Yesterday’s post was about publishing fees on your website. I’ve had my say, now it’s your turn. Take our poll and let us know what you think! (Or — especially if you select “Other” — tell us in the comments).
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By Marian Dougan
Today I attended my first ever coffee morning, a virtual one organised by the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI). I was asked by Ann
Don’t worry, I don’t plan to write many posts about the COVID-19 crisis, but I thought I’d take a look at the words we’re using
I had a nice surprise the other day, but a surprise that made me feel a bit sheepish. I discovered that Luke Spear had included
First of all, apologies for posting something political, especially after an absence of more than a year (which I’ll explain in a later post). But I
3 Responses
Hello Marian,
I absolutely share your views about “Price” sections on translators’ websites that do not really say anything, or at least contain the same truisms as anyone else’s site. It must be irritating for a prospective client expecting actual information on rates.
Which is why I expressly stated my rates when I started out two years ago – five price levels depending on the overall complexity of the job, taking all factors into account, plus one “super” level without price capping for extremely tough jobs. I explained all factors that went into pricing and gave examples. I even invited prospective clients to tell me what they thought the price level for their text should be and that I would then consider and accept it or suggest a different level. My hope was that we would then start to talk about the difficulty of the text and its job requirements, shifting away from a price-centred discussion.
What can I say, maybe it was because it was early days for me as a freelancer, but I caved in after a few months with almost no response and took that whole price system down. I was just afraid clients with no idea about what a professional translation costs would be put off by my rates before even contacting me and land with competitors who might charge just as much without giving their rates away on their sites. Nowadays, I am ashamed to say, I have a rather uninformative ‘Price’ section like (almost) everyone else.
Now that I am somewhat better established in the business, I might give that concept another try, though.
Regards,
Alexander
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Alexander. Have you noticed any difference in business since you removed your prices from your site?
I gained a few good clients during the months after taking the price information down, but that may just as well have been a coincidence. After all, you never get to ask those who just have a quick glance at your site and then leave about their motives. Plus, I started out as a freelancer in the middle of recession, which was certainly the major factor for the slow start.
The more I think about it, the more I feel sure that these dire first months were not really due to my naming rates. If anything, it can help keep cheapskates away.
Regards