Recently, the e-mail list of our local translators association erupted with posts on the topic of rush charges, and I’m assuming that the level of interest on this topic isn’t restricted to translators in Colorado. I was really intrigued by the variety of ways in which people handle rush jobs; some charge as much as 100% extra while others don’t charge extra at all; some people apply rush charges to all of their clients while others waive rush charges for repeat clients; some consider rush jobs to be anything requiring more than 2,500 words of translation per day while others charge rush for anything due in less than 24 hours.
There are a few issues underlying the question of rush charges:
- What constitutes rush? Is a rush assignment one that requires the translator to translate more than x number of words per day (and if so, is x 1,500 words, 2,500 words, 3,000 words or something else entirely…)? Or is a rush assignment one that requires the translator to rearrange his or her schedule in order to meet the deadline? Or is a rush assignment anything that has to be turned around in less than 24 hours?
- Is there a difference between rush and overtime? When we receive a rush assignment, do we really translate faster or do we just work longer hours?
- What kind of rush charge should a translator levy? Some sort of minor inconvenience surcharge like 10% or something cataclysmic like 100%? And if many workers who are paid by the unit (normally the hour) get at least time and a half for overtime, why not translators? Should the rush charge be applied to the whole project, or only to the portion that requires the translator to work extra?
Obviously, few of these questions have hard and fast answers, but it’s interesting to find out what other people’s pricing methods are. In addition, most people admitted that subjective factors (someone mentioned “tone of desperation in the client’s voice”) enter into the rush charge equation as well. In my own case, I try to avoid nickel and diming regular clients with rush charges when the job in question is a short one. If a regular client calls me and needs a few hundred words by the end of the day, I try to squeeze it in without charging extra. On the other hand, if an infrequent client or a new client calls and needs a big project done on a rush basis, I quote at least 50% more than my regular rate and often refer to it as “time and a half” to put it in perspective.
I’ll also go on the record as saying that I really dislike rush work. Everything about it, from the need to respond with a yes/no and a firm quote immediately to the pressure of having to skip steps in my normal research and QA process, stresses me out. However, rush jobs are in some ways unavoidable. Many times, clients don’t want to have their things translated on a rush basis but there’s no way to avoid it. In addition, a rush job that I do at 50%+ more than my normal rate can be a good way to work a few hours in the evening and take the next day off. Any other thoughts on the rush rate world?
I rarely charge a rush rate. Most of my clients want translations “as soon as possible” and if the texts are small and I can fit them in I generally do without complaining. It seems to have become business as usual. However, most of my clients also have reasonable requests. If I can’t translate what is being requested within the time frame I simply turn them down or negotiate for an extended deadline. That said, I have on occasion charged a rush rate – or argued for one when I wanted a longer deadline. Weekend rates, on the other hand, are a whole different story…
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Good points/food for thought on rush charges. We are huge proponents of charging rush rates, and define them several ways. First, if we have to stay up all night or get a project on a Friday due on a Monday = rush rate. If we have to move around existing projects/cancel pre-scheduled meetings, etc., we charge a rush rate, which is 100%. Most clients have been completely understanding that it costs more to have a project back in 24 hours than in 72 hours, and are happy that we are willing to take it on. That said, we are with Corinne: we think extreme rush work is, in general, negatively correlated to the quality of the translation, even if you are as obsessive about details as we are — with less time, there is more room for error.
And agreed — even the State Department and any government agency charges rush rates if you want your visa quicker (been there, done that) your marriage certificate expedited, your business license issued sooner, etc. — I think it is very reasonable and appropiate that we charge rush fees if we have to work through the night. It’s a professional service, and all professional services are more expensive with extreme time pressure. As a general rule, we accept rush projects almost exclusively from repeat customers whom we know well (and are familiar with their subject matters). Unfortunately, rush rates oftentimes set you up for failure, because no matter how much the client insists that this is important and has to happen ASAP, if there’s a problem with the final product, it will reflect negatively on the linguist — even if the linguist worked extreme magic to get it done, drank 10 Red Bulls and worked until 4 a.m.
We have a clear definition of what a rush job is in our rates sheet: “Rush / weekend surcharge: from + 30% to +50% of our base rates, depending on the project. Rush: more than 2500 words of translation, or 7500 words of editing or 10,000 words of proofreading per person, per day.
Weekend: any project that needs to be done on Saturday, Sunday or other holiday.”
Now “needs to be done” for me means something like a project that arrives on Friday and needs to be delivered on Monday morning… not something the customer gives to me with a reasonable deadline and that I end up doing over the weekend because I had taken on too much work.
Are this surcharges comparable to the overtime in other industries? Thanks!
Good post!
Judy made a couple good points: if you have to put work from other clients on the back burner, their should be a premium for jumping in line. Although 100% seems extreme and I, as an agency would look elsewhere.
Also her point of being set up for failure is true. While a translator hopes to be the hero by taking on 10,000 words for the following day, those conditions are less than optimal and — even though the PM you’re dealing with may appreciate it (because let’s face it, PMs often just want the pain to stop) — somewhere down the line, the document will still have to stand on its own merits and the end client, not realizing the work that went into it, may voice a complaint.
Rush charges make sense, but I think between 25 and 50% is the max because the agency hopes to make an extra margin on the job too and may have to avoid the translator who would erase that margin.
I just came by your blog because of searching on google and clarifying the usage and definition about “rush fee” and “expedite charge.” Thanks for sharing, Corrine and the after-followers.
I am a sales, not a translator obviously, not sure if I found answers here. What I am looking is, e.g. if something its lead time takes 6 weeks, then if client asks to shorten lead time let’s say 3 weeks, if this kind of request is offered and supposed to get pay, in what name shall I call, I mean the kind of charge? Or formal/popular title for it?
I’ve never successfully gotten any client to ever pay a rush fee. They just go somewhere else.
We regularly ask for and get 25% rush fees. Because our schedule is pretty full most of the time and we stick to deadlines, our rules have to be pretty strict. A rush for us is:
Over 500 words in less than 24 hours.
Over 2000 words in less than 48 hours.
Over 1500 words per regular work day for larger projects.
We may choose to wave the rush fee (and often do) if we truly have time available and no other clients waiting for work already in the mill. But generally, we already have at least 1000 to 2000 words/translator already on the schedule for the next 2 to 3 regular work days if not the next 2 to 3 weeks. As you might guess, we still end up working extra hours when business is booming: we prefer extra work and extra income to turning away or losing clients.
It is impressive how rapidly our regular clients start getting organized and give us ample lead time, though. Sometimes they know a big project is coming up but they also know that the deadlines will be tight. If they notify us ahead of time about when the project will be coming, we put it on the calendar as if it was in hand, and can juggle other work around it to minimize the overtime we have to work. And, of course, they don’t get charged rush fees.
I consider this system to be similar to working with the contractors doing our house renovations. We booked the general contractor in January for work that will not start until May. He gave us a pretty nice bid. But if I call a plumber at 10 p.m. for a burst pipe, I fully expect to get slapped with whatever emergency rate he or she chooses to charge me. Whatever it is will be less than paying for repairs due to water damage. Likewise, I think our translation clients understand that getting their website up or their employee manual in three languages should not be a rush situation, but urgent correspondence or contract proposals cannot wait and paying for a rush translation is much less costly than the consequences of missed opportunities.
I imagine you’ll be getting more comments because of the discussion going on at ProZ about rates in general. I’ll be interested to see what people have to say!
I rarely ask for rush fees, unless it is really something that forces me to do perform a serious additional effort, such as staying up the whole night. If I can perform the work without some extraordinary effort, I do not charge anything extra.
Regular customers will not pay a rush fee, even if I have to stay up overnight, unless it becomes a habit. In those cases I charge up to 50% of “rush fees”. They very quickly realize that a “rush job” should be only requested when it is really a rush job, as it will cost them a lot of money!
IMHO, “rush” means doing more work than what you usually do – for example, as somebody points out, having to stay overnight. I usually charge 25% rush rate, though on an exceptional basis (say a good client) I may waive the rush rate.
Corinne, I am with you. I hate rushing any type of writing, especially translation. I worked closely with a translator while living in Berlin. And a rush typically leads to reduced quality – unless the person truly has industry specific knowledge. Otherwise the translation can sound corny.
We hardly ever are able to get people to actually pay for a rush fee. We would use it as a way to leverage a discount for them or compromise on price since we know they probably won’t pay anyway.
I agree with Riccardo. Weekend work definitely has to be considered a rush.
Thank you all for your comments, I think 50% is fair for everyone.
I just love rush work and rush rates! They are typically +100%, sometimes +50%, depending on the amount of RUSH and the projetct budget. And it does never due diligence. This only means a longer working day, or night… No problem here 😀