Pricing grid for CAT tools Thread poster: Marcella Segre
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Marcella Segre 
France
Local time: 12:04
Member (2015)
Italian to French
+ ...
A translation agency asked me to fill in their pricing grid for automatic translation, based on matches.
On the first two columns it says:
CM // 15%
repetitions // 15%
100% // 15%
95-99% // 20%
85-94 // 50%
75-84 // 50%
50-74 // 100%
0-49% // 100%
I need to compile with my rates on the following columns of the table [which I cannot paste here]
Can you please advice on how to read and fill in this table? It's... See more A translation agency asked me to fill in their pricing grid for automatic translation, based on matches.
On the first two columns it says:
CM // 15%
repetitions // 15%
100% // 15%
95-99% // 20%
85-94 // 50%
75-84 // 50%
50-74 // 100%
0-49% // 100%
I need to compile with my rates on the following columns of the table [which I cannot paste here]
Can you please advice on how to read and fill in this table? It's the first time I am asked to do this.
Thank you ▲ Collapse
| | | | | %100 means your rate | Jan 20, 2019 |
Hi!
Percentages are based on your rate.
That is, if you are willing to apply this scheme and if your rate is 0,10 USD per source word, for words with CM, repetition and 100% match you will charge 15% of it (0.015 USD per such words), and so on.
Elif
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 12:04
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Marcella Segre wrote:
On the first two columns it says:
CM // 15%
repetitions // 15%
100% // 15%
95-99% // 20%
85-94 // 50%
75-84 // 50%
50-74 // 100%
0-49% // 100%
This is not a bad breakdown, although whether it is entirely fair will depend on the language combination and the subject field. You are always free to renegotiate the breakdown if after a few jobs you realise that the breakdown is unfair to you.
I need to compile with my rates on the following columns of the table.
Well, we would need to know what are the titles of the following columns in your table -- they're not all the same.
In a generic case, you would have five columns (and for Excel purposes, one extra cell containing your base rate):
* The first column is the match type (e.g. "CM", "100%", "95-99%") and
* the second column is the payment percentage (e.g. 15%, 20%, 100%).
* The third column calculates your actual rate for each match type, by multiplying your base rate by the payment percentage.
For example, if your base rate is SGD 0.10 per word, and your payment percentage for the "95-99%" match type is "20%", then your actual rate for the "95-99%" match type would be 0.10 x 20% = SGD 0.02 per word.
* In the fourth column, you paste the word counts of each match type category
* The fifth column calculates the amount paid per match type for that particular job, by multiplying the third column by the fourth column.
For example, if the word count for the "95-99%" match type is 12345 words, and the actual rate for that match type is SGD 0.02, then the amount paid per the "95-99%" match type is 12345 x 0.02 = SGD 246.90.
(The base rate is your usual, non-discounted per-word rate. You should/would have told the client what your base rate is.)
Then add up all the amounts in the fifth column to get your final amount. (I always find it amusing that agencies send these grids along with each job but fail to fill in the rate columns for translators, even though they know what each translator's negotiated rate is, thus leaving it up to the translator to figure out how to do the math.) You can also arrive at the same result by calculating something called the "weighted word count".
You can download an example of the calculation (based on your grid) here (I'm no wizz at Excel, maybe someone can come up with a better, more robust Excel file).
[Edited at 2019-01-20 11:26 GMT]
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
| Any use for you? | Jan 20, 2019 |
So, some $0.10 per word is your absolute minimum? Fuzzy match discounts is another secret way to cut down the rates to $0.05 or even $0.025/word, not to mention vendors draft "TMs" (MT, in fact, turning translation into infamous PEMT) and working more for free* while earning even less.
Why, it may prove ok, providing one has a decent TM/glossary, can use MT wisely, and regularly gets enough jobs, yet it's not ok for give-and-take in biz.
As colleagues noted, the ... See more So, some $0.10 per word is your absolute minimum? Fuzzy match discounts is another secret way to cut down the rates to $0.05 or even $0.025/word, not to mention vendors draft "TMs" (MT, in fact, turning translation into infamous PEMT) and working more for free* while earning even less.
Why, it may prove ok, providing one has a decent TM/glossary, can use MT wisely, and regularly gets enough jobs, yet it's not ok for give-and-take in biz.
As colleagues noted, the computer-aided translation from 'Never translate the same or similar again!' (streamlining and speeding up the process), turns into Never be paid for translating the same or similar again!
Choose sensibly
[Edited at 2019-01-20 14:24 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Marcella Segre
France
Local time: 12:04
Member (2015)
Italian to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
thanks to all for your input, especially the thoughts about the reasons why I was asked to do this and the risks of accepting that repetitions are paid less and less. thank you
| | | | | Weak grid in EN>FR | Jan 21, 2019 |
Marcella Segre wrote:
...
CM // 15%
repetitions // 15%
100% // 15%
95-99% // 20%
85-94 // 50%
75-84 // 50%
50-74 // 100%
0-49% // 100%
On average, you will NEVER EVER save 50% of your time in EN>FR turning a 75-94% match into an accurate translation comparted to translating it from scratch. So those discounts have nothing to do with productivity gains, but all to do with reducing your word rate without actually telling you.
Here is a sensible reference grid in EN>FR (from hands-on experience, not talkers at confs):
100%/reps // 20-25% of full rate
85-99% // 60-70%
0-84% // 100%
High or low depending on whether Homogeneity or Internal fuzzy matches is enabled.
I notice grids "offered" by agencies are getting more and more disconnected from reality, but it seems that only a few proportion of translators actually understand what those abusive discounts entail: 20 to 50% less hourly income.
Philippe
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 13:04
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
| Don't go for it | Jan 22, 2019 |
At least you should adjust your word rate so that below the bottom line you receive the right amount of money. I usually don't charge for 100% repetitions in the same document, but all the rest at my full rate.
| | | | | CAT grids rarely acceptable. Insist on seeing document first | Feb 5, 2020 |
I would assume that in most cases CAT grids lead to a too low hourly rate. They are sometimes acceptable for updates of manuals for a same customer if the document structure remains similar. I would strongly disadvise to accept CAT grids on a general basis.
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| But will it be accepted? | Jun 29, 2022 |
That's an impressive grid. I'm just not sure most agencies will accept it and that will just mean less work. Wording the e-mail or whatever is not the hard part, because however convincing it may be, it's up to the PM's or client's manager to decide what grids they accept. What then?
Philippe Etienne wrote:
Marcella Segre wrote:
...
CM // 15%
repetitions // 15%
100% // 15%
95-99% // 20%
85-94 // 50%
75-84 // 50%
50-74 // 100%
0-49% // 100%
On average, you will NEVER EVER save 50% of your time in EN>FR turning a 75-94% match into an accurate translation comparted to translating it from scratch. So those discounts have nothing to do with productivity gains, but all to do with reducing your word rate without actually telling you.
Here is a sensible reference grid in EN>FR (from hands-on experience, not talkers at confs):
100%/reps // 20-25% of full rate
85-99% // 60-70%
0-84% // 100%
High or low depending on whether Homogeneity or Internal fuzzy matches is enabled.
I notice grids "offered" by agencies are getting more and more disconnected from reality, but it seems that only a few proportion of translators actually understand what those abusive discounts entail: 20 to 50% less hourly income.
Philippe
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