Remote translator Thread poster: Maria Jose Fernandez Marengo
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Dear Colleagues,
I have a client that needs a full time remote translator during one year.
As it will be full time and remote he doesn't want to pay a rate per word but a fee per month as a salary.
Which are the fee per month for translators translating approximately 3000-4000 words?
Thanks!
| | | | | Fee per month | Dec 4, 2012 |
Maybe you can calculate how many hours you will be working to finish those 4000 or so words & calculate how much it comes per hour. What do you think? Hope others give you suggestions, but that is what comes to mind first. You have to consider how well-versed in field you are first, or if you have to look up or consult a lot in area offered. Hope this helps.
| | | | Sheila Wilson 
Spain
Local time: 23:02
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Freelancer or employee? | Dec 4, 2012 |
Maria Jose Fernandez Marengo wrote:
I have a client that needs a full time remote translator during one year.
As it will be full time and remote he doesn't want to pay a rate per word but a fee per month as a salary.
He cannot use a freelancer full-time for a year. It is totally against the definition of a freelancer. You speak of salary and that is exactly what this needs to be - but it needs to be accompanied by a proper employment contract.
The whole idea of a freelancer is that they are FREE - free to work for who they want, when they want, free to NOT work for some people and at some times. They are independent of any client company, so they pay their own social security contributions, for their own holidays, sick leave, training, computer supplies, office rental etc, etc. I'm sure you know all that, but I want to put it down in black and white for people who may not know it and are interested in this job.
If a translator is to be tied full-time for a year to one sole "client", then that "client" is, in fact, their employer. With an employer goes an employment contract, with all the associated rights: part of the social contributions paid by the employer (at least, in the countries I know), paid sick leave and holidays, and all the entitlements and benefits that other employees of the company have. The contract may be a little different from others, as this would be a remote employee (no free lunches, and no commuting allowance, for example!), but it would ensure that the salary would be paid regardless of workload, and that the contract lasted the year as anticipated.
It works for the employer too - if he hires a freelancer, that translator could say one Friday evening - "Sorry, but for XYZ reason, I've just done my last translation for you". The client has no recourse to anything and simply has to pay for the time worked.
Apart from all the considerations laid out above (and many more that I've missed or don't know about), in all the countries I know, tying a freelancer into a year-long, full-time contract is against the law.
On the other hand, if you were intending this to read as a request for an annual salary for a salaried employee, then rates are published in various places on the web, but I'm not sure where. I'm sure others have that information, though most of us here are freelancers and therefore not much concerned with salaries.
| | | | Daniel Bird
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:02
German to English
| Question in my mind | Dec 4, 2012 |
Should that read thirty to forty thousand words? I can imagine a retainer arrangement with company X for you as a freelancer to cover any number of words, negotiated in such a way as to leave you free to continue working for other clients; if company X were offering only three to four thousand words per month, you’d surely need extra income?
I don’t see that arrangement conflicting with your status as a freelancer; in the UK at least, all that matters to be legal is that you declare al... See more Should that read thirty to forty thousand words? I can imagine a retainer arrangement with company X for you as a freelancer to cover any number of words, negotiated in such a way as to leave you free to continue working for other clients; if company X were offering only three to four thousand words per month, you’d surely need extra income?
I don’t see that arrangement conflicting with your status as a freelancer; in the UK at least, all that matters to be legal is that you declare all sources of income. You can be PAYE with company X (and Y, Z or epsilon for that matter) and also declare any freelance earnings on your tax return.
Your jurisdiction may of course be different.
As an aside, it is surprising what is tax-legal in the UK despite being morally dubious; perhaps you’ve heard the one about St****ck’s?
Good luck
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Vitaly77
Russian Federation
Local time: 01:02
English to Russian
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I assume, the salary would be 200-400 euro per month provided part-time employment.
| | | | | Some thoughts | Dec 4, 2012 |
Maria Jose Fernandez Marengo wrote:
Dear Colleagues,
I have a client that needs a full time remote translator during one year.
As it will be full time and remote he doesn't want to pay a rate per word but a fee per month as a salary.
Which are the fee per month for translators translating approximately 3000-4000 words?
Thanks!
If it was 3000-4000 words a month, your client certainly would not need a full time translator, so I assume you are talking about 3000-4000 words per day.
I do not think you need to be an employee for a one-year assignment. Many freelancers, e.g. in the IT industry or on construction sites, often work for just one client on a project basis, and these projects can last several months or even years.
A one-year project can be very interesting, however with 3000-4000 words per day you probably will not have much time to work for your regular clients. In this case I would inform my clients and tell them I would be available only for small assignments or not available at all etc.
Also I assume your client is talking about some average word count of 3000-4000 words per working day. Depending on subject and type of text, this probably will mean more than an 8-hour working day. Your contract with the client should state some daily/weekly/monthly limit which is covered by the monthly fee, and wordcounts above this limit should be payed extra. Deadlines should also be considered (for these I would set some daily limit).
As for the monthly fee, I would calculate it based upon an hourly rate, and also consider your word rate and your income per year (for example for the last three years).
Of course all depends on what the assignment is about, so there can be many other factors, which need to be considered.
Good luck.
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 23:02
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Freelancer or contractor? | Dec 4, 2012 |
Daniel Meier wrote:
I do not think you need to be an employee for a one-year assignment. Many freelancers, e.g. in the IT industry or on construction sites, often work for just one client on a project basis, and these projects can last several months or even years.
I agree with what you say (I used to be a salaried programmer working alongside contractors), but there's confusion of terms here. For a clear explanation of the difference, see here: http://www.sjdaccountancy.com/about/ourservices/difference_between_contractor_and_consultant.html
Although a one-year "contractor-style" contract could be possible for a translator working from home, I'm not entirely sure, it would definitely be a very different contract from the ones we normally have as freelance translators, and should include some of the elements of an employee contract.
A one-year project can be very interesting, however with 3000-4000 words per day you probably will not have much time to work for your regular clients. In this case I would inform my clients and tell them I would be available only for small assignments or not available at all etc.
As for the monthly fee, I would calculate it based upon an hourly rate, and also consider your word rate and your income per year (for example for the last three years).
Let's face it, you're going to lose (almost) all your regular clients during the year, even if the terms of the contract allow you to work for other clients. You'll then be left starting the next year with no clients. That needs to be factored in, too.
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