| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Please, does anybody know the average hourly rate for Editing? Thread poster: janduarte
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janduarte
United States
Local time: 06:04
English to Spanish
Hello,
I just got a job offer as Editor, I do not have experience but I did some editing work (test) with the company and they are satisfy with my work. They asked me for my hourly rate and rush hourly rate.
Please help me, does anybody know how much is the average rate for editing?
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2008-10-28 17:09]
| | | | Alicia Casal 
Argentina
Local time: 07:04
English to Spanish
+ ...
| I would charge | Oct 28, 2008 |
30/40 dollars per hour
A.
Rush: 20% surcharge.
[Edited at 2008-10-28 17:23]
| | | | | Anything goes | Oct 28, 2008 |
I don't think that the absolute average would be of any help - some people charge 50 cents per hour, some charge $40 per hour. It is up to you to determine it. The question you should ask should not be asked to fellow translators - it should be asked to you. How much is your time worth? The answer should be based on the cost of living in your geographical region and the desired income you are targeting.
Please, don't let anybody tell you how much you should charge. It ... See more I don't think that the absolute average would be of any help - some people charge 50 cents per hour, some charge $40 per hour. It is up to you to determine it. The question you should ask should not be asked to fellow translators - it should be asked to you. How much is your time worth? The answer should be based on the cost of living in your geographical region and the desired income you are targeting.
Please, don't let anybody tell you how much you should charge. It is your business. ▲ Collapse
| | | | janduarte
United States
Local time: 06:04
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER | Thank you for your reponse Alicia | Oct 28, 2008 |
Alicia Casal wrote:
30/40 dollars per hour
A.
Rush: 20% surcharge.
[Edited at 2008-10-28 17:23]
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janduarte
United States
Local time: 06:04
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER | You are right, but it helps to know how much ia the average so I can determine my rates. Thanks | Oct 28, 2008 |
Viktoria Gimbe wrote:
I don't think that the absolute average would be of any help - some people charge 50 cents per hour, some charge $40 per hour. It is up to you to determine it. The question you should ask should not be asked to fellow translators - it should be asked to you. How much is your time worth? The answer should be based on the cost of living in your geographical region and the desired income you are targeting.
Please, don't let anybody tell you how much you should charge. It is your business.
| | | | Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 04:04
Dutch to English
+ ...
| Agree with Alicia | Oct 28, 2008 |
I don't think that anything goes. That's why there are so many complaints in these forums about people who charge too little. It is also not helpful to ask "what is my time worth?" or "how much do I want to earn", particularly for a beginner. Your time may be worth a fortune to you and you may aspire to earn a banker's salary but neither is realistic. You have to compare it to what other professionals are asking for their services, consider what clients may be willing to pay for yours, and arriv... See more I don't think that anything goes. That's why there are so many complaints in these forums about people who charge too little. It is also not helpful to ask "what is my time worth?" or "how much do I want to earn", particularly for a beginner. Your time may be worth a fortune to you and you may aspire to earn a banker's salary but neither is realistic. You have to compare it to what other professionals are asking for their services, consider what clients may be willing to pay for yours, and arrive at a rate that is 'reasonable'.
So, to answer the question, i.m.o. in the US (but not everywhere!) a rate of $30/40 per hour would be reasonable to start with. After you have done a few jobs, you can re-evaluate by looking at the time you spent, what you earned, and whether that meets your needs. ▲ Collapse
| | | | janduarte
United States
Local time: 06:04
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER | Tina your posting is helpful, concrete and concise. Thank you so much. | Oct 28, 2008 |
Tina Vonhof wrote:
I don't think that anything goes. That's why there are so many complaints in these forums about people who charge too little. It is also not helpful to ask "what is my time worth?" or "how much do I want to earn", particularly for a beginner. Your time may be worth a fortune to you and you may aspire to earn a banker's salary but neither is realistic. You have to compare it to what other professionals are asking for their services, consider what clients may be willing to pay for yours, and arrive at a rate that is 'reasonable'.
So, to answer the question, i.m.o. in the US (but not everywhere!) a rate of $30/40 per hour would be reasonable to start with. After you have done a few jobs, you can re-evaluate by looking at the time you spent, what you earned, and whether that meets your needs.
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 03:04
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Another bit of information, HTH | Oct 28, 2008 |
A client of mine calculates the output of a translator as follows:
- 2000 words of translation / day
- 6000 words of editing / day
I find this calculation highly reasonable and translator-friendly.
If you have figured out your rate per word already, maybe this ratio might be helpful when calculating your hourly rate and estimating the time needed.
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| The problem with basing your rates on averages or other people's rates | Oct 29, 2008 |
What happens if the majority, who are now most likely not very professional, declare that they charge $10 per hour (which in my opinion is incredibly low)? Janduarte will then charge that rate, which will be bad for him/her because it may not be sufficient to make a living, not to mention that more experienced clients will think his/her work is substandard because s/he charges so low.
I didn't base my rate on what other people charge. I went with what was reasonable for me, within t... See more What happens if the majority, who are now most likely not very professional, declare that they charge $10 per hour (which in my opinion is incredibly low)? Janduarte will then charge that rate, which will be bad for him/her because it may not be sufficient to make a living, not to mention that more experienced clients will think his/her work is substandard because s/he charges so low.
I didn't base my rate on what other people charge. I went with what was reasonable for me, within the limits of what is acceptable for my target clientele. It worked. I am happy with the rates I charge, my clients are willing to pay it, and I am not blindly following people of whom I don't know whether they can be trusted for such sensitive questions. ▲ Collapse
| | | | janduarte
United States
Local time: 06:04
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks Nicole | Oct 29, 2008 |
Nicole Schnell wrote:
A client of mine calculates the output of a translator as follows:
- 2000 words of translation / day
- 6000 words of editing / day
I find this calculation highly reasonable and translator-friendly.
If you have figured out your rate per word already, maybe this ratio might be helpful when calculating your hourly rate and estimating the time needed.
| | | | janduarte
United States
Local time: 06:04
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
Viktoria Gimbe wrote:
What happens if the majority, who are now most likely not very professional, declare that they charge $10 per hour (which in my opinion is incredibly low)? Janduarte will then charge that rate, which will be bad for him/her because it may not be sufficient to make a living, not to mention that more experienced clients will think his/her work is substandard because s/he charges so low.
I didn't base my rate on what other people charge. I went with what was reasonable for me, within the limits of what is acceptable for my target clientele. It worked. I am happy with the rates I charge, my clients are willing to pay it, and I am not blindly following people of whom I don't know whether they can be trusted for such sensitive questions.
| | | | Stuart Dowell
Poland
Local time: 12:04
Member (2007)
Polish to English
+ ...
| An average would be useful to know | Oct 29, 2008 |
Viktoria Gimbe wrote:
within the limits of what is acceptable for my target clientele.
What is acceptable to clients must surely reflect their knowledge of other rates in the market.
Therefore, knowing the average would be a useful way for the prospective editor of knowing if their proposed rate is high or low. If the editor does as you say and calculates the value of the work to themselves etc. and the result is below the average then they are missing an opportunity to earn more money.
By the way, I understand average to be a rate that is often very often quoted and accepted and not necessarily a mathematical mean.
Stuart
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Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 04:04
Dutch to English
+ ...
| Clarification | Oct 29, 2008 |
When I said "You have to compare it to what other professionals are asking for their services", I did not mean compare with other translators (although that could be included in the exercise) but compare with what people in other professions with similar amounts of education and/or experience earn per hour and then "place" yourself at a certain point on that scale that will seem reasonable to you and justifiable to your clients.
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Tina Vonhof wrote:
Clarification
That is much closer now to what I was saying earlier.
It is always useful to know what others charge, but that is not nearly enough information to base one's own rates on. Besides, many factors are in play when establishing rates. Either way, when it comes to hourly rates, it's a simple question of how much your time is worth, based on where you live, what your qualifications are, how rare your language pair and specialization are, and last but not least, the quality of your work. And the hourly rate you charge should be the same as your hourly translation rate. An hour is an hour, no matter what task you perform within the broader translation field.
[Edited at 2008-10-31 00:09]
| | | | Thierry Destinobles (X)
Switzerland
Local time: 12:04
German to French
+ ...
| I don't agree | Nov 3, 2008 |
Viktoria Gimbe wrote: Tina Vonhof wrote:
Clarification That is much closer now to what I was saying earlier. It is always useful to know what others charge, but that is not nearly enough information to base one's own rates on. Besides, many factors are in play when establishing rates. Either way, when it comes to hourly rates, it's a simple question of how much your time is worth, based on where you live, what your qualifications are, how rare your language pair and specialization are, and last but not least, the quality of your work. And the hourly rate you charge should be the same as your hourly translation rate. An hour is an hour, no matter what task you perform within the broader translation field. [Edited at 2008-10-31 00:09]
To me an hour spent editing is not the same as an hour of translating. Just as an hour walking your dog in the rain is not the same as walking it in the sun... Just my two cents.
Most outsourcers will ask you to charge less for editing than translating because it is less "creative". In the end you got to see what works best for you.
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