Creative Translation Rates
Thread poster: Omri Radai (X)
Omri Radai (X)
Omri Radai (X)
Israel
Local time: 15:04
English to Hebrew
+ ...
Sep 14, 2018

Hey everyone!

I have recently worked on a translation of a website that required more than just translating. Translating from English to Hebrew, I had to adjust the message to the Israeli customer and their needs. That is, parts of the source's original meaning were significantly changed rewritten. The work also required more thinking and planning than the normal translating, since it's a translation that's meant to d
... See more
Hey everyone!

I have recently worked on a translation of a website that required more than just translating. Translating from English to Hebrew, I had to adjust the message to the Israeli customer and their needs. That is, parts of the source's original meaning were significantly changed rewritten. The work also required more thinking and planning than the normal translating, since it's a translation that's meant to draw the attention of future clients to the website.

The clients are former employers and good friends. They asked me explicitly not to lower my standards and to ask for a compensation that respects my work and effort.

I'm curious what are the rates that you would charge for such a project (~5,100 words).
Would you charge per word, per unit, per hour, or a fixed price?
How would you calculate it? What factors are you considering?


Thanks a lot!
I appreciate your help.
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Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:04
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Per hour Sep 15, 2018

I would charge per hour of my time. I'd give the client a maximum price - they need that - and a minimum - I need that. Then I'd charge for the actual time the job takes, between those two limits.

Or if I thought more simplicity was called for, I'd just give a total for the job. But that would have to be close to the maximum so the client would probably end up paying more.


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Yolanda Broad
Omri Radai (X)
Ester Vidal
 
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 13:04
Italian to English
I think you already know Sep 16, 2018

Good question!

If you are an experienced translator, I think you probably know deep down what you should be charging. I would begin by applying my normal per-word rate (or per editorial page, or however you normally charge). I would then consider how much more work will be required in excess of "pure" translation, maybe on a time basis, add this to the previous calculation, and charge a project price.


Omri Radai (X)
Yvonne Gallagher
 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 13:04
French to English
humm Sep 17, 2018

Sheila Wilson wrote:

I would charge per hour of my time. I'd give the client a maximum price - they need that - and a minimum - I need that. Then I'd charge for the actual time the job takes, between those two limits.

Or if I thought more simplicity was called for, I'd just give a total for the job. But that would have to be close to the maximum so the client would probably end up paying more.


When it comes to creativity, I'm not so sure that an hourly rate is right. Without wanting to boast, I have a knack for coming up with nifty, hard-hitting titles and slogans. I was once asked to translate a base-line for a firm I had already translated various texts for. I took one look and had a great idea: it was short and sweet and there was even a canny pun in it. I did have to write a bit of blurb to explain why it was good for the client whose English was not good enough, and how it related to the corporate identity and so on, but that probably took no more than an hour in all. They paid me handsomely for it and I believe it was fully deserved.
Other times I have had to rack my brains and endlessly search for synonyms and proverbs and words that rhyme in order, to come up with something half-way decent, and the result is not necessarily any better. I may even have to sound out somebody else's opinion because you can get tired and no longer see clearly.

Certainly, the time you spend needs to be factored in. Then again, creative translation often involves in-depth re-working of the text to make sure readers can get their heads round the facts all the while being entertained. Maybe a degree of suspense can better hold their interest, or maybe you need to start with a splash revealing a bizarre twist, then fill in the background information. Maybe you need to add a little explanation of a source word that just won't translate without losing a certain poetic or symbolic aura. Or conversely, there's a concept in the target language that doesn't have a name in the source language, and once you tap into that concept suddenly a whole paragraph can just be wiped out, since native target language speakers are already familiar with it. You may have painstakingly translated that paragraph before realising that it isn't actually needed, or not. Either way you need to be paid for the time you have taken and also for the bold decisions you have taken. So you do need to charge more than for a straightforward translation: very few translators would take the trouble to eliminate a paragraph and add a note to explain why it's superfluous. If you're going further, you need to be paid more.

In actual fact, this can even be reassuring for the client. You charge a lot, because you know what you're doing and you know that it's good for your client, they will enjoy a return on their investment in your time. If you just charge a minimum rate, you may come across as lacking confidence, and people will maybe check your work and query every other word because they in turn don't feel they can trust you.


[Edited at 2018-09-17 08:49 GMT]


dropinka (X)
Omri Radai (X)
Dulce Vaz
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:04
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
@ Kay: flat rate for a slogan, bearing in mind its value to the client Sep 17, 2018

Kay Denney wrote:
When it comes to creativity, I'm not so sure that an hourly rate is right. Without wanting to boast, I have a knack for coming up with nifty, hard-hitting titles and slogans.

I agree totally that slogans etc shouldn't be charged per hour. I quote a flat rate for coming up with one of those. An advertising agency would charge a LOT so there's no reason why we should charge peanuts.

Then again, creative translation often involves in-depth re-working of the text

That's more the sort of translation the OP was querying here.


Omri Radai (X)
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Per hour Sep 17, 2018

I charge by the hour.

Fixed quotes and per-word prices are only ever a convenient approximation of an hourly rate anyway.

I would also charge by the hour for slogans. If my sloganeering skills were good enough to command ad agency rates, I wouldn’t bother with translation at all...


Omri Radai (X)
 
Philippe SALMON
Philippe SALMON
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:04
English to French
+ ...
Translation isn't the same as localisation and transcreation Sep 17, 2018

Omri Radai wrote:

Hey everyone!

I have recently worked on a translation of a website that required more than just translating. Translating from English to Hebrew, I had to adjust the message to the Israeli customer and their needs. That is, parts of the source's original meaning were significantly changed rewritten. The work also required more thinking and planning than the normal translating, since it's a translation that's meant to draw the attention of future clients to the website.

The clients are former employers and good friends. They asked me explicitly not to lower my standards and to ask for a compensation that respects my work and effort.

I'm curious what are the rates that you would charge for such a project (~5,100 words).
Would you charge per word, per unit, per hour, or a fixed price?
How would you calculate it? What factors are you considering?


Thanks a lot!
I appreciate your help.


Omri Radai (X)
 
Philippe SALMON
Philippe SALMON
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:04
English to French
+ ...
Transcreation/localisation isn't the same as translation Sep 17, 2018

I've had a lot of experience in the difference between straight translation and transcreation (using your artistic licence and creativity). Sometimes clients don't understand the difference!. I had a really interesting large project a couple of years ago which was a training programme which centred around a typically English scenario, which just wouldn't have made any sense to a French-speaker. I had great fun thinking of witty ways of getting the learning points across as the client intended, b... See more
I've had a lot of experience in the difference between straight translation and transcreation (using your artistic licence and creativity). Sometimes clients don't understand the difference!. I had a really interesting large project a couple of years ago which was a training programme which centred around a typically English scenario, which just wouldn't have made any sense to a French-speaker. I had great fun thinking of witty ways of getting the learning points across as the client intended, but it took much longer than straightforward translation, where you are just substituting the meaning from one language into another. As a result of this experience (the client was delighted with the outcome, by the way) I always charge by the hour. There's no way to measure how long it might take you to find the right way to replicate the intended outcome of this kind of work into your native language...Collapse


Omri Radai (X)
 
Eliza Hall
Eliza Hall
United States
Local time: 08:04
French to English
+ ...
That's localization Sep 17, 2018

No need for the term "creative translation" -- adapting the message for the local market is called "localization." Searching on that term should make it easier to figure out an appropriate rate, and also easier to justify additional charges on any invoice.

If you get projects like this in the future--that is, projects that seem to be a bad fit for the local culture, and to require some rewriting by you to make them a better fit--you could say to the client, "Speaking as an Israeli,
... See more
No need for the term "creative translation" -- adapting the message for the local market is called "localization." Searching on that term should make it easier to figure out an appropriate rate, and also easier to justify additional charges on any invoice.

If you get projects like this in the future--that is, projects that seem to be a bad fit for the local culture, and to require some rewriting by you to make them a better fit--you could say to the client, "Speaking as an Israeli, I think this particular text needs to be localized for the Israeli market. Would you like me to do that too, or just to translate what's written here into Hebrew? My rate for translation alone is X, while translation plus localization would be Y."

A propos of nothing, here's a funny coincidence: I once had that exact situation with something relating to Hebrew! I don't read or speak Hebrew but I was translating a CD course of Hebrew for beginners into English, from an original that was designed for the French market. I told the client that I thought it needed some localization in the form of curriculum redesign and rewriting, and we agreed that I would do that too, on top of the translation.

[Edited at 2018-09-17 20:38 GMT]
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Omri Radai (X)
 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 13:04
French to English
transcreation and localisation Sep 18, 2018

I had understood localisation to be more of a technical thing, changing links and addresses or adding a note to warn the reader that the link is in the source language only.
Yes, what Omri calls creative translation is usually called transcreation.

I will usually give a flat rate for the entire thing, and this will factor in the amount of time I spend working on it, of course, but usually rounded up nicely because I won't be counting time that I might be thinking about it bu
... See more
I had understood localisation to be more of a technical thing, changing links and addresses or adding a note to warn the reader that the link is in the source language only.
Yes, what Omri calls creative translation is usually called transcreation.

I will usually give a flat rate for the entire thing, and this will factor in the amount of time I spend working on it, of course, but usually rounded up nicely because I won't be counting time that I might be thinking about it but actually doing something else like cooking or weeding or cycling. And if I end up spending much less time on the project, well that's because of the wealth of my experience.
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Omri Radai (X)
dropinka (X)
 
Omri Radai (X)
Omri Radai (X)
Israel
Local time: 15:04
English to Hebrew
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks for the help Sep 18, 2018

Eliza, thanks for pointing out the difference between localization and transcreation (or creative translation).
When translating into Hebrew, localization usually involves adjusting layouts to a right-to-left reader. Besides adapting the meaning to the Israeli (or Hebrew speaking) market, I had understood localization as something that requires technical skills to some extent, along with the translation itself. I assume that it is primarily because of the difference in writing. However, th
... See more
Eliza, thanks for pointing out the difference between localization and transcreation (or creative translation).
When translating into Hebrew, localization usually involves adjusting layouts to a right-to-left reader. Besides adapting the meaning to the Israeli (or Hebrew speaking) market, I had understood localization as something that requires technical skills to some extent, along with the translation itself. I assume that it is primarily because of the difference in writing. However, that might not apply to all situations or language pairs, so I'll keep what you wrote in mind.
Just curious, how did you translate that CD without speaking the language? :-0

Kay Denney, my intuition goes with what you've suggested. I'm working to establish a lifestyle that's not calculated per hour, and your way appeals to me.
Also, I agree that creative translating (or transcreating. Any differences here that I'm not aware of?) requires more hours than the ones actually invested in sitting (or standing) and typing and that they should be counted in as well.

Otherwise, you've all helped a lot. Thanks for taking the time to reply!
I'm happy to hear more insights on this topic if anyone has any.
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mughwI
mughwI
United States
Local time: 08:04
English to Spanish
+ ...
Translation vs. Localization vs. Transcreation vs. Copywriting Sep 18, 2018

Broadly speaking (YMMV):

Translation:
- Rigid
- Closely follows source. Focused on consistency and conciseness (i.e. Generic User Manual)
- Benefits from CAT/MT
- Cost effective, large volume, fast turnaround
- Per word/character/line = $

Localization:
- Adaptive
- Mostly follows source. Uses syntax/terminology adapted to a specific zone/culture (i.e. Argentina)
- May benefit from CAT
- Average cost, medium to la
... See more
Broadly speaking (YMMV):

Translation:
- Rigid
- Closely follows source. Focused on consistency and conciseness (i.e. Generic User Manual)
- Benefits from CAT/MT
- Cost effective, large volume, fast turnaround
- Per word/character/line = $

Localization:
- Adaptive
- Mostly follows source. Uses syntax/terminology adapted to a specific zone/culture (i.e. Argentina)
- May benefit from CAT
- Average cost, medium to large volume, average turnaround
- Per word/character/line = $$

Transcreation:
- Semi-creative
- Lightly follows source. Written to meet business objectives for a specific market (i.e. Hospitality).
- Limited benefit from CAT
- Higher cost, small to medium volume, longer turnaround
- Per hour = $$$

Copywriting:
- Creative
- Generates and expands on new ideas for a specific audience (i.e. Adventure-seekers under 30)
- No benefit from CAT
- Much higher cost, very small to medium volume, much longer turnaround
- Per project = $$$$$
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Omri Radai (X)
PAOLA MARIANI
Jeslynn Khoo
Vasaporn Chaiyakul
Beatriz Marrodán Verdeguer
Konstantina Karamani
 
Omri Radai (X)
Omri Radai (X)
Israel
Local time: 15:04
English to Hebrew
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Super reply Sep 18, 2018

This is very useful! Thanks a lot!


mughwI wrote:

Broadly speaking (YMMV):

Translation:
- Rigid
- Closely follows source. Focused on consistency and conciseness (i.e. Generic User Manual)
- Benefits from CAT/MT
- Cost effective, large volume, fast turnaround
- Per word/character/line = $

Localization:
- Adaptive
- Mostly follows source. Uses syntax/terminology adapted to a specific zone/culture (i.e. Argentina)
- May benefit from CAT
- Average cost, medium to large volume, average turnaround
- Per word/character/line = $$

Transcreation:
- Semi-creative
- Lightly follows source. Written to meet business objectives for a specific market (i.e. Hospitality).
- Limited benefit from CAT
- Higher cost, small to medium volume, longer turnaround
- Per hour = $$$

Copywriting:
- Creative
- Generates and expands on new ideas for a specific audience (i.e. Adventure-seekers under 30)
- No benefit from CAT
- Much higher cost, very small to medium volume, much longer turnaround
- Per project = $$$$$


 


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