Dear yakkers,

perhaps others in Japan have had a similar experience, so i'd like to
solicit some advice concerning the following matter.

I was contacted by the local museum about a translation, specifically, they
want to create English explanation labels for items that are exhibited in
the museum (a good idea, since our area can be described as a tourist
destination trying hard to become attractive to foreign visitors). Most of
these explanations are specific to our local culture (many also contain
expressions in the local language, including personal names and "obsolete"
expressions like old place names, etc.), and the museum informed me that
they had previously tried to have such translations done by university
students but were not satisfied with the results (why am i not surprised).

Together with the source text i was sent a contract form, and it contained
the specifics of the project (which i subsequently confirmed in a direct
conversation with the person in charge). The source text is a collection of
71 short paragraphs, each of which refers to a different item, with a total
character count of approximately 9600 characters.

What leads me to ask for advice here is the following part:
訳にかかる予算としましては、54000円が予算額となっております。
通常、石垣市史などで日本語の原稿をいただいた際の金額が（外国の方に日本語
の原稿を書いていただいた際も同様）400字詰原稿用紙１枚あたり約1500円～2000
円です。
これは、引用の度合いによって若干金額が変動するためです。
原文の文字数の原稿用紙計算だと、それよりは高額に設定して計算しています。

Given that the source is not a running text but a collection of independent
items covering a wide variety of specialities (religion, music, carpentry,
agriculture, fishing, etc., etc.), and given the culture-specific contents,
i anticipate that the translation will take longer than usual - but i enjoy
working with such material and am willing to be quite flexible, concerning
the remuneration, because this is a not-for-profit project for the public
good. However, the rate the museum suggests amounts to a pay of between
3.75 and 5 Yen per character, and taking the total budget and character
count into consideration, the maximum might be 5.6 Yen per character, but
even 5.6 Yen is at best half of what i would be willing to work for in this
particular case.

Aside from the calculation they have come up with, i also have misgivings
about the solicitation process: as a first step i would have expected an
invitation to look at the text and give an estimate and not a suggestion as
to what i am supposed to accept as payment. Or is this typical for how the
civil service in Japan outsources jobs? (I may need some education, as
well.)

In any case, i am looking for opinions/ ideas/ information that might help
me formulate the diplomatic explanation that i intend to deliver to the
museum within the next few days - many thanks in advance!

Regards: Hendrik

.
--

Could you tell them that you will bill at your usual rate (Y????/item
description with the understanding that the average description will be 100
characters or less) for 30 of the descriptions and will do the other 41 for
free (i.e., off-book, no charge, as a donation to the museum)?

This way you can retain your rate (in case somebody asks the museum what
you charge), can do the whole job, and can get credit for having donated
your services. (And part of this has to involve telling them that you
refuse to work for pay for less than ... whatever your minimum rate is.)

FWIW,
- -- --- ---- ----- ---- --- -- -
Fred Uleman, who was asked many years ago to bill for twice as many pages
at have my stated per-page rate and refused to do it, even though the total
amount received would have been the same, because that would have left a
dangerously misleading paper trail suggesting I was willing to work for
half my stated per-page rate.

Hi,
Let me pick out the parts that caught my eye.

"Given that the source is not a running text but a collection of independent
items covering a wide variety of specialities (religion, music, carpentry,
agriculture, fishing, etc., etc.), and given the culture-specific contents,
i anticipate that the translation will take longer than usual"

I concur.

"but i enjoy working with such material and am willing to be quite flexible,
concerning the remuneration, because this is a not-for-profit project for
the public good."

That would be buying a lifestyle, not working for a living. How can
depriving you and your dependants of the maximum return on the investment
you have made to become a translator possibly be a "public good"?

"...but even 5.6 Yen is at best half of what i would be willing to work for
in this particular case."

The important thing is how much less it is than actual income you could
generate at that time. If you have other work worth more, don't do the
museum job.

"...i also have misgivings about the solicitation process: as a first step i
would have expected an invitation to look at the text and give an
estimate..."

Yeah. Hendrik, if you wanted someone to help you be diplomatic, that ain't
me. I admire that you only have "misgivings". I would subject the nearest
person to a ten minute rant on fuckwits who think they are magically
empowered to tell me how much I should be charging for my work, curse their
souls, or at least hope that primary school students do their stoopid
interpretive panels and that they become a mecca for tourists who just enjoy
pointing and laughing hysterically at Japlish.

Hope, forlornly, that helps.

Chris

Hendrik,
I have never dealt with Japanese civil service jobs, but I do have two comments.
(1) I would interpret your quoted contract language to mean: This is
our budget for the translation, and here is how we have arrived at the
number. I would have expected simply a statement of the budget, so
perhaps the rest was hastily added for the benefit of the translator
(a foreigner) because they anticipate (察する) that you might need
additional explanation, and after calling around to agencies they
realize that their rate is much lower than what a professional
translator would normally charge. I would not worry about the
calculation other than to note that they are paying roughly half (or
less) of your normal rate, and I would make sure they understand that
(恩を着せる).
(2) My 24 years as a freelancer have taught me there are mainly two
points of negotiation: rate and time. If the rate is set, perhaps you
can negotiate the time. In other words, considering that you are
normally busy with your regular work and this job is partly pro bono,
you can offer to do their translation when you are not otherwise
occupied with jobs paying your full rate. Because of the historical
nature of the material, I suspect you will have to work closely with
the museum staff to get the personal and place names correct, and to
verify background information that may not appear on the Japanese
labels but is essential for a satisfactory English explanation. I'm
sure that will take a lot of extra time, and they can hardly complain
if the time frame is extended.
Civil servants (and museum curators) live in a different milieu from
the business world, and I expect they would be unaccustomed to the
process of outsourcing a translation. Unlike Chris, I would assume
that their intentions are sincere, but their approach is awkward.
Nothing more sinister than that. If I were you, I would at least ask
for some other kind of compensation such as a free pass for a party of
3-5 persons to visit the museum several times a year, etc. (i.e.,
something they can provide at no additional cost to them).
Good luck on this project, if you decide to accept.
John Stroman

2012/2/25 sls <hiz--t...@islandnet.com>: