If you’re a freelancer, you probably conduct price negotiations with clients or potential clients almost every day of your professional life. For translators, especially translators who work with agencies, these negotiations often come down to a difference of one or two cents. Your minimum rate is 15 cents per word and the client will only [...]
Archive for the ‘Rates’ Category
Two cents, or $10,000?
Posted in Freelancing, Money, Rates on February 13, 2012 | 27 Comments »
5 things to do before 2012
Posted in Freelancing, Marketing, Money, Productivity, Rates, Working from home on December 5, 2011 | 6 Comments »
Hello readers! Thoughts on Translation is back from an incredible two weeks in Costa Rica: we visited Corcovado National Park and the Arenal volcano area and it was truly amazing. I highly recommend Corcovado Adventures Tent Camp and the Sirena ranger station for a truly off-the-beaten-track experience. Think wild tapirs wandering down the beach and [...]
ATA conference topic: low payers
Posted in Freelancing, Money, Rates on November 3, 2011 | 33 Comments »
Amazingly enough in this economy, my sense from the ATA conference is that most freelancers are very happy with their work volume and income levels. Especially as compared with the gloom and doom of the US economy (maybe even the world economy?), I think we’re doing quite well. 2011 has brought me as much work [...]
Putting 40 cents a word in context
Posted in Freelancing, Marketing, Money, Rates on March 15, 2011 | 33 Comments »
Well, it seems that something about money and income always hits people’s urge to discuss! At 65 comments and counting, “How much do freelance translators earn? Is it enough?” is far and away the most-discussed post in three years of Thoughts on Translation and everyone’s comments have provided me with lots of food for more [...]
How much do freelance translators earn? Is it enough?
Posted in Freelancing, Money, Rates on March 7, 2011 | 90 Comments »
Beginning freelance translators often want to know (understandably) how much they can expect to earn in our industry. Experienced freelance translators often want to know (understandably) whether they are earning enough for the effort they put into their businesses. So, what do freelance translators earn? The American Translators Association does a compensation survey every few [...]
Thoughts on 2011
Posted in Freelancing, Money, Productivity, Rates on November 16, 2010 | 7 Comments »
If you’re a freelancer, it’s time to start thinking about your business-related tasks for wrapping up 2010 and starting 2011 on a positive note. A few thoughts: Are you going to raise your rates? If so, think about how to raise them effectively. Are you going to raise your rates for new clients and keep [...]
Responding to a request for quote
Posted in Clients, Marketing, Money, Rates on May 24, 2010 | 7 Comments »
When you receive an “out of the blue” request for a quote from a potential translation client, what’s the best next step? Is it more advantageous to call the client, e-mail them, ask for more information or send them a rate sheet…or something else entirely? The beauty of impromptu inquiries from potential clients is that [...]
Some thoughts on rush charges
Posted in Freelancing, Rates on April 27, 2009 | 13 Comments »
Recently, the e-mail list of our local translators association erupted with posts on the topic of rush charges, and I’m assuming that the level of interest on this topic isn’t restricted to translators in Colorado. I was really intrigued by the variety of ways in which people handle rush jobs; some charge as much as [...]
Lowering your translation rates, continued
Posted in Marketing, Money, Rates on March 18, 2009 | 2 Comments »
There were so many excellent comments on my last post about translation rates that I think the topic deserves another post. First, thank you to everyone who commented; I think that your insights are more valuable than what I originally wrote, because they represent the viewpoints of people in all different language combinations, geographic areas, [...]
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Corinne McKay is an ATA-certified French to English translator specializing in international development, law and non-fiction books. She launched Thoughts on Translation in February, 2008 as a way to connect and share ideas with freelance translators around the world.
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