| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Rate too low? Thread poster: Lena Eddebrant (X)
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Sylvano
Local time: 18:09
English to French
| See it the other way round | Mar 25, 2007 |
Mara Campbell wrote:
The highest rate US customers pay me is 1.50 US dollars per minute of film, but read this... including spoptting and timing, and they generally do not provide a script!
I have 5 years experience and am quite fast working, so it takes me around 15/18 hours to subtitle and translate a whole 90-minute movie.
The UK client I work for provides a Word file with the English subtitles already typed in and I just have to watch the movie and translate the subs into the Word document. They pay 2 US dollars per minute.
In both cases, the average turn-around time I am given is two working days.
I don't feel lucky. I'd rather say that's the way our 'clients' want us to see things. Don't take it personally - as I'm sure you can't do otherwise - but maybe YOU should feel unlucky. Two days to cue and translate a movie for 1,50 dollar per minute, with no extra charge for no script, sounds absurd. I wonder if the real clients - the studios - really know about that. I bet they don't. What's the next step ? One day, one dollar, one minute ?
| | | | OlafK
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:09
English to German
+ ...
[quote]Lena Eddebrant wrote:
(plus I have a partner that works full-time), so there won´t be any trouble surviving, hehe.
I know this is supposed to be a joke but I have a feeling that's one of the main reasons why subtitling and translation rates are so low.
I have a partner too but not everybody's partner is happy to subsidize the translation industry. This is a job for qualified professionals not for those who want to earn a little pin money.
Subtitle translation for a feature film used to take me about 1 working week (some took a lot less time, some more) and mostly I worked for a company (the best) that payed per word rather than per minute. I gave up working for them when they couldn't afford my rates anymore due to cheap competition.
Occasionally I worked for their competitors as well, so I know what they usually paid. There is always room for negotiation. Companies can't dictate subtitling rates unless you let them.
Olaf Knechten
www.german-translation.org.uk
| | | | Lena Eddebrant (X)
Local time: 18:09
TOPIC STARTER | Not a professional? | Apr 5, 2007 |
Olaf Knechten wrote:
This is a job for qualified professionals not for those who want to earn a little pin money.
Was that a dig at me, that I am not a professional, you mean? :-/
Maybe 30 dollars/hour is pin money for you, but it sure isn´t to me.
Olaf Knechten wrote:
Companies can't dictate subtitling rates unless you let them.
Oh, yes they can. If you don´t want to accept their rates, you won´t get any jobs. So in what way do you mean that they can´t dictate the rates? Please tell me, so that I can a get a higher rate when someone says no.
[Edited at 2007-04-05 08:41]
| | | | OlafK
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:09
English to German
+ ...
I don't know if you're professional. But if you translate a feature film in 2 days and still deliver quality in my eyes you're a genius.
In my opinion you only manage to get $30 per hour by doing a rush job and actually (with Sweden being one of the most expensive countries in the world) I don't think that's an appropriate hourly rate.
The problem is that too many people take low rates as a given. If they don't accept your rates move on and work for somebody else. By yo... See more I don't know if you're professional. But if you translate a feature film in 2 days and still deliver quality in my eyes you're a genius.
In my opinion you only manage to get $30 per hour by doing a rush job and actually (with Sweden being one of the most expensive countries in the world) I don't think that's an appropriate hourly rate.
The problem is that too many people take low rates as a given. If they don't accept your rates move on and work for somebody else. By your logic I would've been out of a job years ago. Of course you have to deliver quality, be reliable and pleasant to work with... ▲ Collapse
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Lena Eddebrant (X)
Local time: 18:09
TOPIC STARTER
Olaf Knechten wrote:
I don't know if you're professional. But if you translate a feature film in 2 days and still deliver quality in my eyes you're a genius.
Don´t even know what to say about this, you are really something else... Attacking someone elses quality of work in this way is very low, on the verge of rude, actually. I´m wondering who is the professional here...
In my opinion you only manage to get $30 per hour by doing a rush job and actually (with Sweden being one of the most expensive countries in the world) I don't think that's an appropriate hourly rate.
Where I have been working for more than two years everybody gets about 2-3 days to do a movie, which is more than enough if you have a decent translating speed. And as for the hourly rate, you don´t know much about Sweden, do you? I make more per hour than most other people... The average salary in Sweden is between 10-15 USD/hour.
Of course you have to deliver quality, be reliable and pleasant to work with...
All my translations get proofed twice and go through rigorous controls, and no one has yet complained about them. I have never missed a deadline in my life, I take pride in delivering a good piece of work, in time, every time!
[Edited at 2007-04-06 14:09]
| | | | | Please concentrate on issues and don't get personal | Apr 9, 2007 |
I kindly ask all participants in this thread to remain focused in the posted issues and to refrain from making remarks about other persons.
Thanks,
Enrique
| | | | Lena Eddebrant (X)
Local time: 18:09
TOPIC STARTER
Enrique wrote:
I kindly ask all participants in this thread to remain focused in the posted issues and to refrain from making remarks about other persons.
Thanks,
Enrique
Couldn´t agree more...
| | | | | Rotation is key | Apr 12, 2007 |
Lena Eddebrant wrote:
Considering my speed (100 subtitles/hour) that makes an hourly rate of about 30 dollars, which is A LOT in Sweden. And that is for the client I mentioned earlier which pays 4,5 USD/minute or 0,30 USD/subtitle.
I work in English/Spanish. I can normally finish a TV episode of 500/600 subtitles in 4 hours, and it takes me a whole day to finish a movie of 1200/1500 subtitles.
On any given month that I'm assigned one TV episode per working day (20 in a month), I can make US$ 2000/2200.
That gets you a very decent living in Argentina, more if you think that I'm still having half a day off to do something else.
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| Rates for Argentinian company | Apr 12, 2007 |
Dear Alfredo,
Have been contacted by an Argentinian agency to quote for a translation of an audiovisual of approx. 2 hours with no more info than that. Has been told script is not available yet. Wonder if you could help me figuring out a rate for this. Have already asked them for more details, like: is it only the translation of the script, is it a transcription first and then translation, what is the material about (general/specific field).
Your assistance will be highly appreciate... See more Dear Alfredo,
Have been contacted by an Argentinian agency to quote for a translation of an audiovisual of approx. 2 hours with no more info than that. Has been told script is not available yet. Wonder if you could help me figuring out a rate for this. Have already asked them for more details, like: is it only the translation of the script, is it a transcription first and then translation, what is the material about (general/specific field).
Your assistance will be highly appreciated.
Thanks!!
María ▲ Collapse
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