An agency willing to know my rates Tópico cartaz: Julie FOLTZ
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Julie FOLTZ
França
Local time: 22:07
inglês para francês
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I would like to know how you were answering when an agency is asking your rates. Do you give them a price range with explanations or else?
| | | | Silvia Barra (X) 
Itália
Local time: 22:07
inglês para italiano
+ ...
Bonjour Julie,
generally I give the agency a range for the rates, stating that these will vary according to various parameters, such as, for exemple, difficulty of the text, document format, urgency, if I have to work on weekends, etc.
My two cents
Silvia
| | | | Andrea Riffo
Chile
Local time: 16:07
inglês para espanhol
+ ...
I usually reply something along the lines of:
"My rates range between xxx and xxx per word, depending on the specifics of each project. Some of the parameters for specific rate-setting are subject, format, deadline, ...".
You get the gist.
Greetings,
Andrea
| | | | conejo
Estados Unidos
Local time: 15:07
japonês para inglês
+ ...
| Ask to see the source document | Jul 2, 2009 |
The best thing is to ask to see the source document. If they send it to you, you can see what field it is, if you are qualified to do it, whether there is a lot of formatting, whether it is hand-written or otherwise illegible, etc. These are all things to consider when setting your rate. If you see the document itself, you should be able to give them a fixed rate.
If they say they can't show it to you unless you sign an NDA, then you might have to sign it. Or, you may have to give y... See more The best thing is to ask to see the source document. If they send it to you, you can see what field it is, if you are qualified to do it, whether there is a lot of formatting, whether it is hand-written or otherwise illegible, etc. These are all things to consider when setting your rate. If you see the document itself, you should be able to give them a fixed rate.
If they say they can't show it to you unless you sign an NDA, then you might have to sign it. Or, you may have to give your general rate based on the field, with a disclaimer that the rate may be different for extra formatting, handwritten text, etc. ▲ Collapse
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Kevin Lossner
Portugal
Local time: 21:07
alemão para inglês
+ ...
| I usually take my top rate and add a few percent... | Jul 2, 2009 |
... or a few more percent if I'm having a bad day. That's the new minimum then
| | | | | When you have too high a demand for your services | Jul 2, 2009 |
Kevin Lossner wrote: ... or a few more percent if I'm having a bad day. That's the new minimum then
You can do this when you and your services are in demand. But when they are not, I usually say "It depends. Can I see the source file?". When the prospective client replies and sends the file for review, I know I am dealing with serious people to whom it doesn't only come down to the rate. It's a great way to filter prospects.
[Edited at 2009-07-02 19:08 GMT]
| | | | Mandy Tsai
Estados Unidos
Local time: 13:07
inglês para chinês
+ ...
| Is it ok to ask for more after giving a quote? | Jul 3, 2009 |
I recently gave a quote to an agency on a project. After working on the translation, I realized the complexity of the project and number of words is far more than I originally expected. Is it ok to ask the agency to pay a bit more after we agreed on the quote? Thank you for your advice.
| | | | | A base rate is a good starting point | Jul 3, 2009 |
Telling them about your base rate (with no volume or CAT discounts) can be a good beginning. Don't be shy using your full rate and eventually raising it a bit: if they are interested in your work they will want to negotiate and you will lose a bit in the rate.
Of course I sincerely recommend not to give a rate about a project before seeing the materials to be translated, as you really need to know what the real effort will be.
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Annett Hieber
Alemanha
Local time: 22:07
inglês para alemão
+ ...
Mandy Tsai wrote:
I recently gave a quote to an agency on a project. After working on the translation, I realized the complexity of the project and number of words is far more than I originally expected. Is it ok to ask the agency to pay a bit more after we agreed on the quote? Thank you for your advice.
It depends on how you accepted the order. If you had the possibility to have a look
at the source text before making your quote and accepting the job, I would not
recommend to argue after or during the job as you suggest. In this case, you made
an incorrect estimate and you only can learn from it. If you had to make your quote
out of the blue with no basics on the text, it would in my opinion be okay.
I made such experiences in the past myself, therefore, I always insist on seeing the
document to be translated before I make a detailed quote. I think this is the best
and fairest solution for both sides, and for me it always works. The companies/agents
never even required me to sign an NDA before, because it is simply common practice
for them as well.
I also agree with Victoria that you can only add some percent to your current rates
if you are in the position of having a regular full load of ongoing work (it is of course
my main objective to reach such a position - but first comes hard work....)!
Annett
[Edited at 2009-07-03 06:25 GMT]
| | | | Mandy Tsai
Estados Unidos
Local time: 13:07
inglês para chinês
+ ...
Thank you very much to your replies. In this case, I guess I had learned my lesson. I did have the chance to see the source, but I was in the middle of another project so I did not really pay attention to the details about giving a quote. I did get the the offer, and now I know why: my quote is way too low
[Edited at 2009-07-03 06:58 GMT]
| | | | Taija Hyvönen
Finlândia
Local time: 23:07
Membro (2008)
inglês para finlandês
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| I make up rates as I go | Jul 3, 2009 |
I do have a range, though. But I give a fixed word rate when I get enough information of the project. Sometimes the work ends up being more time-consuming than I thought and I actually should have quoted higher. Then sometimes it goes the other way and I end up earning a good sum in a short while. So I have figured in the end it evens out even if I give the same rate for both kinds.
Edit. I should add that giving one fixed rate, counting the total when you know the amount of words, ... See more I do have a range, though. But I give a fixed word rate when I get enough information of the project. Sometimes the work ends up being more time-consuming than I thought and I actually should have quoted higher. Then sometimes it goes the other way and I end up earning a good sum in a short while. So I have figured in the end it evens out even if I give the same rate for both kinds.
Edit. I should add that giving one fixed rate, counting the total when you know the amount of words, and when applicable, adding taxes and counting the final sum makes it easy for the client. They don't want to figure out anything themselves and start counting extra charges for different file formats etc. The more comfortable and quicker it is for them, the more likely they are to respond. This is assuming you are not up to your ears in potential orders, in which case you have a lot more choice.
[Edited at 2009-07-03 07:56 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julie FOLTZ
França
Local time: 22:07
inglês para francês
+ ...
CRIADOR(A) DO TÓPICO | Thanks for your comments | Jul 3, 2009 |
I agree with you to give rates and give explanations along. Translators are flexible and agencies are flexible also.
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