One of my private students asked if I could proofread something for her company, about 800 words worth. I’m happy to see that she’s going with a native speaker, but I have no idea what to charge. Can I ask, what do you charge, or what is the standard rate? Thanks. Her company is a cosmetics distributor, if that helps.
You could charge by the word. But I think 1k NTD would be a fair price for that kind of job.
Make sure you have a quick look at it before you agree to proof it.
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Yeah, I’ve seen essays so mechanically broken that there’s no salvaging them and they basically have to be rewritten from scratch.
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Yep, that’s what I get from some of my writing students. It’s exhausting grading them.
Back when I was a translator, I often found it much easier to translate a document from Chinese than to correct one written in “English.”
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NT$ 1 per word sounds low. I charged NT$ 1.5 maybe 15 years ago. I hope the rate has gone up since then.
If you have experience in the subject, NT$ 2 or 3 should be doable.
And definitely get a sample beforvmaking a commitment. I once needed more time to fix a 2 page letter to the editor than a 20 page manuscript (that manuscript was the easiest thing, but still - I’m a slow reader)
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Also, bear in mind that unless your student wrote it you’ll be dealing with whoever did write it when you make any changes.
Best to make it clear up front that your changes are suggestions and the company can decide whether to accept them or not. However, you won’t be discussing them any further.
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Good advice by everyone. Thanks.
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Yes! Sometimes their pride is hurt when there’s a ton of corrections and they try to question or even challenge them. Make sure all work is final and it’s up to them what they want to do with the revised version, but you won’t be going back and forth over it. Give an inch and they’ll take a mile.
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Keep in mind that even if the text they give you is perfectly grammatical, the style and sentence structure will likely follow Chinese rhetorical patterns, such as long-winded, multiple dependent clauses followed by a final independent clause. You may see overuse of structures like “not only… but also” and too many sentences starting with “Because”, “In addition”, or “Besides”. Chinese writers love wordiness. If I were doing it, I would make it clear at the outset that I will change sentences around to make the text more natural to English speakers.
Hi[quote=“DrewC, post:4, topic:178406, full:true”]
Yeah, I’ve seen essays so mechanically broken that there’s no salvaging them and they basically have to be rewritten from scratch.
[/quote]
Your writing has improved considerably since those early days… in fairness @DrewC 
I am “ work in progress” 
I’d be happy to edit your posts for a reasonable per diem.
I am not wealthy enough to pay for that amount of work 
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Moreover, it may be like taking this old bus, and making it go Furthermore.
But it looks so beautiful as it is. The ferns, leaves, and mosses are so beautiful.
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What’s your time worth? Set a price, and charge by the hour if you like. Double it for urgent deadlines. Charge at least as much as you would for teaching English, and even more if you’re experienced in editing or in the content field.
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