| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Most lucrative >English language pairs Thread poster: Michael Hughes
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Michael Hughes 
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:17
Member (2022)
Japanese to English
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I've always been curious about the supply vs demand trends for different language pairs - there's a lot of hearsay around but very little hard data to back it up.
I tried pulling off some stats for the top 20 'into English' language pairs on Proz by job volume in the latter half of 2022 and comparing them with the number of translators registered on the site.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest by pure job volume were FIGS and Chinese/Japanese/Korean.
Wh... See more I've always been curious about the supply vs demand trends for different language pairs - there's a lot of hearsay around but very little hard data to back it up.
I tried pulling off some stats for the top 20 'into English' language pairs on Proz by job volume in the latter half of 2022 and comparing them with the number of translators registered on the site.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest by pure job volume were FIGS and Chinese/Japanese/Korean.
What's more interesting is when you start looking at it by available translators (particularly native speakers). While I often hear my language pair (Japanese > English) touted as perhaps offering the best balance of demand vs a relatively low supply of native English translators, Thai and Korean really seem to stand out as potential candidates to have overtaken this spot.
Of course I realise the limitations of using jobs on Proz as the sole indicator of demand. It also doesn't take into account rates (e.g. Chinese > English may be lower than Japanese or Korean > English due to the lower cost of living in China and the market not being overly fussy about native speakers doing the jobs - same may be true of Thai, I'm not sure). But would be interested to hear any other thoughts/challenges, or even just reflections.
[Edited at 2023-03-02 09:39 GMT]
[Edited at 2023-03-02 09:53 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:17
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Italian is not very lucrative due to the conviction by many Italian agencies that they can procure very good translations of superlative quality, painstakingly researched and revised again and again until they are perfect, for a very low rate of €0.06 or less.
Fortunately there are other agencies, and direct clients, who understand the relationship between quality and price. Those are the people who provide me with work, and who are always pleased to pay more because they need the... See more Italian is not very lucrative due to the conviction by many Italian agencies that they can procure very good translations of superlative quality, painstakingly researched and revised again and again until they are perfect, for a very low rate of €0.06 or less.
Fortunately there are other agencies, and direct clients, who understand the relationship between quality and price. Those are the people who provide me with work, and who are always pleased to pay more because they need the best. ▲ Collapse
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I can’t help your stats as I don’t translate into English. I have been translating from French, English, Spanish and Italian into Portuguese, my native language, for over 40 years. I’m considered ‘expensive’ and my basic rates vary only about 4 eurocents between my lower (ES-PT) and my higher language pair (EN-PT). I started out translating full-time in 1985 as a generalist, and although in the meanwhile I left a lot of fields I’m not good at or I don’t enjoy at all, this means tha... See more I can’t help your stats as I don’t translate into English. I have been translating from French, English, Spanish and Italian into Portuguese, my native language, for over 40 years. I’m considered ‘expensive’ and my basic rates vary only about 4 eurocents between my lower (ES-PT) and my higher language pair (EN-PT). I started out translating full-time in 1985 as a generalist, and although in the meanwhile I left a lot of fields I’m not good at or I don’t enjoy at all, this means that I gained experience in wide-ranging areas and, obviously, some are better priced than others…
[Edited at 2023-03-02 13:26 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:17
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| What do they have? | Mar 2, 2023 |
Michael Hughes wrote:
Thai and Korean really seem to stand out as potential candidates to have overtaken this spot.
One thing to keep in mind is intellectual property. Do companies in Thailand and South Korea have the kind of intellectual property or commercial presence that would drive demand for translation from those languages into English? For Korean companies the answer may well be yes.
Regards,
Dan
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| OP and others missing the obvious? | Mar 2, 2023 |
Danish and Norwegian are the best paid per word
Not because of supply and demand but because Denmark and Norway are rich, high-tax countries
[Edited at 2023-03-02 15:04 GMT]
| | | | Andriy Yasharov
Ukraine
Local time: 16:17
Member (2008)
English to Russian
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In terms of translation into English, it's difficult to pinpoint the most lucrative language pairs because several factors can impact demand and supply, such as industry, location, and specialization.
Another factor to consider is the quality and specialization of translators. While there may be a high number of translators available for a particular language pair, not all of them may have the necessary skills and expertise to translate certain types of content, such as legal or technical... See more In terms of translation into English, it's difficult to pinpoint the most lucrative language pairs because several factors can impact demand and supply, such as industry, location, and specialization.
Another factor to consider is the quality and specialization of translators. While there may be a high number of translators available for a particular language pair, not all of them may have the necessary skills and expertise to translate certain types of content, such as legal or technical documents. This can affect the rates and demand for translators.
Additionally, the use of MT and AI is also changing the landscape of translation. While these technologies are not yet able to replace human translators entirely, they are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are being integrated into translation workflows. This could impact the demand and rates for human translators, especially for less complex or specialized content.
Overall, the demand for translation into English is likely to remain strong, given its status as a global language of business, science, and culture. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Michael Hughes
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:17
Member (2022)
Japanese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | But how about the volume of work available? | Mar 2, 2023 |
Ice Scream wrote:
Danish and Norwegian are the best paid per word
Not because of supply and demand but because Denmark and Norway are rich, high-tax countries
[Edited at 2023-03-02 15:04 GMT]
Norwegian just missed my top 20 list in terms of Proz job volume - it had 51 jobs posted in the latter half of 2022. Danish had 43. Not terribly low by any means, but I guess they might be great pairs to work in for those translating as a second job. Would there be enough demand to make Norwegian to English or Danish to English translation a viable full-time career?
(There may well be - just posing the question)
[Edited at 2023-03-02 17:15 GMT]
| | | | | Plenty to go round | Mar 2, 2023 |
Michael Hughes wrote:
Norwegian just missed my top 20 list in terms of Proz job volume - it had 51 jobs posted in the latter half of 2022. Danish had 43. Not terribly low by any means, but I guess they might be great pairs to work in for those translating as a second job. Would there be enough demand to make Norwegian to English or Danish to English translation a viable full-time career?
(There may well be - just posing the question)
[Edited at 2023-03-02 17:15 GMT]
Erm, I manage ok… I think you’ve misunderstood the market. Jobs advertised on ProZ are a tiny fraction of the total. Those stats mean nothing really. My customers wouldn’t dream of advertising here and I wouldn’t dream of chasing jobs here.
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:17
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Ice Scream wrote:
Danish and Norwegian are the best paid per word
Not because of supply and demand but because Denmark and Norway are rich, high-tax countries
[Edited at 2023-03-02 15:04 GMT]
With a terrible climate. Hopeless for wine.
| | | | | Living Danishly | Mar 3, 2023 |
Tom in London wrote:
With a terrible climate. Hopeless for wine.
Says Tom from Sunny London😂
They claim to make the best beer though. And bacon.
You wouldn’t believe how many Michelin stars there are now in Copenhagen.
| | | | Michael Hughes
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:17
Member (2022)
Japanese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I think we're agreeing with each other. | Mar 3, 2023 |
[Edited at 2023-03-02 17:15 GMT] [/quote]
Erm, I manage ok… I think you’ve misunderstood the market. Jobs advertised on ProZ are a tiny fraction of the total. Those stats mean nothing really. My customers wouldn’t dream of advertising here and I wouldn’t dream of chasing jobs here. [/quote]
This is what I was getting at in my original post - of course Proz jobs are just a tiny fraction of the market. And it may also be the case that some language pairs ... See more
[Edited at 2023-03-02 17:15 GMT] [/quote]
Erm, I manage ok… I think you’ve misunderstood the market. Jobs advertised on ProZ are a tiny fraction of the total. Those stats mean nothing really. My customers wouldn’t dream of advertising here and I wouldn’t dream of chasing jobs here. [/quote]
This is what I was getting at in my original post - of course Proz jobs are just a tiny fraction of the market. And it may also be the case that some language pairs are more prone to getting jobs posted on Proz than others (I imagine this is the case with the bigger languages; with the more niche pairs more likely to be catered for by dedicated agencies working with small numbers of trusted freelancers so hardly any jobs ever need external promotion).
So agreed, the data is likely to be of limited value beyond its use as a conversation starter and giving a very ballpark idea of demand vs supply. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Forget about volumes | Mar 3, 2023 |
Rates are the only thing you need worry about. Volumes will never be a consideration for one lone translator as you are just a drop in the ocean of supply.,,
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 17:17
Member
English to Turkish
Ice Scream wrote:
Plenty to go round
I thought the Scandinavians and the Dutch were the best non-native English speakers in the world. I mean almost all the English texts I receive from Dutch clients for translation seem to have been written by Dutch people themselves (or else they're very bad English translations by native English speakers). I'd have thought the same would apply to the Scandinavians as well. As rich, affluent and privileged as they are, why would they splash their hard earned cash on the middlemen like you? They must show off their super duper English like the Dutch do, using a bastard language of American and British English, a bit of Aussie thrown in for good measure. So they do rely on native English speakers for translation despite learning/mastering English at a very young age? Interesting...
| | | | | ... and by German engineers | Mar 5, 2023 |
Baran Keki wrote:
I mean almost all the English texts I receive from Dutch clients for translation seem to have been written by Dutch people themselves (or else they're very bad English translations by native English speakers).
A lot of technical manuals from German manufacturers in the domain of mechanical and electrical engineering are translated directly out of their heads into "English" by the engineers (or owners) of the company itself. Two or three times I had the pleasure to translate those manuals back into German and I dared to question some English segments (they simply were not understandable / not very clear and stuffed with dozens of synonyms). The answers I received were often very harsh and added the advice I only had to translate the texts and nothing else. Dismissed, customer lost. They needed a mind reader, who would have provided a German text they never had in mind before but after my translation.
[Bearbeitet am 2023-03-05 11:33 GMT]
| | | | | Scandinavian cooking | Mar 5, 2023 |
Ice Scream wrote:
Tom in London wrote:
With a terrible climate. Hopeless for wine.
Says Tom from Sunny London😂
They claim to make the best beer though. And bacon.
You wouldn’t believe how many Michelin stars there are now in Copenhagen.
But beware of combining both, Italian dishes and Scandinavian cooking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfafno4HND4
[Bearbeitet am 2023-03-05 11:32 GMT]
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