Texts for translation are counted in lines of source text, a line being defined as 55 keystrokes (characters with spaces). The line count is given by the figure displayed in Word under File-Properties-Statistics-Characters (with spaces), divided by 55. Fields not included in the count, e.g. graphics, are charged on a time basis. Binding estimates are given on receipt of the complete electronic text, approximate estimates on receipt of a sample extract.
Lingua Medica does not have an across-the-board fee for all clients. Europe, where most of its clients are located, is not yet a single market, and is unlikely to become so in the near future. Fee scales have evolved at different rates. Those considered high in France are seen as higher still in Spain and Italy, but as relatively low in Switzerland. To Lingua Medica's best belief, its fees are pitched at an equivalent level in each country. Clients should expect to pay in the range 2 to 2.75 euros per line, and 80 to 100 euros per hour.
When working with a new client who is not a household
industry name or an
academic department - for example, an individual or a small company such
as
a translation agency - Lingua Medica reserves the right, on the basis
of
unhappy experience, to request settlement in full before returning a
translation. Given that credit transfers can take several days within
Europe, this may mean that Lingua Medica is unable to undertake emergency
translations for clients it does not know.
