A reader asks: Should I post my translation rates on my website? I feel like this could discourage some of the low-balling clients I don’t want to work with, but I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do. Let’s take a look!
Why might you WANT to post your rates?
Posting your rates has a few advantages:
- If potential clients look at your posted rates, they have some idea what you charge. Your posted rates might not align exactly with what that client needs, but they might help answer the question, “Is this translator in my budget?”
- Posted rates can dissuade “tire-kickers”–potential clients who take up a lot of your time preparing a complicated quote, then don’t turn out to be serious about their project
- Many translators fantasize that posting their rates will free them from negotiation–a process that many freelancers find excruciating. This may or may not be a valid reason to post your rates (more below)
Why might you NOT want to post your rates?
Well, a bunch of reasons:
- Once you post your rates, it’s hard to charge more than what you’ve posted. A potential client may be thrilled if you charge less than what you’ve posted, but they may (somewhat understandably) feel a bait-and-switch coming if you charge more
- Posted rates lock you in; either you have to post a rate for every single factor in a project that might cause you to charge more (rush, complicated formatting, PDFs, documents requiring a lot of research, handwritten documents, and so on), or you have to explain to the potential client why you’re not charging the posted rate
- Posted rates don’t necessarily help clients–especially direct clients who may not know much about translation–answer the all-important question, “How much is it going to cost me to get this thing translated?” Even if you say that you charge per word, many clients still won’t understand what that means; you’ll get questions (as I once did) like, “Do you charge for the little words?”
- In my experience, most clients will still contact you for a quote. To be honest, I have direct clients who I charge by the word at a per-word price that we agree on for the entire year, and they still e-mail me their files and ask how much it’s going to cost to translate them. So I’m skeptical that listing your per-word rate will result in fewer requests for custom quotes.
- Posting your rates closes off the best option for raising your rates, which is to try a higher rate with a new client when you’re already busy. If the new client saw the rate on your website, that’s what they’re going to expect.
Situations in which it’s helpful to post your rates
I think it’s almost never helpful to post your rates, for the reasons mentioned above. The only exception is a service for which you always charge the same thing, no questions asked: like X to translate a one-page official document, or X for a full-day conference interpreting assignment. If you never deviate from that price, go ahead and post it. For services like official document translation, posting your rates can streamline the process, so that you have as little unbillable time as possible, which is a good thing.
I feel torn here, because I’m a fan of rate transparency–I will tell pretty much any other translator what I charge, but I’m hesitant to post my rates on my website, mainly because every project–even a one-page birth certificate–is so different that I don’t like being locked in.
Situations in which you shouldn’t post your rates
If you want the flexibility to charge different rates to different clients, or different rates on different projects, don’t post your rates. It locks you in, and it’s unlikely to free you from having to issue custom quotes, at least to new clients.
Readers, over to you: any thoughts on posting or not posting your rates?
I definitely agree. Every project is different. Posting rates for direct customers ties you to a commitment without knowing all the facts or makes you look like a liar if you charge more. The only customers who usually need the same price for every project are agencies and if you advertise your agency rates on your website then direct customers will wonder why you’re charging them more!
Thanks, Julia! Glad you enjoyed it!
Corinne and Julia, I agree with both of you. There are too many variables in any given project for it to make much sense posting your “general” rates on your website.
Thanks, Sandra!
Hi Corrine! Thank you for this Great article! I changed my website last year and decided to post the rates. The results? Less demands for quotes, but little bit more assigned jobs.
Thanks, Gabriela! That’s very interesting; so in that case it sounds like it worked for you! Great to hear.
Also agree with all your reasons for not posting rates! I have a base rate and a minimum charge and then apply surcharges from there, including “go away” and “you are annoying” rates, but also for archaic language, rush jobs, horrifying PDF quality, highly technical language, etc. And I’ve had the same experiences with clients always wanting a custom quote, so why complicate the negotiation by pre-setting their expectations. On a side note, it’s been a while since I examined/raised my rates, probably need to do that this year.
Thanks, Jennifer! Great to hear that other people have the same experience, and I love your add-on charges; I sometimes think of those as “make it worth my while” fees, where I need to charge enough to make a job for a high-maintenance client profitable. Thanks for your comment.
For now I have posted my rates, because I personally get annoyed when I go to a website wanting to know what something is going to cost me, and I’m told “get in touch to find out what my price is!” For me, putting my rates means a few less clicks for the client, and a willingness to streamline the process for them – I add that they are a guide only, and give examples of how much certain documents will cost. My thoughts are not set in stone, and may change my mind in future, but for now I think it shows I know what my services are worth, to potential clients and colleagues alike.
Fully agree!
Thanks, Gabriela!
Thanks, Fiona! That’s a really interesting counterpoint, thanks! I wonder if you’ve encountered any situations where you quoted an amount that was substantially different from the rates on your site, and if so, whether the client noticed/mentioned it?
Corinne you are always a golden mine. Thank you for bringing up some very helpful and interesting topics. It should be a minimum and maximum rate totally agree on that. Also adds-on for extra work on a document which is not rare nowadays because of technology. I’m also flexible if my client has the same approach.
Thanks, Alice! Glad you enjoyed it!
I am trying to get into a few different fields, but am focusing a lot on genealogy at the moment. As a genealogy translator, you have to deal with typed as well as handwritten documents. As I have learned the hard way, a genealogy translator needs to have at least two rates, since we deal with things like illegible and antiquated handwriting, and non-standardized language. We have to provide transcriptions of handwritten documents not just for ourselves, but also so that our clients feel connected to their ancestors. When necessary, we also need to do research to provide historical context. So if you want me to translate great-grandma’s letters and they are typewritten, I would charge a flat rate. If they are handwritten, I would have to charge for transcription and translation, since it is more labor-intensive, and I would want you to have the opportunity to feel connected to your great-grandmother by knowing that you are reading her words, not mine. I feel that I can’t put rates on my website, since for genealogy, I need to assess the level of difficulty of the project first.
Really interesting, thanks Nina! I’ve been fascinated by genealogy translation ever since Eve and I interviewed Katie Schober, so it’s great to hear your experiences!
I guess I have to jump in here, too. I posted my rates for more than 20 years, and I found it worked well in several areas:
1. I posted rates that were actually higher than what I wanted to work for, and I raised the posted rates when I felt the need to increase the overall revenue stream of the business (i.e. when my break–even point crept up).
2. Having posted rates was a subtle way to raise rates without polemics or re-negotiation. I raised rates on existing clients differently (separate subject).
3. It cut down on the inquiries from people who weren’t serious. This was a big time-saver (time=money in business). Also, on an emotional level, it was much easier to say “no” to someone who wanted me to low-ball by simply referring to my posted rates.
4. In an era when so many T&I freelancers were nervous about discussing rates, it helped me facilitate the conversation with colleagues. Having public rates defused any suspicion of “collusion.”
5. My website emphasized that all jobs were subject to my providing a written estimate for approval, so the rate-posting only gave them a starting point for the conversation. In practice, the rate I charged finally was rarely what was posted; it might be higher or lower depending on my estimate of the job.
If you wonder why I don’t post rates on my new website, it’s because at the end of 2017, I retired from commercial translation of the type most of us discuss here. I only translate books now, and they are always lump-sum project bids, regardless of how the conversation starts.
IHTH.
Thanks for this conversation.
JT
Thanks, Jonathan! Really interesting information there, especially about posting higher rates than what you actually charge…and about the change in strategy since you retired from commercial translation. Your insights are always great; thanks!