| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you accept assignments if the rate offered is lower than your usual rates? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Michal Surmař 
Czech Republic
Local time: 02:52
Member (2010)
English to Czech
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| Here we go :-) ... | Feb 14, 2012 |
... I think that too many translators are willing to work for slave rates and, in addition, they complain about the "state of the translation business" .
| | | | Textklick
Local time: 01:52
German to English
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In memoriam | Response to a mail today from an LSP | Feb 14, 2012 |
(He is a nice professional guy I have worked with, but somehow seems to have me down as a greedy, grasping thug).
"Dear LSP,
In my opinion, having worked for an LSP and as a freelancer for many years, rates are simply stagnant in our profession because everybody is so scared of charging for really adding value to a project.
Are prices stagnant for groceries, for cars, for real estate, for accountants, for attorneys?
You also say "particu... See more (He is a nice professional guy I have worked with, but somehow seems to have me down as a greedy, grasping thug).
"Dear LSP,
In my opinion, having worked for an LSP and as a freelancer for many years, rates are simply stagnant in our profession because everybody is so scared of charging for really adding value to a project.
Are prices stagnant for groceries, for cars, for real estate, for accountants, for attorneys?
You also say "particularly not with this amount". Unclear there, I'm afraid... (http://www.nakedtranslations.com/en/2007/volume-discounts-on-large-translation-projects).
It will be nice to cooperate again, but please understand that you would have to learn how to positively market the benefit to your clients in order to be able to charge enough to make a profit.
Either that, use an LSP in e.g. Pune or go for MT. Especially recommended for marketing material. 
Best," ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Sorry, but retailers set the rates | Feb 15, 2012 |
Interlangue wrote:
Do you "offer" your baker "a rate" when you go buy bread? Do you quote a rate for your doctor when you need him?
In my world, the provider sets rates and prices, not the client!
I see your point, but there is another way to look at this if you look at the baker being a translation agency.
You go to your baker and the baker has set the rate for the bread. There are lots of people selling bread. To attract custom, many compete on price.
How do they still make a profit (ignoring the fact that staples such as bread are sometimes sold at a loss to attract customers into a store, though this is illegal in some countries)?
Retailers squeeze their suppliers. The big supermarkets are notorious for leaving the farmers and producers very little of the profit.
Sorry, but we are the suppliers, not the retailers.
Some bakers will make the quality of their bread a selling point to justify higher prices. They will want suppliers who meet their quality standards and perhaps have prestigious logos to put on their packaging.
In our industry, things are slightly different in that the retailers will negotiate with their customers. It is like the customer in the bakers saying, "Your bread is too expensive, it's 10% cheaper down the road". Or, "I'll be a regular customer if you accept this much per loaf."
If the retailer accepts a cut-price deal, they then have to find suppliers willing to fulfill it.
Like any suppliers, we have the choice of accepting the retailer's rates, looking for other retailers, setting up as retailers ourselves or trying to market direct.
We can also try to educate retailers and encourage them to educate their customers to pay for quality, but there will always be a cut-price market.
We can also accumulate logos to be able to work for the prestigious retailers.
Of course, we can also refuse the price offered, and insist on our rate. But we may hear the baker saying sadly, "Sorry your loaf wouldn't sell at that price so I'm cancelling my order."
[Edited at 2012-02-15 11:16 GMT]
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