| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Reducing prices for larger volumes of work Thread poster: Julie Barber
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Julie Barber 
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:15
French to English
Hi all
I wanted to know how much you would be happy to reduce your standard rate by for larger volumes of work?
I was offered a job of 19,000 words. I turned it down for several reasons, namely because the rate was too low.
How far would you reduce your prices though, and for what sort of volumes?
thanks
Julie
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:15
Member (2008)
Italian to English
I'm sometimes prepared to lower my rate, sometimes quite dramatically, for very big jobs (tens of thousands of words) on a number of conditions:
1. The deadline is not particularly urgent (thus enabling me to do the big job in between smaller more urgent jobs)
2. The subject matter is personally interesting to me.
3. The text is well written, scholarly, and linguistically demanding.
One recent case was a very long PhD thesis on a subject that really fascinat... See more I'm sometimes prepared to lower my rate, sometimes quite dramatically, for very big jobs (tens of thousands of words) on a number of conditions:
1. The deadline is not particularly urgent (thus enabling me to do the big job in between smaller more urgent jobs)
2. The subject matter is personally interesting to me.
3. The text is well written, scholarly, and linguistically demanding.
One recent case was a very long PhD thesis on a subject that really fascinates me and that broadened my horizons, sending me off to search for the texts that were cited, and to read (or re-read) them. There was no urgency, so I spent the whole summer savouring this job and taking my time over it. And although I had significantly lowered my rate, I was reasonably well-paid anyway. What's more, since this job was for a direct client and not an agency, I was paid very quickly.
I look forward to receiving more jobs of the same quality !
[Edited at 2019-10-31 13:20 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | MK2010
United States
Local time: 03:15
French to English
+ ...
I've accepted reduced rates for large projects. I see nothing wrong with that. Sometimes it can bring peace of mind knowing that you have a guaranteed amount of money coming in, and to me that makes it worth it, especially if it's a period of famine, not feast. If it's in a period when you have so much work you don't know what to do with it, then that changes things. Go with your gut instinct. We all have to establish our own comfort zones. Also, as Tom mentions, it depends on the project and h... See more I've accepted reduced rates for large projects. I see nothing wrong with that. Sometimes it can bring peace of mind knowing that you have a guaranteed amount of money coming in, and to me that makes it worth it, especially if it's a period of famine, not feast. If it's in a period when you have so much work you don't know what to do with it, then that changes things. Go with your gut instinct. We all have to establish our own comfort zones. Also, as Tom mentions, it depends on the project and how attracted you are to it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julie Barber
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:15
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Tom and MK.
I don't mind reducing my rate for a higher volume, it's just how far do you go.....
I do sometimes calculate my rates based on what I am happy to earn for the week, particularly during a quiet period, but it is a hard one to judge!
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It depends on the job and on its particular challenges and requirements. Like Tom, I have lowered my rate substantially for certain long jobs, but I must say that I also have asked a much higher rate than I would normally charge for other long jobs…
[Edited at 2019-10-31 12:59 GMT]
| | | | Julie Barber
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:15
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
Hi Teresa and thanks. It was a legal work. An important judgement. I just felt like the agency wasn't offering enough and didn't believe what they suggested that they might be being paid
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What's a large volume?
I've had builders for 2 months some years ago, and I didn't think they did anything "large".
Maybe 3 months is the minimum project duration any independent contractor (building, IT implementation...) would consider large. Why would a 5-day job be deemed "large" to a translator?
What exactly do we gain with "large volumes"?
Visibility
Full-time work without idling time
Productivity and momentum if the subject matter ... See more What's a large volume?
I've had builders for 2 months some years ago, and I didn't think they did anything "large".
Maybe 3 months is the minimum project duration any independent contractor (building, IT implementation...) would consider large. Why would a 5-day job be deemed "large" to a translator?
What exactly do we gain with "large volumes"?
Visibility
Full-time work without idling time
Productivity and momentum if the subject matter remains similar
What exactly do we lose with "large volumes"?
Opportunities to secure new projects or clients
The benefit of diversity
Financial safety
Retention strength with existing client base
My policy:
I work almost exclusively with agencies, and prospects usually ask for volume discounts ON TOP of CAT discounts.
However, the more volume, the more "matches" statistically. So volume discounts are already included in CAT discounts. QED.
No discounts below 200k. or 3 billion, not sure yet.
Anyway, my largest job in nearly 20 years was around 80k in 2004 or 2006, and projects beyond 10k are few and far between. I've never decreased my rate just for the sake of volume because I have never been offered what I would call a "volume" (e.g. 3 months' work or 200k?)
Philippe ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 09:15
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| No volume discounts, but rate is flexible | Oct 31, 2019 |
Julie Barber wrote:
How much you would be happy to reduce your standard rate by for larger volumes of work?
My rate is not affected by the volume (except that if it's too low, then a minimum fee applies). However, I'm very flexible with my rate, so if a client asks for a lower rate "because of the high volume" and the rate they offer is within what I would have considered, then I might say "yes" and not tell the client that the volume of work actually has nothing to do with the rate we agreed on.
I was offered a job of 19,000 words. I turned it down because the rate was too low.
Well, if you have enough time to do the job so that you still have time left over for higher paying jobs, then there's nothing wrong with accepting a few large low-paying jobs every now and then.
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Julie Barber
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:15
French to English
TOPIC STARTER | range of views | Oct 31, 2019 |
@Philippe - thanks. I have a family member who works in advertising and he doesn't do reductions based on volume because he says that the bigger the job, the more work is involved.
@Samuel - thanks, always great to hear a range of views. I am busy over the next few weeks, so might have been more tempted if I wasn't!
| | | | Ph_B (X)
France
Local time: 09:15
French
+ ...
| No discount. | Oct 31, 2019 |
I would add to Philippe's reasons that the longer the translation is, the more difficult it gets to remain consistent, even with a CAT tool.
You say it's a legal text. Consistency is important in any text; it is crucial in the case of legal translations.
[Edited at 2019-10-31 14:40 GMT]
| | | | | Large volume means higher rate, not lower | Oct 31, 2019 |
When I get large volumes of work, I have to work long hours to get it done, since I cannot outsource it. Therefore I will apply a higher rate, not a lower rate.
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 08:15
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| In conjunction with Philippe's lists | Oct 31, 2019 |
Philippe Etienne wrote:
What exactly do we gain with "large volumes"?
Visibility
Full-time work without idling time
Productivity and momentum if the subject matter remains similar
I can't think of any other advantages, except maybe that these jobs can be good to have on your CV if they're within your specialisation (covered by "visibility" anyway).
What exactly do we lose with "large volumes"?
Opportunities to secure new projects or clients
The benefit of diversity
Financial safety
Retention strength with existing client base
Maybe productivity will actually decrease in some cases, e.g. if you aren't using a CAT tool or if there's a lot of formatting to be done which has to be consistent
Unless we're careful about the T&C, we can find that we earn nothing at all for extended periods, and of course if the client were to fail to pay ...
We risk boredom -- and that risks both productivity and quality
The risk of losing clients -- both existing and potential -- can be very real
We may well lose money! At least, we will if our income per hour falls below what we could have got from other clients (existing or potential).
I wouldn't consider any volume discount for a new client unless the job had a very flexible or long time-frame which allowed me to use it as a filler for all the otherwise unproductive moments, and for giving relief from other jobs ("a change is as good as a rest"). They can be appropriate for books, IME. But the entire text would need to be received at the outset. Beware the "potentially large volumes" that never materialise beyond a couple of thousand words!
I have one client who sends lots of potentially similar texts year on year. After a couple of years, I offered a "loyalty" discount based on my CAT tool saving me time. I don't tell him what it's for (no "grid" as far as he's concerned) and I don't give anything like what some agencies expect. It's just a way to share the profits of our long collaboration. I still earn my target rate per hour and hopefully it gives him an incentive to come back after each of my rather frequent holidays -- it's worked so far, anyway  .
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Julie Barber
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:15
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
Ph_B wrote:
I would add to Philippe's reasons that the longer the translation is, the more difficult it gets to remain consistent, even with a CAT tool.
Consistency is important in any text; it is crucial in a legal text.
Thanks PB!
That is true that long texts requires paying attention to structure and consistency. For some reason I can't remember the last five minutes of life but I can always follow a huge text without using software!!
| | | | Julie Barber
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:15
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
@Sheila, thanks - Yes I sort of regret it from a CV point of view.......hmmm
@Kay - interesting to hear, thank you
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
| No volume and other "discounts" gimmicks | Oct 31, 2019 |
Considering the fact most translators don't know what a project means and how much it costs for the client's biz, I think the vast majority of freelancers really can't realize what stands behind "per word", "per project", and "per hour", let alone they do confuse "bonus" and "marketing" with da umping... Just 'No discounts!'
if you have enough time to do the job so that you still have time left over for higher paying jobs, then there's nothing wrong with accepting a few large low-paying jobs every now and then Samuel, while reasonably starting with "freebies", "newbies", and "incentives" sometimes might be ok for a real amateur to gain the name and exp, yet if one is still keeping to this beaten track to "bottom-feeding" after a year or even ten years, there's no good reason why his present or prospect clients should consider paying him "mature" rates any soon. This is how the story end...
Low rates? Full stop. It has nothing to do with the volume.
If you wanna more, then pay due respect to my value--in my wallet volume too)
[Edited at 2019-10-31 14:34 GMT]
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