For some, the answer is obvious. For others, it’s not that easy. I personally think that it is a case-by-case decision, depending not only on you, but also on the client and on the specific project. Let’s try to analyse this sensitive issue.
People usually believe that extra charges should apply for overtime hours, rush deliveries or complex jobs. I don’t think these concepts mean the same thing to each of us. Let’s explore these three points.
As I start to write this post, the second week of Wimbledon is underway. The initial 128 men and women playing in their respective championships have been whittled down to just 16. Inevitably, the majority were seeded anyway, but some non-seeded players usually get through the first week as well. They are often the ones that have had the toughest battles, knocking out players with much higher world rankings than themselves. At this stage in the competition, however, it seems highly likely that the trophies will be lifted by one of the top seeds, although it’s not unheard of for an outsider to storm through and surprise us all (Becker in 1985, for example).
My master’s journey kicked off with an interview day at the University of Bath. First up were two interviews with a tutor, one for each language pair, which involved performing a sight translation – something I managed to embellish with a grand total of 19 “erms” according to one of my interviewers. The afternoon consisted of a short written translation exam. Despite my verbal sluggishness that morning, the experience was relatively relaxed and the only downside was the mammoth train journey from Durham to Bath. For anyone in a similar position, the university is able to offer accommodation on campus at reduced rates.
Welcome to the second half of our guest post on Nikki’s blog, My Words for a Change! For those of you who didn’t read last week, Nikki kindly invited the Deep End bloggers (Claire Harmer, Katharine Mears, Felicity Pearce, Paula Pitkethly and Sandra Young) to write a guest blog post on our experiences at Westminster University. Please read on to find out more, and take a look at last week’s post!
Nikki kindly invited Claire Harmer, Katharine Mears, Felicity Pearce, Paula Pitkethly and Sandra Young to write a guest blog post on our experiences at Westminster University. Since we studied there in 2010-2011, in this post we have tried to indicate any major changes that have taken place on the course, but if you would like further information about the current programmes on offer, please visit the Westminster University website or contact Alexa Alfer, the university’s Translation Studies Programme Director (A.Alfer01@westminster.ac.uk).
Each of us have taken a specific aspect of the course to expand on, hoping to give anyone thinking about taking the plunge into the world of translation and interpreting an insight into the programme and the lecturers, to see if Westminster offers the right course for them.
The Freelance what? For the uninitiated, The Freelance Box, or TFB, is a series of half-day, in-person business and marketing courses offered by Valeria Aliperta of Rainy London Translations and Marta Stelmaszak of Want Words.
Although TFB is based in London, it has travelled as far afield as Madrid and Bratislava. The beauty of these events is that they come to you.
Well, in theory they do. Being a rather determined, dedicated and ‘nothing is getting in my way’ kind of girl, I didn’t think anything of hopping on the Glasgow to London train for TFB launch event.
After stumbling around the City trying to get my bearings, I eventually found the venue. Twitter 1 – 0 Google Maps.
This post has been brewing for a while as it’s been four weeks since I flew back from Madrid after attending the METM14 conference organised by the association of Mediterranean Editors and Translators. Most of my busyness has revolved around work, routine family life and still trying to get the house we moved into at the end of July sorted in time for Christmas. But towards the end of October and beginning of November I was actually socially busy for a change.
First came a few days in a cottage in Kent to attend a 50th birthday party. Held in a house perched on top of a hill overlooking the Channel with the twinkling lights of France in the distance, we were kept warm outside by a couple of bonfires, dazzled by a firework display that could rival many a public one, and entertained by fire-eaters and magicians before sitting down to a wonderful chef-prepared meal served to us as if we were in a restaurant. The evening was then rounded off by a highly amusing and polished drag cabaret act.
This post is not going to tell you how much to charge for your services, because there’s no such thing as a going rate in translation. The amount you receive for your work will depend on your language pair, the specialism involved (in other words whether it’s a subject you need other qualifications and/or years of experience for), and a whole host of other factors.
there’s no such thing as a going rate in translation
The general advice regarding clients is that you should be actively seeking new ones all the time because you never know what’s around the corner. Not only should you be looking to replace clients already in your circles that you are not overly keen on working for, but you also need others to fall back on if you lose some. This post is going to focus on why an agency might stop working with a translator, although some of the reasons will hold true for direct clients as well.
‘Don’t undersell yourself.’
‘If the rate is too low, then don’t accept it.’
‘Stop working for the bulk market and look for direct premium clients.’
I expect you’ve heard the above in some shape or form quite a lot in your translation career. If you attend conferences, or see the tweets generated at them, and regularly read blog posts, then rates and translation markets will definitely be on the agenda. You’ve no doubt felt yourself stirring to the rallying cry of seizing the moment and steeling yourself to boldly tread where you have not dared venture before now (in other words at the very least not letting others walk all over you).
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