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Summary writing - how to set rates
Thread poster: Phil Hand
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 14:41
Chinese to English
Jun 26, 2011

Hi all. I've just done my first freelance summary writing job, and I never agreed rates for summary writing with this client. (It was only a 1 hour task, for a very good client, so I was happy to do it on the understanding that we could work this stuff out later. Can be dangerous, I know, but that's not what I'm asking here.)

I don't even know how rates are set. Anyone who does this sort of thing regularly, do your clients like to go by word count? By the hour?

While I... See more
Hi all. I've just done my first freelance summary writing job, and I never agreed rates for summary writing with this client. (It was only a 1 hour task, for a very good client, so I was happy to do it on the understanding that we could work this stuff out later. Can be dangerous, I know, but that's not what I'm asking here.)

I don't even know how rates are set. Anyone who does this sort of thing regularly, do your clients like to go by word count? By the hour?

While I'm at it, does anyone know what sort of text ratio we should be aiming for? Is there a standard? I got 1200 Chinese characters (~800 English words) down to 200 words. Is this good/bad/indifferent?

There may not be answers to these questions, but if anyone has any relevant experience, I'd be grateful to hear it. ▲ Collapse
 
Karen Stokes
Karen Stokes  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:41
Member (2003)
French to English
Brief? Jun 26, 2011

Hi Phil,

I'd set an hourly rate, and I'd say the ratio of original text to summary depends on the brief, i.e you need a conversation with the client first to determine what they're trying to achieve by having the text summarised, which particular type of information they're interested in, etc.

Best,

Karen
 
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 14:41
Chinese to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jun 27, 2011

That's useful info - if there are no widely accepted standards, then at least I know the client won't have any particular expectations.
 


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Summary writing - how to set rates







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