How to keep translation costs under control
(without infuriating your translators)
You may have already noticed, but if you didn’t, I’ll tell you: we translators don’t like to offer discounts. We know you bootstrap. We do respect your efforts. We just don’t want you to make it our problem. Much as we usually love our profession, most of us translate for a living, not exclusively for pleasure.
Still, there are a few things you can do to avoid extra expenses you would incur otherwise. Have this list at hand next time you are in the market for translation services, and you may be able to save a substantial amount.
1. Drop the middleman.
Freelancers are usually not cheaper than agencies, but you get value corresponding to the entire amount you pay. When you hire an agency, you pay for its office, utilities, cleaning, project managers, executives (at bigger companies the C-suite is packed) and everything else a corporation needs. Then what is left, which is often about 30% of what you pay, is invested in getting your documents translated. Hardly a financially wise solution for you as a client, don’t you think?
2. Plan ahead.
This is not always the case, but many translators charge extra for rush jobs or if they have to work after hours or during weekends. If you can offer a relaxed deadline, do. It will not get you a discount, but you will face no surcharges either.
3. Hire the same translator whenever possible.
When you need something tiny translated, a minimum fee typically applies. It will likely be waived though if you have the translation done by your regular translator who will add those few words to a monthly invoice at the regular per-word rate. Minor updates of large-scale projects may sometimes be offered for free. Equally importantly, when rates increase, regular clients tend to be the last on the list to be affected by the change.
4. Reduce the scope.
This one is a no-brainer: if you are on a budget and the budget is tight, cutting the amount of text to be translated may in some cases be an option. You will have to sacrifice something anyway, and sacrificing quality while still spending anything doesn’t make sense: you can get poor machine translation for free. Instead, see if getting a portion of your text translated now and leaving the rest for later would work for you.
5. Ask if packages are available.
If you are interested in related services, it doesn’t hurt to ask if your translator provides them or has a partner who does. Think DTP, copywriting, editing, keyword research and everything else along these lines. Buying a range of services from a single provider often results in savings. E.g., if I am already familiar with your copy because I translated it, editing the source text will take me less time. Same rate, fewer hours: you pay less without having to ask for discounts.
6. Provide source documents in a convenient format.
Editable format is better than non-editable. A .doc file is better than a .ppt file which, in turn, is better than a .jpg. A Word file with simple formatting is at one end of the scale, a faxed and scanned handwritten note is at the other. We will usually accept any common format, but the more headache, the higher the price.
7. Be nice.
That is the single most important thing to do. We freelancers are all-in-one: we talk with you, we do the job, we make decisions. Make it a joy to have you around, and we will try hard to provide you with a variety of incentives to stay with us. Make it a pain, and we will want compensation. You know you don’t want to do it to yourself.
While we are at that, here are a few other things you don’t want to do. Please do us all a favor: avoid them. We hate them for a reason.
1. Volume discounts
Volume discounts are what you get where mass production is involved. It costs relatively much to set up a machine, but once that is done, the marginal cost of each additional unit is small. Therefore, the more is produced, the less each unit costs.
Translators don’t operate that way. It takes us double the time to translate double the amount. Each unit costs as much as the first. There is simply nothing to justify volume discounts in translation.
2. Trados discounts
If you don’t know what Trados is, skip this. If you do, you probably also know that it is an expensive toy. We invest in it to ensure consistency, especially in projects where more than one translator is involved. In other words, you as a client already benefit from the investment your translator made. If you think we should be paid less because we bought a pricey tool that lets us provide you with better results, you really have a lot of persuading to do here.
3. “Please quote your best price.”
I tend to give clients the benefit of the doubt and assume this phrase means nothing but “please tell us how much this is going to cost.” That makes me minority though: fellow translators typically believe it means “please offer us a discount.” If you think about it this way, it’s insulting indeed: it’s our first contact, and you already think my services should be cheaper than they are? Why on earth?
The problem is easy to solve: rephrase the query. Imagine yourself on the receiving end. How would you like to be approached? Try respect. Lack thereof will not result in savings anyway.
Have other suggestions? Join the conversation on Twitter. Let me know by Skype (ID: nad_vega). Drop me an e-mail. Let’s talk!