Job Discussion Forums

PAzine · Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 45

I've stumbled into a "name your price" sort of scenario, but I have no idea of market rates.

Does anyone know what is a decent rate for smoothing and polishing business document translations?

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

I just compiled, edited, and formatted a multinational company's annual technology report. I charged them US$80/hr. It was also a name-your-price situation, so I'm sure that US$100/hr wouldn't have been out of the question. I've never billed higher than US$90/hr for editing, but there are those who do.

In the U.S., you'll find places paying no more than $15/hr -- but what sort of editing will they get?? Wink

PAzine · Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 45

Kurochan · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 944 Location: China

I was paid 150 an hour for editing in Shenzhen, but I've heard the usual rate is like 100 an hour in Shanghai, just because there are so many foreigners here that you can't ask for as much money.

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

You didn't say what the job is or where it's located. If it's in China, if it's an important enough "business document" for a big company, and if your skills are superior to the local talent, you can still name your price. If it's just somebody's correspondence or otherwise simply one employee's writing, then you of course can't go too high.

Who is paying you? A company? An individual employee?

Mister Al · Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 840 Location: In there

OP

Charge by the page. Y5 to Y10, something like that. Will be easier for future negotiations.......there won't be any. Smile

PAzine · Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 45

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between

In around 2001-02 I edited a series of books(10) and was paid 1000 USD per two books(about 200 pages total)
In 2005 I ghost wrote a manual on iBT TOEFL (40 pages) and was paid 4500 RMB. I also ghost wrote stuff on IELTS for about 400 RMB per hour.
Good luck

Kurochan · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 944 Location: China

I'd never want to be paid by page because sometimes you get a document that's so bad you spend like an hour and a half for just one. By the hour seems fairer both for you and the client -- if the document is good and easy for you to go through, they pay less, if it's lousy and it's hard work for you, you get more.

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

Hourly. Not by the page.

Have you shown them a sample of what you can do and how much better you are than your competition?

Leon Purvis · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:41 am Post subject:

In the U.S. freelance editors generally charge by the hour. Editing is not the same as proof reading, correcting grammar and spelling. As Henry knows, it often consists of suggested rewrites and changes in direction of the document in order for the document to achieve and/or maintain its focus.Also note that editing is NOT rewriting.

5Y-10Y per page isn't nearly enough to even cover proofreading and making grammatical corrections.

Depending upon the length of the work and how familiar you are with the subject matter, begin at 150Y and work from there (hopefully, upwards). In the states, the rate for editing a document that has commercial value usually starts at $50.00 per hour and increases depending upon the editor's reputation and the client's willingness to pay.

Shan-Shan · Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 1074 Location: electric pastures

Yu · Joined: 06 Mar 2003 Posts: 1219 Location: Shanghai

I got around 2000 RMB for editing a textbook series--3 books. I was paid for the job. I spent about 16 hours on the work. Not great pay. Spend a few lesiurely days at Starbucks doing the work.

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

jwbhomer · Joined: 14 Dec 2003 Posts: 876 Location: CANADA

Last year, while I was still teaching at a university in Guangdong, I undertook to edit (correct grammar, spelling and vocabulary) some English exam papers for my colleagues. They wanted to pay me 2 (TWO) RMB per page and we finally settled on 5. As Kurochan says, some of the stuff is so bad that 5 or 10 RMB per page isn't nearly enough.

I agree with those who say that one should charge per hour, not per page. Now that I'm back in Canada I charge a minimum of C$75 per hour for "proper" editing, including fact and reference checking, a bit of rewriting and so on. The works out to about $30 per page, which is the Canadian Association of Editors going rate.

I don't imagine it would be easy to get 525 RMB per hour in China, but if you're going to work for a large and well-heeled company, it can't hurt to ask. And if you see the possibility of an ongoing relationship and steady work, you could always settle for less.