Hello all,
I’d love to hear thoughts from some experienced translators out there.
I’m a historian of Russia who is trying to break into the world of Russian-English translation. I’d like to freelance and initially do whatever I can get really to learn and gain experience, and ultimately specialise in arts & culture, academic and non-fiction literary translation (seems far away and very daunting from where I’m standing).
I’ve just accepted a low rate for a small job (a book section). The last piece I was hoping to get passed me by, as they thought I was too expensive, even though I was asking for below what I believe the starting rate is for literary translation in the UK. I really wanted that job and so it has put me off negotiating. Is this the right approach to take when you’re starting out? Take what you can get if it’s going to be good experience? Or push for what you think you’re worth?
For reference, I was recommended for this job and wasn’t asked for my CV. I asked if they had a price in mind and they told me what they think their regular translator charges, so I just accepted that. Last time I gave my rates upfront and got a no, so this time I wanted to see if they had a budget in mind first.