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Client asking for a discount
Thread poster: Nicholas Isard
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
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Interesting Mar 27, 2021

[quote]jyuan_us wrote:

Nicholas Isard wrote:

Most translation agencies charge their end clients about $0.30 per word for translating clinical trial materials, and I have seen $0.50 per word as the price listed on the website of at least one agency.


Is that single-person translation or with a second pass by a reviewer included in the price?


PS dear OP: never, ever make glossaries or style guides for anybody who isn't your direct employee or subordinate. And even then, be very wary.

[Edited at 2021-03-27 08:03 GMT]


 
Korana Lasić
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Serbian to English
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So, they have a very low end agency in mind or he is bluffing? Mar 27, 2021

Nicholas Isard wrote:

Hi everyone,

So I was wondering if you had any opinions on this. I've been working with an end client for a while now doing medical translations (presentations on clinical cases, drugs, etc.). It had been a steady flow of work for about 2 months, and then one evening the client sent through about 10k and asked when I could do it by, to which I replied about a week. The next day, the owner of the company was on the phone saying they needed it for Friday (this was Thursday morning), to which I replied impossible, and said Monday EOB (and had to work non stop over the weekend) and that I would have to increase the rate from €0.08 to €0.10. He said OK, but in the future I need a discount for volume as I have loads of similar files to send your way, to which I replied, we could discuss it once this was finished. Two more rush jobs came in and I just didn't have the chance to think about the discount, so continuing applying that rate. I should point out that more and more is coming up in the TM and there are repetitions - all of which I have charged full price for, as it all has to be checked and double-checked.

Then on Wednesday evening he sent 17k through, of which 9k were new words according to Trados. I said I could do that in about a week (the file also had formatting issues that needs sorting before starting), and they reply saying we have a discount pending and that they're giving it to another agency they are working with, and that we wants to talk today.

For this client, I've produced a full glossary and a style guide, and check all the texts twice, so feel like I am offering them good value for money.

Any ideas on how to proceed? I'm really reluctant to offer discounts for repetitions and TM leverage, as I feel it would be a slippery slope on what is already a low rate.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Nick


Maybe he doesn't know what he's talking about yet? Allow him time to find out.

Charging end clients 0.08 a word, 0.10 for a rush job is on the lower end of things. If he will find an agency that will charge that much or less, that means they need to pay their translator 0.03/0.05 for rush one, or some pittance like that.

Does he suddenly need not these translations to be as accurate or as well done as you would do it? Any agency he is working with that charges less than you do is hiring absolute bottom-dwellers. Seems to me like he might be bluffing.

Maybe you can tell him you will accept discounts but your rates are now 0.15 and 0.20 for rush jobs. So, he can choose to not have discounts and your current rates or to have discounts and your new rates. Your client cannot have it both ways, to pay translation rates on the lower end of things and to have discounts. Maybe he just threatened you with an agency before he looked into actual agencies. He certainly didn't see the work of people who charge 0.03-0.05 cents a word.

If you can at all afford to let him go, do it. He might be crawling back quite soon. It really seems to me like this guy hasn't even looked into the rates agencies charge and he just heard about discounts translators give to agencies without comparing these translator's or these agencies' rates to yours.


Christel Zipfel
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Arabic & More
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Jordan
Arabic to English
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Rates Mar 27, 2021

I would mention that these rates are already on the low side for the type of work you are doing and also explain that you charge more to other clients.

 
Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
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Israel
Local time: 14:27
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No. Mar 27, 2021

Nicholas Isard wrote:

... and then one evening the client sent through about 10k and asked when I could do it by, to which I replied about a week. The next day, the owner of the company was on the phone saying they needed it for Friday (this was Thursday morning), to which I replied impossible, and said Monday EOB (and had to work non stop over the weekend) and that I would have to increase the rate from €0.08 to €0.10.



You worked non-stop, you did not see friends, you did not go anywhere during that weekend. You sat on a chair and worked. That weekend was followed by another work week with more of the same.
Does your health - physical and mental - count for nothing? Is it negotiable at €0.02 per word?

You are a highly qualified and experienced translator. There will be other customers. Customers who will respect and appreciate you. Customers who will not expect you to produce 10K overnight, at the same quality level and at the same rate.

Move on.
Sandra


Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Philip Lees
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Nicholas Isard
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Spanish to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Memory leverage and reps Mar 27, 2021

I suppose where I am not quite sure what to do is with the fuzzies and repetitions. For example, this last text had 3000 reps, 3000 fuzzies, 2000 matches and 10,000 new words. At 10 cents, would you charge everything at full rate? What I really want to avoid is a slippery slope of discounts, bartering and negotiating over how similar the texts are.

Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 13:27
French to English
Balance in all things Mar 27, 2021

I agree very much with Philippe Etienne. When you think you are not in a strong position - you want and need work - some potential clients will see that. Unwittingly or sometimes quite consciously, they will make you feel that so that quite strongly. They are bullies and the great thing about being self-employed is that when a professional relationship goes pear-shaped, you can settle up the last job and close the door. Just as the client can go elsewhere, so can you. Don't stick around in toxic... See more
I agree very much with Philippe Etienne. When you think you are not in a strong position - you want and need work - some potential clients will see that. Unwittingly or sometimes quite consciously, they will make you feel that so that quite strongly. They are bullies and the great thing about being self-employed is that when a professional relationship goes pear-shaped, you can settle up the last job and close the door. Just as the client can go elsewhere, so can you. Don't stick around in toxic business relationships. If the agency can find another translator, remember that you can find another agency.

It is pleasant to have clients that you appreciate working with and it can be an added bonus when you appreciate them on a personal level. When it comes to your business relationship though, you need to remain as objective as possible and keep affect out of the picture. Not always that easy, particularly when a working relationship was enjoyable at one point. There are other clients out there, most of whom will treat you with respect. If you can, back out of this one as soon as you can.

Sounds easier said than done, but once this outfit is in the rear-view mirror, you'll be glad you let them go.
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Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
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Israel
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French to English
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Memory leverage and reps? Mar 28, 2021

Hi Nicholas,
Some jobs are harder, some are easier. Some are urgent, some are... less urgent. You charge a very reasonable rate for med/pharma, and it covers the entire range of difficulty and/or tediousness. Enjoy the benefits that your CAT produces every now and then. You deserve them. They are yours.

If it makes you feel better giving a one-time (small) discount on this one, go ahead.
Don't make it a precedent. This is a one-way street.

HTH,
Sandra


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
jyuan_us
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United States
Local time: 08:27
Member (2005)
Chinese to English
Lah la la Mar 29, 2021

If your ”end client" doesn't require you to provide a camera-ready translation copy, then strictly speaking, you are not dealing with an end client in its real sense. Instead, you are dealing with a translation management team set up by the client, which is in essence not much different to a translation agency. Some of these internal teams pay lower than an average translation agency does.

Adieu
 
Michael Newton
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Discount Mar 30, 2021

I would keep them on for a while whilst looking for more profitable clients. Then, you are at liberty to demand more and risk dumping or being dumped.

 
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Client asking for a discount







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