Arabic-L:TRANS:The going rate responses

[Dilworth Parkinson]

Arabic-L: Thu 11 Jul 2002
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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-------------------------Directory-------------------------------------

1) Subject:The going rate response
2) Subject:The going rate response
3) Subject:The going rate response
4) Subject:The going rate response

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1)
Date:  11 Jul 2002
From:dwilmsen <dwilmsen at aucegypt.edu>
Subject:The going rate response

Hello,

It is very difficult to find a posted rate in the United States.  
Translators
and agencies are cagey about it.  It seems there were some court cases 
about
translators price fixing, part of the complaint about which had involved 
the
posting of rates.  I don't know how that worked exactly.  Seems odd to 
me.

Translation agencies in England will post their rates, which vary by 
language
pair, Arabic/English being on the high end.  It costs more to translate 
into
Arabic than out of Arabic.  That is directly related to the poverty of
technical terminology in Arabic and the lack of standardization of
terminologies where they do exist.  (This raises the question, What 
exactly do
we mean when we say "Standard Arabic"?)

British rates are close to those paid to translators by international
organizations, which are in the range from $150 to $170 per 1000 words.

That is on the high end of things and it reflects the complexity and
sensitivity of the documents translated.

Freelance translators often will negotiate a reduced rate for bulk 
projects
(like books) and may charge lower rates for less complex texts (like 
business
letters) and standard forms (like birth certificates, college diplomas, 
etc.)
Legal and other highly technical texts should rightly command the higher
price.

In Cairo you might find good translators asking around $55 to $60 per 
1000
words.  In my opinion, they are selling themselves too cheaply.

David Wilmsen
Director, Arabic and Translation Studies
The American University in Cairo
28 Falaki Street
Bab El-Louk
Cairo, Egypt
tel:  2 02 7976872
fax:  2 02 7957565

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2)
Date:  11 Jul 2002
From:GSalib at aol.com
Subject:The going rate response

For a book, I get paid  $0.15 per word.
Galila

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3)
Date:  11 Jul 2002
From:Raji Rammuny <raram at umich.edu>
Subject:The going rate response

Regarding translation fees by page: As coordinator of the Great Books of 
Islamic Civilization translation project, we pay $35 per page of about 
200 words, $40 for a page of 200-250, $45 for a page of 250-300 and $50  
for a page of 300-350 and so on. Best,
Raji Rammuny

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4)
Date:  11 Jul 2002
From:Mutarjm at aol.com
Subject:The going rate response

Greetings / TaHaiya tayyiba wa b3ad...

Hiyaakum Allah jamii3aan...

Re your post on ARABIC-L list

Please send details of your situation and questions.

o  Avoid falling into the trap of a "per word" rate... kaaritha khatiira.

        That method of developing a quote may sound convenient and neat, 
but
it effectively is very unrealistic in terms of the actual time and 
effort you
invest to do a good translation (plus have someone nearby review and 
edit the
draft, time allowing).

        Using a "per word" rate is somewhat comparable to asking an 
architect
to quote for designing and building a house according to the numbers of
boards, bricks, sidewalls and nails used in the structure.

o   A quote should be based on your examination of the source document
(assuming that is available) and assessment of various factors of the 
entire
cycle for production, such as:

==  subject matter - is it familiar or will you have to start learning a 
new
subject and bilingual vocabulary (which takes your time away from other
business to do)?

==  is the subject simple (birth certificates, diplomas. official forms) 
or
complex (legal, commercial, contractual, technical, passport pages)

==   what is the desired format: Arabic MS Word, PDF, RTF, EPS
        (NOTE:  If the client wants the product formatted in Arabic MS 
Word,
insure that the client or the end user/recipient has a PC with 
compatible or
compliant OS, such as MS Windows 2000 or XP (which both include good 
Arabic
support in the "regional settings" feature) and MS Office 97/2000/XP.)

==  is this a "text-only" translation (fairly straightforward) or does 
the
source document have a layout that effectively requires you to make 
identical
layout and DTP (passport  pages and other structured forms)

==  how much time will you need to do this?

==  when / how soon does the client want delivery (determine and tell the
client what are your additional charges for rush/urgent/weekend service)?

== what is the client's budget allocated for this production and 
scheduled
delivery? What is the client's method of payment?
      (Avoid the low rates offered for projects that appear on < 
www.proz.com >
, as you usually will have a long wait before you get paid.)

== set a minimum rate per page. FYI, a typical page of English text 
equals
240 words; the "word expansion factor" for into-Arabic translation
approximates: +20%

(The method, greatly summarized above, is called "activity-based 
costing,"
details on request.)

If a prospective client is unwilling to provide the source document to 
you
for your examination and assessment before you develop a quote and 
schedule
and undertake the project, decline the job.

Hope these points help you establish your successful business presence. 
How
and where do you market your services?

Good luck.  Khair, in sha' Allah.

Regards from San Pedro (Los Angeles Harbor Area)

Stephen H. Franke

e-mail: < mutarjm at aol.com >

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End of Arabic-L:  11 Jul 2002