| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: You charge extra fees for... Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | | the notion of extra fee is irrelevant in translation business | May 10, 2010 |
Situation is simple: You apply, you see the work offered, you negotiate deadlines and pay and, well, you take it or you leave it. There is no question of accumulating charges for urgency, night, weekend, birthday, funeral, whatever )
| | | | Simon Bruni 
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:54
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
| Non-editable formats | May 10, 2010 |
I charge + 20 % for any non-editable format.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 10:54
Spanish to English
+ ...
I threaten to apply surcharges for jobs delivered on PDFs, but this is really just a covert attempt to get my clients to deliver their drafts in a readily workable format (MS Word or compatible), and so far it has worked quite well for me (unless you point it out, most clients don't seem to realise that PDF is a format intended for finished documents, not ones still requiring modification/translation/revision). I do have a PDF converter, but would rather not have to use it if I can avoid it.
... See more I threaten to apply surcharges for jobs delivered on PDFs, but this is really just a covert attempt to get my clients to deliver their drafts in a readily workable format (MS Word or compatible), and so far it has worked quite well for me (unless you point it out, most clients don't seem to realise that PDF is a format intended for finished documents, not ones still requiring modification/translation/revision). I do have a PDF converter, but would rather not have to use it if I can avoid it.
I also state in my collaboration conditions that text complexity or rushed delivery dates may incur a similar charge, although again I have never actually applied them.
Along similar lines, I also insist that any undefined abbreviations or acronyms will be left intact, as looking for their definitions can be a considerable waste of time if pressing deadlines are to be met. It can be surprising to find that some authors may not know what the acronyms or other terms they have used actually mean.
So theoretically, yes, but in the real world, no.
[Edited at 2010-05-10 09:14 GMT]
[Edited at 2010-05-10 15:06 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 10:54
English to French
+ ...
.pdf (or other non editable or paper) here too + traditionally slow payers + new customers.
[Modifié le 2010-05-10 09:40 GMT]
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Don't charge extra, luckily I don't get PDF files, though I think I would rather reject them than charge extra, too much of a bother.
| | | | vixen
Greece
Local time: 11:54
English to Dutch
+ ...
PDF files, traditionally slow payers, PayPal payments > 300 euros.
So far I have only applied a higher rate to one direct client who insists on paying after 60 days and then only after a reminder. I offered them a discount for payment within 14 days, but they preferred the higher rate.
I mainly collobaroate with a number of European agencies who send me properly prepared source files, pay through bank tran... See more PDF files, traditionally slow payers, PayPal payments > 300 euros.
So far I have only applied a higher rate to one direct client who insists on paying after 60 days and then only after a reminder. I offered them a discount for payment within 14 days, but they preferred the higher rate.
I mainly collobaroate with a number of European agencies who send me properly prepared source files, pay through bank transfer and on the dot after 30 days, which suits me just fine.
[Edited at 2010-05-10 10:07 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Judith Shiozawa (X)
Germany
Local time: 10:54
German to English
| I add a surcharge for rush jobs and increase per line charge for pdf and scanned texts | May 10, 2010 |
... that basically have to be copied or typed in per hand into a word-format. I also charge more for powerpoint files because spelling and grammatical checks are more inconvenient and word counts cannot be done directly in the powerpoint format.
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Sylvie LE BRAS
France
Local time: 10:54
Member
English to French
+ ...
| extra costs if... | May 10, 2010 |
- the translation has to be done during w.e./ at night / bank holiday
- the translation is in Excell format, for page setting
PDFs might be a nightmare. I always propose a translation in Word to avoid problems, especially when there are charts!
But again, I usually apply extra costs with new customers, or customers with whom I have little business stream.
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 04:54
Member (2005)
German to English
+ ...
I charge for late payments.
Rush jobs and weekend work usually come in at a higher rate from my agencies.
If not, I negotiate until we are both happy. Sometimes I do the work, sometimes we agree that that someone else should do it, usually for a lower fee/tighter deadline.
| | | | | I don't charge extra, but... | May 10, 2010 |
...I may offer discounts on bigger jobs with very lax deadlines, which can be done in the "back burner" mode. On the other hand, my rates are high, and most of my jobs are quite complex and very urgent.
[Edited at 2010-05-10 14:39 GMT]
| | | | | Yes, for rush jobs | May 10, 2010 |
I always charge extra fees if in order to meet the deadline if I have to work on weekends/holidays, nights or I have to stop working on other projects. I always explain the client that working over 8 hours a day (i.e. a regular schedule) will imply an extra charge. This is especially useful in Venezuela where most of the clients say that need the translations urgently. Sometimes they accept the extra charge (which at least implies that my extra effort will be rewarded); often they realize that t... See more I always charge extra fees if in order to meet the deadline if I have to work on weekends/holidays, nights or I have to stop working on other projects. I always explain the client that working over 8 hours a day (i.e. a regular schedule) will imply an extra charge. This is especially useful in Venezuela where most of the clients say that need the translations urgently. Sometimes they accept the extra charge (which at least implies that my extra effort will be rewarded); often they realize that the translation was really not that urgent and give me a more reasonable deadline.
There is one client I knew would pay late and I simply gave them a higher rate. It only paid off partially as they took 7 months to pay (instead of the 4 months I had initially expected) and in the meanwhile there was a devaluation.
I haven't charged for formats, but I have been thinking of doing it if the original file is in pdf.
[Edited at 2010-05-10 15:29 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 04:54
Spanish to English
+ ...
| "Rush jobs" or "Quick turnaround"... | May 10, 2010 |
...and not "short delay," is how the first element in the first option should read.
And I myself usually do charge extra in such circumstances.
| | | | | strange comment | May 10, 2010 |
Alexander Kondorsky wrote: Situation is simple: You apply, you see the work offered, you negotiate deadlines and pay and, well, you take it or you leave it. There is no question of accumulating charges for urgency, night, weekend, birthday, funeral, whatever )
part of the negotiation of the pay includes precisely the considerations of formats, rush factor, etc., that are the subject of this discussion. Perhaps it may be less relevant in a business model in which you apply for all your jobs, but I it would surprise me if many translators (except those at the very beginning of their careers) operated in such a way.
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 01:54
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Sorry, I disagree. I also am an outsourcer, BTW. | May 10, 2010 |
Alexander Kondorsky wrote: Situation is simple: You apply, you see the work offered, you negotiate deadlines and pay and, well, you take it or you leave it. There is no question of accumulating charges for urgency, night, weekend, birthday, funeral, whatever )
I have to educate and at times to discipline my clients. Neither am I willing to hurt my vendors, nor am I willing to pay up (out of pocket) in such cases - unexpected additional text required while the deadline remains the same, unexpected weekend-work required, and such. Translators are not copy machines that spit out extra tons of pages at the push of a button. It is a question of best practices, project management skills, work ethics - and, yes, making profit. Please don't try to tell me that even your post office charges the same fees for regular and over-night delivery. Or that a visit at your doctor's office during business hours costs the same as visiting the emergency room on weekends.
Why on earth should extra fees not apply to our industry? Of course there are extra fees. We are selling a service, not ourselves.
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