How do I give a quote in a legal document? Thread poster: Sofia Villella
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Sofia Villella 
United States
Local time: 10:26
Member (2010)
English to Spanish
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Hi everyone I usually do interpreting work and I was given a legal documents that consist of 18 pages and they asked me to give a quote for translation. How do I go about doing that? And how would I know how long it would take me? Any advice/suggestions?
Thanks
Sofia
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
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| Valuable and worthy responsibility | Sep 12, 2019 |
Hello Sofia--And what exactly is the issue, I wonder?
0) Why do they prefer very you?
1) Depending on the spacing and formatting, there are 250-500 English words on a standard A4 page;
2) With relevant skills and exp, one could translate a specialized/rhetorical text at some 45 minutes a page (and at least 20+ minutes per page to edit/proofread/research/consulting);
3) It would be better to hear about their budget first, yet you s... See more Hello Sofia--And what exactly is the issue, I wonder?
0) Why do they prefer very you?
1) Depending on the spacing and formatting, there are 250-500 English words on a standard A4 page;
2) With relevant skills and exp, one could translate a specialized/rhetorical text at some 45 minutes a page (and at least 20+ minutes per page to edit/proofread/research/consulting);
3) It would be better to hear about their budget first, yet you still could estimate the project value for the client and set about 25%-45% of its worth;
4) However, I think the official 'recommended/averaged' rates for translators are too low:
at least $0.10/word NET + specialty + time + DTP + extra services priced hourly.
_____________________________________________________________
minimum $0.20/word NET--and without any "repetition/fuzzy discounts"
* Furthermore, if it's a new client with a mid/large project, consider asking for a 15%+ advance and payment by installment.
You decide--on your terms ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 16:26
French to English
If you have never done paid translation before, it's impossible to say how long it will take you.
Most seasoned translators count on doing about 2,000 words a day (which leaves time for other stuff too), if you don't have experience it could take longer. Then again if you are an interpreter, you can presumably produce a decent first draft pretty quickly so you could even work faster than the seasoned translator?
Somewhere on this website there are average rates per language pa... See more If you have never done paid translation before, it's impossible to say how long it will take you.
Most seasoned translators count on doing about 2,000 words a day (which leaves time for other stuff too), if you don't have experience it could take longer. Then again if you are an interpreter, you can presumably produce a decent first draft pretty quickly so you could even work faster than the seasoned translator?
Somewhere on this website there are average rates per language pair. I'm sorry I can't link because I've only heard of it, I've never used it myself. I would charge more than the average rate in that legal translation requires more background knowledge and research, and the consequences are worse if you make a mess, so you have to be that much more careful. Off the cuff I'd say at least 25% more than the average rate.
Also "legal" is somewhat vague. I do the odd work contract or Terms & Conditions of Sale, but no way would I translate complex documents for court cases (I had to proofread them when working in-house and I was very glad to have an excellent translator to outsource to). In fact I would suggest 50% over the average rate for complex documents.
Most translators bill agencies less than direct clients, so that's another thing to be factored in. My agency rate is two-thirds of my direct client rate, I have no idea whether other translators do the same.
Lastly you need to make sure you won't lose money over this project, so you need to set a rate which won't leave you feeling like you've lost out if ever you're asked to do an interpreting job and have to turn it down because of finishing up this translation. Of course the deadline is another factor which may help or hinder with that. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sofia Villella
United States
Local time: 10:26
Member (2010)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you for taking the time to explain everything I really appreciate it. This is very helpful, I’ll consider all these facts and more
Thanks again!
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