To work at a slower pace even though I could be more efficient?

[Oncalltranslator]

I've just been changed to a different department. My new temporary role involves exclusively translating content for the company. Any translator would charge at the very least £25ph but I get paid about half that. My line manager is super chilled and has now clue how long it should take me. AIBU?

Sorry if I've missed something, but if you work FT in a temporary capacity, there's no benefit for you in working slowly?

So, speak to them. Tell them if they want you to do full time translating that your rate of pay will need to looked at and adjusted upwards. You can be sure they are not selling the 'company time' at a fraction of what it is worth. This is a business and you need to look at yourself in the same light.

It is part of your role and, temporarily, it is all of your role. Nothing wrong with that. If you aren't happy with your salary package (pay, pension, holiday pay) then have a word with your boss, otherwise look for another job.

I've already spoken with the owner and was very apologetic but said that it was a business decision. I was supposed to be in this role just temporarily but it has now.changed to FT. Besides I'm still doing a good translation rate within average/better than average but not being as fast as I can be.

If there is a set expectation of the quantity and quality and your skills surpass this but the pay does not reflect this, then work at the pace you are being payed for. But really you need to look for a job that better suits you.

Are you working from home?

If you're averaging 3000-4000 words a day at £12 an hour your employer is getting an absolute bargain.

I moonlight as a freelance translator and would not touch a job that paid £12 an hour - my minimum rate is about three times that.

Exactly @Mistigri I just happen to have the experience but someone who only does translations wouldn't do it for this type of £££.

And I could do more but as it is I think they're getting a good deal.

Hate hourly rates. I have rarely found that work has a set, reliable amount of time it takes. That's especially the case with translation which can range from easy enough to do on autopilot to a tedious slog of jargon to stuff where you really have to think hard (eg literary translation).

I'd have a look around at what an average acceptable hourly rate is and just charge around that - a bit more if you know it's a more complex task or if you're doing corporate work, a bit less if it's a charity or some such that has less money - regardless of how long it actually takes you to do it.

I need to translate 10k words (for example). A translator would take at least 25 hrs and get paid £1k . I can do it in 12 hours and get paid just below £150. So instead I'm taking the 25 hours that an average translator would take and would get paid around £290.

But when you hire a translator, you aren't just paying for their time, you're paying for their expertise. It sounds like your employer doesn't value your expertise that much, so although your solution is a good short-term fix to make you feel as though you are getting a better deal, the real problem is still there.

@Oncalltranslator

Exactly *@Mistigri* I just happen to have the experience but someone who only does translations wouldn't do it for this type of £££.

If you going to be stuck doing this job with no prospect of anything else then why not go freelance? Either way you will be translating but you might as well get properly paid for it.

@Oncalltranslator

I only get SSP, their pension contribution is like 2%. But o do get the holiday pay point.

Freelancers don't even get SSP - have to pay their own pensions too.

I guess because I'm seeing as having a PT job while being paid my usual salary I don't see it as terrible deal.

Original content isn't as boring though so it's holding on until I get to do that.

It's not just sick pay & holiday pay: it's also employer NI, pension contributions, and above all the security of hours worked. When I freelanced as a translator I earned an hourly rate much higher than I do now, but was nowhere near as well off as a result of not getting any paid holiday, having to rent my own office space and the like. Obviously when everyone's WFH the office space thing doesn't apply (and even in normal times it's often outweighed by commuting costs), but generally the employer is still providing all the equipment that you'd have to finance yourself as a freelancer.

@nolongerlurker I get that, but I'd also assume your salary was not as low as mine.

Probably not, no. Sorry.

Maternity leave too!

always act your wage.

My oh is a freelance translator. He gets about 13 an hour. No holiday pay. No sick pay.

ImBoredAgain

always act your wage.

I love this ! I'm definitely going to be using this in future .

Why does he charge so little @foxhat?

Yanbu. But as a freelancer (not translator) the costs are:
Office space/equipment
Internet and phone
Unpaid admin time
Unpaid time applying for/bidding for work
Unpaid sick leave
Unpaid holiday
NI us just paid by me
Worse pension options, no employer contribution
I pay for all training or professional development /memberships
You often get a few hours or days work at a time where other work doesn't fit in so you might actually get paid for 4 hours but it takes a whole day.

But honestly don't flog yourself. I'm just saying as an aside there are differences between freelance and employment.

Oh yes @Plussizejumpsuit I freelanced once as a VA and QA for Google. The QA was ok, there was plenty of work to do, but the VA gig was beyond depressing. I like working in companies and not freelancing. It's more the particular situation I am in than anything else.

If he puts his rate up he gets no work basically. Translation software has changed the landscape substantially in the translating world.

I often found when working, that i did my best work by alternating working very hard for an hour and then reading the newspaper (remember them!) for an hour. I would thoroughly recommend it.