Need Help with Budgeting for a Quality Russian-to-English Translation
Thread poster: DBnearSJ
DBnearSJ
DBnearSJ
United States
Oct 20, 2020

I would like to have a book translated from Russian to English. The subject is Lithuanian history. The book was published in 1921, in Lithuania. There are 125 pages of content on which I am counting an average of 335 words for pages with no blank space at the top or bottom, which is of course the case for some pages. The digital file is quite clear, so there should be no strain to read anything. In case it makes a difference, this book was written using the "old orthography," using the handful o... See more
I would like to have a book translated from Russian to English. The subject is Lithuanian history. The book was published in 1921, in Lithuania. There are 125 pages of content on which I am counting an average of 335 words for pages with no blank space at the top or bottom, which is of course the case for some pages. The digital file is quite clear, so there should be no strain to read anything. In case it makes a difference, this book was written using the "old orthography," using the handful of letters/symbols that the new Soviet regime eliminated from the language.

My first question relates to what I need to be prepared to pay for the work. I would like this to be a quality translation. I understand the value of intellectual work and the effort that goes into it. I would rather err on the side of generosity than try to pay as little as possible, as I am aware that the latter approach would not lead to the best outcome.

I would like to get a sense of what I need to budget for this project and would like to understand how the fee would be assessed. Is it simply price per word times number of words or are there any other considerations for a job of this size? Any help understanding this would be most appreciated.
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Philippe Etienne
Philippe Etienne  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 19:01
Member
English to French
Translator directory Oct 20, 2020

Translators who translate from Russian into English are best placed to answer your question.
See more
Translators who translate from Russian into English are best placed to answer your question.
https://www.proz.com/translator-directory/?sp=directory&mode=filter&from=rus&to=eng&type=translation&skill_interpreting=Any&skill_subtitling=Any&field=&distance=50&location=&latitude=&longitude=&country=&pair_emphasis=8&native=eng&cred=na&software=na&sdl_trados_cert_level=na&sdlx_cert_level=na&avail=na&expertise=working&keyword=&keyword_cv_checkbox=on&wwa=na&complete_profile=na&profile_last_updated=any&posted_wiwo_within_days=&search_form_action=y

Welcome to the Directory: this link points to a list of RU>EN translators.
Results are limited to those who have stated in their profiles that they are native English speakers, but you can refine search criteria in the left pane.

Philippe
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Jorge Payan
 
Stephanie Busch
Stephanie Busch  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 19:01
English to German
+ ...
Average rates reported in Proz.com user profiles Oct 21, 2020

Hi DBnearSJ,

you might also like to check the following Proz.com page, for a general idea of what RU>EN translators are charging:

https://search.proz.com/employers/rates?source_lang=rus&target_lang=eng&disc_spec_id=65¤cy=usd&submit=Submit

HTH


Philippe Etienne
Sheila Wilson
 
The Misha
The Misha
Local time: 14:01
Russian to English
+ ...
Dorozhe stoit graf... Oct 21, 2020

If you don't speak Russian at all, this means "It'll cost you more if he's a count," and it's a well-known joke from a classic Soviet period movie from the 80s (the picturesque pretend villain was putting on airs, like he was contracting to kill someone).

I guess what I am trying to say here is that quality, especially publication quality will cost you. What you want here is a native speaker of English with a proven writing ability (hint: see how you like the writing in their email)
... See more
If you don't speak Russian at all, this means "It'll cost you more if he's a count," and it's a well-known joke from a classic Soviet period movie from the 80s (the picturesque pretend villain was putting on airs, like he was contracting to kill someone).

I guess what I am trying to say here is that quality, especially publication quality will cost you. What you want here is a native speaker of English with a proven writing ability (hint: see how you like the writing in their email) or better yet, even if I say so myself, a near native whose native language is Russian but who has had a long (decades-long) tenure in the US (I am assuming, this is intended for a US audience). This way, the thinking goes, he or she would be a proficient writer in English yet still be able to understand the intricacies of the source text, especially if the pre-1917 spelling is involved, with "yat's" and such. Oh, and did I say proven writing ability, in both cases? I could never emphasize this enough.

The warm and compassionate individual that I am,:) I wouldn't trust anyone who quotes you a price or accepts the project without requesting to see the entire text first. That's kind of telling, isn't it?

Then, there's the issue of research (checking the spelling of personal and geographical names, perhaps some facts, etc., of which I presume a lot would be needed seeing how this is an old historical text. This translates into additional time, which isn't cheap either.

Then, there's that pesky payment issue, i.e. the matter of trust. As much as I hate to spell out that inconvenient truth, assuming you are an individual rather than a business, statistically, you present a higher risk of non-payment. If I were to take a project like this myself, assuming we agreed on all other issues, I would still require some sort of earnest money up front and then yet another partial payment mid-span. Perhaps, a third up front, then another third upon partial delivery, and then the last third upon delivery of the entire proofed and polished text. Something like that, anyway. You know, we all have to eat in the process too, and some of us - oh, the horror! - are no strangers to liquor either:)

Time wise, assuming this is a text of around 100K, I'd estimate three months, from start to finish. This may sound like awfully long, but keep it in mind that all of us have regular clients in whose good graces we need to stay, so no one is going to refuse ongoing requests from any such client for a one-off job, even as large as this one.

In view of the foregoing, as the lawyers put it, personally, I would probably begin considering such a project at $.12 per target word - subject, of course, to all the caveats I have described above. This, or a slightly higher rate if agreed upon, would buy you as close as it could possibly come to publication quality - but it would still not be perfect, because none of us are. You should always allow for a stray minor thing such as "it" instead of "if," or "of" instead of "or" - you know, the stuff the spellchecker doesn't catch and tired eyes do not always notice. That's why He, whoever He is, invented editors.:)

Oh, and keep it in mind that going Russian into English, the word count usually expands by at least 15-20% and sometimes as much as 30%, even though the total number of pages will likely decline (because English words tend to be shorter, but there's more of them because of the articles, prepositions and such. Oh, and yes you are expected to pay for those too:)))

Alternatively, you could possibly negotiate a slightly lower rate, making it a "filler" project for the translator - but then your lead time would definitely be longer. How's that for another corollary to "time is money"?:))))

Cheers, and good luck with your project.
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Vadim Kadyrov
IrinaN
 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 14:01
German to English
Take into account the cost of reviewing/editing Oct 21, 2020

DBnearSJ wrote:

I would like to get a sense of what I need to budget for this project and would like to understand how the fee would be assessed. Is it simply price per word times number of words or are there any other considerations for a job of this size? Any help understanding this would be most appreciated.


You will also want to have the translated text reviewed by a competent editor, preferably one familiar with the source language to ensure the accuracy of the translation as well as acceptable target language style. This should be paid on an hourly basis, but you may find an editor who will agree to payment on a per-word basis.


 
Nurettin Ceylan
Nurettin Ceylan  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 21:01
Member (2009)
English to Turkish
Flat rate Oct 21, 2020

I would not translate that book on a rate-per-word basis.

Determine a flat rate, meticulously estimating the time you're going to spend for the translation of the book.


 
DBnearSJ
DBnearSJ
United States
TOPIC STARTER
Two Follow-Up Questions RE Reviewing Translator Oct 21, 2020

Kevin Fulton wrote:

DBnearSJ wrote:

I would like to get a sense of what I need to budget for this project and would like to understand how the fee would be assessed. Is it simply price per word times number of words or are there any other considerations for a job of this size? Any help understanding this would be most appreciated.


You will also want to have the translated text reviewed by a competent editor, preferably one familiar with the source language to ensure the accuracy of the translation as well as acceptable target language style. This should be paid on an hourly basis, but you may find an editor who will agree to payment on a per-word basis.


Thank you so much, Kevin! You presciently anticipated one of my other questions (I didn't want to cram too many questions into my original post).

If you don't mind, I have two questions relating to your very helpful comment:

1. If I compensate the reviewing editor by the hour, what would be the best way to get a handle in advance on approximately how much I will be paying for the service? Maybe by commissioning a small segment first? This becomes important to me because I am anticipating that the whole project now may call for something on the order of $10k.

2. Someone on Reddit told me that it is standard practice for the translator to receive a "byline" on the publication ("translated by"). Is that correct? I plan to upload this book on a free/open public access basis to Google Books and other similar platforms, so there will be no royalties. If more than one translator is involved, the second reviewing the work of the first, how is that usually handled? It seems a bit cumbersome to indicate on the cover/title page, "Translated by X and Reviewed by Y."

Thanks again!


 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 14:01
German to English
Finding a translation/reviewing team Oct 22, 2020

DBnearSJ wrote:

1. If I compensate the reviewing editor by the hour, what would be the best way to get a handle in advance on approximately how much I will be paying for the service? Maybe by commissioning a small segment first? This becomes important to me because I am anticipating that the whole project now may call for something on the order of $10k.

2. Someone on Reddit told me that it is standard practice for the translator to receive a "byline" on the publication ("translated by"). Is that correct? I plan to upload this book on a free/open public access basis to Google Books and other similar platforms, so there will be no royalties. If more than one translator is involved, the second reviewing the work of the first, how is that usually handled? It seems a bit cumbersome to indicate on the cover/title page, "Translated by X and Reviewed by Y."

Thanks again!


Unfortunately I can't help much with your further queries. For the better part of this century I've been collaborating with a small team of translators. We have a common client who requires a review of all work and consequently we check each other's translations, both for this client as well as for others. You might try to find a similar team for Russian > English.

Definitely commission a small segment first – as a paid translation/review.

Attribution is always welcomed. Including the translator in the byline is common for a document like this (not so much in technical documents). The reviewer can be mentioned in the introduction/foreword you write.

Best of luck with this project!


 


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Need Help with Budgeting for a Quality Russian-to-English Translation






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