Fee Wizard for calculating equivalent rates

On a number of occasions in the past, I have written about ways to restate one's desired rate for translating a text in terms that might be better understood by a client accustomed to different methods. Discussions of rates with translators can be very confusing because of the different variables involved. Someone might propose a word rate to me that seems too low until it becomes clear that target words in the English text are meant rather than the less numerous words in the German source text, which might swallow a week's income with pages full of monstrosities like Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaft or worse.

Aside from my own spreadsheet tool, which I have made available for calculating rate equivalencies from your own language data, I often recommend Amtrad's FeeWizard Online for quick estimates based on EU data for some (not all) Community languages. Amtrad also offers a free spreadsheet version of the calculator which can use your own data to make more accurate estimates of how to express your favorite word rate as "standard pages" or some other unit in the source or target text.

As part of my recent work to develop e-learning resources in Moodle with various Open Source tools, I created a short demonstration video showing how to use the Amtrad FeeWizard to calculate a target text line rate that is equivalent to a source word rate for German to English translation. It's a simple tool to use, but apparently some do find it confusing.

The video is available on YouTube - it's not a polished effort and could surely be improved by scripted zooming and other common effects - but I am trying to make a case for more quick, low tech, low cost instructional solutions to provide professional support. Like other short, simple videos I am producing, this one also offers subtitles in English to help those who are confused by my thick American accent or who seldom listen to English. Subtitles will be added in other languages as they become available (there is only European Portuguese at the moment).