Translation - art & business » Money matters »
Why are there such low rates for sources that are Bosnian, Croatian, or Serbian?
Thread poster: Kornelija Karalic
Kornelija Karalic
Kornelija Karalic  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 16:04
Member (2006)
English to Bosnian
+ ...
Dec 6, 2023

I have worked for 23 years, and I always get good rates. These days, though, with everything in life becoming more expensive, our clients seem to be lowering the rates—and not in all languages. And why are there differences in rates for different languages since translation is difficult in all of them?

I can see why some of our coworkers would take low rates — perhaps they are in need—but this is very tricky. Accepting a lower rates would be detrimental to not just my coworke... See more
I have worked for 23 years, and I always get good rates. These days, though, with everything in life becoming more expensive, our clients seem to be lowering the rates—and not in all languages. And why are there differences in rates for different languages since translation is difficult in all of them?

I can see why some of our coworkers would take low rates — perhaps they are in need—but this is very tricky. Accepting a lower rates would be detrimental to not just my coworkers but also to me.

What do you think? ▲ Collapse
 
Jean Lachaud
Jean Lachaud  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:04
English to French
+ ...
Shocking Dec 6, 2023

Rates are down?!

Shocking. Simply shocking.
 
Daryo
Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:04
Serbian to English
+ ...
What is shocking Nov 3

Jean Lachaud wrote:

Rates are down?!

Shocking. Simply shocking.


What is shocking is that the whole current system is skewed in favour of agencies, and to make things worse, most translators are very bad negotiators. So the theoretical fiction of "law of offer and demand between equal partners" is in practice just that - a fiction. Many practices that are deemed "normal" in the translation industry would never be accepted anywhere else.

Just one example: try to pay your plumber or a car mechanic half of his regular tariff "because it's a repetition, you fixed the same problem yesterday" ... or argue with a lawyer that you must get a discount "because all the contracts keep reusing the same clauses".

You surely can make jokes about it if you're not directly affected - until you are too ...
 


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Why are there such low rates for sources that are Bosnian, Croatian, or Serbian?







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