Poll: How much have you increased your rates over the last two years? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How much have you increased your rates over the last two years?".
This poll was originally submitted by Murat Söker. View the poll results »
| | | | | To much competition | Apr 19, 2023 |
If fact, I have lowered them because I had stroke and take longer to what I used to do.
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I haven’t touched the rates I charge to my long-standing customers, but I've raised my rates to new clients on a project basis (in general 20%, occasionally over 50%)…
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I don't go by percentages.
About every second/third year I raise my rates with one cent / eurocent
And that's what I did at the beginning of 2023.
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:07
Spanish to English
+ ...
I haven't increased my translation rates.
However, I raised my rate from 3 euros cents per word to 0, 035/wd for text revisions/improvement (or proofreading, if you like, but I don't really want to get into debates over definitions). I'll probably raise it to 4 cents in the next year or so, depending on how things develop.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:07
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Haven't been able | Apr 19, 2023 |
In a market (and a language pair) where all the pressure is downwards, I haven't been able to increase my rates but I most certainly have not reduced them.
Generally, I'm holding my rate steady and refusing all work that pays less - although now and again if a job particularly interests me and I'm feeling altruistic, I sometimes translate for a much lower rate. But not often.
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I normally bung my word rate up by a penny and my hourly rate up by a fiver every year or two.
Using the magic of mathematics, that can be converted into a percentage.
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
If fact, I have lowered them because I had stroke and take longer to what I used to do.
Hope you're making good progress, Muriel!
| | | | | Other approach | Apr 19, 2023 |
I didn't increase or decrease my rates as such, but the current situation on the translator market made me more flexible. So, in some cases I am willing to work under my standard rate, depending on my workflow and the job in question.
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| I have and I haven't | Apr 19, 2023 |
I currently work with about 30 clients a year (over the past 12 months, 29 direct, 1 agency), and expect about 4 or 5 new clients each year. The new clients pay between 0% and 30% more than my minimum. Some long-established clients have a fixed rate (i.e. based on the number of keystrokes or words) and those rates haven't changed in about ten years or so. Experience, Internet resources and my own personal glossaries mean that my hourly output has gone up about 70% (I'm guessing - I'd have to go ... See more I currently work with about 30 clients a year (over the past 12 months, 29 direct, 1 agency), and expect about 4 or 5 new clients each year. The new clients pay between 0% and 30% more than my minimum. Some long-established clients have a fixed rate (i.e. based on the number of keystrokes or words) and those rates haven't changed in about ten years or so. Experience, Internet resources and my own personal glossaries mean that my hourly output has gone up about 70% (I'm guessing - I'd have to go an look at my data) during that period.
Others have a per-job rate, which depends on the difficulty, the deadline, how busy I am at the time, and so on. There's no per-word or per-page rate. If I could, I'd naturally adopt this model with all my clients. Most of these have tended to go down a little bit, because they're generally paying above market rates and I want to keep them. Also, I don't give discounts for repetitions and sometimes it doesn't seem fair to make too much money out of them. The more I work with them the more repetitions there will be. For some, though, the rate has gone up even quite dramatically, when I see that cost is not the client's real problem (and it often isn't - something that some colleagues of ours seem to forget at times).
All in all, I've no idea if my rates have gone up or down over the past two years, but I do know that my productivity, in terms of euros per hour, has gone up. Which is all that matters. Has it kept in line with inflation? Yes, I think so, but I haven't got precise data. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney 
France
Local time: 23:07
French to English
I have and I haven't too (or would that be "either"?)
My basic translation rate hasn't gone up, but my hourly rate has, because I realised that I could earn more translating than whatever I was doing for an hourly rate. Now, my hourly rate reflects what I would earn translating during that time.
I have also increased my rate for clients who are stressed out and want everything yesterday. For these people I don't bother specifying a per-word rate, so I calculate accordi... See more I have and I haven't too (or would that be "either"?)
My basic translation rate hasn't gone up, but my hourly rate has, because I realised that I could earn more translating than whatever I was doing for an hourly rate. Now, my hourly rate reflects what I would earn translating during that time.
I have also increased my rate for clients who are stressed out and want everything yesterday. For these people I don't bother specifying a per-word rate, so I calculate according to my emergency rate then round it up and give them a flat rate, it's quicker and easier for them to grasp that way.
I also introduced a second emergency rate. I always used to add on 25% and wanted to increase that. I toyed with 30 or 40% but realised I would have trouble calculating that in my head.
So now I have two emergency rates: 25% for an emergency that I can fit into the normal course of the day, and 50% extra for when I have to work later or get up earlier or eat lunch while I work. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 23:07
French to English
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
If fact, I have lowered them because I had stroke and take longer to what I used to do.
That's really tough Muriel, I'm sending comfort vibes your way.
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Simon Turner wrote:
All in all, I've no idea if my rates have gone up or down over the past two years, but I do know that my productivity, in terms of euros per hour, has gone up. Which is all that matters. Has it kept in line with inflation? Yes, I think so, but I haven't got precise data.
How can you separate "rate" and "euros per hour"?
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| Not increasing is the same as decreasing | Apr 22, 2023 |
Tom in London wrote:
In a market (and a language pair) where all the pressure is downwards, I haven't been able to increase my rates but I most certainly have not reduced them.
Generally, I'm holding my rate steady and refusing all work that pays less - although now and again if a job particularly interests me and I'm feeling altruistic, I sometimes translate for a much lower rate. But not often.
In January I increased the rate I charge agencies by a euro cent, which in my case is less than 1%. However anyone who hasn't increased their rates has actually decreased them because our expenses have gone up.
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