Pages in topic:   < [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9] >
[Subtitling Rates] per minute rates
Thread poster: The LT>EN Guy
jbjb
jbjb  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 11:29
Estonian to English
+ ...
Ridiculous for Germany Nov 5, 2015

Yes, ridiculous for the EN-DE language pair. The rate might work for the cheapest Eastern European countries or in some countries in Africa and Asia but not in Germany.

 
nicovolli
nicovolli
Vietnam
Local time: 16:29
English to German
+ ...
My honest reply to the company offering 1$ for caption and 2$ for translation Nov 12, 2015

"Email quote"
Dear ******,

I really like the idea to work for a non profit organisation.
Would you mind telling me which organisation we are talking about? I would do it for free for them actually, if directly working with them.
In regards to your pricing, here is a go
... See more
"Email quote"
Dear ******,

I really like the idea to work for a non profit organisation.
Would you mind telling me which organisation we are talking about? I would do it for free for them actually, if directly working with them.
In regards to your pricing, here is a good read for you.
http://www.proz.com/forum/subtitling/52756-[subtitling_rates]_per_minute_rates.html

Thank you in advance for the contact and best regards,
Nico
"End quote"

The company:
Universal Language Solutions Ltd.
Collapse


 
agusmango
agusmango
Argentina
Local time: 06:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
Is 3 euros/min to translate an already "spotted" script too low? Jan 7, 2016

Hi guys,
Just landed here as a first timer. I'm from Argentina (Spa-Eng) I applied for a job with a French company, and passed their first testing. After that they basically train you to use their own software, and once you "pass" that, what they do is that they send you a script with the spotting already done.

"You just open the software, load the video and the SSTX file we sent for you to type your subtitle in English."

They offer 3 euros/min. For what I've bee
... See more
Hi guys,
Just landed here as a first timer. I'm from Argentina (Spa-Eng) I applied for a job with a French company, and passed their first testing. After that they basically train you to use their own software, and once you "pass" that, what they do is that they send you a script with the spotting already done.

"You just open the software, load the video and the SSTX file we sent for you to type your subtitle in English."

They offer 3 euros/min. For what I've been reading here, that's kind of low, but not sure if its "unacceptable low" or just "we're-a-big-company-so-take-it-or-leave-it low".

What do you think? I could really use some orientation here.
Collapse


 
jbjb
jbjb  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 11:29
Estonian to English
+ ...
into English Jan 12, 2016

3 euros would be on the low side but sort of okay for Eng-Spa.
Spa-Eng... maybe OK if it's a children's animation or a telenovela but an idiomatic and researched translation into English should pay a lot more.
Of course it also depends what it would be used for. Some companies might do an in-house English translation that would be used for translating into other languages. In that case you would just be required to deliver the meaning and not worry too much about grammar or colloquia
... See more
3 euros would be on the low side but sort of okay for Eng-Spa.
Spa-Eng... maybe OK if it's a children's animation or a telenovela but an idiomatic and researched translation into English should pay a lot more.
Of course it also depends what it would be used for. Some companies might do an in-house English translation that would be used for translating into other languages. In that case you would just be required to deliver the meaning and not worry too much about grammar or colloquialisms. EUR 3 might be ok for something like that.
Collapse


 
Sylvano
Sylvano
Local time: 10:29
English to French
Maybe you have to ask YOURSELF the question Jan 12, 2016

agusmango wrote:
They offer 3 euros/min. For what I've been reading here, that's kind of low, but not sure if its "unacceptable low" or just "we're-a-big-company-so-take-it-or-leave-it low".

What do you think? I could really use some orientation here.


Objectively, 3€ per minute is way too low/the lowest rate you'll get in France. But just do the maths for yourself, asking you these : Am I a confirmed subtitler ? How fast can I work ? Can I make a living in France (or in Argentina) earning 66€ gross (i.e. 60€ if you're paid in droits d'auteur) for a 22 minutes series episode ? As you say, it'll probably be a take or leave it situation, but will you be able to live with that ?

[Edited at 2016-01-12 12:57 GMT]

[Edited at 2016-01-12 12:59 GMT]


 
Irina MacRae
Irina MacRae  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:29
English to Russian
Aug 27, 2016

Ok, guys, I too received an offer for subtitling with the following rates:
· Translation: $ 1.75 USD per minute of runtime
· Proofreading: $ 0.30 USD per minute of runtime
My language pair is English-Russian, not the most uncommon lol
I never did that before but from I've read above it looks like I shouldn't even try for that much money, right?
If that matters I live in the US.

[Edited at 2016-08-28 01:36 GMT]

[Edited at 2016-08-
... See more
Ok, guys, I too received an offer for subtitling with the following rates:
· Translation: $ 1.75 USD per minute of runtime
· Proofreading: $ 0.30 USD per minute of runtime
My language pair is English-Russian, not the most uncommon lol
I never did that before but from I've read above it looks like I shouldn't even try for that much money, right?
If that matters I live in the US.

[Edited at 2016-08-28 01:36 GMT]

[Edited at 2016-08-28 01:36 GMT]
Collapse


 
Bernhard Sulzer
Bernhard Sulzer  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:29
English to German
+ ...
Don't do it Aug 28, 2016

Irina MacRae wrote:

Ok, guys, I too received an offer for subtitling with the following rates:
· Translation: $ 1.75 USD per minute of runtime
· Proofreading: $ 0.30 USD per minute of runtime
My language pair is English-Russian, not the most uncommon lol
I never did that before but from I've read above it looks like I shouldn't even try for that much money, right?
If that matters I live in the US.

[Edited at 2016-08-28 01:36 GMT]

[Edited at 2016-08-28 01:36 GMT]


Hi Irina.
You're right. You shouldn't do it.
The price should really be based on you watching the videos so you are aware of the volume of spoken words that you are supposed to work with = listen to while watching, translating and writing down. Also, are you asked to use specific software?

Many people argue that the "market" pays such and such for this service ( = a pittance) and that's how it is.
Well, even if that were the case, I would never do that. It's pure exploitation.
On the other hand, I have done subtitling work and I determined the price, and it took into account the actual work involved. Just like for any other project of mine. I am flexible with pricing but if something is obviously ridiculous, there's only one way to go: Don't do it!

PS: Because you mentioned that you've never done this type of work. There is more that goes into subtitling than simply translating and writing down what someone says on screen. It's more than "just" translating. And still, there are people that think it's okay to make much "less" money for doing that than for "just" translating. Go figure.

[Edited at 2016-08-28 16:11 GMT]


 
Bernhard Sulzer
Bernhard Sulzer  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:29
English to German
+ ...
Per video minute Aug 28, 2016

agusmango wrote:

Hi guys,
Just landed here as a first timer. I'm from Argentina (Spa-Eng) I applied for a job with a French company, and passed their first testing. After that they basically train you to use their own software, and once you "pass" that, what they do is that they send you a script with the spotting already done.

"You just open the software, load the video and the SSTX file we sent for you to type your subtitle in English."

They offer 3 euros/min. For what I've been reading here, that's kind of low, but not sure if its "unacceptable low" or just "we're-a-big-company-so-take-it-or-leave-it low".

What do you think? I could really use some orientation here.


You are aware that they mean 3 euros per video minute, right? Now calculate how much work you have to invest in each of these video minutes. Then see what 3 euros per video minute really means.

[Edited at 2016-08-28 16:19 GMT]


 
Andriy Bublikov
Andriy Bublikov  Identity Verified
Ukraine
Local time: 11:29
French to Russian
+ ...

Moderator of this forum
Rate per 1-minute runtime video Aug 28, 2016

If the rate per 1-minute runtime video (transcription + translation) is $ 1.75 USD that means that, the rate of ordinary translation is 0,007 USD per word.

For me, there is correlation: transcription + translation rate = 2, 50 (EUR or $ or UAH) per minute video means ordinary translation rate is 0.01 (EUR or $ or UAH) and so on….
If translator’s rate is 0.10 (EUR or $ or UAH) per word, the rate per 1
... See more
If the rate per 1-minute runtime video (transcription + translation) is $ 1.75 USD that means that, the rate of ordinary translation is 0,007 USD per word.

For me, there is correlation: transcription + translation rate = 2, 50 (EUR or $ or UAH) per minute video means ordinary translation rate is 0.01 (EUR or $ or UAH) and so on….
If translator’s rate is 0.10 (EUR or $ or UAH) per word, the rate per 1 minute runtime video (transcription + translation) should be 25.00 (EUR or $ or UAH).

It is up to you accept or do not accept agency rates.

There are a lot of interesting correlations rate between ordinary translation rates and audiovisual translation (subtitle translation, transcription, voice-over), proofreading, per hour work (editing)/ interpreting rates. 
Collapse


 
Jamasian
Jamasian
United States
Chinese to English
+ ...
Feels Like I've Been Had Aug 30, 2016

I'm so sad to only see this forum today. Last month I was offered $2.50/MOV from a well known agency. I would like to blame desperation due to moving in a foreign country, but I have done volunteer subtitles for a few years when I was language learning and I already knew an hour drama meant 8 hours of work. I will triple check the forums before working from now on.

I'm going to say we need to remember whether or not we are freelancing or an employee. Why oh why did I forget this?


 
Klaus Baumann
Klaus Baumann
Denmark
Local time: 10:29
German to English
+ ...
Equal to 200 words Sep 1, 2016

that's how I calculate the rate per min

 
Paulette Romero
Paulette Romero  Identity Verified
Colombia
Local time: 04:29
English to Spanish
+ ...
Newbie... Sep 3, 2016

I'm a newbie to subtitling, I've only been doing it for about 3 months now and the agency that I started working with in Spain pays low: €2.40 per video minute (no sincro/time cueing) BUT... and this is something I haven't seen anyone mention... I'm doing it to gain experience. Perhaps some of you have been lucky and gotten your first subtitling job paying you €5 right off the bat but I doubt an agency will hire me for that amount without any experience. At least for me, the idea is to gain ... See more
I'm a newbie to subtitling, I've only been doing it for about 3 months now and the agency that I started working with in Spain pays low: €2.40 per video minute (no sincro/time cueing) BUT... and this is something I haven't seen anyone mention... I'm doing it to gain experience. Perhaps some of you have been lucky and gotten your first subtitling job paying you €5 right off the bat but I doubt an agency will hire me for that amount without any experience. At least for me, the idea is to gain experience so that perhaps in a year I'll be able to promote myself to agencies that do pay fairer rates. We all have to start somewhere and this is my starting off point as a subtitler.

It's like graduating college... usually you don't get a high paying job right out of university. Normally you start at the bottom and work your way to the top. Well I see working as a subtitler the same way. I have to start at the bottom and work my way up to higher rates through experience.
Collapse


 
Bernhard Sulzer
Bernhard Sulzer  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:29
English to German
+ ...
Enabling cheap outsourcers Sep 4, 2016

Paulette Romero wrote:

I'm a newbie to subtitling, I've only been doing it for about 3 months now and the agency that I started working with in Spain pays low: €2.40 per video minute (no sincro/time cueing) BUT... and this is something I haven't seen anyone mention... I'm doing it to gain experience. Perhaps some of you have been lucky and gotten your first subtitling job paying you €5 right off the bat but I doubt an agency will hire me for that amount without any experience. At least for me, the idea is to gain experience so that perhaps in a year I'll be able to promote myself to agencies that do pay fairer rates. We all have to start somewhere and this is my starting off point as a subtitler.

It's like graduating college... usually you don't get a high paying job right out of university. Normally you start at the bottom and work your way to the top. Well I see working as a subtitler the same way. I have to start at the bottom and work my way up to higher rates through experience.


You are just enabling cheap outsourcers and letting them exploit you. If you provide accurate translations in this field, you need to charge a professional rate.


Julio Marquez
Sonja Swenson
 
BlanKspaCe
BlanKspaCe  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:29
English to French
Another newbie as well Sep 4, 2016

Hi everyone!
I am also an absolute newbie in subtitling and on this forum.
I have been doing translation/transcription work (mainly from English to French) for a bit more than 2 years but it was usually as volunteer work for church, friends and friends of friends. I've recently started to charge for my translation work though, $0.08/word, as I graduated and started to look for a job.
So I happen to have applied for a new translation job and they are asking me my rates for subti
... See more
Hi everyone!
I am also an absolute newbie in subtitling and on this forum.
I have been doing translation/transcription work (mainly from English to French) for a bit more than 2 years but it was usually as volunteer work for church, friends and friends of friends. I've recently started to charge for my translation work though, $0.08/word, as I graduated and started to look for a job.
So I happen to have applied for a new translation job and they are asking me my rates for subtitling with and without script. As I have zero experience in this field, which I plan to tell them clearly anyway, I was wondering about what could be an appropriate rate for me to charge? What about transcription?
Also what is the average turnaround for a 30-45 mn video? I have never done it but from my transcription work, I think it would take me between 6 and 8 hours so a day?
Thank you so much in advance for your guidance!

[Edited at 2016-09-04 13:49 GMT]

[Edited at 2016-09-05 07:28 GMT]
Collapse


 
jbjb
jbjb  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 11:29
Estonian to English
+ ...
charge +50% Sep 4, 2016

Charge +50% for "no script". There's no need for transcription, when you don't have a script, you translate by ear. You wouldn't first transcribe the text and then translate it. It's like an interpreter saying that sorry, I have to type what you are saying first and then perform a written translation
There's no answer to your question for a turnaround time, it depends on the source material and your proficiency. What is the
... See more
Charge +50% for "no script". There's no need for transcription, when you don't have a script, you translate by ear. You wouldn't first transcribe the text and then translate it. It's like an interpreter saying that sorry, I have to type what you are saying first and then perform a written translation
There's no answer to your question for a turnaround time, it depends on the source material and your proficiency. What is the turnaround time for 1 page of text for a person who hasn't used TRADOS before and for a proficient user? Can be 6 hours for the newbie and 15 minutes for the professional. But nobody pays the newbie 20 times more because he is slow.
A proficient translator can do a 45-minute video in 3-8 hours, depending on the material. For a beginner, it can take 8-24 hours. As the rate is the same, you can expect your first subtiling jobs to be below minimum wage when you calculate working time. It will take months of regular jobs for your speed to improve, until the work becomes feasible.
The rate for English-French depends on the client. Major international companies are trying to cut the rate for all languages, including French, to USD 3 per minute, in France the trade unions suggest up to EUR 10-15 per minute.
Collapse


 
Pages in topic:   < [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

[Subtitling Rates] per minute rates







Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »
Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »