Pre-Bastille day we outlined what we thought were some reasons why translation rates might not be where we, as translation professionals, might like or expect them to be.
Now here are some facts on what professional translators actually do charge for their services in a market that we can identify in-house.
The Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO – in Canada’s most populous province and home to the Capital) conducted a survey of independent (freelance) translators in 2005, and another of salaried translators in 2007.
Seeing as Canada has 2 official languages (French and English), we’ll only look at those freelancers who self-identified as working in ‘foreign’ languages as that seems more likely to reflect a general translation-market trend.
[The rates we are identifying here are all in $CDN; while it’s worth less than $U.S. (althoug barely right about now) or the €, it is relative – by that I mean that while Canadian translators are charging $CDN they are also spending them, and not a currency that goes further in the global market. The rates are therefore easily comparable to the United States or to the € zone. If you’re making €, £, or $U.S. while living somewhere they are worth many times the local currency then…well…maybe you don’t care either way.]
Here is some of the information gleaned:
49% of respondents stated translation as their full-time employment; 47% said it was a part-time occupation.
The respondents identified ‘individuals’ as their largest client base, followed by translation agencies, companies and finally government.
Rates:
60% of respondents charge between 15¢ and 20¢ per word, 13% said they charge more than that rate and 17% said less. These figures are consistent with prior ATIO surveys conducted in 1996 and in 2000.
67% of respondents said they charge more for rush jobs, which they generally results in a percentage premium. While the percentages varied as widely as 5% to 62%, the most common premiums fell between 10% and 20%.
Flat Fees:
59% of respondents said they had a flat fee for documents such as certificates and diplomas.
79% of respondents had a minimum fee for small jobs, fairly evenly split between 15$, 20$, 25$ and 35$.
Revision:
62% of respondents said they had a revision rate, although they were split between charging per word or per hour.
Per word rates varied greatly, although 4 or 5 cents were the most common.
Per hour the rates varied from 25$ to 55$ per hour with 40$ being the most commonly charged.
7/24/2009
7/13/2009
Translation Rates. Part 1
It’s easy to understand why translation rates are an often-debated subject in the world of translation, maybe now more so as ‘La crise’ certainly hasn’t been helping anyone’s bottom line. Professional translators and translation companies:
1. know what they need to charge in order to make a profit/living; and
2. understand that they are trained professionals with a skill that is both in demand and valuable.
Clients who don’t understand point number 2 and are content to settle for poor translations (for want of money or indifference to quality) are themselves poor professionals, as I’m sure they take their own services quite seriously.
However, regardless of my opinion on the professional practices of some, the fact remains that there are translators (accredited or not) and agencies (or sometimes ‘factories’ for that matter) able to put translations out for very low rates; and clients who are willing to bypass translation professionals altogether.
Reasons for this?
Access to Automatic Translation software. Google translate, reverso, babelfish, wordlingo and a preinstalled ‘widget’ in our macbooks: you know them, have used them and it’s very hard to argue against them absolutely. Maybe the small restaurant owner in a touristed locale would have offered a free meal to someone who was willing to sit down with a menu and work it out for them. Now you have the aforementioned AT tools and maybe cork listed on a Turkish menu instead of mushrooms (according to a friend trying hard to learn the language in the country).
Someone translating in a country with a very low cost of living. They might be able to shave several cents per word off of a rate that would be an absolute minimum in Western Europe or North America;
Bilingual or multiple language speakers offering translations and charging less than a translator with proper training. A client who sees the bottom line first and who maybe won’t understand the final product anyway might be inclined to take the cheaper rate over one that reflects the work of a professional;
Agencies employing an army of people in a country with a low cost of living or very low minimum wage standards. With many people dedicated to translating texts and therefore working on quantity, the business can charge lower rates and rely on volume to turn a profit.
Are we overreacting? Are there a plethora of reasons we're ignorant towards? Let us know what you think.
In the next instalment of the translation rate saga we'll outline some rates in Canada as identified in a survey conducted by an association of professional translators.
1. know what they need to charge in order to make a profit/living; and
2. understand that they are trained professionals with a skill that is both in demand and valuable.
Clients who don’t understand point number 2 and are content to settle for poor translations (for want of money or indifference to quality) are themselves poor professionals, as I’m sure they take their own services quite seriously.
However, regardless of my opinion on the professional practices of some, the fact remains that there are translators (accredited or not) and agencies (or sometimes ‘factories’ for that matter) able to put translations out for very low rates; and clients who are willing to bypass translation professionals altogether.
Reasons for this?
Access to Automatic Translation software. Google translate, reverso, babelfish, wordlingo and a preinstalled ‘widget’ in our macbooks: you know them, have used them and it’s very hard to argue against them absolutely. Maybe the small restaurant owner in a touristed locale would have offered a free meal to someone who was willing to sit down with a menu and work it out for them. Now you have the aforementioned AT tools and maybe cork listed on a Turkish menu instead of mushrooms (according to a friend trying hard to learn the language in the country).
Someone translating in a country with a very low cost of living. They might be able to shave several cents per word off of a rate that would be an absolute minimum in Western Europe or North America;
Bilingual or multiple language speakers offering translations and charging less than a translator with proper training. A client who sees the bottom line first and who maybe won’t understand the final product anyway might be inclined to take the cheaper rate over one that reflects the work of a professional;
Agencies employing an army of people in a country with a low cost of living or very low minimum wage standards. With many people dedicated to translating texts and therefore working on quantity, the business can charge lower rates and rely on volume to turn a profit.
Are we overreacting? Are there a plethora of reasons we're ignorant towards? Let us know what you think.
In the next instalment of the translation rate saga we'll outline some rates in Canada as identified in a survey conducted by an association of professional translators.
7/07/2009
Translation blogs: Self-Expression, Self-Promotion and Professional Catharsis
Is there a list of blogs you read somewhat faithfully? (Here's hoping that ours will become one of them). Maybe only blogs of a certain genre or about certain subject matter(s)? When we look at blogs on the job we're mostly interested in what other translators are using as tools, what they’re working on or how they handle problems or professional issues that we can relate to. Personal opinion and insight are also much appreciated. So we've looked around at some translation and translator's blogs out there and here's a sampling that we thought we'd share. You might already know all about them from the 'Translation Blogs' link on the right, or maybe be one of the authors, but if you're lazy or have a grudge that maybe we can dispel then this is good for everyone; we generally only publish things that we can be positive about. If however, you'd like to know a little something about Parisian driving school car-rental clowns, PLEASE! Ask us. No, really.
The Masked Translator is written in a casual style and deals with aspects of translation personal and professional, above all where the two intersect (see 'Rate Myths'). One great entry from last month has the idea of searching out equipment diagrams and maybe even youtube videos for help when working on technical translations and the client hasn't provided any resources.
Naked Translations is a blog on language observations and problems from a translator working above all from English into French. There's a solid archive and some really interesting cultural observations and professional subjects addressed. A Franco-Britannic point of view makes this blog of special interest for those working in Europe.
Favourite line: “France et sa millefeuille administrative”.
Translating is an Art is 'a weblog about translation and language'. Dually in English and Dutch, the blog addresses professional translation issues, such as common misconceptions about translations and translators, what does it mean to be bilingual? etc. It is also a great read for interesting sociological language issues (just what are the 1000 funniest English words?), though not only concerning English and Dutch.
Interesting Read: An article posted in February linking to an opinion piece entitled 'Language Martyrs'.
The Greener Word: 'Dispatches from the desk of a German-English environmental translator'. The author nicely blends in professional organizations as part of her work and her network. The blog is a great resource for freelance translators specializing in or working with environmental texts, or anyone curious about a corner of the translation market they might not be familiar with.
Impressive: List of (linked-to) translation publications.
fidus interpres is a trilingual Portuguese/English/German translation blog with some great information concerning professional development, including web-based translation courses, language courses and translation conferences or seminars. There are also a few articles perhaps for the newer translators out there about the benefits and drawbacks of freelancing, working for an agency, or the ideal relationship between translators and clients.
Post I identified with this week: 'Feeling lazy'. Yes, yes I was. Thanks for not letting me hang there by myself.
Translation Times: 'The entrepreneurial linguists and translating twins blog about the business of translation from Las Vegas and Vienna’'. So they’ve got that going for them. The trilingual twins provide some great insight into marketing your skills or your business from 2 continents and have a great post about 3 possible public relation techniques. The translator as entrepreneur and businessperson is an evident main theme and therefore provides a good forum for those getting started or looking for ideas or support.
Highlight: Anyone who rips on Criss Angel I commend.
Blogging Translator: 'Translation, Linguistics and Freelancing in the 21st Century'. The author, specializing in law, international development, media and marketing, provides pertinent and professional advice and opinions about working as a freelancer and with social media. She has some good entries about professional seminars or conferences recently attended or that she’s tuned into.
Good article: (For those of us who would rather do a 3000 word rush-job for peanuts instead of speak in public) 'Engaging with Speakers when you're doing a presentation'.
About Translation is a blog of 'information, news and opinions about professional translation'. The author covers a variety of items, like the importance of knowing unit conversions or how to differentiate yourself from other agencies or translation companies. Some great information is provided from the Colorado Translators Association seminar held in April.
Favourite entry every translation professor or potential project partner would appreciate: 'How not to create dictionary entries'.
Thoughts on Translation: '…the translation industry and becoming a translator'. The author provides insight about freelancing, translating and being a mom, client relationships (a bit of 'how to' as well as a nice appreciation story). Some well-written overall professional advice and there is a good rush-job section.
Good link: Story about Arab Linguist Lt. Dan Choi’s dismissal from the U.S. military because of his sexual orientation. I hope you find this dismissal ridiculous, whether on personal, professional or 'I'm simply a reasonable individual' grounds.
Let us know what you think about what we think (maybe about you).
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