Seeking advice on how much to charge for literary translations Thread poster: Ali Reza Emrani
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Ali Reza Emrani
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:56
English to Persian (Farsi)
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Hi,
I have been approached by a friend who aims to write, in Farsi, his reminiscences of a certain period. He does not want to translate them himself as that might interfere with the process and also he knows my English is much better than his.
I have not done much literary translation before and would appreciate any suggestions as to charging compared to "normal" and/or technical translation.
Also, would it be advisable to suggest part (say 2/3) payment during th... See more Hi,
I have been approached by a friend who aims to write, in Farsi, his reminiscences of a certain period. He does not want to translate them himself as that might interfere with the process and also he knows my English is much better than his.
I have not done much literary translation before and would appreciate any suggestions as to charging compared to "normal" and/or technical translation.
Also, would it be advisable to suggest part (say 2/3) payment during the process and the rest (say 1/3) after publication or advance payment from potential publisher?
Will be much obliged for any help/guidance.
Thanks.
regards,
Ali emrani ▲ Collapse
| | | | | For Germany... | Nov 20, 2013 |
Here in Germany it's less than 20 EUR per page (!) on average for literary translations. So it's nearly nothing, compared to a normal technical (etc.) translation. And then there should be a kind of profit-sharing: 0.8% of the retail price from the 5000th copy on for the translator, but you won't get that from the most publishers...
If you do it as a hobby - fine. If you want to do it for a living - forget it.
Source: VdÜ
Regards,
Stefan
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Maybe this sounds a big harsh, but personally I think that in general we should not work for friends, and should recommend some other good and seasoned professional to them. True friends are a rare gift and doing business with them is something to be avoided at all costs, since a long and good friendship can easily derail because of business disagreements.
[Edited at 2013-11-20 07:30 GMT]
| | | | | It's not about money | Nov 20, 2013 |
I agree with Tomás. I'd also like to add that in many countries this kind of translation is extremely underrated, so even if you decide to help your friend it would rather be a charity/volunteer job, as you'll spend several months working free of charge. What you can do (as an option) is help him find a good translator AND a proofreader (both of them should be English speakers, otherwise the work will be useless).
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Kay Denney 
France
Local time: 18:56
French to English
| No need to worry yet | Nov 20, 2013 |
I personally wouldn't bother to even discuss the matter until the text has been *written* let alone published unless you're prepared to do it as a favour.
| | | | Attila Piróth
France
Local time: 18:56
Member
English to Hungarian
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| Words of caution | Nov 20, 2013 |
From what you write, Ali, I understand that the text is not yet finished; if I'm not mistaken, your friend has not even started.
It does not make any sense for a translator to get engaged before:
1. the manuscript is fully finished and published in the original language*
2. a contract is set up for the translation of the book between the author and a publisher in the target market (US or UK).
*If the book is not to be published in Farsi, a fully edited, cam... See more From what you write, Ali, I understand that the text is not yet finished; if I'm not mistaken, your friend has not even started.
It does not make any sense for a translator to get engaged before:
1. the manuscript is fully finished and published in the original language*
2. a contract is set up for the translation of the book between the author and a publisher in the target market (US or UK).
*If the book is not to be published in Farsi, a fully edited, camera-ready manuscript should be available. But the chances are very slim that any publisher would be interested without the book being published in its original language.
If 1 and 2 are met, the translator will make a contract with the publisher.
Before a target-language publisher is involved, any arrangement between the author and the translator is extremely risky. Neither of you can ensure that the book would be published (and marketed). Translating the book first in full and convincing a publisher second is not recommended: if the MS is refused, all the translation work was practically in vain. If the translator and the author are friends, it is a lose-lose proposition, no matter how the loss is shared between the author and the translator.
Attila ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Literary Translations | Nov 20, 2013 |
Literary Translations depend on your knowledge. If your knowledge is very weak of literature in general and poetry in special, it seems that your translation is misunderstandable.
[Edited at 2013-11-20 16:26 GMT]
| | | | | Agree with Texte Style | Nov 21, 2013 |
I agree with Texte Style. There is really nothing to discuss at this point. Lots of people have the desire to write their memoirs, or even a novel, but few ever do. If this person turns out to be in that small percentage of people who writes a completed memoir, it may take him years to finish. When the manuscript is finally completed, you will then have something to base your agreement on as you will know the length of the text and be able to estimate the time it will take you to translate it. Y... See more I agree with Texte Style. There is really nothing to discuss at this point. Lots of people have the desire to write their memoirs, or even a novel, but few ever do. If this person turns out to be in that small percentage of people who writes a completed memoir, it may take him years to finish. When the manuscript is finally completed, you will then have something to base your agreement on as you will know the length of the text and be able to estimate the time it will take you to translate it. You will also get a sense of the writing style and whether the story is compelling enough to be attractive to publishers. Regarding this last point, a professional writer or editor with experience in memoir publishing may be able your friend identify the factors that would make a memoir of interest to the general public. Many people include a lot of details in their memoirs that are only really interesting to themselves and their families. In order to be published by a traditional publisher, a memoir usually has to have some hook in the story and read almost like a novel, which is hard for most people to pull off. Regardless, the first step is for the text to be written. ▲ Collapse
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