How should I set my rates for localization projects? Thread poster: Fredrik Pettersson
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How should I set my rates for localization projects?
I have recently purchased Alchemy Catalyst 8.0 and currently study a university course in UCSD (User Centered Systems Design) and programming languages (C, C++, C#, SQL, PHP). I have only translated documents so far but hope to get started soon with localizing software also.
What are the main differences between ordinary document translation and localization of software?
The actual contents to be translat... See more How should I set my rates for localization projects?
I have recently purchased Alchemy Catalyst 8.0 and currently study a university course in UCSD (User Centered Systems Design) and programming languages (C, C++, C#, SQL, PHP). I have only translated documents so far but hope to get started soon with localizing software also.
What are the main differences between ordinary document translation and localization of software?
The actual contents to be translated are databases, runtimes, scripts, user interfaces (messages, buttons, menu bars), documentation, marketing literature, etc. so I guess there are some similarities and some differences between the two types of translation what regards contents.
Will there be more steps included in localizing compared to document translation? Such as testing the software's usability and functionality etc.?
Considering the difference I mention above, I reason that my price setting would be higher for software localization than for document translation as I need to perform more steps. Also, the need for a special CAT-tool would also be an argument for an increased rate.
How much more (in percentage) compared to document translation should I set the rate for localizing software? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Localization | Oct 11, 2010 |
Hi Fredrik,
software localization indeed involves many more steps and QA checks than regular translation of documents.
In addition to the translation task, you will probably have to resize some GUI elements (dialog boxes, buttons input fields, combo boxes, descriptions etc.), particularly if the GUI design is too source-language centered, you will need to check for duplicate hotkeys, missing placeholders, and of course there is usually a whole lot of functional testing tasks.<... See more Hi Fredrik,
software localization indeed involves many more steps and QA checks than regular translation of documents.
In addition to the translation task, you will probably have to resize some GUI elements (dialog boxes, buttons input fields, combo boxes, descriptions etc.), particularly if the GUI design is too source-language centered, you will need to check for duplicate hotkeys, missing placeholders, and of course there is usually a whole lot of functional testing tasks.
That's why I have a standard price for the translation of strings itself (set higher than for regular translation because strings usually have little or no context and the translation is more difficult and involves a lot of queries), and if the client wants a complete package of services, I create an individual quote based on the client's requirements. Due to the complexity of localization, there cannot be a universal rate.
HTH.
[Upraveno: 2010-10-11 08:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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