ENGLISH > TRANSLATION
Second to price, translation client's major concern is time. How long will it take?
I'm generally a fast worker. Nevertheless, I manage my time on a per-project basis, always leaving some slack. I prefer to deliver two days early than two hours late.
It is common to link deadlines to urgency surcharges. When I am the one setting the deadline, i.e. the client asks me when it will be ready, it is obvious that no urgency surcharge shall apply. However if the client imposes a deadline, there are three possibilities:
a) If their deadline is longer than mine would be, of course there is no urgency;
b) If their deadline is shorter than mine, but still feasible, it's a case to consider; and
c) If their deadline is impossible, let them find someone who can make it; I won't promise anything I cannot deliver.
The problem with delivery times in translation
It is strange, but I see too much demand for urgency in the translation market. I understand that some typically life-rescuing professions are characterized by urgency. But why should there be so much urgency in translation? Some cases are justifiable. As soon as a document is issued, it must be translated to comply with some requirement. There may be some product being launched worldwide. News may become stale if not translated and published immediately. However most translation jobs should not require such urgency.
The opposite end of urgency in translation is when it's about publishing foreign books. Rates are usually much lower than any other kind of translation. Why? Because the publishing cycle of a book is long enough for the translator to work on it every time there are no urgent jobs pending.
If the client takes the trouble to plan, giving the translation the time needed to translate, they won't incur in additional costs from urgency surcharges. Many people tend to think that translation involves no more than reading the original and translating. In most cases, that's not true. Quite often a specific term or an unusual expression behooves research, and all this takes time.
Furthermore, there is proofreading. Time is required to review the whole translation. If rush is the foremost criterion, some mistakes might pass through. After they have been printed on hundreds or thousands of copies, it will be too late.