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Poll: Do you charge higher rates for weekend work? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:55
German to English
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Only if it's specifically required over the weekend. So it's a Friday afternoon to Monday morning job, or delivery is over the weekend. If it's my choice to do it over the weekend, then obviously that's not the customer's problem.
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Simon Davies
Spain
Local time: 07:55
Member
Spanish to English
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| Charging for weekend work would damage my business | Jan 28, 2012 |
I would love to charge for weekend work, but I think it would seriously affect my business. I tend to work almost every other weekend so I couldn't really afford to charge extra or turn down work, unless I have had a particularly good month.
Most of my clients are a strict rate per word so charging extra wouldn't be very popular....
Regards
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Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 14:55
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
... I would love to. 
The reality of the situation - at least over here in Japan - in a diminishing market caused in part by "expert" and "professional" sweatshop translation companies in India and China willing to work for a pittance  is that I would be cutting my throat if I charged extra for working weekends.
Besides, Saturdays and Sundays... See more
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Oleg Osipov
Russian Federation
Local time: 08:55
English to Russian
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I am flexible when it comes to weekends.
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 07:55
Spanish to English
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I tend to threaten to charge more but rarely actually do, and in any case never by more than 20%.
I am usually happy to work weekends at my normal basic rates, as long as the clients acknowledge that I am working the weekend for them and recognise that it is to some extent a sacrifice on my part and are, in turn, prepared to go some way towards meeting my demands in terms of format, manageability, abbreviations, inserted images, etc, and responding to any legitimate queries I may ... See more I tend to threaten to charge more but rarely actually do, and in any case never by more than 20%.
I am usually happy to work weekends at my normal basic rates, as long as the clients acknowledge that I am working the weekend for them and recognise that it is to some extent a sacrifice on my part and are, in turn, prepared to go some way towards meeting my demands in terms of format, manageability, abbreviations, inserted images, etc, and responding to any legitimate queries I may have about the text.
[Edited at 2012-01-28 09:47 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Williamson
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:55
Flemish to English
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| I prefer not to work on weekends. | Jan 28, 2012 |
Given that the market requires a translator specialised in... and that I take courses on week-ends, I try to avoid weekend-work.
[Edited at 2012-01-28 12:48 GMT]
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Dave Bindon
Greece
Local time: 08:55
Greek to English
In memoriam
Like Mary, I sometimes charge extra if the weekend work is an essential part of a rush job. Clients seem to be happy with that (the alternative would be for them to work late on a Friday evening in the hope that they can find another translator who's available, but clients are as keen to start the weekend as we are).
On other occasions, for good clients, I'll waive the extra charge (but I make a point of saying that I'll do it at the normal rate as a favour, because I have nothing p... See more Like Mary, I sometimes charge extra if the weekend work is an essential part of a rush job. Clients seem to be happy with that (the alternative would be for them to work late on a Friday evening in the hope that they can find another translator who's available, but clients are as keen to start the weekend as we are).
On other occasions, for good clients, I'll waive the extra charge (but I make a point of saying that I'll do it at the normal rate as a favour, because I have nothing planned for the weekend). ▲ Collapse
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For regular clients, but I would charge extra for a new client (or an infrequent one) with a rush job on a Friday evening (never happened though)!
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| Do you really think they charge also their customers always the same rate? | Jan 28, 2012 |
Simon Davies wrote:
Most of my clients are a strict rate per word so charging extra wouldn't be very popular....
Regards
I don't! (and voted "Yes, always")
Every end customer is prepared to pay more for a job that needs to be done over the weekend and will happily do so if it is really such urgent. And if he doesn't want to pay more, he may suddenly change his mind and say that yes, finally the job could wait some more days... Why should we do favours to the agencies only to let them earn more while we sacrifice our weekend?
We should use a less philantropical and more commercial approach. Agencies are not our friends nor family but run a business like we do.
So don't fall for the trick! Agencies will ALWAYS ask and get more from their customers for weekend/rush jobs!!
And by the way, serious agencies will offer themselves a surcharge to their translators when weekend work is needed and expected.
[Bearbeitet am 2012-01-28 22:08 GMT]
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Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 07:55
Member (2006)
German to English
| What are weekends? | Jan 28, 2012 |
Just 2 days in the week that you take off. Can be any day as a translator.
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m_temmer
Local time: 23:55
English to Dutch
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Sometimes, if the deadline makes weekend work unavoidable.
If I accept too much work and can't get it done during the week and I have to work on Saturday and/or Sunday, of course not.
I rarely get really urgent translations though and usually the agencies themselves offer me more money if it does happen. And why wouldn't they. I'm sure they charge their end client a lot more for the rush job anyway!
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Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 07:55
English to French
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Michaël Temmerman wrote:
I rarely get really urgent translations though and usually the agencies themselves offer me more money if it does happen. And why wouldn't they. I'm sure they charge their end client a lot more for the rush job anyway!
It is also easier for them to find someone who is willing to do the job, and the PM can enjoy a quiet weekend!
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Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 07:55
Member (2009)
English to German
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Michael Harris wrote:
Just 2 days in the week that you take off. Can be any day as a translator.
That's one of the benefits freelancer have. They can take any two days off when they really need it. What good does a "normal" weekend do when you need to take care of some official business and all state offices are closed Saturdays and Sundays?
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Melanie Meyer
United States
Local time: 01:55
Member (2010)
English to German
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| Yes...reserving the weekends for family | Jan 28, 2012 |
Michael Harris wrote:
Just 2 days in the week that you take off. Can be any day as a translator.
What about freelancers with children/family though? I personally prefer to take time off at the same time as the rest of my family does, which tends to be the weekends.
However, if it cannot be avoided to work over the weekend, I will definitely charge extra.
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