My definition of a rush job is any job request with a deadline of less than 3 days or with translating more than 2000 words a day. Rush jobs aren't done faster than other jobs - they are just done sooner. So for a 300-word job to be delivered in 6 hours I would also charge a 30% "priority surcharge" because the translation jobs I push aside to do the rush job still have to be done - maybe in the evening or on the weekend to meet the prior deadlines. It gets priority treatment, and the client should and must be willing to pay for that.
Translator's normal capacity is 2000 words a day. If a deadline for a job requires translating more words in one day this means that the translator (me included) must work outside his normal working hours. But our life is not only translating and if I postpone all my other activities I am entitled to some compensation. So this is a rush charge that depends on tightness of the deadline and the number of overwork. The rule of thumb for rush surcharges is this:
3 days or less with more than 2000 words/day at 30% surcharge
4-5 days - medium rush at 40% surcharge
6-7 days or more - 50% surcharge
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