Forum: Subtitling
Topic: How fast can you translate subtitles? Is it worth doing?
Poster: nrichy
Post title: Not exactly
[quote][quote]
You're not a beggar but an indpendent translation services provider. How much do you QUOTE? How much is it worth?[/quote]
I keep hearing that, but what can you do when others are willing to work for nickels and dimes?
[/quote]
Waiting until someone "offers" me something is not exactly the best way to do business.
[quote]I mean, I even had employees myself for a while; I paid them next to nothing, but they got what they deserved, to put it that way. [/quote]
Do you mean that out of your small turnover or gains or whatever it is, you paid other translators? *sigh*
[quote]The companies that hire amateurs must spend a lot of money on proofreaders...[/quote]
Agree with that, but this is another topic.
[quote]Besides, how do you market yourself? Do you just contact a bunch of companies with your résumé and tell them your price, or how do you do it? [/quote]
Yes of course, when I started as a translator it was like that. But I did not sent résumés to unknown people (I didn't want anymore an inhouse position), I just had a page with professional information. Then work came in by my two translator's associations, good translation agencies (some of them splitted up into two parts = two clients), and by word of mouth. My best direct clients came from my colleagues in other language pairs. And when I receive files to be translated, I make a quote and then we discuss. If their requirements are not reasonable. I just say that I cannot do this translation at their conditions. I also leave to my colleagues the work I am not able to do, for instance financial translations, even if I could ask (and get) €0.20/w or more for these.
[quote]I mean, I had several customers even when I almost stopped working as a translator altogether since I was running my computer company, and they all came back because they were happy with the quality. I really feel that's worth more than what I get right now, but I also think it's difficult to find my way in the jungle of competitors, information, companies etc etc. [/quote]
Same answer as Sylvano.
[Edited at 2014-01-12 14:46 GMT]
Topic: How fast can you translate subtitles? Is it worth doing?
Poster: nrichy
Post title: Not exactly
[quote][quote]
You're not a beggar but an indpendent translation services provider. How much do you QUOTE? How much is it worth?[/quote]
I keep hearing that, but what can you do when others are willing to work for nickels and dimes?
[/quote]
Waiting until someone "offers" me something is not exactly the best way to do business.
[quote]I mean, I even had employees myself for a while; I paid them next to nothing, but they got what they deserved, to put it that way. [/quote]
Do you mean that out of your small turnover or gains or whatever it is, you paid other translators? *sigh*
[quote]The companies that hire amateurs must spend a lot of money on proofreaders...[/quote]
Agree with that, but this is another topic.
[quote]Besides, how do you market yourself? Do you just contact a bunch of companies with your résumé and tell them your price, or how do you do it? [/quote]
Yes of course, when I started as a translator it was like that. But I did not sent résumés to unknown people (I didn't want anymore an inhouse position), I just had a page with professional information. Then work came in by my two translator's associations, good translation agencies (some of them splitted up into two parts = two clients), and by word of mouth. My best direct clients came from my colleagues in other language pairs. And when I receive files to be translated, I make a quote and then we discuss. If their requirements are not reasonable. I just say that I cannot do this translation at their conditions. I also leave to my colleagues the work I am not able to do, for instance financial translations, even if I could ask (and get) €0.20/w or more for these.
[quote]I mean, I had several customers even when I almost stopped working as a translator altogether since I was running my computer company, and they all came back because they were happy with the quality. I really feel that's worth more than what I get right now, but I also think it's difficult to find my way in the jungle of competitors, information, companies etc etc. [/quote]
Same answer as Sylvano.
[Edited at 2014-01-12 14:46 GMT]
