| Pages sur ce sujet: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: How do your rates compare in general to those of colleagues living in the same country as you? Auteur du fil: ProZ.com Staff
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Tom in London
Royaume-Uni
Local time: 19:59
Membre (2008)
italien vers anglais
Ice Scream wrote: Justin Peterson wrote:
I haven't changed my rate in the last decade, during which my productivity has almost tripled
But what do you mean here? You now translate 9,000 words a day from scratch without a TM and without breaking sweat? Or that you can do 9,000 because you are using CAT or MT? What is your secret? And if your rates are below average, why don't you simply charge more and work less? [Edited at 2023-01-26 14:05 GMT]
You can only translate 9000 words a day if the source text contains hundreds and hundreds of repetitions and has no importance in terms of its writing style.
| | | | Justin Peterson 
Espagne
Local time: 20:59
Membre (2007)
espagnol vers anglais
| I think we discussed this before ... | Jan 26, 2023 |
Ice Scream wrote: Justin Peterson wrote:
I haven't changed my rate in the last decade, during which my productivity has almost tripled
But what do you mean here? You now translate 9,000 words a day from scratch without a TM and without breaking sweat? Or that you can do 9,000 because you are using CAT or MT? What is your secret? And if your rates are below average, why don't you simply charge more and work less? [Edited at 2023-01-26 14:05 GMT]
+++
Answers:
I think we discussed this before, a while back.
-- A bit less than that
-- Yes, basically
-- Secret? No secret. CAT and MT, expertise, total understanding of the Spanish, and lots of experiencing using my tools, so I don't sacrifice quality
-- Because the volume is directly linked to the rate. If I raised my rates, I would have less volume. And I think my rate is fair. And I like what I do.
| | | | Justin Peterson
Espagne
Local time: 20:59
Membre (2007)
espagnol vers anglais
| 9000 is a long day but ... | Jan 26, 2023 |
Tom in London wrote: Ice Scream wrote: Justin Peterson wrote:
I haven't changed my rate in the last decade, during which my productivity has almost tripled
But what do you mean here? You now translate 9,000 words a day from scratch without a TM and without breaking sweat? Or that you can do 9,000 because you are using CAT or MT? What is your secret? And if your rates are below average, why don't you simply charge more and work less? [Edited at 2023-01-26 14:05 GMT] You can only translate 9000 words a day if the source text contains hundreds and hundreds of repetitions and has no importance in terms of its writing style.
9,000 IS a bit much.
When I started out I was translating under the original, with no CAT whatsoever. (Gulp. Idiotic)
But, it can be done in a pinch.
And, generally speaking, 6K - 7K is very doable.
What surprises me is that many translators are still talking about 3K/day. (?) Some, 2K. What? Are they using typewriters and fax machines?
And, yes, of course it depends on the content. But, if it's more general stuff ...
I don't agree that this kind of output requires massive repetitions, or that style must be sacrificed.
I won a national translation award for Best Bilingual Magazine in Spain ... and I was turning around 6-7K at that time, including that content.
I'm not bragging. I'm just genuinely puzzled.
But, talking about output on proz seems to ruffle feathers. I think I'll desist.
| | | | | Fair comparison? | Jan 26, 2023 |
Justin Peterson wrote:
-- Secret? No secret. CAT and MT, expertise, total understanding of the Spanish, and lots of experiencing using my tools, so I don't sacrifice quality
I think, Justin, that you are comparing apples with oranges.
I think when people here say they do 3000 words a day, that is either 3000 virgin words or the equivalent after excluding CAT matches and repetitions.
Whereas your 6-7000 includes CAT.
After all, if you don't factor out CAT, the potential number of words someone can do in a day is almost infinite!
-- Because the volume is directly linked to the rate. If I raised my rates, I would have less volume. And I think my rate is fair. And I like what I do.
So do I. Which is 3000 virgin words a day for 2-3 times the price with loads of time off.
Which is why I don't understand the appeal of the bulk strategy
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Helena Chavarria
Espagne
Local time: 20:59
Membre (2011)
espagnol vers anglais
+ ...
| I don't want to spend the whole day working. | Jan 26, 2023 |
Justin Peterson wrote:
Neither have I see a rise in output promised by translators, with most promising the same thing they did 10 or even 15 years ago: about 3,000 words/day, which has me scratching my head. Really?
I don't want to translate more than 3,000 words a day. There's more to life than sitting in front of a computer.
Every morning I get up and walk/run 1 km before going out for breakfast with my husband. He reads the newspaper and I read a book. I spend the rest of the morning doing housework and dealing with emails. I then go out for a healthy three-course lunch and do some more reading.
I've been walking/running a minimum of 7.7 km every day, seven days of the week, for over three years. I spend between one and two hours a day doing exercise.
I usually translate from about 17:00 until midnight, though there are always exceptions.
I have no idea how much my colleagues charge for their work, though judging by what I read here, I think my rates are average: not too high, not too low.
| | | | Justin Peterson
Espagne
Local time: 20:59
Membre (2007)
espagnol vers anglais
| You're absolutely right | Jan 26, 2023 |
You're totally right
I probably work too much
I commend and applaud you.
I also envy you ; ) Really
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Helena Chavarria wrote: Justin Peterson wrote:
Neither have I see a rise in output promised by translators, with most promising the same thing they did 10 or even 15 years ago: about 3,000 words/day, which has me scratching my head. Really?
I don't want to translate more than 3,000 words a day. There's more to life than sitting in front of a computer. Every morning I get up and walk/run 1 km before going out for breakfast with my husband. He reads the newspaper and I read a book. I spend the rest of the morning doing housework and dealing with emails. I then go out for a healthy three-course lunch and do some more reading. I've been walking/running a minimum of 7.7 km every day, seven days of the week, for over three years. I spend between one and two hours a day doing exercise. I usually translate from about 17:00 until midnight, though there are always exceptions. I have no idea how much my colleagues charge for their work, though judging by what I read here, I think my rates are average: not too high, not too low.
| | | | Justin Peterson
Espagne
Local time: 20:59
Membre (2007)
espagnol vers anglais
| Maybe you're right | Jan 26, 2023 |
Maybe you're right
Maybe there is some misunderstanding with the word quotes. I don't know.
I really am not that into CATs: I don't mess around with matches, fuzzy matches, semi-fuzzy, etc.
I just know I can do around that volume in the traditional formats: Word, PPT, Excel. Raw words, in their Word Count sections.
The thing is, if you put a pretty general-interest text (poetic, creative, highly specialized, etc texts are another story) in ... See more Maybe you're right
Maybe there is some misunderstanding with the word quotes. I don't know.
I really am not that into CATs: I don't mess around with matches, fuzzy matches, semi-fuzzy, etc.
I just know I can do around that volume in the traditional formats: Word, PPT, Excel. Raw words, in their Word Count sections.
The thing is, if you put a pretty general-interest text (poetic, creative, highly specialized, etc texts are another story) in MateCat, for example, you're getting maybe 10-20% indicated as already translated - that is, already found in their memory - immediately, right off the bat. Of course you have to review everything carefully, and polish, but that's HUGE ... a far cry from when I was, as I already confessed, translating under the original when I started 18 years ago.
And, as Helena indicates, many translators might be working part time, or just want to take it a bit easy, to which I say: Bravo! I am green with envy. Really.
JP
Ice Scream wrote: Justin Peterson wrote:
-- Secret? No secret. CAT and MT, expertise, total understanding of the Spanish, and lots of experiencing using my tools, so I don't sacrifice quality
I think, Justin, that you are comparing apples with oranges. I think when people here say they do 3000 words a day, that is either 3000 virgin words or the equivalent after excluding CAT matches and repetitions. Whereas your 6-7000 includes CAT. After all, if you don't factor out CAT, the potential number of words someone can do in a day is almost infinite!
-- Because the volume is directly linked to the rate. If I raised my rates, I would have less volume. And I think my rate is fair. And I like what I do.
So do I. Which is 3000 virgin words a day for 2-3 times the price with loads of time off. Which is why I don't understand the appeal of the bulk strategy ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Turquie
Local time: 21:59
Membre
anglais vers turc
| @Justin Peterson | Jan 26, 2023 |
Do you ever miss out on smaller jobs (4-5k word) that pay higher per word rates (say, more than 9 cents) while dealing with large jobs? What happens if you receive 2 high volume jobs at the same time? Do you turn one of them down?
You say you'll get less word count if you raise your rates, therefore you lose business. I've always felt that I would lose business if I turned down a job from a regular client on account of being too busy with other jobs or being on holiday or sick. I feel tha... See more Do you ever miss out on smaller jobs (4-5k word) that pay higher per word rates (say, more than 9 cents) while dealing with large jobs? What happens if you receive 2 high volume jobs at the same time? Do you turn one of them down?
You say you'll get less word count if you raise your rates, therefore you lose business. I've always felt that I would lose business if I turned down a job from a regular client on account of being too busy with other jobs or being on holiday or sick. I feel that there is always that risk that they go to the next man and stick with the next man, if you get my drift? How do you deal with all that? ▲ Collapse
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Justin Peterson
Espagne
Local time: 20:59
Membre (2007)
espagnol vers anglais
| Stable Portfolio of Clients | Jan 26, 2023 |
I see your point.
And how low rates can backfire on you.
Right now I don't really deal with those decision or situations very often, as I have a pretty stable set of clients sending regular work. I am not vying for new jobs and clients very often.
But, it is true that, at some point, a low rate CAN backfire.
This year I did raise a couple of clients' rates because they were just too low.
And there is an emotional component: after a while you feel bad abandoning a ... See more I see your point.
And how low rates can backfire on you.
Right now I don't really deal with those decision or situations very often, as I have a pretty stable set of clients sending regular work. I am not vying for new jobs and clients very often.
But, it is true that, at some point, a low rate CAN backfire.
This year I did raise a couple of clients' rates because they were just too low.
And there is an emotional component: after a while you feel bad abandoning a client, and even asking them for a "raise". So, there's that too.
Baran Keki wrote:
Do you ever miss out on smaller jobs (4-5k word) that pay higher per word rates (say, more than 9 cents) while dealing with large jobs? What happens if you receive 2 high volume jobs at the same time? Do you turn one of them down?
You say you'll get less word count if you raise your rates, therefore you lose business. I've always felt that I would lose business if I turned down a job from a regular client on account of being too busy with other jobs or being on holiday or sick. I feel that there is always that risk that they go to the next man and stick with the next man, if you get my drift? How do you deal with all that? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Justin Peterson
Espagne
Local time: 20:59
Membre (2007)
espagnol vers anglais
| I didn't answer your question :) | Jan 26, 2023 |
Oh, definitely
Yes, I worry about not being there for my regular clients, and being supplanted
So, I do go out of my way to be there.
Probably, too much.
It's something to think about.
Justin Peterson wrote: I see your point. And how low rates can backfire on you. Right now I don't really deal with those decision or situations very often, as I have a pretty stable set of clients sending regular work. I am not vying for new jobs and clients very often. But, it is true that, at some point, a low rate CAN backfire. This year I did raise a couple of clients' rates because they were just too low. And there is an emotional component: after a while you feel bad abandoning a client, and even asking them for a "raise". So, there's that too. Baran Keki wrote:
Do you ever miss out on smaller jobs (4-5k word) that pay higher per word rates (say, more than 9 cents) while dealing with large jobs? What happens if you receive 2 high volume jobs at the same time? Do you turn one of them down?
You say you'll get less word count if you raise your rates, therefore you lose business. I've always felt that I would lose business if I turned down a job from a regular client on account of being too busy with other jobs or being on holiday or sick. I feel that there is always that risk that they go to the next man and stick with the next man, if you get my drift? How do you deal with all that?
| | | | Baran Keki
Turquie
Local time: 21:59
Membre
anglais vers turc
| Worry, luck, unpredictability... | Jan 26, 2023 |
Justin Peterson wrote:
Oh, definitely
Yes, I worry about not being there for my regular clients, and being supplanted
So, I do go out of my way to be there.
Probably, too much.
It's something to think about.
I've been going through a famine period for the last 10 days or so until last night. On Monday a client once I worked with asked my availability for a large project. They pay less than my other regular clients and I was available, but I turned them down because I didn't like their payment method (they pay in USD and won't accept Wise, and they require reminders). I sort of regretted turning them down as I received almost no emails in the following two days... but last night at around 1 AM, while on my third lager and planning to punish more beers, I landed a 13k word project from a regular US client with a good pw rate. Had I accepted that job on Monday I'd have been f*cked. Though I sort of lost a good part of today to hangover. What I mean to say is that I effing hate the unpredictability of this damned job. It seems that you always have to rely on luck, and nothing ever goes to plan. Why couldn't I have received that 13k job a few hours earlier or a day later? Why did I have to catch it in the middle of a semi-bender? What the hell would I have done if I'd accepted that less paying job on Monday?
| | | | Justin Peterson
Espagne
Local time: 20:59
Membre (2007)
espagnol vers anglais
| Comes with the territory | Jan 27, 2023 |
Yes, that's a downside
But, if you had a 9-5 job, with a boss, that would have it's disadvantages too
The grass is always greener on the other side
I can't image going back to an office job, with strict schedules, someone breathing down my neck, office politics, performance reviews (ugh), etc.
It'd have to be a place w a special work culture
The price you pay for this freedom is uncertainty and chaos
JP
Baran Keki wrote: Justin Peterson wrote:
Oh, definitely
Yes, I worry about not being there for my regular clients, and being supplanted
So, I do go out of my way to be there.
Probably, too much.
It's something to think about. I've been going through a famine period for the last 10 days or so until last night. On Monday a client once I worked with asked my availability for a large project. They pay less than my other regular clients and I was available, but I turned them down because I didn't like their payment method (they pay in USD and won't accept Wise, and they require reminders). I sort of regretted turning them down as I received almost no emails in the following two days... but last night at around 1 AM, while on my third lager and planning to punish more beers, I landed a 13k word project from a regular US client with a good pw rate. Had I accepted that job on Monday I'd have been f*cked. Though I sort of lost a good part of today to hangover. What I mean to say is that I effing hate the unpredictability of this damned job. It seems that you always have to rely on luck, and nothing ever goes to plan. Why couldn't I have received that 13k job a few hours earlier or a day later? Why did I have to catch it in the middle of a semi-bender? What the hell would I have done if I'd accepted that less paying job on Monday?
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Lingua 5B
Bosnie-Herzegovine
Local time: 20:59
Membre (2009)
anglais vers croate
+ ...
| As our forum grammar police says… | Jan 27, 2023 |
Justin Peterson wrote:
Yes, that's a downside
But, if you had a 9-5 job, with a boss, that would have it's disadvantages too
The grass is always greener on the other side
When you translate 9000 words a day, you forget what a full stop is, and when “its” should function as a possessive adjective. 9000 words a day has its downsides.
I like to get away from devices and spend time with people. Not running, not exercising, not reading a book, but socializing. In 90% of cases those people use their devices in direct social situations, ie. their faces are glued to a screen. You can get away from devices, but they can’t get away from you (the realities for modern times, unfortunately).
| | | | | Time management | Jan 27, 2023 |
Justin Peterson wrote:
The price you pay for this freedom is uncertainty and chaos
Predictable uncertainty, I would say, and certainly not chaos.
One of the big advantages of charging more than the market average is that you can afford to do a lot less work, and get offered a lot less work, so it's much easier to fit it all in without having to work late.
| | | | neilmac
Espagne
Local time: 20:59
espagnol vers anglais
+ ...
| 3K a day keeps the bailiffs away | Jan 27, 2023 |
[quote]Justin Peterson wrote:
... What surprises me is that many translators are still talking about 3K/day. (?) Some, 2K. What? Are they using typewriters and fax machines?
No mate, but I have at least a dozen (non-agency) clients, so I tell them not to expect more than roughly 2000/3000 words per day on average, just in case more than a couple of them all turn up at the same time with pressing deadlines. It's about covering my a***, while keeping the customers satisfied.
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