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Introduction
XTM Cloud includes a robust costs module that covers the entire scope of the project translation process in our application. It is quite extensive and enables a wide variety of configurations to be applied. It also takes into account different cases, depending on client needs. For this reason, let’s focus on aspects that are essential for the costs module to work.
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Getting started
Billing currency & Exchange rates
To start learning about the way costs are managed in XTM Cloud, begin with this place: Configuration → Data → Estimates → Exchange rates (administrative privileges required!).
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If all the linguists happen to have the same currency as your System billing currency, then you do not need to add anything in Rate card currency. |
Chargeable workflow steps
You need to specify workflow step(s) that should be chargeable in your project by selecting the appropriate checkbox. However, you must first activate the function that enables this to happen. To do so, select Configuration → Data → Estimates → Cost settings → Cost settings → Show Chargeable checkbox in Workflow Editor.
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IMPORTANT! If this checkbox is not selected in the global configuration, all workflow steps except Automatic steps will be set as chargeable by default. |
Rate cards
XTM Cloud has a highly flexible rate card function that supports billing in a defined currency. These rate cards are another prerequisite for future generation of costs. For this reason, our next step is to configure rate cards for active users. To do so, select Users → (select a user) → Rate cards.
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IMPORTANT! If you want to charge by time, only the Price per hour factor matters! Also, there is no option to add values for matches such as ICE, Fuzzy, etc. in Non-CAT steps. |
After a project has been created…
Once the project has been created, you need to check a couple of additional things:
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Make sure that the Chargeable checkbox has been selected for the workflow step that is subject to payment:
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Finally, go to the Project editor → Estimates → Costs, and choose the basis for your costs by selecting the relevant option in the Generate costs based on dropdown:
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IMPORTANT! As for the rest of the options:
if charging by time is enabled correctly, it takes priority over metrics and statistics when costs are generated! |
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Costs calculation mechanism
Procedure
For each workflow step (in a particular target language) for a particular user:
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7. The resulting value from 6 is saved in the database:.
8. For each user, "costs per language" are totaled.
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10. The resulting value from 9 is saved in the database:.
11. For each project “costs per user”are totaled.
12. The resulting value from 11 is saved in the database:.
Example
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To express this in simple terms: The value of all matches is 1, each workflow step consists of 10 translated words.
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RateCard1 – pl_PL:
Fixed prices per language: Man fee 25%, Fixed price 5, Min. charge 55;Fixed prices per Translate: Man fee 20%, Fixed price 5, Min. charge 15;
Fixed prices per Correct: Man fee 10%, Fixed price 3, Min. charge 15.
RateCard2 – de_DE:
Fixed prices per language: Man fee 50%, Fixed price 15, Min charge 40;Fixed prices per Translate: Man fee 10%, Fixed price 2, Min charge 10.
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Costs calculation
pl_PL:
Translate:
10 * 1,2 + 5 = 17 → 17 > 15, so the final price for this step is 17.Correct:
10 * 1,1 + 3 = 14 → 14 < 15, so the final price for this step is 15.
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20 * 1,5 + 15 = 45 → 45 > 40, so the total price for language is 45.3.
Final result
Sum for the languages: 45 + 55 = 100;
Price for the user: 100 * 1,1 + 10 = 120 → 120 > 115, so the final price for the user is 120;
Price for the project (the sum of costs for all users): 120.
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After costs are generated…
Costs tab
Once you click the Generate button, all the costs that are generated will be displayed in the previously mentioned Costs tab, in the form of a UI record (Project editor → Estimates → Costs).
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As you can see, there are some basic pieces of information about the entry, such as:
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As you might have noticed, costs are generated for the entire project. T o To see a breakdown per Linguist, click on the entry. You will see more details.
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Names of the Linguists for whom costs have been generated,
Purchase Order number,
The Price column shows the Linguist remuneration in your system billing currency,
Both costs for non-analyzable files and additional costs can be specified as either a fixed amount or as a percentage of the base price,
Linguist price shows the remuneration in the Linguist's rate card currency that is displayed in a Purchase Order,
Workflow steps, as the name suggests, shows the names of the steps in which a particular linguist was involved and which are within the payment scope.
Email status indicates whether an e-mail with a PO has been sent to the client or not.
Purchase Order
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You can generate a Purchase Order for each linguist.
Generate PO → a default PO will be downloaded.
Generate custom PO → a popup will open. In it, you can select the PO file format, calculation method, and custom fields. You can decide to include rates or a cost breakdown into languages or languages and workflow steps. You can also specify whether the PO is to be emailed to the linguist automatically, add a comment, and customize the footer and font sizes. You can also configure a custom PO layout that is to be applied globally, by selecting Configuration → Data → Estimates → PO settings → Default PO.
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Email PO to linguist → You can send a PO to the linguist straight away. The sending status will be marked in the relevant column on the right-hand side.
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XTM cost-related reports
The XTM Cloud functionality includes multiple reports relating to costs. These reports can be generated and downloaded from the UI. The most important rule here is that the costs need to be generated effortlessly, for the data from their corresponding projects to be displayed in a suitable report. In other words, correctly generated costs are a must for any XTM Cloud cost-related report to be correct. To see more details, we recommend that you read this article: Costs & Metrics reports.
Troubleshooting cost generation issues
There might be several reasons that prevent you from being able to generate costs correctly. See this separate article that tackles the most frequent problems with costs generation: Costs generation - most common issues & troubleshooting.
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Phase costs and Statistics
Note that Statistics are only modified as a result manual activities by a linguist in XTM Workbench. Contrary to metrics, Statistics are not modified after actions such as project reanalysis, continuous project update, or the uploading of new source files are performed. Only activity by a linguist in XTM Workbench after completion of the above-mentioned actions will modify Statistics.
Also very important: the settings under (administrative privileges required!)
Go to Configuration → Data → Estimates → Cost settings → Automation of continuous projects → Save history of project metrics, statistics, tracked time and costs when.
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In this case, you can automate cost calculation by selecting Generate costs for project history and then selecting the appropriate option. In this case, every time you reanalyze a file for/upload the file to a continuous project, costs will be generated first, and then Statistics will be deleted.
Option 1 – resetting Statistics disabled
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Reanalysis: example
The client created a simple project with 1 step and 1 file (a .txt file) containing 10 segments.
None of the segments received a TM match, and the linguist translated all the segments.
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The project was reanalyzed. ICE matches were inserted in previously translated segments. Statistics remain unchanged.
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At this point, there are Costs for 10 No matching segments. |
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The linguist changed the translation in each segment.
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At this point, there are Costs for 10 ICE-matched and 10 No matching segments. |
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Continuous project update: example
The client created a simple project with 1 step and 1 file (a .txt file) containing 10 segments.
As in the previous case, none of the segments received a TM match and the linguist translated all the segments.
The client made a continuous project update (modified the .txt file by adding 5 new segments, bringing the total number of segments to 15). ICE matches were inserted in previously translated segments (except for one segment in which a Leveraged match was inserted). Statistics remain unchanged.
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The linguist ONLY translated new segments (11-15) and approved segment 10 (Leveraged match).
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At this point, there are Costs for 15 No matching segments and 1 Leverage-matched segment. |
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The linguist corrected the translations of the old segments (1-10).
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At this point, there are Costs for 9 ICE-matched segments, 1 Leverage-matched segment and 15 No matching segments. |
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Option 2 – resetting Statistics enabled
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Reanalysis: example
The client created a simple project with 1 step and 1 file (a .txt file) containing 10 segments.
None of the segments received a TM match, and the linguist translated all the segments.
The client reanalyzed the project. ICE matches were inserted in previously translated segments. Statistics are reset. From now on, they are only available at Statistics history level (Project editor → Statistics → Statistics history).
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At this point, there are Costs for 10 No matching segments. |
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The linguist changed the translation in each segment.
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At this point, there are Costs for 10 ICE-matched and 10 No matching segments. |
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Continuous project update: example
The client created a simple project with 1 step and 1 file (a .txt file) containing 10 segments.
None of the segments received a TM match and the linguist translated all the segments.
The client made a continuous project update (modified the .txt file by adding 5 new segments, bringing the total number of segments to 15). ICE matches were inserted in previously translated segments (except for one segment in which a Leveraged match was inserted). Statistics are reset. From now on, they are only available at Statistics history level.
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At this point, there are Costs for 10 No matching segments. |
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The linguist ONLY translated new segments (11-15) and approved segment 10.
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At this point, there are Costs for 1 Leverage-matched segment and 15 No matching segments. |
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The linguist corrected the translations of the old segments (1-10).
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At this point, there are Costs for 9 ICE-matched segments, 1 Leverage-matched segment and 15 No matching segments. |
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