What to include in pricing (press material for a theatre production) Thread poster: Emiliana Sarra
|
|---|
Hey all!
I‘m just starting out as a translator and had a quick question about pricing 🙂
I‘ve been asked to provide a quote for the beginning of next week, for a short-ish project of 1000 words.
It is for press material for a theatre production. They have mentioned that they would like to set up a face-to-face meeting to discuss the play at some point, once my quote is received and confirmed on their side, of course.
However, they are perform... See more Hey all!
I‘m just starting out as a translator and had a quick question about pricing 🙂
I‘ve been asked to provide a quote for the beginning of next week, for a short-ish project of 1000 words.
It is for press material for a theatre production. They have mentioned that they would like to set up a face-to-face meeting to discuss the play at some point, once my quote is received and confirmed on their side, of course.
However, they are performing the play on Sunday and have also invited me to go and see it. However I don't know how I feel about going without having been able to finalise and get the quote confirmed… I have just given them my rate via email and they seem to wish to continue, but nothing has been officially confirmed.
Also, is this form of “research” something you factor into the quote? Especially for a quote of this size, and seeing we will already meet? I was not going to charge for the time spent on the meeting...
Sorry if it is a silly question! I’m still figuring it all out 🙂
Thanks so much in advance for your help!
Em ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Way too much hassle for 1,000 words! | Feb 13, 2022 |
It's nice that they want to meet up, and you to see the play, but you don't need either to produce a good translation.
I would politely decline unless there's a prospect of a longterm relationship. Perhaps you could sound them out about this.
Good luck in your new career!
[Edited at 2022-02-13 15:58 GMT]
| | | | Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
Talking to people at all, much less going places for less than 4 figures (dollars, euros, or similar) violates the principles of our profession.
And I'm not being sarcastic.
Unless these people offer truly lavish pay, they appear to be seeking a FANGIRL looking to pseudo-volunteer for symbolic pay or a pseudo-intern resume builder that wants a VANITY project.
Non-commercial projects outside of activism are indeed against the principles of our profession. So... See more Talking to people at all, much less going places for less than 4 figures (dollars, euros, or similar) violates the principles of our profession.
And I'm not being sarcastic.
Unless these people offer truly lavish pay, they appear to be seeking a FANGIRL looking to pseudo-volunteer for symbolic pay or a pseudo-intern resume builder that wants a VANITY project.
Non-commercial projects outside of activism are indeed against the principles of our profession. So unless you're charging them like 50 an hour (dollars, euros, pounds) and billing more than a few hours for all this extra activity, this is charity that you should never ever do.
This is why a plumber might charge you 2 hours minimum at 75 bucks an hour just to show up. It's NOT actually because he's squeamish about drains and toilets, but because talking to people, negotiating, and showing up places takes time, and time is money. Doubly so for our work, which does NOT normally involve going anywhere or talking to anyone.
[Edited at 2022-02-13 16:21 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-02-13 16:23 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Barbara Carrara
Italy
Local time: 14:44
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
Are you sure they are not scammers?
Have you checked their website, contact details etc.?
Are you positive they are legit?
How did they find you? Has their 'offer' popped out of the blue?
With the amount of scammers and fraudsters on the increase, it's always advisable to do a bit of digging and due diligence before accepting any assignments coming out of nowhere.
| | |
|
|
|
Emiliana Sarra
France
Local time: 14:44
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Phil and Barbara for your advice.
@Barbara, good shout. But I don't really have a reason to think they are a scam, as they found me through the partner of a friend of mine, who knows them personally. Their website and performance seem legit etc.
@Phil, thanks for your support and help. I have politely declined going to the play, but have said we could have a phone call nearer the time to discu... See more Thank you Phil and Barbara for your advice.
@Barbara, good shout. But I don't really have a reason to think they are a scam, as they found me through the partner of a friend of mine, who knows them personally. Their website and performance seem legit etc.
@Phil, thanks for your support and help. I have politely declined going to the play, but have said we could have a phone call nearer the time to discuss the play. Will see how it goes!
Thanks again both!
Have a lovely day,
Em
[Edited at 2022-02-14 15:29 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 14:44
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Right, exactly. | Feb 14, 2022 |
Emiliana Sarra wrote:
they found me through the partner of a friend of mine, who knows them personally.
Exactly, that's why they expect you to do the things for free, such as spending half a day (including transport maybe if a big city) to go and see their play.
Each time I was contacted by a friend of a friend, they assumed translation is a personal favor, not a professional service. Although this type of requests come rarely, if they do, I know in advance how they will look. So I have a custom answer: Not available, very busy.
| | | | Emiliana Sarra
France
Local time: 14:44
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for the support | Feb 20, 2022 |
Hi Adieu and Lingua 5B,
Yep, this is how I felt and viewed the situation but as I'm just starting out, I think I needed to hear this!
Thanks a lot,
Em
| | | | | Translating something for free for the local church | Feb 24, 2022 |
This reminds me of a request I got a few years ago. The local parish church which is also a tourist attraction needed their information translated into English. I was contacted by someone who was on the local parish council whom I knew slightly and was asked if I could do it for them. I discovered that he was expecting me to do it "for heavenly reward" i.e. for free. After all, as he indicated in a roundabout way, his position on the council was also without remuneration and traditionally in a ... See more This reminds me of a request I got a few years ago. The local parish church which is also a tourist attraction needed their information translated into English. I was contacted by someone who was on the local parish council whom I knew slightly and was asked if I could do it for them. I discovered that he was expecting me to do it "for heavenly reward" i.e. for free. After all, as he indicated in a roundabout way, his position on the council was also without remuneration and traditionally in a village people give freely their time and expertise if "the church (the institution)" needs anything done....
I sent an estimate for the translation (it was about 4000 words including tricky theological and architectural terms and would have taken me about 2 days to do properly) to the (paid) member of clergy in charge and never heard any more about it!
I'm not saying that translators should never volunteer their services for free, but in a case like this or the play in question, it's better to be careful so as not to set up a precedent and deprive oneself or a colleague of a job opportunity. ▲ Collapse
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » What to include in pricing (press material for a theatre production) | Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.
More info » |
| | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
