| Páginas sobre el tema: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: What is the current trend for your rates? Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
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Allison Wright (X) 
Portugal
Local time: 13:17
| Nothing to do with the text. | Mar 6, 2013 |
Tatty wrote:
@ Neilmac... Are we to assume that you pass your Spanish driving test? Wasn't it just a couple of days ago, and you've been fined already, or are you planning to speed...
Congratulations, anyway, well done!
Nah, Neilmac gets traffic fines because he is racing towards all those deadlines.
| | | | Charlesp
Suecia
Local time: 14:17
inglés
+ ...
| what about speed and proficiency ? | Mar 7, 2013 |
"Rates" here seems to be interpreted as "per word" rate. However if one is able to increase their proficiency and speed up their work, so that their per hour rate increases, would that be considered an increase "rates"?
An increase in income isn't always solely due to the client (or agency) paying more.
| | | | | Slightly upward | Mar 7, 2013 |
I started freelancing about 2 years ago, so I was charging entry rates as a beginner. I've been making a satisfying living, but I think my rates should evolve as I gain experience.
I've been also considering prospecting to direct clients in my specialty areas in order to charge significantly higher rates than I would with agency clients.
| | | | | I think rates should be interpreted as what clients pay us | Mar 19, 2013 |
Charlesp wrote:
"Rates" here seems to be interpreted as "per word" rate. However if one is able to increase their proficiency and speed up their work, so that their per hour rate increases, would that be considered an increase "rates"?
An increase in income isn't always solely due to the client (or agency) paying more.
Good point, Charlesp. However, any increase in hourly earnings due to increased efficiency is attributable to the service provider (freelancer) in most cases, and not to the client, unless the client trains the freelancer or provides valuable software free of charge.
My hourly earnings rose dramatically in my first few years of translation from EUR 9/hour to EUR 25/hour and have now reached EUR 36/hour. They continue to inch up slowly as I seek to extract the maximum mileage from my CAT environment, translation memories, termbases, time management tools etc.
But these are steps I have taken. Any efficiency measures I take serve to amplify any increase in rates by my clients. They cannot be considered an 'increase in rates' as contemplated in this thread, in my view.
[Edited at 2013-03-19 02:26 GMT]
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Anne Louise
Estados Unidos
Local time: 07:17
español al inglés
| Slightly upward | Mar 19, 2013 |
As I am improving my resume and successfully taking on more difficult and highly specialized projects, I am adjusting my rates upward a tiny bit at a time. So far I have not lost any clients, but I'm always keeping a weather eye on the global economy. I don't want to price myself out of work.
| | | | Tobi
Local time: 14:17
inglés al alemán
+ ...
| Definitely lower considering inflation | Mar 19, 2013 |
My experience depends on the type of clients. I've managed to increase my rates slightly for some of my direct clients and small translation agencies. It was not possible with the larger translation agencies. I even lost some of them since I did not accept lower rates. There was one large translation agency that has asked me in 2010 to lower the rates (after 5 years with the same rate) due to the suffering automtive industry. I refused what has ceased the cooperation. The same agency has contact... See more My experience depends on the type of clients. I've managed to increase my rates slightly for some of my direct clients and small translation agencies. It was not possible with the larger translation agencies. I even lost some of them since I did not accept lower rates. There was one large translation agency that has asked me in 2010 to lower the rates (after 5 years with the same rate) due to the suffering automtive industry. I refused what has ceased the cooperation. The same agency has contacted me again last year and offered a rate that was even below the one I've already refused (after the automotive industry has recovered again). They are squeezing their translators and it seems that a lot of them accept this. Bottom line, my average rate has not changed since the last 10+ years - what is a huge loss in purchasing power. Increased productivity by tools like Trados is compensated with deductions for fuzzy matches and repetitions. The problem is that there are always translators - even good ones - who accept much lower rates rather than having a few free days. This is a downward spiral. ▲ Collapse
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After a full stop early in December, I started the year with increasing rates.
First, the biggest of my local clients increased their rates by 25%, and there was an expensive client abroad. But the high rates I advertized on my profile page and in resume were too high for potential clients.
Now I decreased my expectations to a value well higher then my current medium rates, and some new clients appeared, one of them even offered some higher rate.
| | | | Mohamed
Estados Unidos
Local time: 06:17
inglés al árabe
+ ...
| No comments from Arabic translators | Mar 20, 2013 |
I am happy to see that for all other languages, the rates are still the same or they raised a little bit. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Arabic translators. Many Arabic translators charge their clients very low rates although Arabic is in high demand now. I hope Arabic translators will realize soon that low rates will hit them back soon. Everything is getting more expensive and $0.03 or $0.04 won't be enough to pay your bills. Just my 2 cents.
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JOHN PENNEY (X)
Local time: 09:17
portugués al inglés
+ ...
| Downward spiral indeed | Mar 21, 2013 |
Tobi wrote:
My experience depends on the type of clients. I've managed to increase my rates slightly for some of my direct clients and small translation agencies. It was not possible with the larger translation agencies. I even lost some of them since I did not accept lower rates. There was one large translation agency that has asked me in 2010 to lower the rates (after 5 years with the same rate) due to the suffering automtive industry. I refused what has ceased the cooperation. The same agency has contacted me again last year and offered a rate that was even below the one I've already refused (after the automotive industry has recovered again). They are squeezing their translators and it seems that a lot of them accept this. Bottom line, my average rate has not changed since the last 10+ years - what is a huge loss in purchasing power. Increased productivity by tools like Trados is compensated with deductions for fuzzy matches and repetitions. The problem is that there are always translators - even good ones - who accept much lower rates rather than having a few free days. This is a downward spiral.
This is a good reply.
Inflation is raging, at least throughout the Western world , and those colleagues who claim to be "steady" as far as rates are concerned are deluding themselves. By flat-lining they are losing purchasing power by the day. My impression is that many good translators of my acqaintance are working harder, using more advanced (and expensive) CAT tools, networking like mad and still not able to make a living out of their chosen profession.
At the same time Google Translate and similar programs are increasingly used by clients as excuses to drive the prices down, certainly in the "easier" language combinations. It would be helpful if some of the members would actually state their rates instead of hinting at them...we would then have a clearer idea of what the going rates are. My view is that rates should be commensurate with the quality of the translations produced, the urgency involved etc. Too many people are turning out second-rate material and, of course, being paid second-rate money... thus undermining the status of the profession.
| | | | | Some figures, please! | Mar 21, 2013 |
Charlesp wrote:
"Rates" here seems to be interpreted as "per word" rate. However if one is able to increase their proficiency and speed up their work, so that their per hour rate increases, would that be considered an increase "rates"?
An increase in income isn't always solely due to the client (or agency) paying more.
Fair enough. But, there are always practical limits to how fast you can work and how much translation you can perform within a given period of time. We may perhaps want to assume that most translators are already working at close to their optimal speed while on a job. One issue may be to do with difficulty in getting enough work to do: searching for jobs could take up a bit of one's productive time.
Since the "per word" criterion has been in practice for a long time, it would allow one to study trends over time and make comparisons. Of course, one can also consider things like the number of words typically being handled by a translator per day or per month and the time being spent on this work and then see if there is scope for taking on more work.
I wonder if people could provide some specifics regarding current rates (some maxima, minima, modal values, and so forth). How do the figures vary across locations and across languages? What factors influence rates?
[Edited at 2013-03-21 03:45 GMT]
[Edited at 2013-03-21 03:45 GMT]
| | | | Adam Warren
Francia
Local time: 14:17
Miembro 2005
francés al inglés
| When I say "steady", I mean "flat, & downward-elastic" | Mar 21, 2013 |
Some clients have asked me to lower my rates, one of them twice, in the past two years, and so from the €0.11 to which I raised them in about 2005, I have reluctantly shaved off between €0.005 and €0.01.
With Tim Drayton and "neilmac", I feel that the climate is not propitious to a raising of rates. The market has got "thinner", although I have hitherto been able to maintain an even keel working in France as an autoentrepreneur. I quote to new clients below my initial rate, ha... See more Some clients have asked me to lower my rates, one of them twice, in the past two years, and so from the €0.11 to which I raised them in about 2005, I have reluctantly shaved off between €0.005 and €0.01.
With Tim Drayton and "neilmac", I feel that the climate is not propitious to a raising of rates. The market has got "thinner", although I have hitherto been able to maintain an even keel working in France as an autoentrepreneur. I quote to new clients below my initial rate, having regard to their location.
Another trend I notice among some agency clients is tighter deadlines, pointing to end-clients dithering about investing in translation until the last moment. I try to avoid work that reflects such an inconsiderately "quick-'n'-dirty" policy: quality doesn't grow on trees, or fall off the counter at a discount store!
With kind regards, and prosperity to the colleagues that need it most,
Adam Warren
(IanDhu - 41189)
[Edited at 2013-03-21 15:37 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Fossey
Canadá
Local time: 08:17
Miembro 2008
francés al inglés
+ ...
| Considerably upward | Mar 22, 2013 |
My goal is a 50% increase in revenue for this year. So far, I seem to be on track. I am achieving this by:
1) Being less distracted (for example, answering fewer polls)
2) Focusing on getting it right the first time, which decreases the time spent on fixing things up afterwards
3) Working at getting 8 hours of translating done for 8 hours worked. It requires, for example, simplifying my working area so there's less non-productive work that needs to be don... See more My goal is a 50% increase in revenue for this year. So far, I seem to be on track. I am achieving this by:
1) Being less distracted (for example, answering fewer polls)
2) Focusing on getting it right the first time, which decreases the time spent on fixing things up afterwards
3) Working at getting 8 hours of translating done for 8 hours worked. It requires, for example, simplifying my working area so there's less non-productive work that needs to be done.
4) Pacing my work. This has perhaps had the biggest effect on productivity. For instance, I know I can produce comfortably at a certain rate, in terms of words per hour. At the end of each 30 minute period I note how many words I have translated in the last 30 minutes. This gives me immediate feedback as to whether I am getting distracted (for instance, I'll be way down this particular half-hour...). I do build in a few minutes of free time to clear my brain.
The above means an increase in productivity without any real increase in effort
5) Stepped up marketing efforts to get new clients. This means registering with agencies and, for end clients, placing ads on freelancer professional listings, which seems to bring in a number of end clients without much work.
6) Raised my rate about +25% for new agency clients, about +75% for new direct clients
7) Told a few old clients that my per word rate has had to go up 1 cent
#5 - 7 mean that my average per word rate has gone up about 35% this year. Perhaps surprisingly, most of my clients, old and new, have accepted the higher rates, leading me to believe I have been leaving money on the table for years. When the occasional client has resisted or asked for a one time discount, I bill at the higher rate and add a second line with a discount, to bring the price to the requested rate. This gives the client a message that I consider the lower price to be exceptional and they mostly seem to accept the higher price later.
Combining increased productivity with higher rates has a fairly dramatic multiplier effect. ▲ Collapse
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John Fossey
Canadá
Local time: 08:17
Miembro 2008
francés al inglés
+ ...
| ProZ rate charts | Mar 22, 2013 |
Natesh Chandra wrote:
I wonder if people could provide some specifics regarding current rates (some maxima, minima, modal values, and so forth). How do the figures vary across locations and across languages? What factors influence rates?
Some rates are given here. I'm not sure how accurate these rates are but they give something to go by. For a long time I worked at the mid-range for my language pair but working as I mentioned in my post above I have moved my rates somewhat higher for agencies and way off to the right of the chart for end clients.
| | | | trebla
Canadá
Local time: 08:17
francés al inglés
| PDF means lower rates | Mar 24, 2013 |
Because more and more jobs are being assigned in PDF (rather than Word), even though I'm charging the same "per word" rate, there is no compensation for the PDF to Word conversion, so in fact, my rates are lower.
| | | | | Fighting downwards trend | Mar 25, 2013 |
As to working for other agencies, pretty much same same.
But when a law firm happens to call me directly, many find my rates exaggerated and opt for a less expensive Provider, whereas I don't think I'm crazy expensive, honest.
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