| Pagine: < [1 2] | Poll: How many words do you typically translate per day? Iniziatore argomento: ProZ.com Staff
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Justin Peterson 
Spagna
Local time: 03:32
Membro (2007)
Da Spagnolo a Inglese
| Aha, but then I'd lose clients ... | Oct 29, 2015 |
Simon Bruni wrote: Justin Peterson wrote:
At this rate, I can translate over 6,000 words/day, which places me in the top 0.8%, apparently.
I don´t get it.
If I were unable to translate at this rate, there is no way I could make a good living at this.
The average out there seems to be around 3.000 words, which I find utterly baffling.
JRP Really? Then you need to put your rates up or find clients who pay decent rates. If I was translating 6,000 words every working day then I would earn something like € 140,000 a year. --- Aha, but if I raised my rates I wouldn´t have work 100% of the time. Output also depends very much on the field of translation you work in, and the fundamental differences between the two languages involved.
--- Definitely. I'm translating lots of general content. If it were specialized I would be slower ... but I'd also charge more.
| | | | Justin Peterson
Spagna
Local time: 03:32
Membro (2007)
Da Spagnolo a Inglese
| Now you've got me feeling guilty... :/ | Oct 29, 2015 |
Thomas Pfann wrote: Justin Peterson wrote:
I can translate over 800 words/hour.
...
At this rate, I can translate over 6,000 words/day, which places me in the top 0.8%, apparently.
But do you really translate 6,000 words per day on average? If so, when do you find time for other essential tasks like replying to emails, checking new requests, quoting for new projects, writing invoices and all those other admin tasks? --- Yes. I guess I must be lucky. I don't know. I just don´t lose that much time on admin. Perhaps I am fortunate in that I have a steady stream of work, and almost 0 downtime, which is the key, I suppose. And most of my content is general, rather than specialized, which would require lots of research (though I'd charge more for it). Now I'm starting to feel guilty. :/ I can easily translate 800 words/hour (and I am sure so can most experienced translators) but that does not mean I typically translate 6,000 words per day.
| | | | | How much bread do you typically eat a day? | Oct 29, 2015 |
Or if you prefer, grains of rice?
It depends on so many things, what you eat besides bread and rice, and yes, your culture and whether you belive in carbs or regard them as empty calories.
Whether you eat wholemeal bread, supplement with potatoes...
How long is a piece of string?
| | | | Jae Wook Lee
Corea del Sud
Local time: 10:32
Membro
Da Inglese a Coreano
| 3500 word per day is good for me | Oct 29, 2015 |
I can translate more than 6000 words/day but I can't do that "everyday"
About 3500 words/per is good for me.
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Justin Peterson wrote:
I'm translating lots of general content. If it were specialized I would be slower ... but I'd also charge more.
If I were a generalist I would translate much more slowly. Being a specialist enables me to translate faster...
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englishpartner wrote:
Is gazillion more than zillion? It is a contest, after all.
Soz, I meant a megazillion words innit. I win, you lose.
| | | | Julian Holmes
Giappone
Local time: 10:32
Membro (2011)
Da Giapponese a Inglese
| Agree with Chris, here | Oct 29, 2015 |
Chris S wrote:
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If I were a generalist I would translate much more slowly. Being a specialist enables me to translate faster...
Yes, since you are very familiar with content, it's basically a question of how fast you can type - a terazillion words per minute would be a nice pace!
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 21:32
Da Inglese a Spagnolo
+ ...
Can someone offer a sample text that would be considered fit for the generalist moniker?
Come on…I'm waiting
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| ah - the same old pissing match | Oct 29, 2015 |
I've been in the game long enough to have seen dozens of claimants to the "I can easily translate 5-6-7-8-9000 words per day - and make heaps of money." I have also seen many members of this group disappear from public forums into oblivion.
However, I'm not saying they're lying or over-estimating their productivity - judging by what I read online and in manuals - some of the "busy bees" producing these texts clearly must have been on their last 1000 words in a 8000 word day.
<... See more I've been in the game long enough to have seen dozens of claimants to the "I can easily translate 5-6-7-8-9000 words per day - and make heaps of money." I have also seen many members of this group disappear from public forums into oblivion.
However, I'm not saying they're lying or over-estimating their productivity - judging by what I read online and in manuals - some of the "busy bees" producing these texts clearly must have been on their last 1000 words in a 8000 word day.
[Edited at 2015-10-29 18:53 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Simon Bruni
Regno Unito
Local time: 02:32
Membro (2009)
Da Spagnolo a Inglese
Hege Jakobsen Lepri wrote:
I've been in the game long enough to have seen dozens of claimants to the "I can easily translate 5-6-7-8-9000 words per day - and make heaps of money." I have also seen many members of this group disappear from public forums into oblivion.
However, I'm not saying they're lying or over-estimating their productivity - judging by what I read online and in manuals - some of the "busy bees" producing these texts clearly must have been on their last 1000 words in a 8000 word day.
[Edited at 2015-10-29 18:53 GMT]
Thank you, Hege, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this excellent post!
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 21:32
Da Inglese a Spagnolo
+ ...
| If you can translate 6000 words a day… | Oct 29, 2015 |
…then what are you doing here?
Between the poor ATA being hamstrung by IRS regulations against rate fixing (ATA won't even allow the public discussion of translation/interpretation rates in its public forums), the pissing match among some translators about daily productivity wordcounts and the silly question of this poll, I wonder if anyone would step up and say Heck, I'm making $75,000 (or 60,000... See more …then what are you doing here?
Between the poor ATA being hamstrung by IRS regulations against rate fixing (ATA won't even allow the public discussion of translation/interpretation rates in its public forums), the pissing match among some translators about daily productivity wordcounts and the silly question of this poll, I wonder if anyone would step up and say Heck, I'm making $75,000 (or 60,000 euros) a year as a full-time independent translator.
Of course not. Talking about earnings is taboo in some corners of the world. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Employees complaining | Oct 30, 2015 |
And at our company former employees complained that 2000-2500 words per day are too demanding...
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Zhihua Liu
Cina
Local time: 09:32
Da Inglese a Cinese
+ ...
| that depends | Oct 30, 2015 |
If it's easy, say general marketing or something like that, 5,000 is normal then.
But for those that need background knowledge and are more technical, 2,000 is my limits.
However, these days, I'm more interested in subtitling and am sparing more and more time on that.
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brasile
Local time: 22:32
Membro (2014)
Da Inglese a Portoghese
+ ...
| Right, it varies | Oct 30, 2015 |
I guess that's the standard opinion.
I've had jobs I was able to translate 6000 words in 12 hours. But also jobs that did not allow me more than 2500 word in a day, requiring a lot of researching.
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