Poll: When did you last raise your rates?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Aug 15, 2017

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "When did you last raise your rates?".

This poll was originally submitted by Roberta Anderson. View the poll results »



 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 13:09
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Aug 15, 2017

My price list serves only as a reference for new potential clients and is updated every year or so. In general my long-standing customers (agencies and direct clients) receive a lower rate than newer clients, even though my rates are probably higher than average. Because every job is different I prefer to quote each project individually, based on language combination, field of expertise, number of words, technicality, deadline, document type and other practical criteria.

 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 14:09
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Aug 15, 2017

(Qué manía).
I've told this story before, but here we go again. At the start of last year, I raised my rates 25% for one long-term client. They agreed and paid me for the one rush job I did for them in January. After that, I didn't hear from them until later in the year, and instead of just sending me the translation as they did before I'd raised my rate, this time they asked for an estimate of how much it would cost. I told them the price at the new rate, and they simply never came back
... See more
(Qué manía).
I've told this story before, but here we go again. At the start of last year, I raised my rates 25% for one long-term client. They agreed and paid me for the one rush job I did for them in January. After that, I didn't hear from them until later in the year, and instead of just sending me the translation as they did before I'd raised my rate, this time they asked for an estimate of how much it would cost. I told them the price at the new rate, and they simply never came back to me.

So caveat (expletive deleted) emptor, guys. Sometimes less is more...
Collapse


 
Luiz Barucke
Luiz Barucke  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 10:09
Spanish to Portuguese
+ ...
Tomorrow Aug 15, 2017

How many times will this same question be repeated?

 
Axelle H.
Axelle H.  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 14:09
English to French
Other.. Aug 15, 2017

Teresa Borges wrote:

Because every job is different I prefer to quote each project individually, based on language combination, field of expertise, number of words, technicality, deadline, document type and other practical criteria.


Agreed !


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 09:09
English to Spanish
+ ...
Impertinent question Aug 15, 2017

...since how or when I raise my rates for my professional services is confidential information.

 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 09:09
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
What the market bears Aug 15, 2017

I don't "raise" my rates, I charge what the market will bear, following negotiation. This means there's a wide range in my rates, probably more than 2:1 from lowest to highest.

 
Gianluca Marras
Gianluca Marras  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 14:09
English to Italian
Other Aug 15, 2017

some clients have a higher rate, others don't...
new clients have new rates.


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:09
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Two years ago Aug 15, 2017

The international organizations set their own rates, so I have no choice with them, but their figures are not to complain about. One of them raised the rate by US$.008 (less than a cent) in 2016; the others have remained the same.

I made an active effort to raise rates with other clients in 2015. Some accepted the higher rate; others never came back.

I do not have a wide gap between my lowest and highest paying clients.


[Edited at 2017-08-16 07:37 GMT]


 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 10:09
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It's a permanent process Aug 17, 2017

I don't have a single rate for all clients, all types of translation, all countries, etc. So my benchmark is my average rate, which has been increasing gradually as the years go by. Not because I raise them, but because I regularly stop providing services for those that pay less, as I get clients that pay better. So there is a spiral of clients, with the best ones on top and the worst ones at the bottom. The bottom keeps dissolving and vanishing as new clients enter in the higher positions. I ho... See more
I don't have a single rate for all clients, all types of translation, all countries, etc. So my benchmark is my average rate, which has been increasing gradually as the years go by. Not because I raise them, but because I regularly stop providing services for those that pay less, as I get clients that pay better. So there is a spiral of clients, with the best ones on top and the worst ones at the bottom. The bottom keeps dissolving and vanishing as new clients enter in the higher positions. I hope it goes on like that forever.Collapse


 


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

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

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

Poll: When did you last raise your rates?






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 »
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 »