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Glossary Terms Translation Rates
Thread poster: Ehab Tantawy
Ehab Tantawy
Ehab Tantawy  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:08
Member (2006)
English to Arabic
+ ...
Apr 18, 2008

Dear All,

I need a very fast help.

I know that rates differ from one to another, but what the basis of rating glossary terms translation, suppose you rate for normal text $0.10/word) how could you rate terms only?

Please advice.

Regards,
 
Janet Ross Snyder
Janet Ross Snyder  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 10:08
Member (2006)
French to English
+ ...
A word is a word Apr 18, 2008

I certainly would not give a discount for glossary words only. It is harder to know what a word standing alone means. Without a context, or a picture in the case of a catalog or price list, it is hard to provide a translation with any degree of certainty.
 
Ehab Tantawy
Ehab Tantawy  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:08
Member (2006)
English to Arabic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
XLS file, multi-tasks Apr 18, 2008

Dear jlrsnyder,

Thanks for your reply.

Actually they are about 200 cells of terms beside each you will find "Definition/Notes" in one column, then "Sample Context" those are explanations for the term to be translated and those are provided from the client. the other 3 columns are 1-suggested translation, Note, Cited Source.

Now th task is clear, and I think there are 2-3 hidden tasks behind.

Waiting advices.

Thanks
 
Adam Podstawczynski (X)
Adam Podstawczynski (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 15:08
Polish to English
+ ...
hourly rate Apr 18, 2008

Ehab Tantawy wrote:



Actually they are about 200 cells of terms beside each you will find "Definition/Notes" in one column, then "Sample Context" those are explanations for the term to be translated and those are provided from the client. the other 3 columns are 1-suggested translation, Note, Cited Source.

Now th task is clear, and I think there are 2-3 hidden tasks behind.




Hi Ehab,

Providing a glossary in your language, even if it is based on a source glossary, is actually more of lexicography than translation. You should not charge for this work as for routine translation. The best way would be to calculate a fair hourly rate for yourself, if you have not yet done so, and charge your customer by that rate. To make your customer feel comfortable, you can provide a rough estimation as to how long the job will take, but with glossaries it is best to avoid any exact upfront quotes.
 
Goran Tasic
Goran Tasic  Identity Verified
Serbia
Local time: 15:08
Member (2006)
English to Serbian
+ ...
apply hourly rate Apr 18, 2008

I totally agree with Adam Podstawczynski, just make a hourly rate offer. Those kind of translation can be a pain in the neck.
 
Ehab Tantawy
Ehab Tantawy  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:08
Member (2006)
English to Arabic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
The job canceled Apr 18, 2008

Dears Adam and Goran,
Many thanks for your two cents..

Actually they are 270 terms (total about 500 words), that need the whole work mentioned above.
I found the client charging $100 as flat rate. I think he finds that it may spends about 2 hours, but the true rate that it may not be less than 6 hours by any way.

Sure he canceled the request when sent to him a charging of more than he proposed.

Thanks ... See more
Dears Adam and Goran,
Many thanks for your two cents..

Actually they are 270 terms (total about 500 words), that need the whole work mentioned above.
I found the client charging $100 as flat rate. I think he finds that it may spends about 2 hours, but the true rate that it may not be less than 6 hours by any way.

Sure he canceled the request when sent to him a charging of more than he proposed.

Thanks for your help and advices.

Best Regards,
Ehab ▲ Collapse
 
Mauricio Manzo
Mauricio Manzo  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 10:08
English to Spanish
Hour rate Apr 18, 2008

I would definitely charge per hour, as it takes more time than translating normal files.
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 15:08
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Per hour Apr 20, 2008

Ehab Tantawy wrote:
...but what the basis of rating glossary terms translation, suppose you rate for normal text $0.10/word) how could you rate terms only?


To create a single glossary term translation, you need to (a) read the definition, (b) figure out what the definition means, (c) use a concordancer to see how the word was used in real texts, (d) do research about the term to ensure that you don't misunderstand or misclassify it, (e) write a few options, and then test them for ambiguity, double meaning, clashes of meaning etc, (f) decide on the final word(s) and (g) write it in the required format. If you charge "1 word" for translating "1 glossary word", you're either rather stupid or you're a very kind person.

I recently spoke to a guy from a company that does glossary translations and they expect a fast, efficient terminologist to do about 100 terms per day (and that is for languages with established term traditions in that field).

If you want to charge a per-word rate, think of it this way: you're spend 10 minutes translating one term, so let that be your guide.

Yang Burz Home
 
Ehab Tantawy
Ehab Tantawy  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:08
Member (2006)
English to Arabic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Apr 20, 2008

Samuel Murray wrote:

Ehab Tantawy wrote:
...but what the basis of rating glossary terms translation, suppose you rate for normal text $0.10/word) how could you rate terms only?


To create a single glossary term translation, you need to (a) read the definition, (b) figure out what the definition means, (c) use a concordance to see how the word was used in real texts, (d) do research about the term to ensure that you don't misunderstand or mis classify it, (e) write a few options, and then test them for ambiguity, double meaning, clashes of meaning etc, (f) decide on the final word(s) and (g) write it in the required format. If you charge "1 word" for translating "1 glossary word", you're either rather stupid or you're a very kind person.

I recently spoke to a guy from a company that does glossary translations and they expect a fast, efficient terminologist to do about 100 terms per day (and that is for languages with established term traditions in that field).

If you want to charge a per-word rate, think of it this way: you're spend 10 minutes translating one term, so let that be your guide.


Thanks Samuel.
Actually I avoided to be the first one"the stupid one" and selected to be the "second one' but by charging per hour, where the client back to me again by proposing the same rate multiplied by 2. then I increased another %50 from the first proposed rate to (the 1st rateX2.5).

Thanks
 


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