Charging extra for review report Thread poster: Aditya Ikhsan Prasiddha
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Dear colleagues,
In your opinion, is it reasonable to charge extra for a review job that includes filling a review report? In the report you would have to list every error with the category, severity, suggested change, and your reason for the change. It could get quite time consuming when the translation is subpar.
[Edited at 2016-04-07 06:51 GMT]
[Edited at 2016-04-07 06:52 GMT]
| | | | Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 20:12
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Of course it's reasonable... | Apr 7, 2016 |
Aditya Ikhsan Prasiddha wrote:
Dear colleagues,
In your opinion, is it reasonable to charge extra for a review job that includes filling a review report? In the report you would have to list every error with the category, severity, suggested change, and your reason for the change. It could get quite time consuming when the translation is subpar.
[Edited at 2016-04-07 06:51 GMT]
[Edited at 2016-04-07 06:52 GMT]
It should be analysed at several levels, so surely it should be charged more. However, there were some agencies approaching me with such projects offering $0.02 per word (to fill out the form listing every error, suggesting changes, etc).
| | | | Agneta Pallinder
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:12
Member (2014)
Swedish to English
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| Charge by time taken | Apr 7, 2016 |
Another reason why I would always try to charge by the hour for reviewing/editing/proofing jobs. Currently I'm involved in one where the ultimate customer is asking for additional rounds of comment/change/comment, but with time charging this is not a problem.
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 19:12
Member (2007)
English
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| Even the reasons for your change? | Apr 7, 2016 |
When you've already specified that it's an error? It sounds as though such a detailed report would take far longer than it would take to make the changes in a CAT tool or using Word's Track Changes feature. So it would most definitely increase the fee for the job.
I would be asking myself a few questions about the client, such as "Why do they want/need such a detailed report?" and I'd actually ask them that, too. Two possible reasons come to mind immediately:-
1) They are an a... See more When you've already specified that it's an error? It sounds as though such a detailed report would take far longer than it would take to make the changes in a CAT tool or using Word's Track Changes feature. So it would most definitely increase the fee for the job.
I would be asking myself a few questions about the client, such as "Why do they want/need such a detailed report?" and I'd actually ask them that, too. Two possible reasons come to mind immediately:-
1) They are an agency basing their marketing on having some sort of ISO certification and are paying lip service to the "Quality God". The end client must be shown the enormous lengths they go to to ensure quality. With a bit of luck that will blind them to the ACTUAL quality and the cost.
2) They are an agency looking to cut costs at every stage, but never their own costs. They shave every possible cent off what they pay to their suppliers - those translators who do the actual work. They will use that report as a weapon to force the translator to accept reduced payment. Of course, they will also refuse to pay you more for the report, or even a per-hour fee. Their own per-word rate will apply, and it won't be high.
But maybe I'm just a cynical old woman and they're the bright future . ▲ Collapse
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nordiste
France
Local time: 20:12
English to French
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| charge for your time - review report included | Apr 7, 2016 |
Sheila Wilson wrote: But maybe I'm just a cynical old woman and they're the bright future .
Count me in too
| | | | | I'm absolutely with Sheila | Apr 7, 2016 |
If the client offers to pay me a word rate around a third of MY rate for translation, and the translation looks reasonable, then I go along with that, and add a quick comment on the overall results, including any specific points the translator could think about.
However, I try to charge if commenting and reporting takes more than ten minutes. That includes reading pages of instructions, grading and classifying errors and so on, which can take a surprising amount of time, sometimes m... See more If the client offers to pay me a word rate around a third of MY rate for translation, and the translation looks reasonable, then I go along with that, and add a quick comment on the overall results, including any specific points the translator could think about.
However, I try to charge if commenting and reporting takes more than ten minutes. That includes reading pages of instructions, grading and classifying errors and so on, which can take a surprising amount of time, sometimes more than the actual checking and editing!
If the client will not pay for the actual time taken one way or another, either by a generous word rate for good quality translations or by the hour, then I make a note not to proofread for them in future.
While some clients still pay quite well for reviewing, the list of those who don't is getting very long! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Charge by the hour | Apr 7, 2016 |
As I always charge by the hour for editing and proofreading (which I dislike), the extra time taken to complete the detailed report would simply increase the amount of time I charged for.
However, before you accept the job, you'd need to inform the client that it will take longer to complete if you have to fill in the detailed report, and make sure that the client understands that and agrees.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 20:12
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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Aditya Ikhsan Prasiddha wrote:
In your opinion, is it reasonable to charge extra for a review job that includes filling a review report?
Yes, but some clients want it to be inserted in the review rate itself.
I find that filling in a report takes a disproportionate amount of time, particularly those Excel variants that also require you to classify the errors by type and severity, using dropdown menus that require precision mousework, and there is the added risk of making errors in copying over text. In addition, with most of my clients who have such a requirement, the Excel file is programmed to lock cells after you've pasted something into it, so you can't paste and edit (you have to paste into Notepad, then edit, and then copy and then paste into Excel).
I do such jobs for very few clients. For others, I simply write "I'm not available for revision work that involves copying text to a grid, and grading errors by type and severity".
I do more thorough revision if there is no requirement to fill in a report. When I have to do the report, I am more "forgiving" and tend to fix only things that are truly, truly errors. That's the consequence.
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