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XTM Cloud 13.8

Cost settings

Parameter

Description

Cost settings section

Projects require cost approval

Link cost approvals to the start of the project. By enabling this feature, you make sure that translation work does not exceed your budget nor is it outsourced at unfavorable rates.

When this parameter is enabled at system level:

  • Requester and Cost Approver users can be created.

  • the additional Cost approvers and Cost managers parameters are displayed at customer level in Customer list > [customer name] > Edit > Basic information.

  • the Project requires cost approval parameter is, by default, enabled for all customers in your XTM Cloud instance. In such case, projects created for the relevant customer, exceeding the predefined cost approval threshold, will only start when their costs are accepted by the Cost Approver or Requester.

    Note

    The Projects require cost approval parameter can be disabled for the relevant customer in Customer list > [customer name] > Settings > Project options. In such case, the additional Cost approvers and Cost managers parameters are still displayed, but inactive.

Cost approval threshold

This parameter is displayed if you have selected the Projects require cost approval parameter.

The minimum amount that triggers the cost approval process when generated project costs equal or exceed the threshold. If project costs are higher than the agreed threshold amount, the Cost approval process is activated. If project costs are lower than the threshold amount, the Cost approval process does not apply.

Show Chargeable checkbox in Workflow Editor

Set a step in the workflow which is chargeable. This can be useful if the customer has pre-purchased a certain level of service. If this level of service is exceeded, then the step may become chargeable. When you enable the Show Chargeable checkbox in Workflow Editor parameter:

  • the Show Chargeable checkbox on the Tasks screen becomes active in Configuration > Data > Estimates > Cost settings.

  • the Chargeable parameter is displayed in the Workflow editor. It selected by default, but Project Managers can deselect it for the relevant workflow step.

  • the additional, read-only Chargeable column is displayed for Linguists in the Tasks > Active tab screen.

Show Chargeable checkbox on the Tasks screen

This parameter is only active if you have selected the Show Chargeable checkbox in Workflow Editor parameter.

When you select the Show Chargeable checkbox on the Tasks screen parameter, Linguists are able to select and clear the checkbox in the Chargeable column, in the Tasks > Active tab screen.

Default cost type

Decide what the generated costs is to be based on: Current metrics, Statistics source, Statistics target, Time or statistics source, Time or statistics target, Time or metrics initial, Time or metrics current. The settings introduced here may be changed per each project.

Filter by cost type

Set the way costs are filtered and displayed when generating costs in the Costs table under Projects > Show estimates > Estimates > Costs. You can have them all displayed, or only those based on Metrics, Current metrics, Statistics source, Statistics target, Time or statistics source, Time or statistics target, Time or metrics initial, Time or metrics current. The settings introduced here may be changed per each project.

Use zero for missing rates and Use zero for missing time

If you select this setting, XTM Cloud can generate costs for Linguists who do not have any values set in their rate cards or do not track time. This option is activated here, and in the Project Editor under Projects > Show Estimates > Costs.

Auto-generate costs for new project

Calculates project costs automatically once the project analysis is finished. This option is only applicable for projects that are assigned to users with valid rate cards or to dummy users for cost generation.

Dummy assignee

This parameter is displayed, when the Auto-generate costs for new project parameter has been selected.

Specifies a dummy assignee whose rate card values can be used to estimate costs.

Override assignments

This parameter is displayed, when the Auto-generate costs for new project parameter has been selected.

Specifies whether to use dummy assignee settings for the entire workflow or only where no Linguist has been assigned.

Force manual time tracking before start of the project

This option can be configured only at the level of global system settings. If you select this setting, Project Managers, Linguists, and LSPs can enter a time value in the fields assigned to steps with the Calculate costs based on time option enabled. To make the Force manual time tracking feature work to your advantage two other actions are required. You can enable the option of calculating costs on the basis of time tracked manually for any step of the workflow. Save your changes. When setting up a project, apply the workflow in which you have activated the Calculate costs based on the manual tracking option.

Include costs with warnings in Cost and metrics reports

You can enable Project Managers to include such projects in the Cost and metrics report, in which costs have been generated with warnings.

Valid values:

  • Selected.

    If you select this parameter, this option is selected by default for every new Cost and metrics report. Project Managers can deselect this option when running the relevant report.

  • Cleared (default).

    If you deselect this parameter, this option is deselected by default, but still displayed, for every new Cost and metrics report. Project Managers can select this option when running the relevant report.

This parameter is disabled by default.

Disable proposals in project estimates

When you select this parameter:

  • the Estimates > Proposal tab in the Project Editor is hidden.

  • the Estimates tab in the Project Editor is renamed to Costs. In it, only the Costs tab parameters are displayed.

  • in the Project list tabs, in the relevant project's context menu, there is the Show Costs option, instead of Show Estimates. This option opens the Costs tab in the Project Editor .

This parameter is disabled by default.

Calculate cost based on edit distance

The edit distance calculation (EDC) helps you track the number of changes made by a post-editor in a machine-translated target segment. EDC is based on a metric that corresponds to the number of characters edited in a target machine-translated segment divided by the total number of characters in that segment. This calculation results in an EDC score, which ranges from 0 to 1, the score is rounded down to 1 if the score is greater than 1

A score of 1 corresponds to a segment that requires a complete edit of the machine translation output and would be reflected by the maximum amount of payment. 

Note

The EDC score is calculated using the CharacTER algorithm.

  1. Go to Configuration > Data > Estimates > Cost settings > Calculate cost based on edit distance.

  2. Project Managers can generate two types of EDC report:

    Note

    To display the EDC scores in reports, in Project Editor > Workflow > Edit Workflow, enable the Calculate edit distance parameter at workflow step level.

To configure your custom payment matrix based on EDC scores, request support.

To request support

Visit our Support Portal.