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[Subtitling Rates] per minute rates
Thread poster: The LT>EN Guy
Sylvano
Sylvano
Local time: 11:44
English to French
Are you serious ? Apr 28, 2013

Jacqueline Sieben wrote:Any comments on those rates?


That's 50 dollars (gross, I suppose) for a 90 minute movie. Roughly what I get, net, for translating 2 minutes of corporate video. How many movies do you plan to translate per month to get a decent pay ? How much time would take say, a Woody Allen movie or a very talkative and documented historical piece ?


Brindusa Simionescu
 
jbjb
jbjb  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 12:44
Estonian to English
+ ...
compare May 3, 2013

USD 0.55 per minute is less than the cheapest local TV stations in the lowest-paying Eastern European country pay for subtitles.
For a Los Angeles based company a rate of USD 3 per minute is usually considered low for Western European languages (French, German, Scandinavian, Dutch), although I believe some manage to find translators with this rate.


 
Jacqueline Sieben
Jacqueline Sieben  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 11:44
Dutch to English
+ ...
You are right... Aug 16, 2013

I thought it was not too bad at first because of the streamlined environment, but I think a more appropriate rate would be $ 4-5 per minute runtime. Working on this facilitated subtitling platform I expect it will take around 2 hours to translate 60 minutes of video.

 
jbjb
jbjb  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 12:44
Estonian to English
+ ...
streamlined Aug 23, 2013

First - the streamlined work environment doesn't mean that it takes you less time to translate a film. I know what you are talking about and the "streamlined environment" is actually more time-consuming than using a (professional) subtitling software in your home computer. Or more time-consuming than watching the video in VLC Player in your home computer and translating in Word.

The streamlined environment means that the company can use translators who don't have their own professi
... See more
First - the streamlined work environment doesn't mean that it takes you less time to translate a film. I know what you are talking about and the "streamlined environment" is actually more time-consuming than using a (professional) subtitling software in your home computer. Or more time-consuming than watching the video in VLC Player in your home computer and translating in Word.

The streamlined environment means that the company can use translators who don't have their own professional software, and the company can make them work in a remote environment that is very similar to professional software.

Usually translators download video materials via FTP and work in their home computer.
The streamlined environment means there's no need for FTP and downloads (fast download for translators means fast upload for the company and that can be very expensive) and no worries about converting files (when people are working from home, companies usually allow at least 4 different file formats because everyone would have a different software - and there would have to be project managers who convert files into the format used by the company).

2 hours to translate 60 minutes - you are dreaming.
In Western Europe the regular leisurely (and lazy) translation speed expected from translators is around 20 minutes of video per day.
Let's be frank, translating a 40-45 minute typical hourly episode is entirely doable in a 8-hour day. If you are willing to put in 12-14 hours a day, you can translate two 40-45 minute episodes or a feature film in a day.
But as soon as the material is a documentary or anything that is more complicated than Desperate Housewives, you are down to translating one hourly episode per day.

As for USD 0.55 per minute for English-Dutch - again, if translators in an Eastern European country (where the average salary is 3 times lower than in Holland) were offered that rate, they would decline because it is too low.
An average 45-minute episode of a TV series has 3,000 words. With your EUR 0.13 per word, it comes to EUR 390. Now you are willing to accept USD 0.55x45 = USD 25 = EUR 19 for the same thing in subtitling?
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Nagehan Carroll
Nyein Gyan
AIKATERINI KATERINA RONTOGIANNI
Louise Péron
 
Hannele Franklin
Hannele Franklin  Identity Verified
United States
Member (2010)
English to Finnish
Peanuts Dec 27, 2013

I've just been offered USD 2.50/min for EN-FI subtitling. With no prior experience, I had no idea if that's good or bad but thanks to this thread, I know now. Thank you!

 
Miguel Carmona
Miguel Carmona  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:44
English to Spanish
Dec 27, 2013



[Edited at 2013-12-27 16:44 GMT]


 
Monika Zanjkovič
Monika Zanjkovič  Identity Verified
Slovenia
Local time: 11:44
English to Slovenian
+ ...
wrong calculation Feb 2, 2014

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

Jacqueline Sieben wrote:

I usually charge € 0.13 - € 0.15 per word for EN-DU translations, so that's why I wanted to hear your comments on this subtitling rate. Is it really way too low? The English text is already in the left column of the table, so I only have to type the Dutch translation in the right column (put in the proper context of course).


1 EUR = 1.3 USD

It is said that the average reading speed for subtitles should be close to 9 characters per second. Let's assume your films are not so densely spoken, so cut it down to 5 chars per second.

The average word size in English and Portuguese is something close to 5 characters. So, roughly, we'd have 1 word per second in average. As we've cut down already, let's say 60 words per minute are spoken.

At your mid-rate, € 0.14/word x 60 = € 0.84/minute of playing time
€ 0.84/minute x 1.3 USD = 1.092 USD/minute
... a fraction of a cent below twice what they are offering.

However this is to translate plain TEXT, not having to download or watch any video, break phrases in a way parts of them make some sense, etc.


I know this calculation is very sketchy. Folks, before you stone it or shoot it down, please check if your numbers would be significantly different.


You made a "little" mistake:

€ 0.14/word x 60 = 8,4 € /min of playing time. NOT 0,84 €
0,14 €/word is not a low rate.


AIKATERINI KATERINA RONTOGIANNI
 
Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:44
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
Agency's estimated output Aug 25, 2015

A (what appears to be a fairly reputable) agency has just contacted me asking for a price for captioning and translation of captions. They state the following:

"The average output in our experience is as follows:

Monolingual Captions: 40-60 minutes of video per day 

Translation of captions/video content: 90-120 minutes of video a
day"

Is this realistic in your experience? If so, I will set an amount I feel comfortable earning for a day'
... See more
A (what appears to be a fairly reputable) agency has just contacted me asking for a price for captioning and translation of captions. They state the following:

"The average output in our experience is as follows:

Monolingual Captions: 40-60 minutes of video per day 

Translation of captions/video content: 90-120 minutes of video a
day"

Is this realistic in your experience? If so, I will set an amount I feel comfortable earning for a day's work and work back from there for the rate.
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Sylvano
Sylvano
Local time: 11:44
English to French
Uh? Aug 25, 2015

Huw Watkins wrote:
Monolingual Captions: 40-60 minutes of video per day 

Translation of captions/video content: 90-120 minutes of video a
day"


Extralingual faster than intralingual? Something wrong, here.

[Edited at 2015-08-25 17:32 GMT]


AIKATERINI KATERINA RONTOGIANNI
Kathleen Kownacki
 
Vladimir Novosel
Vladimir Novosel
Local time: 11:44
English to Serbian
+ ...
I guess... Aug 25, 2015

Sylvano wrote:

Huw Watkins wrote:
Monolingual Captions: 40-60 minutes of video per day 

Translation of captions/video content: 90-120 minutes of video a
day"


Extralingual faster than intralingual? Something wrong, here.

[Edited at 2015-08-25 17:32 GMT]




That would probably be Monolingual Captions WITH time-cueing.


 
Bogdan Petrovic
Bogdan Petrovic  Identity Verified
Serbia
Local time: 11:44
English to Serbian
+ ...
I got the same offer Aug 25, 2015

Huw Watkins wrote:

A (what appears to be a fairly reputable) agency has just contacted me asking for a price for captioning and translation of captions. They state the following:

"The average output in our experience is as follows:

Monolingual Captions: 40-60 minutes of video per day 

Translation of captions/video content: 90-120 minutes of video a
day"

Is this realistic in your experience? If so, I will set an amount I feel comfortable earning for a day's work and work back from there for the rate.


I am not interested in captioning, but I've got a friend who is (they said in the e-mail we should pass it on to a friend or colleague.

What would be a reasonable (on the lower end rather) rate per minute (we live in an Eastern European country) for such assignments (40-60 minutes per day).

I say "on the lower end" because the client is most certainly aware he can get a good deal because of the disparity in pay between my country and Western Europe.


 
Sylvano
Sylvano
Local time: 11:44
English to French
Still... Aug 26, 2015

dewarrens wrote:

Sylvano wrote:

Huw Watkins wrote:
Monolingual Captions: 40-60 minutes of video per day 

Translation of captions/video content: 90-120 minutes of video a
day"


Extralingual faster than intralingual? Something wrong, here.

[Edited at 2015-08-25 17:32 GMT]




That would probably be Monolingual Captions WITH time-cueing.


Still, I don't think you can translate properly for subtitling 90-120 min of anything in one day. Well, you might do that once in a while, working 10 hours non-stop with a lot of coffee, and not self-proofing your work, but not several days in a row. And I wouldn't want to watch the result.


Louise Péron
Mariana Magalhães Santos Gonçalves
 
Vladimir Novosel
Vladimir Novosel
Local time: 11:44
English to Serbian
+ ...
I completely agree. Aug 27, 2015

Sylvano wrote:

dewarrens wrote:

Sylvano wrote:

Huw Watkins wrote:
Monolingual Captions: 40-60 minutes of video per day 

Translation of captions/video content: 90-120 minutes of video a
day"


Extralingual faster than intralingual? Something wrong, here.

[Edited at 2015-08-25 17:32 GMT]




That would probably be Monolingual Captions WITH time-cueing.


Still, I don't think you can translate properly for subtitling 90-120 min of anything in one day. Well, you might do that once in a while, working 10 hours non-stop with a lot of coffee, and not self-proofing your work, but not several days in a row. And I wouldn't want to watch the result.


I was trying to account for daily output discrepancy between the two (monolingual captions vs. translated captions).

Besides, the fact that they have divided the process into two (seemingly) independent phases, is a giveaway that the quality is not of a primary concern. Some managerial "genius" got the idea of enlisting non-skilled, low-paying force for the first, time consuming phase, and then relegating the second one of to some poor hack translator.

Result of witch, as You have said, I would be ready to watch only under some kind of an enforcement.


 
Claudia Drescher (X)
Claudia Drescher (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:44
English to German
+ ...
Subtitling Rate EN-DE Nov 4, 2015

Dear all,

I don't have any experience in subtitling so far but would rather be interested in a request I just received via ProZ.

I followed the discussion here and would like to ask what you think about 1$ per minute of video for transcription/subtitling from German to German AND 2$ per minute of video for translation from EN into DE. The client is a non-profit-organisation and according to them monolingual captioning involves transcription of audio, putting the text in
... See more
Dear all,

I don't have any experience in subtitling so far but would rather be interested in a request I just received via ProZ.

I followed the discussion here and would like to ask what you think about 1$ per minute of video for transcription/subtitling from German to German AND 2$ per minute of video for translation from EN into DE. The client is a non-profit-organisation and according to them monolingual captioning involves transcription of audio, putting the text into the Aegisub subtitling software and time coding it.

So besides the circumstances (non-profit) it's a ridiculous rate if I take all your comments in account, right?!

Thank you for your help!
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Bernhard Sulzer
Bernhard Sulzer  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:44
English to German
+ ...
No, thank you! Nov 4, 2015

ClaudiaDrescher wrote:

Dear all,

I don't have any experience in subtitling so far but would rather be interested in a request I just received via ProZ.

I followed the discussion here and would like to ask what you think about 1$ per minute of video for transcription/subtitling from German to German AND 2$ per minute of video for translation from EN into DE. The client is a non-profit-organisation and according to them monolingual captioning involves transcription of audio, putting the text into the Aegisub subtitling software and time coding it.

So besides the circumstances (non-profit) it's a ridiculous rate if I take all your comments in account, right?!

Thank you for your help!


Exactly, ridiculous!


Everybody, use your common sense.
You're all way off.
I have worked in the field and I will tell you that you must know how many words you are going to have to translate (ask for a script or transcript) and what additional work is involved (time-coding, checking and re-checking the video/movie/scenes etc.)

Get real. Don't let yourself be duped. Just because "fairly reputable" companies DEMAND lousy rates ($2 per minute is ridiculous - think about it - 200 words per minute - how much do you charge just to translate that /come again?), you shouldn't assume you are really dealing with someone who is fair. Just say no and do something else.

And don't get me started on non-profit organizations.

[Edited at 2015-11-04 14:47 GMT]


Nagehan Carroll
Louise Péron
Ana Jimenez H.
 
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