Poll: Should there be a standard minimum rate for freelance translators? 论题张贴者: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Should there be a standard minimum rate for freelance translators?".
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... in a fair ideal world of translator’s paradise, but the fact is that what might be standard in some countries is far from standard in others and the bottom-feeding mentality is highly contagious!
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A standard minimum rate that would be in line with the local cost of living and apply to a specific language pair.
I see local "competitors" (*) charge half what I charge. To agencies or to direct clients (charge direct clients what I charge agencies, for instance).
(*) Inverted commas used since these guys are not 100% direct competitors offering the same level of service but still, in a industry where some clients think they can do our job and most of them simply hav... See more A standard minimum rate that would be in line with the local cost of living and apply to a specific language pair.
I see local "competitors" (*) charge half what I charge. To agencies or to direct clients (charge direct clients what I charge agencies, for instance).
(*) Inverted commas used since these guys are not 100% direct competitors offering the same level of service but still, in a industry where some clients think they can do our job and most of them simply have to trust us (not to mention follow whatever budget restrictions are imposed from above), undercutting is not helping anyone at end of the day. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Absolutely not | Sep 27, 2018 |
Why should shit translators get paid more than they deserve?
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| Not in practice | Sep 27, 2018 |
A minimum rate is by definition an acceptable rate, and it would involve haggling every time to explain why it was not acceptable for a given job, and why the client should pay more.
As everyone knows, a rate that might be fine in one country is simply not viable in another. Conversely, clients in some parts of the world may not have the money for a minimum rate that translators could live on in the more expensive regions.
Languages vary, and the amount of work ... See more A minimum rate is by definition an acceptable rate, and it would involve haggling every time to explain why it was not acceptable for a given job, and why the client should pay more.
As everyone knows, a rate that might be fine in one country is simply not viable in another. Conversely, clients in some parts of the world may not have the money for a minimum rate that translators could live on in the more expensive regions.
Languages vary, and the amount of work involved varies with different language pairs. There are resources in English and other 'big' languages that enable translators to work faster, while in other cases translators may almost have to compile the dictionary as they go along. OK, that may be a slight exaggeration, but I saw it happening in a technical translation from Danish to Latvian…
1000 source words in one language may give a very different number of words in another…
Texts vary. A perfectly reasonable rate for 1000 words of a straightforward tourist guide would be totally unfair for an academic research paper published by one of the museums...
It could be understood as price-fixing, and syndicates to fix prices are illegal in many countries. ▲ Collapse
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Chris S wrote:
Why should shit translators get paid more than they deserve?
This argument certainly sounds nice and logical, if you believe that there is such a thing as an invisible hand that magically sorts it all.
| | | | DZiW (X)
乌克兰
English英语译成Russian俄语
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| no self-control | Sep 27, 2018 |
Whatever they cry about "equality" and "justice", people are always different, with their individual strong and week features, preferences, skills, and so on. That's why everyone has a personal absolute minimum, priorities, and private costs.
In such an uneven global competition there can be no such thing as a self-regulated (translation) market.
| | | | | Restricting competition leads to injustice | Sep 27, 2018 |
Restricting competition always leads to injustice. Nobody forces you to accept low rates - just don't accept them, if you don't want. Let people from poor contries, who have nothing to eat and nothing to pay for their medicine take these jobs! Let young aspiring translators gain experience and portfolio by working at low rates! If you invent a "minimum fee", such low-payed jobs will disapear. People from poor countries will starve, there will be less newbies - but you, who invented such a rule, ... See more Restricting competition always leads to injustice. Nobody forces you to accept low rates - just don't accept them, if you don't want. Let people from poor contries, who have nothing to eat and nothing to pay for their medicine take these jobs! Let young aspiring translators gain experience and portfolio by working at low rates! If you invent a "minimum fee", such low-payed jobs will disapear. People from poor countries will starve, there will be less newbies - but you, who invented such a rule, you will prosper. Is THIS a justice?
[Edited at 2018-09-27 11:20 GMT]
[Edited at 2018-09-27 11:21 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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but it would only be possible within the same country, because internationally the economies are totally different and what would be a starvation rate in Denmark would be very high in some other countries.
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It will be great to have a standard rate country by country, not universally.
Other professionals seem to grapple with this problem too.
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In Costa Rica, official translators and interpreters have official rates set forth by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although these rates do not apply to non-official translators and interpreters, they apply the minimum rate.
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Minimum rates don't work. They would be impossible to enforce. What do you want to do with a person who accepts a rate below the minimum rate? Sue them? Fine them? Cancel their Proz membership? Declare them public enemies?
We have to face the fact that translation is a worldwide market. And when a market has more supply than demand (a situation that seems to apply to some language pairs much more than others), you cannot regulate this fact away.
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| as Christine wrote | Sep 28, 2018 |
Christine Andersen wrote:
A minimum rate is by definition an acceptable rate, and it would involve haggling every time to explain why it was not acceptable for a given job, and why the client should pay more.
What I see among some agencies that contact me, they seem to think that the minimum rate they have seen is THE rate. (That same minimum is also a fraction of what I charge.)
| | | | Mario Freitas 
巴西
Local time: 07:40
正式会员 (自2014)
English英语译成Portuguese葡萄牙语
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| Ideally yes, but it's impracticable | Sep 29, 2018 |
We all wish there was a minimum rate.
HOWEVER:
1. Where would it apply? Each country has different standards and prices. The minimum rate in Germany is equivalent to the highest rate in China or India.
2. Who (what body) would determine it? There is no body, institution or authority that could possible determine this minimum rate such that every agency/client in the world would compy with it.
3. Rates vary according to the language pair, the number of words per day, the ... See more We all wish there was a minimum rate.
HOWEVER:
1. Where would it apply? Each country has different standards and prices. The minimum rate in Germany is equivalent to the highest rate in China or India.
2. Who (what body) would determine it? There is no body, institution or authority that could possible determine this minimum rate such that every agency/client in the world would compy with it.
3. Rates vary according to the language pair, the number of words per day, the theme (level of difficulty) of the document, and several other factors.
4. Rates also vary according to the level of seniority/experience of the translator and their reputation in the market.
In short: it would be great, but it's entirely utopic. ▲ Collapse
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