Pricing book-length translation Thread poster: Vanessa Kamp
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Hello all,
I have a bit of translation experience (mainly Spanish to English) mostly on topics relating to the arts and architecture. Can anyone point me toward information on pricing book-length translations?
Specifically, is it standard or not to adjust per-word price for longer work?
| | | | Hayley Wakenshaw 
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:57
Member (2018)
Dutch to English
| It depends on the language pair, the genre, and the client! | Oct 4, 2022 |
Whatever the rate, it's likely to be less than your standard per-word rate.
I've translated four books from Dutch to English for a major international publishing house. These were for their thriller and romance imprints. That sort of book pays less than literary translations, and I'll bet it pays less than non-fiction book translation. I eventually negotiated them up to around 6 eurocents per word (and a translator credit in the last book, which they'd not wanted to do before then.)... See more Whatever the rate, it's likely to be less than your standard per-word rate.
I've translated four books from Dutch to English for a major international publishing house. These were for their thriller and romance imprints. That sort of book pays less than literary translations, and I'll bet it pays less than non-fiction book translation. I eventually negotiated them up to around 6 eurocents per word (and a translator credit in the last book, which they'd not wanted to do before then.)
That's a 40% discount on my standard rate, which sounds and feels low. But it's useful to bear in mind that you'll be getting paid for nearly every hour you work. That's because , the bigger the project, the less time you'll spend dealing with emails, marketing, pitching for work, drawing up invoices, chasing payments, and so on. You might find that, on an hourly basis, you're earning the same or even more than you would by doing short projects for several clients.
[Edited at 2022-10-04 20:14 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-10-05 05:07 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Thank you for sharing your insight | Oct 4, 2022 |
Thanks so much Hayley for sharing your insight, very helpful!
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I've done a couple of dozen books, mostly nonfiction, and never given a quantity discount. If the customer presses me for one, I just say that large jobs can be a liability rather than an asset, because I have to turn down work for other people.
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Thank you Phil for sharing your experience and perspective, quite empowering.
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