How do you keep agency rates and requirements straight?
论题张贴者: Good Locker
Good Locker
Good Locker
乌克兰
Local time: 18:57
新用户
English英语译成Russian俄语
+ ...
Sep 18

Genuinely curious how people handle this once you're working with more than a couple of agencies. Each one tends to have its own rate, its own mileage rules, sometimes a minimum, and its own way of wanting things invoiced. Some of that probably becomes second nature over time, but I'd imagine keeping it all accurate — especially when something changes — takes some kind of system.
Do most people track this in a spreadsheet, or somewhere else entirely? And does that system tend to hold u
... See more
Genuinely curious how people handle this once you're working with more than a couple of agencies. Each one tends to have its own rate, its own mileage rules, sometimes a minimum, and its own way of wanting things invoiced. Some of that probably becomes second nature over time, but I'd imagine keeping it all accurate — especially when something changes — takes some kind of system.
Do most people track this in a spreadsheet, or somewhere else entirely? And does that system tend to hold up well once you're juggling five or more agencies, or does it start breaking down?
What does your system actually look like — one sheet, several, something else?
What usually causes it to fall out of date or get messy?
Has an agency ever changed a rate or requirement and you found out later than you'd have liked?
Collapse


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
荷兰
Local time: 17:57
正式会员 (自2006)
English英语译成Afrikaans南非语
+ ...
I use a tree manager Sep 18

Good Locker wrote:
Do most people track this in a spreadsheet, or somewhere else entirely?

I use a tree manager, and I use a free one called Cherry Tree. You create a node for each client, and in the node you write all the agency's requirements etc. Then whenever you do a job or send invoices, you check the node text.

https://www.giuspen.com/cherrytree/

Or if you want to spend $100, try MyInfo, the successor to the original Treepad.
https://www.myinfoapp.com
https://www.myinfoapp.com/blog/download-treepad

[Edited at 2026-09-18 18:00 GMT]


 
Zea_Mays
Zea_Mays  Identity Verified
意大利
Local time: 17:57
English英语译成German德语
+ ...
oh! Sep 18

ConquerorWorm's brother!

Jennifer Levey
Daryo
Maria Laura Curzi
 
Li-Hsiang Hsu
Li-Hsiang Hsu  Identity Verified
法国
Local time: 17:57
French法语译成Chinese汉语
+ ...
Everything is stored in my head Sep 19

Unfortunately, I don't have that many rates, agencies, projects, or workflows to handle. If an agency or a company assigns me with 15k words to translate each month, another 10k words and so on, that already takes up nearly half of my working time. It’s impossible to do more, even though I would like to.

Maria Laura Curzi
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

How do you keep agency rates and requirements straight?







Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »
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 »