How to create a rate card for a linguist

Owned by Damian Rozmiarkowski (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Jul 09, 2024 by Damian Rozmiarkowski
4 min read

Introduction

XTM Cloud has a highly flexible rate card function that supports billing in a defined currency.

IMPORTANT!

If a particular user has a currency that is different from the system billing currency then, before creating a rate card, ensure that the relevant currency exchange rate is set in Configuration → Data → Estimates → Exchange rates, otherwise you will not be able to generate costs for them.

Each user can only have one active rate card currency! This currency and its associated rate cards are used when creating purchase orders for the user.

Also, only linguists can have rate cards.

Guidelines

  1. Go to Users → User list → (select a user), and select the linguist for whom you would like to create a rate card. If you do not have a linguist user, see How to create a user with a role to find out how to create one.

2024-05-07 08_36_25-Window.png

  1. Click the Rate cards tab, select a User billing currency, and click the Add button.

2024-05-07 08_39_11-Window.png

  1. Enter a Rate card name, select Language combinations and Subject matter.

  1. Select a calculation method for your rates in the Calculate using section. If you choose Factors, you then need to choose your Base price, which will be multiplied by the percentage values you enter for the different types of match in each workflow step, to work out the cost. (You can propagate values using the blue arrows). Once it is finished, click the Save button and close the window.

If you choose Actual price, enter the specific rates for different types of match in a specific workflow step (you can propagate values using the blue arrows). Then click the Save button and close the window.

Entries in rate cards can be defined to 4 decimal places in full price entries and 5 decimal places in percentage values.

  1. For both types of calculation, you can also set the:

  • Number of Words per day;

  • Minimum charge per project;

  • Minimum charge per language (this value will be calculated and totaled for every language combination in the project from a specific Rate card for this language combination).

  1. Below the General fixed price label, you can set the:

  • Fixed price per project,

  • Fixed price per language,

  • Fixed price per file,

  • Management fee percentage,

  • Minimum management fee.

The Minimum management fee is set in a currency, and only one value can be set per rate card. The amount is added to the final costs if the Management fee is lower than the Minimum management fee.

Example:

the rate card has the following values:

  • Management fee = 10%;

  • Minimum management fee = USD 100;

  • Costs calculated based on Metrics = USD 500.

Given that 10% of USD 500 = USD 50, the Management fee will not be applied, but the Minimum management fee will.

Total cost: USD 500 + USD 100 = USD 600

  • Halved management fee,

The Halved management fee changes the final cost if 50% of the total cost, including the fee for management, is lower than the Management fee. It changes the final cost, reducing the fee for management by half.

Example:

the rate card has the following values:

  • Management fee = 10%;

  • Minimum management fee = USD 65;

  • Costs calculated based on Metrics = USD 60.

Given that 10% of USD 60 is USD 6, and that is less than USD 65, the applicable management fee is USD65.

Given that USD 65 is more than 50% of USD 125 (USD 60 + USD 65), the Halved management fee applies (USD 65 : 2 = USD 32.5)

Total cost: USD 60 + USD 32.5 = USD 92.5

  1. The linguist now has an active rate card that can be used for counting translation costs and issuing a purchase order.

Good to know!

To find out how to import multiple user rate cards at once, we recommend that you read this article: Importing rate cards - procedure and template.