rates] per minute rates

Jocelin M wrote:
I've been working as a subtitler for two years now but, to my shame, my major client pays ridiculously low (2.5€/min...). My second (both are agencies) pays 3.8€/min, which is better. It was always difficult to find information on the standard translation rate for subtitling and I was always thinking that I was asking too much by wanting to go as far as 5€/min.

Sylvano wrote:

Those rates are way too low/ridiculous, as you point yourself. All the more so if your clients are French. 10€ per minute ought to be considered a minimum.

Sylvano wrote:

...

Those rates are way too low/ridiculous, as you point yourself. All the more so if your clients are French. 10€ per minute ought to be considered a minimum.

Inga Petkelyte wrote:

So how can a translator quote adequate rates if the whole advice is just telling "your rates are ridiculous"?
Don't take it personally, Sylvano, your post is only one among hundreds of this type.

Jocelin M wrote:

It seems that there isn't many French subtitling companies around since I rarely encounter one when looking for new clients. If they pay this much, I could finally make a living out of my job.

Inga Petkelyte wrote:

I have done couple of subtitling jobs, straight from a video, no one party had a clue how much it could be so we agreed on a fixed price. The first was pretty funny, it was in Galician (only similar to Portuguese), not much talking, nice views (medows and cows), afterall it was more a pleasure rather than work. I remember, I spent several hours on somewhat 14-minutes video, but I took my time for checking and rechecking everything several times to make sure I can sign my work with pride.

Sylvano wrote:

That kind of approach on subtitling is also pretty common on this (professional) forum. In a nutshell and caricaturing : "well, I did some subtitling once or twice for fun, the rate was low and I didn't really qualify for the job, but I enjoyed it very much." Or people wanting advice or rates on a field they want to try on the side without any training or sense of its realities, etc. This is pretty annoying when you've been a dedicated translator for the screen for years. My trade is very specific, as is book translation, interpretation, sign language or any other translating field. And it wouldn't come to my mind to tackle any of them on the fly, without any idea of how it's done or paid decently. Whenever somebody acts as a translator for the screen without knowing the trade (its techniques and steps, its rules and technical specs, the time it takes, the rates you need to live from it 100%, etc.), it affects all of us subtitlers and dubbers. That's one-shot for them, but that can be a deadly wound for us (and I'm not even mentionning illegal amateur fansubbing). That may explain the arsh dry comments, I guess. I'm sorry but when I read some of the questions asked or experiences related on this forum (often implying subtitling is fun and easy for a quick buck, not even something you need to get trained for), I can't help but being upset.

A client has asked me to subtitle a video. How much should I charge for it?

Can you recommend any free software that would do it for me (sic!)???

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:



The point is that too many people ask everywhere about "subtitling rates", as if it were an in&out job like making photocopies of whatever is on the originals.

The most frequent question I see here and on Facebook about subtitling is:


It is often followed by the question #2:


First, the input material - and consequently the work involved - can vary a lot, for instance:

• Just the video, nothing else
  
• The video and a transcript
  
• The video and a transcript made concise, ready for direct translation (weird, but I have such a request now)
  
• The concise transcript above already broken into subtitles, requiring time-coding
  
• A pre-timed subtitles file, e.g. SRT, in the source language, ready for translation as-is

Then, the output material, i.e. how far the translator/subtitler is expected to go:

• Just translate the video into concise text - this is common for small producers, whose internal staff will break that into subtitles, and then place one by one, often using FinalCut (which always puzzles me)
  
• Translate it into broken subtitles - the client's (often a mid-size producer) staff will take it from there
  
• Translate, time-spot, and deliver a SRT file - the client will upload that to YouTube etc. or play it using VideoLAN VLC
  
• Translate, time-spot, and deliver in a proprietary formal file (usually involves having pricey software) - used mostly by TV stations
  
• Translate (and time-spot or not) on our online platform
  
• Translate, time-spot and burn those subtitles on video

... and many other different possibilities. Yet too many people put all this under one same umbrella, name it as "subtitling", and want to know how much $ they should charge per minute.

And yet we haven't got near any other video features like:

• Availability of video translators in that language pair?
  
• Technical, specialized content, or for general audience?
  
• Audio quality (i.e. studio recording or shot with a smartphone in a cheering crowd)?
  
• Time (current or ancient history on stage)?
  
• Slang, jokes, word plays in comedy?

... and others, which often mean extra work, but at no additional price.

So this entire issue about subtitling rates sound likes the guy who phones his mechanic, asking:
"Hey, Jim, how much will you charge to fix my car? A friendly neighbor who knows something about mechanics examined it, and said that something was 'blown', though I can't remember if he said it was a 'fuse' or a 'gasket'."

Sylvano wrote:



That kind of approach on subtitling is also pretty common on this (professional) forum. In a nutshell and caricaturing : "well, I did some subtitling once or twice for fun, the rate was low and I didn't really qualify for the job, but I enjoyed it very much." Or people wanting advice or rates on a field they want to try on the side without any training or sense of its realities, etc. This is pretty annoying when you've been a dedicated translator for the screen for years. My trade is very specific, as is book translation, interpretation, sign language or any other translating field. And it wouldn't come to my mind to tackle any of them on the fly, without any idea of how it's done or paid decently. Whenever somebody acts as a translator for the screen without knowing the trade (its techniques and steps, its rules and technical specs, the time it takes, the rates you need to live from it 100%, etc.), it affects all of us subtitlers and dubbers. That's one-shot for them, but that can be a deadly wound for us (and I'm not even mentionning illegal amateur fansubbing). That may explain the arsh dry comments, I guess. I'm sorry but when I read some of the questions asked or experiences related on this forum (often implying subtitling is fun and easy for a quick buck, not even something you need to get trained for), I can't help but being upset. Why would that be different from surgery, for instance? Would you have heart surgery performed on you by a brain surgeon ? I wouldn't.

Sylvano wrote:

They exist. You could find them after a quick web search. They pay way more than than the rates you give and it is possible to make a living out of subtitling. I'm not saying it's easy, there is growing competition and pressure on rates, but I still do after 17 years in the business.