Surprised over low rates/word - some languages.

[John Norgaard <john -dot- pmail -at- GET2NET -dot- DK>]

I must say that I am a bit surprised over the low rates that some offers
for translation work. Some translators have needed assistance to finish
their word and offers rates as low as us$0.04 per word. Isn't that
extremely low? Or is it because that there are so many translators
(competitors) for some languages?

I generally view my rates for Eng => Danish translations to be in the lower
end - us$0.12 to us$0.20 per word. A fellow translator in our neighbour
city (englishman) often receives offers with rates from us$0.06 to us$0.08,
but he rejects them and will only accept a minimum at us$0.15 per word for
his translations from English into Danish.

As I has understod it, translation is not a mass-market product, but a
product that is different and 'custom designed' time after time. Why is it
then, that someone accepts these low rates. Isn't it a responsibility for
each translator not to accept extreme low rate offers. If they do, they
contribute to lower (discount/sell out) rates in the field in general?

Please let me have some comments on the level of the rates in the
translation field.

Best regards

John

----------------------------------------------------------------------
John Norgaard
Freelance Translator
john -dot- pmail -at- get2net -dot- dk
http://www.3w-shop.com/nortrans/index.html
Eng <=> Danish. Technical/non-technical
Computing: books, manuals, doumentation.
Software localization: convertion of all dia-
log boxes, menu text, help and ressource
files, graphics, icons, screenshots etc.
Web page translation.
Commercial: Books, sales, marketing materials
----------------------------------------------------------------------