How do I set a rate for TEP services?
Thread poster: Sandy Herrera
Sandy Herrera
Sandy Herrera
Mexico
Local time: 17:12
English to Spanish
+ ...
Feb 13, 2019

An agency asked me if I provided TEP services. Given that I´ve never heard of it before, I searched it on the internet. Ok, I already know that a TEP translation stands for, Translation, Editing, and Proofreading. But what do agencies mean when asking if provide that service? They expect me to do all the three steps (translation, editing and proofreading)?

The agency also asked me my TEP rates? But, how do I set a TEP rate?


Michael Marsch (PhD)
Khang Dao
Ebenya Emmanuel
 
Elif Baykara Narbay
Elif Baykara Narbay  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 01:12
German to Turkish
+ ...
Individual rates Feb 14, 2019

I assume that you need to tell individual rates for translation, editing, and proofreading.

I have never heard of someone providing all three services on a single project. It would be wrong, anyway.

You would still need to proofread your own translations but this is by default included in your translation service.

When a client asks for proofreading, this concerns an independent project.

Elif


Michael Marsch (PhD)
Khang Dao
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 23:12
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Sandy Feb 14, 2019

Sandy Herrera wrote:
An agency asked me if I provided TEP services.


Some agencies use the abbreviation TEP to mean simply translation.

If your agency does happen to mean "translation, editing and proofreading" as three separate services, then you must decide if you can actually provide all three these services one right after the other. (Personally, I can't. I can edit someone else's translation, but I can't really edit one of my own translations unless a week or two have passed since translating it. I can, however, proofread an edited version of one of my translations at any time.)

If you can't offer a full TEP service (e.g. you can't do it by yourself, or you don't have a colleague in the office whom you pay), you should explain to the agency what you can and can't do.

If you want to offer TEP, then I think the rate for TEP should be about twice the rate for T alone. But be prepared to discover that the agency is really asking you for a translation that is so good that they don't need to spend any further effort on it.


Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Elif Baykara Narbay
pootanin
Mert Dirice
Michael Marsch (PhD)
E-Projects
Jeslynn Khoo
 
Muzaffer Sharif Bhutta
Muzaffer Sharif Bhutta  Identity Verified
Pakistan
Local time: 03:12
Member (2018)
English to Urdu
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
TEP Feb 14, 2019

Well, by asking for a TEP quote, it's possible the agency may be sort of referring to a translation which is good enough to qualify "E" and "P" aspects. In other words, the work should be good enough that it does not require further editing or proofreading. But, it is always best to check with the client, as communication gaps can create confusion, which may lead to disputes related to output as well as charges.

pootanin
Michael Marsch (PhD)
Khang Dao
Ebenya Emmanuel
 
Vasu Valluri
Vasu Valluri
India
Local time: 03:42
Russian to English
+ ...
Tep Services Feb 15, 2019

I provide TEP services by engaging editors and proofreaders to do the editing and proofreading parts. I also provide all three stages of the process separately. In fact, this is similar to running a part of the agency. After this, the agency will just run QA/QC on the output and ship to the customer. To provide rates for TEP output I calculate efforts of all three stages and quote the same. Usually, the TEP rate is twice the translation charges.

Translation charges = 1 unit
Ed
... See more
I provide TEP services by engaging editors and proofreaders to do the editing and proofreading parts. I also provide all three stages of the process separately. In fact, this is similar to running a part of the agency. After this, the agency will just run QA/QC on the output and ship to the customer. To provide rates for TEP output I calculate efforts of all three stages and quote the same. Usually, the TEP rate is twice the translation charges.

Translation charges = 1 unit
Editing charges = 1/2 unit
Proofreading charges = 1/2 unit

Apart from this I also try to provide formatting that matches or is near to matching the source document. For this, I also add DTP charges paid to DTP personnel.

Formatting charges = 1/4 unit.

If the Source document is scanned pdf, I also add document conversion charges, which are similar to DTP charges.
Collapse


Sandy Herrera
Abdelazim Abdelazim
Michael Marsch (PhD)
Muzaffer Sharif Bhutta
Hala Gamal
Khang Dao
Zofia Wyszynski
 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
Possibilities: Jan 7, 2021

1) 3 separate rates for T, E, and P - I have a client like that

2) full-service outsource rates, where they want to subcontract the lot of it to you. Whether they actually want you to hire 2 stages of review or don't care what exactly you do, as long as the translation is ready-to-publish quality... unknown.


Ebenya Emmanuel
 


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


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

How do I set a rate for TEP services?







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 »
CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »