| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you have a minimum invoice charge? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Klára Kalamár 
Romania
Local time: 12:36
English to Hungarian
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for all documents containing less than 250 words.
And I have stated this on my ProZ-profile too.
| | | | | I think I'll put mine up... | Sep 10, 2013 |
Currently charging EUR 18/GBP 15 minimum charge. For some "easy" agencies, that is too much for a few words, for some "pain in the ...." agencies with over-elaborate processing and invoicing procedures, it is far too little!
Steve K.
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos (X)
United States
Local time: 02:36
Spanish to English
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| I do - for the reasons that Heather gives | Sep 10, 2013 |
Heather McCrae wrote:
You have spent years training to be a translator and probably more years gathering experience but don't charge for it, whereas you probably have to pay your plumber/electrician/anyone else providing a service a minimum charge just for turning up and talking to you, and they usually have very little further education background, certainly not up to Bachelor/Master level. My service providers in terms of plumbing etc, charge 60 Euro an hour!! How many of us earn that much for scratching our heads and using a tool?
I only make exceptions for certain clients because I know I will get plenty of work from them. Otherwise, sorry, my time and my experience is not given away for nothing. Just reckon it up over a year what you may be giving away!!
I'm charging for my experience and know-how. When the repairman kicked the washing machine and it started to work again and the client questioned his charge, he said: "I'm charging because I knew where it kick it."
Not only that, I have to shift gears, possibly do research in an area I'm not familiar with, take time away from my other clients, prepare an invoice, cover a PayPal fee, and wait to get my money. I don't think it's unreasonable at all to charge a minimum fee, and mine is US$ 50.00. It has been that way for many years.
That said, when the job is very small and it's for a regular client, I do it for free.
| | | | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 05:36
Spanish to English
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$100.00 for new clients.
$75.00 for existing clients.
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Elina Sellgren
Finland
Local time: 12:36
Member (2013)
English to Finnish
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| I wish I could | Sep 11, 2013 |
I am not yet in a position to negotiate for a minimum charge every time, but most of the time it's 10-15 €. I don't mind if one of my regular clients cannot for some reason pay it every once in a while because they usually can, so I know that it's due to the end client and I'm not being ripped off. (Although I wonder how good their business sense can be if they give into ridiculous demands by end clients not wanting to pay a minimum charge??)
On the other hand, I regularly turn do... See more I am not yet in a position to negotiate for a minimum charge every time, but most of the time it's 10-15 €. I don't mind if one of my regular clients cannot for some reason pay it every once in a while because they usually can, so I know that it's due to the end client and I'm not being ripped off. (Although I wonder how good their business sense can be if they give into ridiculous demands by end clients not wanting to pay a minimum charge??)
On the other hand, I regularly turn down offers that would basically cost me more money in the end than I earn. It doesn't matter that the job actually takes me a couple of minutes to do and I do NOT think it is impudent to request for a minimum of, say, 20 € for that sort of work. (And that's a small sum.) I'm running a business and I have administrative work, marketing to do, I have to constantly educate myself and keep learning.
So basically my translation work should pay enough so that I can consider the 'extra' to pay for unpaid work, such as marketing, administrative stuff, self-education. And also for times when there's no work! AND holidays, AND sickness leave.. PLUS, since we are entrepreneurs and we are taking a risk by running a business - we are entitled to PROFIT. I think this is a point that is often lost among freelance translators - they think they are earning a wage. Your rate should not be equal to how much work you put into a specific job, even though that's how many agencies think. ▲ Collapse
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