TRANSCRIPTION
Thread poster: Helena Grahn
Helena Grahn
Helena Grahn  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:31
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Nov 21, 2017

Hello!

Can someone advise me on how much to charge per hour in EN language? Lond time ago I did transcription and cannot really remember how much I got paid. Tks!


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:31
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
My own estimate Nov 21, 2017

Helena Grahn wrote:
Can someone advise me on how much to charge per hour in EN language?

Listening in English and typing in English - no translation involved?

I'm not really offering transcription nowadays as I'm trying to cut down on my workload, but I do the odd one for repeat clients. I refuse to quote anything firm at all until I've received the complete audio file and had a chance to do random checks throughout it. If it's good quality audio and clear speakers, and no more than a very few different speakers, then I assume it will take me about four times as long to transcribe as listen. In other words, I need to charge for an hour of my time to transcribe a quarter of an hour of audio. But that's for the most straightforward jobs, and quotes are often higher. I've stopped accepting jobs where the quality is awful as I'm sure they should be done by people with really hi-tech means to unscramble the audio, not by me using Express Scribe.


 
Paulette Romero
Paulette Romero  Identity Verified
Colombia
Local time: 06:31
English to Spanish
+ ...
Per audio minute Nov 21, 2017

Transcriptions are normally charged per audio minute.

So for example if you received a file that is 12 minutes and 17 seconds long you would charge an even 13 minutes (always round up to the next minute). How much you want to charge per minute it up to you, but you have to remember there are a lot of factors involved here. First of all, how fast do you type? It shouldn't take you longer than 1 hour to type 10 minutes of audio. You also have to consider the quality of the audio and
... See more
Transcriptions are normally charged per audio minute.

So for example if you received a file that is 12 minutes and 17 seconds long you would charge an even 13 minutes (always round up to the next minute). How much you want to charge per minute it up to you, but you have to remember there are a lot of factors involved here. First of all, how fast do you type? It shouldn't take you longer than 1 hour to type 10 minutes of audio. You also have to consider the quality of the audio and the number of speakers. Is the audio crystal clear, is it fuzzy? Are there only 1 or 2 people speaking? Are there 6 people speaking?

A lot of people think transcription is easy and then realize that it takes them 4 hours to type 15 minutes. But you've done transcription before so you know what you can and cannot do. Hope that helps.
Collapse


 
Carole Wolfe
Carole Wolfe  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:31
Member (2006)
Russian to English
+ ...
Transcription Nov 21, 2017

I ask for $1.50 per audio minute. I usually can transcribe 10 minutes of audio in an hour. I guess that sounds slow, but you have to take into account looking up unfamiliar terms, audio quality, the number of speakers, identifying speakers by their voice, speakers interrupting each other or talking at the same time. If all goes well and I transcribe one hour of audio in 6 hours, I earn $15.00 per hour. I prefer to do translation but, if I'm between jobs, I'll accept some transcription. I do... See more
I ask for $1.50 per audio minute. I usually can transcribe 10 minutes of audio in an hour. I guess that sounds slow, but you have to take into account looking up unfamiliar terms, audio quality, the number of speakers, identifying speakers by their voice, speakers interrupting each other or talking at the same time. If all goes well and I transcribe one hour of audio in 6 hours, I earn $15.00 per hour. I prefer to do translation but, if I'm between jobs, I'll accept some transcription. I do not have any special transcription equipment or software. I suppose the work would go faster if I did. Good luck!Collapse


 
Germaine
Germaine  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 07:31
English to French
+ ...
Value your expertise Nov 23, 2017

Carole Wolfe wrote:

I earn $15.00 per hour.


According to https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Secretary/Hourly_Rate, the average rate for a Secretary in the US is $12.87 per hour ($9.80 - $18.84), $12.35 per hour for a typist ($9.14 - $19.13). I don’t know if it is as difficult to find a good audio typist in you corner of the planet as it is in here, but with your diplomas and experience, I’d guess you’re worth at least the top of the scale. This job requires an excellent command of the language. Value your expertise.


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:31
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Salaries are net - we need to be paid gross Nov 24, 2017

Germaine wrote:
Carole Wolfe wrote:
I earn $15.00 per hour.

According to https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Secretary/Hourly_Rate, the average rate for a Secretary in the US is $12.87 per hour ($9.80 - $18.84), $12.35 per hour for a typist ($9.14 - $19.13).

Those figures are for salaried secretaries, Germaine. I don't know much about employment contracts in the US but they probably include paid leave, paid breaks, maybe paid training, pension?, healthcare?, computer and all consumables provided, paid sickness?, etc., etc.

As freelancers, we have to pay for all of those things ourselves, plus professional subscriptions, professional insurance (if needed), etc. out of our hourly rate. So our rates need to take all those into account.


 
Germaine
Germaine  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 07:31
English to French
+ ...
Exactly my point! Nov 30, 2017

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Those figures are for salaried secretaries... they probably include paid leave, paid breaks, maybe paid training, pension?, healthcare?, computer and all consumables provided, paid sickness?, etc., etc. As freelancers, we have to pay for all of those things ourselves, plus professional subscriptions, professional insurance (if needed), etc. out of our hourly rate. So our rates need to take all those into account.


As freelancer, we have to pay for all that - holidays and every other minimal advantages included in any labor law, healthcare, meds, pension, training, hardware, software, consumables, professional subscriptions, insurance - and God forbids that we ever get sick, cause we also need a room or a space to set some sort of an office, phone and Internet subscriptions, furniture, equipment and supplies (dictionaries, etc.) that will be replaced or upgraded regularly, student loans to repay and what else! In Québec, I even pay for parental leave!

So, why would diplomed/certified/chartered translators who get on the market as "professionals" ask for their "professional services" hourly rates that approximate those of any non-qualified worker? I know minimum wages vary from one country/state to another, and I perfectly understand that $15.00 may be "cheap" in some places and "exorbitant" somewhere else, but why study and pay for a baccalaureate, a master or even a Ph.D. if it is to get back to a student salary when you finally hold your credentials?

When I say "value your expertise", I mean set rates that reflect the value of your training, knowledge and experience - whether it is that of a secretary, an audio-typist or a translator - and don't forget to include the overhead. Many people think that because we work from home, we should charge close to nothing. Enlight them! There are people here asking so little for their services, I'd cry! Not only do they hurt themselves, they also hurt the profession.


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

TRANSCRIPTION







Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »