Setting your rates as a freelance translator is an important step for your career. It helps you earn a fair income and shows clients that you are a professional. Here’s a simple guide to help you decide how much to charge, plus tips for negotiating and dealing with client objections.
1. Understand how translators charge
Language professionals usually charge by word, minute, or hour.
For written translation and revision tasks, the most common way is by word, but sometimes it makes sense to charge by hour (for editing or creative work) or by page (for documents with many images or tables).
For audiovisual tasks, rates are usually budgeted per minute of source audio or video; while interpreting may be charged by the minute, the hour and, for some on-site gigs that span multiple days, per day of work.
In some cases, you will want to offer the client a total value for the project, without a specific breakdown by unit, but having your rates per unit or hour clearly defined is the starting point to being able to quote at all.
2. Calculate your base rate
Think about these points:
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How much do you want to earn? Decide your target yearly income. Remember to include living costs, taxes, savings, and some profit.
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How fast do you work? Estimate how many words or minutes you can translate, transcribe or interpret in an hour or a day. Don’t forget to include time for breaks, holidays, and days off.
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What do others charge? Check the market rates for your language pair and subject area. You can look at online surveys, ask other translators, or check job ads.
With this information, you can calculate a fair rate per word, minute, or hour. Keep in mind that ProZ hosts two useful resources to help you determine your base rate:
- ProZ community rates: an average of the rates reported on user profiles
3. Adjust your rates when needed
Some projects need special rates:
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Big projects: You can offer a small discount for very large jobs, but only if you have enough time.
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Urgent jobs: You may want to charge more if the client needs the translation very quickly.
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Complex formatting: If the document needs a lot of formatting or special work, ask for a higher rate.
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Weekend or holiday work: It’s okay to charge extra if you work outside normal hours.
4. Set a minimum fee
For very small jobs, set a minimum fee. This covers your time for emails, invoicing, and preparation.
5. Be clear about payment terms
Make sure that you and your client both understand and agree on how and when you will be paid. Clear rules help avoid problems later —make sure that there's a clear written agreement regarding:
- Payment date: The standards range between 15 and 60 days, and you want to be clear on whether the days start being counted after delivery, or after you send your invoice.
- Payment method and currency: Corroborate that there is a payment method that works for both you and your client and that you will be able to be paid in the desired currency. If you or your client are facing limitations regarding what payment methods to use, ProZ*Pay may be able to help!
- Payment fees: If the chosen payment method has any additional fees, clarify whether the client will cover them or not.
Tips for negotiating your rates
Negotiating is a normal part of freelancing! Sometimes clients will say your price is too high, or their budget is too small. Here’s some ideas on how to respond:
- Listen first: Let the client explain their concerns.
- Be confident: Know your value and don’t be afraid to ask for a fair rate.
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Explain your price and restate your value: If a client asks why your rate is higher, explain that you offer quality, experience, and reliability.
- Give examples: Share stories of happy clients or successful projects.
- Offer options or negotiate extras: If the client has a lower budget, you can suggest a longer deadline or a smaller project for the same price. Alternatively, if you can’t lower your price, offer something extra, like a faster delivery or a short follow-up call.
- Be ready to say no: If a client wants to pay much less than your minimum, it’s okay to politely refuse.
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Stay professional: Always be polite and respectful, even if you disagree.
Setting your rates and negotiating with clients can feel difficult at first, but with practice, it gets easier. Remember: you deserve to be paid fairly for your skills and hard work!
