Korean Job Discussion Forums

Unreal · Joined: 01 Jul 2004 Location: Jeollabuk-do

How much should one charge for proofreading?

My school supervisor said that he got a phone call from someone with a 300 page document and wanted it proofread for 100,000 won. I paused in disbelief and told him that proofreading was usually 10,000 won per page (I'm not sure if it is really but I wanted to make a point). He laughed nervously and said, "In Korea it's usually free." To this I responded, "That's why so many English books in Korea are full of mistakes." He then said, "well actually I already said you'd do it. Just skim over it quickly."

So...how fast should I skim a 300 page book to make 100,000 won worth it?

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

3 hours....just fix what you can in that amount of time. You get what you pay for! Get it on a storage device so you can spellcheck it and edit it in a word processing program.

"In Korea it's usually free" I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from laughing out loud if that was said to me!

Missile Command Kid · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Location: Daegu

I used to charge $15 an hour to proofread when I was a grad student. A 300 page document would take 15 hours, more or less, depending on the quality of the writing.

Skim over it quickly, just like your boss said. I'd take two or three hours to read it through - or as much as you can, obviously. Alternatively, proofread the first fifty pages or so very thorougly, and leave the rest.

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

Actually, 300 pages! Shocked

Tell your boss to do it himself for free! To do it right and fix all the mistakes, not to mention consultation w/ the author for unclear meanings and what not, I would charge somewhere around 800,000 or more if it's really bad (which has been my experience here). Anyway, if it's not so bad it will still take you 3 hours just to read it carefully! Don't even consider it for that money...it's an insult and it wouldn't surprise me if your boss was pocketing a substantial amount of the proofreading fee! Laugh in his face and tell him to get a future! He must think you're one dumb SOB!

frankly speaking · Joined: 23 Oct 2005

I think it all depends on how poorly it is written and if you are a good editor. A good editor can effectively read and correct 30-50 pages an hour depending on the quality of writing. If you are not a good editor and it takes you much longer to correct something, why should someone else pay more for your lack of experience?

I am a slow reader and I can do about 1 page a minute with a 5 minute break every 30 minutes. But when I edit it takes me a lot longer because I try to rewrite mistakes and structural problems in the author's own voice. It is wrong for an editor to change someone elses style. That is what takes me longer to do. If I were to write the paper myself, it wouldn't take as long as to edit. Therefore, I am not one to be a professional editor.

Take the 100,000 skim and scan the peice. Fix major noticeable errors in grammar and structure. But more importantly, just highlight the areas that are weak and need to be re-worked. It is better to just show them how to fix it themselves.

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

I charge between 40,000 and 50,00 per hour (usually that works out to a single page).

It's a high price, but they get the desired effects.

poet13 · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:38 am Post subject:

"and it wouldn't surprise me if your boss was pocketing a substantial amount of the proofreading fee"

Im with you on that spliff.

Free? Ain't nothin' in Korea that's free.

Unreal · Joined: 01 Jul 2004 Location: Jeollabuk-do

After thinking about this, I'm betting it's for the same company that I proofread something else for a couple months ago. It's likely going to be a continuation of the same English workbook which is very easy English and only 5-10 English sentences per page. I did about the same amount in 4 hours (reading through quickly twice) last time, although my supervisor said this would be more difficult.

If it is the same I can finish it quickly and make decent money but the thing is that this is going to be a published book for a company I've heard of before, probably going for 15-20 thousand won each and they're only willing to pay the value of a handfull of books for proofreading. I'm betting my supervisor is taking a hefty cut, is very good friends (exchanging favors) with someone at the book company, or else the book company is completely shameless.

ben the saint · Joined: 16 Jan 2006

Unbelievable answers here!!! Koreans charge W40, 000-50,000 per page, so why should you charge anything less???? W10, 000 per page with little or no corrections is a fair rate. For more technical papers the price can run as high as W30, 000-50,000 per page.
Depends on how poorly written, then the price goes up. If you have to rewrite then the price runs between W30, 000 � 50,000 per page. I have never charged per hour but I charge per page. This is a standard fee understood by most professionals in this country.
Free??? Yea, right. Sounds like a �Cheap Charlie� wanting to use you.

frankly speaking · Joined: 23 Oct 2005

50,000 won a page, that is insane. I only have to pay 15,000 won a page for translation. So you think that because you are slow at editing, that you deserve to make 15,000,000 won on a 300 page book? I think that you need to re-evaluate your value. I wouldn't have to pay that to a top NY publishing company.

I do agree if you have to correct every line or the majority of work per page, then we should charge a fair rate. But for 300 pages of easy reading with few errors should only take 8-10 hours. I think about 300-400,000 won is fare.

I usually skim the paper for about an hour before giving a quote. I don't believe in giving away my time but should you charge more than the writer gets paid for the book? Do you give a refund if someone finds errors that you don't find?

Personally, I always have someone else proofread my work, because I don't always catch my own errors. But when you are paid to do editing, it is a little shameful to have someone find something you missed. Especially if you charge 50,000 won a page.

One hour to edit a page? It doesn't take that much time to translate a page. If it is taking someone an hour to edit a page, I think that they must be rewriting every line and changing the style.

I would definately tell my boss that for something as intensive as this that you need at least 400,000 won or ask for 1-2 days off from teaching.

ChuckECheese · Joined: 20 Jul 2006

Nah! I wouldn't do it if it's not in my contract.

I'd tell the boss to have it done at the translation service company where they'll charge much much much..... more than 100,000.

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

hubba bubba · Joined: 24 Oct 2006

PROOFREAD A 300 PAGE DOCUMENT WRITTEN IN ENGLISH BY KOREANS???

Don't think they could pay me enough to do it. I've done some "proofreading" for people doing post graduate work. Do you know babblefish? Man, pages of absolute jibberish. What a nightmare.

poet13 · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:20 pm Post subject:

I agree with hubba bubba. I proofed someones masters thesis proposal last month. I did it for free. 4 pages. One weekend. It's not just fixing spelling. It's structure and content. You say this here, where was it referenced before.... The style and tone and person changes, so it all has to be adjusted to be uniform. Technical writing is difficult for native english speakers. This paper was a nightmare. I had no idea until I really got into it. I spend several hours each weekend helping translate poetry. On one memorable Saturday, an author and I discussed using either the word 'this' or 'that' for many hours.