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Pricing handwritten texts
Thread poster: Adieu
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
Jul 22, 2021

Badly handwritten at that. Double price, no rep discounts? More? Please advise.

Thx.

[Edited at 2021-07-22 08:16 GMT]
 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 19:07
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Per hour Jul 22, 2021

Surely your client knows how bad the handwriting is, so just tell him/her that it will take time to first decipher and then translate it.

Thomas Pfann
Josephine Cassar
Chris Says Bye
Philip Lees
 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
I don't think they do Jul 22, 2021

They don't even know the alphabet, much less how to read cursive doctor shorthand.

Thayenga wrote:

Surely your client knows how bad the handwriting is, so just tell him/her that it will take time to first decipher and then translate it.


 
Thomas Pfann
Thomas Pfann  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:07
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
Same as always Jul 22, 2021

Adieu wrote:

Double price?



Double price of what?

I'd do the same as with every job: Estimate how much time and effort it will take and base the price on that.

Thayenga
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Robert Forstag
P.L.F. Persio
Philip Lees
 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Normally I just wouldn't take it or jack up the price to eye-watering levels Jul 22, 2021

Not the case here though. It's not a rando client, it's a 5-figure regular.

And I accepted the job through the blur of sleepy eyes and uncorrected vision. Didn't notice that it had a part 2: please negotiate with our manager regarding the handwritten stuff.



Thomas Pfann wrote:

Adieu wrote:

Double price?



Double price of what?

I'd do the same as with every job: Estimate how much time and effort it will take and base the price on that.


 
Yolande Hivart
Yolande Hivart
Austria
Local time: 19:07
Member (2016)
German to French
When a client becomes a five figure regular... Jul 22, 2021

They usually expect you to do it for free

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:07
English to Italian
Hourly rate Jul 22, 2021

a high one...

P.L.F. Persio
Becca Resnik
 
Miranda Drew
Miranda Drew  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 19:07
Italian to English
I absolutely refuse handwritten texts Jul 22, 2021

I translate Italian to English, and Italian cursive is different from English cursive, even if it's written legibly I don't understand it! Even with my largest, most important client, i tell them that if they want me to translate it, they have to "transcribe" it for me.

Adieu
P.L.F. Persio
Philip Lees
JPMedicalTrans
Roy Chacón
 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Yeah Jul 22, 2021

Miranda Drew wrote:

I translate Italian to English, and Italian cursive is different from English cursive, even if it's written legibly I don't understand it! Even with my largest, most important client, i tell them that if they want me to translate it, they have to "transcribe" it for me.


I can transcribe Russian as a favor since I mistakenly accepted it...but I really don't want to do it again.

Ughh.
 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 13:07
Spanish to English
+ ...
Just be upfront with your client about... Jul 22, 2021

Adieu wrote:

Not the case here though. It's not a rando client, it's a 5-figure regular.

And I accepted the job through the blur of sleepy eyes and uncorrected vision. Didn't notice that it had a part 2: please negotiate with our manager regarding the handwritten stuff.



Thomas Pfann wrote:

Adieu wrote:

Double price?



Double price of what?

I'd do the same as with every job: Estimate how much time and effort it will take and base the price on that.


...the fact that you accepted the task without having noticed exactly what was involved - and offer an apology for your inattentiveness. (This really should have been done as soon as you noticed the issue, but perhaps it is not too late.)

The fact that you made a mistake does not mean that you should be trapped into working for less than the job truly demands. Given your longstanding relationship with the client in question, they ought not to object.

[Edited at 2021-07-22 13:29 GMT]

Tina Vonhof (X)
P.L.F. Persio
Becca Resnik
Philip Lees
 


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