| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Ethical question about MT Thread poster: Serena Marangoni
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| Changing agreed rates | Dec 18, 2020 |
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei wrote:
Very good point. Would you charge the client extra if the work had taken longer than you had expected? No? Then charge what was agreed upon and enjoy your free time.
Yes. There are so many factors that could make a particular translation take more or less time than usual (whatever "usual" means to you) that if you kept altering your fee post hoc based on every one of them, you'd end up tying yourself into knots. Best to keep things simple. Either charge per word or per hour, and then stick to your agreement.
I also think that changing your rate after agreeing it with the client doesn't convey a very professional image, because it could give the impression that you don't really know what you're doing. Even if the difference is in the client's favour, it may lead them to question whether you really understand your own working processes.
If a translator learns to use a particular piece of software which can help them to do their job faster, then I see no reason why the translator shouldn't benefit from any time saved. The client isn't the one who put the time and effort into learning to use it. And if it happens to be paid software, why shouldn't the translator recoup the outlay?
| | | | | Vicious circle | Dec 18, 2020 |
Serena Marangoni wrote:
For instance, this year, because of Covid I haven't received many translation projects so I had to do more teaching and I started working part time for a company. My translations then take more days than those of a full time translator, as I can only work 4-5 hours. If another translator could complete that in 4 days working full time, but need 8, I know I have to give a discount to make it viable for the client.
I struggle to see any logic in your reasoning here, for two reasons.
You say you've been doing more teaching because you were making less from translation, and that means you take longer to deliver translations, so you think you should earn even less from translation because of that? Isn't this a vicious circle? Charging less will only make matters even worse, as it will mean that you have to take on yet more teaching to make up for the discounts you give on your translations. And this extra teaching will mean you take even longer to deliver translations! Which, according to your logic, means that you should charge even less... The solution you have come up with here (giving discounts) only makes your original problem of reduced income worse, not better.
It's for clients to decide what's viable for them. I agree with Chris here. If they need a translation in 4 days and you can only deliver in 8, then offering a discount doesn't solve this problem.
| | | | Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:08
Serbian to English
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| Why would you do that? | Dec 21, 2020 |
Serena Marangoni wrote:
I do big discounts for clients based on fuzzy matches with TMs from previous projects and repetitions,
Thanks for your suggestions.
Here is my suggestion: next time you need the services of a lawyers, or of an accountant, ask them to pay reduced fees because there are for sure "fuzzy matches" with contracts or accounts they've done for other clients.
Just curious to know how much of a reduction they will give you ...
| | | | Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
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| No and DON'T ever mention it | Dec 30, 2020 |
Unless they were the ones who forced you to use said CAT in the first place.
Customer reactions to CATs are weird in general and almost never in your favor - they either act super-paranoid that you could be freeloading off them with MT, try to get deep discounts for matches and repeats, treat you like a dinosaur if you say you hand-typed the thing in a word processor, OR get all CAT-happy and force you to use their program of choice...AND, of course, again with the match discounts.<... See more Unless they were the ones who forced you to use said CAT in the first place.
Customer reactions to CATs are weird in general and almost never in your favor - they either act super-paranoid that you could be freeloading off them with MT, try to get deep discounts for matches and repeats, treat you like a dinosaur if you say you hand-typed the thing in a word processor, OR get all CAT-happy and force you to use their program of choice...AND, of course, again with the match discounts.
None of these actually makes you richer or look better vs. if you avoided the question of CATs and MT entirely.
So...NO.
[Edited at 2020-12-30 19:46 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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