Poll: How likely are you to recommend freelance translating to someone considering their options? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How likely are you to recommend freelance translating to someone considering their options?".
View the poll results »
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:28
Spanish to English
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| Less than before | Feb 17, 2019 |
There is already too much competition from non-native intruders in my pair. Disappointingly, many university/college translation courses now appear to be training their pupils to translate into what is not their native tongue. I wouldn't mind so much, but they can get darn uppity when called out. Just the other day I had some guy from Venezuela on FB trying to school me in English grammar. With the aid of a dictionary, no less.
In other, less common language pairs, perhaps freelancing mig... See more There is already too much competition from non-native intruders in my pair. Disappointingly, many university/college translation courses now appear to be training their pupils to translate into what is not their native tongue. I wouldn't mind so much, but they can get darn uppity when called out. Just the other day I had some guy from Venezuela on FB trying to school me in English grammar. With the aid of a dictionary, no less.
In other, less common language pairs, perhaps freelancing might still be a worthwhile option. Another point to consider is that the increasing "industry" reliance on technological innovations means that would-be translators may have to consider investing in more than just a basic computer setup. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos (X) 
United States
Local time: 13:28
Spanish to English
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| Not very likely | Feb 17, 2019 |
I see that the profession is being mechanized, standards are falling, and there is intense pressure to lower rates to levels that will make it impossible to yield a living wage. This trend will mean that it can only be a sideline, supplemented with other sources of income.
| | | | | Not very likely | Feb 17, 2019 |
First of all, I’m not the recommending type and then again I don’t think freelancing is for everybody and it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Freelancing is a personal choice… To be a freelancer not only you should be very organized, have experience as a translator and a wide range of administrative, marketing, negotiation and project management skills. Besides all that, you need a tough skin to deal with non-payers and to navigate its ups and downs. I love being a freelance but I recognize t... See more First of all, I’m not the recommending type and then again I don’t think freelancing is for everybody and it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Freelancing is a personal choice… To be a freelancer not only you should be very organized, have experience as a translator and a wide range of administrative, marketing, negotiation and project management skills. Besides all that, you need a tough skin to deal with non-payers and to navigate its ups and downs. I love being a freelance but I recognize that I learned a lot during the years spent in-house and that experience was paramount. ▲ Collapse
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| Other: I would inform them | Feb 17, 2019 |
I'd find out about their background, and given them information on the field.
| | | | | Highly Likely | Feb 17, 2019 |
Very good profession. Highly likely to recommend it.
| | | | | Not Very Likely | Feb 18, 2019 |
Recent interactions with translation agencies have proved to me that they want to pay less than I was earning per word over 10 years ago.
The only reason that I can afford to continue to work as a translator is because I now collect Social Security, which is what anyone in the United States who has paid into it through other, non-freeelance forms of employment can collect every month, as soon as they turn 62.
So I guess I could modify my response somewhat to say that if... See more Recent interactions with translation agencies have proved to me that they want to pay less than I was earning per word over 10 years ago.
The only reason that I can afford to continue to work as a translator is because I now collect Social Security, which is what anyone in the United States who has paid into it through other, non-freeelance forms of employment can collect every month, as soon as they turn 62.
So I guess I could modify my response somewhat to say that if one does want to translate because they enjoy it, or because they need or want supplemental income, it might be more feasible to wait until they reach the official retirement age to solely concentrate on translation work.
[Edited at 2019-02-18 00:17 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 22:29
French to English
Given how rates are falling and machines are taking over, I really don't see much of a future in translation. I'm just hoping that my particular speciality, transcreation, will remain machine-proof at least until I retire.
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| Depends on whether I like them | Feb 18, 2019 |
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| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 18:29
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| Not very likely | Feb 18, 2019 |
I would never to recommend anyone to study translation in college, that's for sure.
I'd highly recommend to anyone in any area to speak a second language fluently and to be acquainted with the jargon in both languages in all areas they ever work. So translation may be an extra in the future. If their first language is not English, that would be my recommendation for sure.
I'd not recommend to anyone to invest and begin their career as a translator, yet to always keep pr... See more I would never to recommend anyone to study translation in college, that's for sure.
I'd highly recommend to anyone in any area to speak a second language fluently and to be acquainted with the jargon in both languages in all areas they ever work. So translation may be an extra in the future. If their first language is not English, that would be my recommendation for sure.
I'd not recommend to anyone to invest and begin their career as a translator, yet to always keep practicing it, again as an extra for the future.
Commercial clients tend to fall in the MT trap very easily, to reduce their costs. So most non-scientific and non-literary translations will likely be mechanized in the future. The market will be reduced, and only the best will succeed. These will be people highly experienced in specific areas in two or more languages.
People who actually study translation in college will keep translating literature for publishers and subtitles for the media industry, disputing with MT, as it's already a trend today, and these clients are certainly not among the best payers.
So, no, I wouldn't recommend it to a son or to a friend's son. ▲ Collapse
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I agree with the comments about machine translation posing a very real threat to the livelihoods of many translators, and the drive towards the commoditization of our profession is a very clear trend in our industry. Translation agencies bear part of the responsibility for that, but translators are also to be "blamed" (for lack of a better word, since a lot of factors come into play when a translator decides to work for lower rates, having to provide for their families being one of the most sali... See more I agree with the comments about machine translation posing a very real threat to the livelihoods of many translators, and the drive towards the commoditization of our profession is a very clear trend in our industry. Translation agencies bear part of the responsibility for that, but translators are also to be "blamed" (for lack of a better word, since a lot of factors come into play when a translator decides to work for lower rates, having to provide for their families being one of the most salient ones, and then, who are we to pass judgement on that?) for the continuous downward pressure on rates, which, by the way, is not new and makes perfect sense from a purely economic perspective.
But I digress. As for the poll, Mario Freitas was spot on: only the best will succeed. Which presents us translators with a very attractive challenge: it is mandatory to keep honing our language skills to be in that group. I am certain that the so called "machine translation threat" will wipe out non-specialized, generalist translators. DeepL and GT output is very often better than some translations I've had to edit and proofread so far in my career, and they are getting better at that. But then, I don't think we can blame that on machines, but on the unwillingness I've seen in some translators to keep polishing the many dimensions (technological, linguistic, interpersonal, etc.) related to this profession. There is a market for highly specialized translators who have a flawless command of their target language and who are able to not just transpose words from one language to another, but to actually produce error-free, natural-sounding, idiomatic translations. And the way things are going, translators who make the cut to break into those markets will be on high demand, because they are not many. And I don't see machine translation ever conquering a market like that.
So, yes, I would recommend translation as a profession, but with a proviso: if you're not willing to move out of your confort zone and admit that when it comes to language, the more you know, the less you know, you're doomed to fail. It's what happens in every single profession that's ever existed. ▲ Collapse
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