How to charge for linguistic consultancy/Project management services when already offering Translation services
Thread poster: Claire Fumoleau-Itani
Claire Fumoleau-Itani
Claire Fumoleau-Itani  Identity Verified
Local time: 09:10
English to French
+ ...
Dec 18, 2014

Hello ProZ members,

I hope you'll be able to help me with this one.

I have been offering translation services to a client for about 5 years now. This person happens to be my childhood friend's husband, which makes it a bit delicate sometimes but anyway, this is not the question here...

The work involves translating real advert ads. It is very repetitive and tedious and has to be done over the week-end but it is regular and the workload is steadily increasin
... See more
Hello ProZ members,

I hope you'll be able to help me with this one.

I have been offering translation services to a client for about 5 years now. This person happens to be my childhood friend's husband, which makes it a bit delicate sometimes but anyway, this is not the question here...

The work involves translating real advert ads. It is very repetitive and tedious and has to be done over the week-end but it is regular and the workload is steadily increasing.
We started off at a standard translation rate with 2 magazines, then when they introduced another magazine, he asked for a discount and I (foolishly) offered a 15% discount, which places my rate under the minimum rate found on Proz for this combination.

Over the last year, he has been increasingly consulting me (i.e. to come up with the name of a new magazine, to advise him on how to best deal with UK-based clients) and now I am finding myself liaising with the developer of the new real estate platform software to see how to translate the ads seamlessly AND setting up a team of translators to cope with the exponential volume (that just got multiplied by 3 with 3 new magazines).

I can't possibly do all this for the current translation rate.

I'd like him to leave the translation rate as it is and ask him to have a separate "title" for me as Consultant/PM and pay me as such.
As any of you done this before, and what fee would you recommend - and how to charge it? monthly? as a one-off?
OR would you think that building it in the translation rate is best?

I think that if I negotiate with the Consultancy angle, it has better chances to be well received...

Many thanks in advance,
Claire
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Seiriol Dafy (X)
Seiriol Dafy (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:10
German to English
+ ...
Go for it Dec 18, 2014

Why don’t you stick to your translation rate (presumably per word) when doing translations and then charge all other work (where it doesn't make sense to charge per word) on a per-hour basis under your ‘consultancy’ banner. This is quite standard practice, I think.

 
Michal Fabian
Michal Fabian  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 05:10
Dutch to Slovak
+ ...
Per project Dec 18, 2014

The question is not How much time do you spend on the job?, but How much are your services worth?

Charge according to what your services are worth.

[Edited at 2014-12-18 10:49 GMT]


 
Claire Fumoleau-Itani
Claire Fumoleau-Itani  Identity Verified
Local time: 09:10
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Answer to Seiriol's input Dec 18, 2014

Dear Seiriol,

Many thanks for your prompt reply.
Yes, I thought about this, but then it doesn't include the project management work that is now going to be required every month: making sure the workload is always done by dispatching it to the team of translators / replacing any member of the team when they're away / liaising with them and the software team when there are technological hiccups, etc.

And knowing him, he won't like a fluctuating amount each month bas
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Dear Seiriol,

Many thanks for your prompt reply.
Yes, I thought about this, but then it doesn't include the project management work that is now going to be required every month: making sure the workload is always done by dispatching it to the team of translators / replacing any member of the team when they're away / liaising with them and the software team when there are technological hiccups, etc.

And knowing him, he won't like a fluctuating amount each month based on the volume of work this entails.

I think I'd like to come up with a figure and say: I want this on top from now on, but I don't know how to reach this figure, that's the issue...

Many thanks again,
Claire
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Seiriol Dafy (X)
Seiriol Dafy (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:10
German to English
+ ...
Still based on hours worked though? Dec 18, 2014

I think I'd like to come up with a figure and say: I want this on top from now on, but I don't know how to reach this figure, that's the issue...


That sounds like a good idea but you can still base this flat fee on the number of hours of work you expect to be doing in an average month for him and multiplying that with your hourly rate (maybe even with a mark-up to be on the safe side).

You're basically free to charge whatever you want though, however you want to work it out. Just do whatever works for you. I've heard of numerous examples where colleagues (both translators and web designers etc.) were reluctant to take on specific projects so they quoted (what they thought were) astronomical fees, only to have those quotes accepted - but if this client has asked you for a discount for previous work that approach probably won't work.

[Edited at 2014-12-18 13:45 GMT]


 
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 17:10
Chinese to English
Managerial role requires managerial pay Dec 18, 2014

You're starting to work as a contractor now, and contractors cost a lot. But you might not want to introduce that big a change into what is also a personal relationship. Still, if you're now going to take responsibility for a team, then you're a manager. You could think of a mid-manager's pay (35k? 40k? 800 pounds/week), and pro rata it for the time that you put in.

It's worth being a bit careful about how you arrange it, though, to make sure that you remain a free agent. If you ent
... See more
You're starting to work as a contractor now, and contractors cost a lot. But you might not want to introduce that big a change into what is also a personal relationship. Still, if you're now going to take responsibility for a team, then you're a manager. You could think of a mid-manager's pay (35k? 40k? 800 pounds/week), and pro rata it for the time that you put in.

It's worth being a bit careful about how you arrange it, though, to make sure that you remain a free agent. If you enter into an effective employment agreement, then the law might well start to view it as such. That could have tax consequences and legal consequences if there is ever (heaven forbid) a dispute.
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Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:10
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Below the minimum rate for translating ads and PM? Dec 18, 2014

Claire Fumoleau-Itani wrote:
This person happens to be my childhood friend's husband, which makes it a bit delicate sometimes

As you say, it makes things a little more awkward. But business is business. You may be trading under your own name, but you're trading as a professional, not as a friend. And if he's producing several magazines then he's certainly running a business too - it isn't Fred or Tom, your friend's husband, you're dealing with, it's XXX Magazines Ltd.

The work involves translating real advert ads.
.........
places my rate under the minimum rate found on Proz for this combination.

For translating adverts? That shouldn't be anywhere near the minimum rate; it should be way over the maximum. You can't just come up with a standard translation at 250 wph (and it's clear you know that).

what fee would you recommend - and how to charge it? monthly? as a one-off?
OR would you think that building it in the translation rate is best?

As others have said, it should reflect the number of hours you spend. If it's regular work then of course you can come up with an average and charge that as a set rate, until things change significantly. Whatever you come up with will only work if it seems fair to both parties, so hourly is usually best. If you're going to continue charging for translation separately then you need to double or triple the rate, at least.

Unless he's truly naïve, this client will know he's been onto a very good thing in the past. He might be upset at paying a lot more but you're in a very strong position. And it doesn't sound as though you stand to lose much if he chooses to take his business elsewhere. Can you not stay personal friends anyway?


 


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How to charge for linguistic consultancy/Project management services when already offering Translation services







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