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Transcription hourly rate
Thread poster: Jennifer Greene
Jennifer Greene
Jennifer Greene  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:46
English to Chinese
+ ...
Dec 12, 2005

Does anyone know what is the hourly rate for transcription in the US?

Thanks


 
JaneTranslates
JaneTranslates  Identity Verified
Puerto Rico
Local time: 06:46
Spanish to English
+ ...
I charge $14.00 Dec 12, 2005

Jennifer Greene wrote:

Does anyone know what is the hourly rate for transcription in the US?

Thanks


My input may not be relevant; Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. in some senses but the translation (and related skills) environment may be different. I don't do legal or medical or other specialized transcribing. But right now I'm translating for subtitles on a documentary film and have to transcribe it first, and $14.00/hour is what I'm charging.


 
Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly  Identity Verified
Local time: 06:46
Russian to English
+ ...
Not less than you earn per hour doing any professional work Dec 12, 2005

In my opinion, a translator/editor/transcriber should establish a minimum value per hour of his/her time, regardless of what the activity is.

For example, if you can earn an average of $25.00 per hour doing translation, that is the minimum you should charge for editing, proofreading, transcription, or any other activity requiring your language skills.

My two cents...


 
Orla Ryan
Orla Ryan  Identity Verified
Ireland
Local time: 11:46
don't forget... Dec 12, 2005

Agree with Kevin. Also if you want to do more transcription work, you may have to invest in suitable equipment as well. That has to be taken into account in your pricing & quotes.

Sanjin Grandić
 
Margaret Schroeder
Margaret Schroeder  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 04:46
Spanish to English
+ ...
Par with translation Dec 12, 2005

Kevin Kelly wrote:

In my opinion, a translator/editor/transcriber should establish a minimum value per hour of his/her time, regardless of what the activity is.

For example, if you can earn an average of $25.00 per hour doing translation, that is the minimum you should charge for editing, proofreading, transcription, or any other activity requiring your language skills.



To reiterate what Kevin says, if you set your transcription rate based on other people's rates, rather than your own, you are shortchanging yourself. If you charge more per hour for transcribing than you can earn translating, then your translating rates are too low. If you earn more in an hour of translating than transcribing, then you have set your transcription rates too low.

How do you know how much to charge per hour of your time? Base it on your own per-word rate. How many words can you translate per hour in an average text (mid-way between the hardest and easiest texts you typically translate)? Don't forget to account for time spent on research and proofreading.

To help you get an accurate idea of what to bill, try tracking the total time spent for a few of your typical translation projects. Divide the total earned by the exact time spent translating, researching and proofreading to find out how much you earned per hour of work.


 
Jennifer Greene
Jennifer Greene  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:46
English to Chinese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you! Dec 13, 2005

Thank you all for taking your time to answer my questions. It is very nice to have instant answers from people in the industry.

Thank you again for all your help.

Jennifer


 
ahmadwadan.com
ahmadwadan.com  Identity Verified
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 13:46
English to Arabic
+ ...
$60/h Dec 14, 2005

Is that much?

I do charge clients $60/h for such matters or any tasks computed on hourly basis.

Kind regards
Ahmad Wadan
www.arablish.com


 
Walter Landesman
Walter Landesman  Identity Verified
Uruguay
Local time: 07:46
English to Spanish
+ ...
Not clear Jan 26, 2006

Ahmad Wadan wrote:

Is that much?

I do charge clients $60/h for such matters or any tasks computed on hourly basis.

Kind regards
Ahmad Wadan
www.arablish.com



Sorry, I didn`t understand. You charge $60/hour for anything or only for transcription and translating? Do you mean $60/ your hour or recorded hour?

Just asking and learning.

Best,

Walter


 
ahmadwadan.com
ahmadwadan.com  Identity Verified
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 13:46
English to Arabic
+ ...
My hour/not recorded hour Mar 9, 2006

Walter Landesman wrote:

Ahmad Wadan wrote:

Is that much?

I do charge clients $60/h for such matters or any tasks computed on hourly basis.

Kind regards
Ahmad Wadan
www.arablish.com



Sorry, I didn`t understand. You charge $60/hour for anything or only for transcription and translating? Do you mean $60/ your hour or recorded hour?

Just asking and learning.

Best,

Walter



Thsi rate is for work per hour not for the recorded hour.

Kind regards


 
RashmiP
RashmiP
United States
Local time: 03:46
Transcription rate varies Sep 16, 2011

Transcription rate varies from company to company. Some companies pay hourly rate while others pay per line/page rate. It is upto the transcriptionist who will decide where to work considering all factors.

 
Transcription Rates Oct 23, 2011

Maybe I am not seeing the whole picture - but I disagree with charging the same flat rate for what is essentially different tasks. Isn't this like a Doctor charging Doctor rates for changing a flat tire?

To me transcription and translation are quite different tasks - hence why they are different industries. I recently put together a quick review of transcription ratestranscription rates from the top 10 transcription services in the US. A quick look over the rates being charged and one would have to agree they are somewhat different to what a translator will be asking (if they are transcribing).



[Edited at 2011-10-23 13:25 GMT]
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Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:46
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Link does not work Oct 24, 2011

TranscriptDiva's link returns the following error message:
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/transcr3/public_html/wp-content/plugins/comment-extra-field/comment-extra-fields.php:61) in /home/transcr3/public_html/wp-includes/pluggable.php on line 934


 
Transcript Divas Link Oct 24, 2011

Sorry guys - all fixed - I had been installing some flash new thing into the site - apparently it was just a bit too flash All good now ... http://transcriptdivas.com/transcription-rate/

[Edited at 2011-10-24 18:31 GMT]


 
Damian Harrison (X)
Damian Harrison (X)
Germany
Local time: 12:46
German to English
Price to thrive Oct 25, 2011

Although Diva makes a valid point with regard to setting different prices for different services, the fact remains that you will need to base your pricing on a strategic outlook rather than simply asking what others are charging. If the "standard rate" does not guarantee an income on which you can thrive (rather than merely survive), you will either have to change your business model and pricing, or work yourself into the ground.

 
Rates Specilisation and Henry Ford Oct 25, 2011

Picking up Damians point, thinking strategically, isn't it two specialized and quite different tasks;

1 Transcription - i.e. turning speech into text
2 Translation - i.e. turning text into another language

These two tasks are different specialized skills, and unlikely to reside in equal measures in the same person. A person is going to be better at one of these than the other.

If this is true doesn't it make sense to match the right skill set to t
... See more
Picking up Damians point, thinking strategically, isn't it two specialized and quite different tasks;

1 Transcription - i.e. turning speech into text
2 Translation - i.e. turning text into another language

These two tasks are different specialized skills, and unlikely to reside in equal measures in the same person. A person is going to be better at one of these than the other.

If this is true doesn't it make sense to match the right skill set to the right job , and pay the person accordingly.

Isn't it a better idea to focus as much time as possible on doing what you are best skilled at - and get someone else to do the other things.

“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
― Henry Ford.
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