Rates for quality control Thread poster: Michal Panner (X)
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Michal Panner (X) 
United States
Local time: 01:31
English to Hebrew
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Hello fellow translators,
Those of you who perform QC - I was wondering how much you charge per word and per hour.
Thank you for your help!
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 06:31
Member (2007)
English
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| How exactly does the client define QC? | Sep 24, 2012 |
Michal Panner wrote:
Those of you who perform QC - I was wondering how much you charge per word and per hour.
My rate is my normal hourly rate. If I have to give a per-word rate, then I have to make absolutely sure what it is they're expecting.
I personally would say that QC is taking a text that has been translated (and, of course, checked by the translator), proofread and undergone any required DTP, and performing a final quick check to ensure that the very few remaining errors or slips get remedied. I would expect to look for double spaces or no spaces (errors often introduced by inattention during proofreading); inconsistencies in spelling or punctuation; those difficult-to-spot typos such as form/from where the spell-checker can't help.
However, some agencies see QC as a new name for proofreading (whatever that is ). They expect me to zip through text at up to 3000 wph that often hasn't been spell-checked, let alone proofread. Sometimes the text has been translated by a non-native speaker of English and needs extensive reworking to make it sound natural. In fact there are limits to that - without the source text (which I often don't understand anyway) it can often be impossible to unravel the exact meaning without running the risk of introducing errors of meaning.
For this reason, I spend a lot of time before working on the first text trying to tie down exactly what the job is. If they insist on a per-word rate I'll give them one, but I'll add that the total to be paid for the job equates to nnn minutes' work: if it takes much more then they will have to pay more, or I'll send it back unfinished.
I imagine you can see from the above that I hate accepting new jobs of this type. On the other hand, I love doing this type of job for some agencies.
| | | | Michal Panner (X)
United States
Local time: 01:31
English to Hebrew
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TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for your response | Sep 24, 2012 |
Hi Sheila,
Thank you for the detailed response!
I was referring to QC as you described it in the first part of your response.
So I understand this type of work lends itself more to an hourly rate than to a per-word rate.
Thank you!
Michal
| | | | Carolyn Yohn
United States
Local time: 22:31
French to English
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| Different per-hour rates depending on level of QC | Sep 24, 2012 |
Hi!
Sheila pretty much summed it up in her response. I just wanted to point out that I charge more for copyediting (which oddly is what most people call proofreading a translation---includes pointing out weird-sounding phrases and offering suggestions for minor rewrites) than I do for proofreading (what you guys are calling QC here?).
I started out as a proofreader, then became a copyeditor. They are two very different tasks. Copyediting requires more focus since you h... See more Hi!
Sheila pretty much summed it up in her response. I just wanted to point out that I charge more for copyediting (which oddly is what most people call proofreading a translation---includes pointing out weird-sounding phrases and offering suggestions for minor rewrites) than I do for proofreading (what you guys are calling QC here?).
I started out as a proofreader, then became a copyeditor. They are two very different tasks. Copyediting requires more focus since you have to analyze for meaning, note contradictions, etc. So yes, I charge an hourly rate for these QCs, but I make sure to charge differently for each.
Just my two cents!
Carolyn ▲ Collapse
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Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 06:31
Member (2007)
English
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| per-word is possible for QC; not for first proofreading | Sep 24, 2012 |
Michal Panner wrote:
I was referring to QC as you described it in the first part of your response.
So I understand this type of work lends itself more to an hourly rate than to a per-word rate.
Well, if it really is that final read-through of an almost-perfect text, then that should take a pretty set amount of time. Of course, I use software to tell me about double spaces etc. so that's done very quickly. Any other errors should be very, very quick to do - just one or two key presses that barely interrupt the reading flow. It just has to be a much more intensive type of reading than usual, otherwise it's all too easy to skip over to/too, form/from errors without ever noticing them.
It's 'normal' proofreading that can't possibly be quoted for per word without first examining the text, because good texts take so much less time than bad texts.
@ Carolyn: Yes, it's bizarre the way the terminology is used (or misused) in the translation process. I guess copy-editing would be a bit misleading because it isn't original copy, although in this first 'bilingual proofreading' step, checking that the correct meaning has been transferred is one of the main jobs. Then you've got the step that really concentrates on the naturalness of the target text. To my mind, this is a completely separate job but it's normally done as part of that first bilingual proofreading. This step is necessary to get rid of interference from the source language, which can creep in even when the writer is a native of the target language. Only then comes the final step that would be called proofreading in the publishing world.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 07:31
Spanish to English
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| Same (ahem) stuff, new wrapper | Sep 25, 2012 |
Calling it QC is like me calling myself a "language consultant". Flim flam. BS with a capital S.
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