| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: If you could improve one thing about translation as a career, what would it be? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 04:42
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
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| I'm pleased about this poll | May 25, 2022 |
This poll was one of the few decent and most important surveys I have ever seen around here.
Congratulations, Anastasia!
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Comfortable deadlines besides some of the others mentioned. In fact, I personally prefer a slightly lower rate but a comfortable deadline. Too much pressure which I definitely hate.
| | | | Andrea Quintana 
Argentina
Local time: 00:42
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
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| Health Insurance, Professional (Civil Liabilty?) Insurance, Retirement Plan, Paid Time Off | May 25, 2022 |
Great survey, thanks!
I'd like to have access to what I lack as a freelance professional, namely:
- Affordable insurance coverages including Professional (Civil Liabilty?), Health, Life, etc.
- Retirement Plan
- Paid Time Off, including vacations, holidays, sick leaves, etc.
- The thirteenth (monthly) salary also exists in my country --Argentina-- under the name of 'aguinaldo', but independent workers have no access to it.
What is all this... See more Great survey, thanks!
I'd like to have access to what I lack as a freelance professional, namely:
- Affordable insurance coverages including Professional (Civil Liabilty?), Health, Life, etc.
- Retirement Plan
- Paid Time Off, including vacations, holidays, sick leaves, etc.
- The thirteenth (monthly) salary also exists in my country --Argentina-- under the name of 'aguinaldo', but independent workers have no access to it.
What is all this like in your country? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Edward Potter
Spain
Local time: 05:42
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
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I want extremely high rates, long deadlines, immediate payments, simple texts, no complaints, cheery PMs, free CAT tools, full reimbursement for professional development, paid vacation, comprehensive medical insurance, and full agreement with my political opinions.
If not, I'm going to go post my complaints everywhere.
How'd I do?
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| A Few Things | May 26, 2022 |
I've seen some job postings on this site that offer as low a 1 cent per word (usually proofreading). Even before all the shortages started, paper, ink, printers/scanners, and fuel, in the form of food so you can do your work (!) were expensive enough. And then, a couple of days ago, I got a request to do a 1,000-1,500 sample for free (!), so they could compare it to other candidates' samples. I refused but offered a final price, anyway, which they decided against. After translating somewhere ar... See more I've seen some job postings on this site that offer as low a 1 cent per word (usually proofreading). Even before all the shortages started, paper, ink, printers/scanners, and fuel, in the form of food so you can do your work (!) were expensive enough. And then, a couple of days ago, I got a request to do a 1,000-1,500 sample for free (!), so they could compare it to other candidates' samples. I refused but offered a final price, anyway, which they decided against. After translating somewhere around 40 books at this point, I'm not so worried about taking on projects that may be less than very interesting, or which are extremely important for the client, or unless a client I have previously worked for puts in a request (esp. if it was a really good experience). And of course, I would want to eliminate MT., which has mucked so many things up for me. I'm thinking about taking a hiatus over the next year-and-a half or so from doing any translation for clients. I don't want to pay any more taxes to a government than I have to (but can't, of course, avoid the what is now very high taxes on food and gas, and other purchases), because they will continue to go up, up, and up, like everything else, and I don't care to fund any activity that disrespects American citizens, and which often has a snowball effect that hurts others, including friends and/or former clients who live abroad.
[Edited at 2022-05-26 00:09 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-05-26 12:11 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Recognition for the profession, ´client education´ | May 26, 2022 |
General recognition that translation is a job that takes time and requires skill.
It's hard work. Proper recognition would solve some of the other problems automatically!
Translation is like a glass window - unless it is broken or dirty, nobody notices it!
As Ice Scream says:
I think that if commercial translators were credited for their work like literary translators are, we could build a more visible reputation and command more money and more respect.
I wouldn't have to rely on word of mouth. Everybody could appreciate my genius, or lack of.
It would also make us more accountable and presumably raise standards.
I like the idea of client feedback, but it would be even better if clients realistically knew what they wanted before asking for a translation. If they consulted us occasionally on a language strategy as part of their marketing, for instance, or appropriate graphics to go with the text. When we work together we can do a better job.
If others acknowledged us, we we could pay respectfully for our CAT tools. Our needs would be respected, and the crappy CATs might disappear...
I live in the most highly taxed country in the world, so I take welfare and my pension for granted... Except that I don´t. Translators need holidays, and occasionally sick pay etc. like everyone else!
I´m sure you get the idea...
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Fame! And lots of it.
Everybody's going on about Johnny Depp, yet when do I get to see my name in the headlines?
Never! That's when.
(Just kidding.)
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:42
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
expressisverbis wrote:
This poll was one of the few decent and most important surveys I have ever seen around here.
Congratulations, Anastasia!
expressis, a timely reminder that there is a person behind these polls who has at least sat down and done something by putting their thoughts into concrete form.
At the very least the poll has confirmed that better rates are the top issue for most translators, and some of the "Other" comments (like recognition for commercial translators) have been thought-provoking.
So, yes: thank you Anastasia, and apologies if in my post I appeared to be trying to dismiss your concerns or bludgeon you into silence. That wasn't the intention. I stand by my arguments, but I'm always happy to see (and defend the right to articulate) different points of view.
EDIT: I remember somebody, possibly Robert, commenting that while my observations about the business may be correct, it's all a bit abstract to freelancers for whom the struggle to stay afloat is an "incandescent reality". I guess that still applies.
Dan
[Edited at 2022-05-26 07:23 GMT]
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 05:42
Spanish to English
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It would be nice to see fewer market-busting bottom-feeders and non-natives translating into target languages that are not their own. However, the chances of that happening seem to be less likely than me winning the lottery.
| | | | | More in-house starter jobs | May 26, 2022 |
Not for me, but for new translators starting out ... it would be really valuable if there were more opportunities for people to hone their skills in a supportive environment instead of being pretty much forced to go freelance straight away.
I've mentored people trying to get that initial experience they need and it's really, really hard. Much harder than it used to be.
| | | | Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
| Re: Credits and Recognition | May 26, 2022 |
Ice Scream wrote:
I think that if commercial translators were credited for their work like literary translators are, we could build a more visible reputation and command more money and more respect.
I wouldn't have to rely on word of mouth. Everybody could appreciate my genius, or lack of.
It would also make us more accountable and presumably raise standards.
There have been several attempts at this. But they always got pushbacks from publishers and agencies for whatever BS reason they could come up with. Speaking for myself, in the contracts I had to sign, there's often a section stating that I agree to waive all rights of my translation. Once I delivered my work to the agency/client, it's no longer mine.
[Edited at 2022-05-26 16:03 GMT]
| | | | | At least some kind of regulation | May 26, 2022 |
As of now, things like reasonnable rates and deadlines won't come soon if there aren't proper standards. When LSPs and agencies have the opportunity to demand the translation of 50 minutes of video in one day for 2$ per minute, they'll take it. And then view it as a starting point to make even crazier demands. Yes, we can negotiate, but far too often the negociations end in a long silence when you propose even one cent above their offer.
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Kay Denney
France
Local time: 05:42
French to English
I put other. I mean, of course I'd like to charge higher rates, but I'm comfortable as I am. I always encourage client feedback and get plenty of compliments, and questions that give me an opportunity to explain why my prose doesn't resemble that of the source text. I certainly don't want better CAT tools, I feel that there are plenty of training opportunities...
The best improvement for me would be getting rid of the technology that just seems to make everything more complicated. ... See more I put other. I mean, of course I'd like to charge higher rates, but I'm comfortable as I am. I always encourage client feedback and get plenty of compliments, and questions that give me an opportunity to explain why my prose doesn't resemble that of the source text. I certainly don't want better CAT tools, I feel that there are plenty of training opportunities...
The best improvement for me would be getting rid of the technology that just seems to make everything more complicated. No more stupid agency "platforms" that rid us of our own agency when it comes to billing and that treat us like robots. And a better understanding at agencies of why my kind of translations (those with creative input, in the arts) should never be translated with MT or TM. ▲ Collapse
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Rachel Waddington wrote:
Not for me, but for new translators starting out ... it would be really valuable if there were more opportunities for people to hone their skills in a supportive environment instead of being pretty much forced to go freelance straight away.
I've mentored people trying to get that initial experience they need and it's really, really hard. Much harder than it used to be.
Very true. The environment has to be supportive though, as you said. My first in-house job as a translator was a nightmare, with constant unconstructive, often sneaky, criticism and no real support. If a company hires someone with limited experience and is paying them a low salary, they can't expect top-quality translations.
| | | | | Improvement of job descriptions! | Jun 2, 2022 |
First:
Many job descriptions are too vague before starting on the tasks.
In fact, they can become quite different when starting and you need to ask the companies more specifics, sometimes midway in the project. Such as ethical dilemmas have become more frequent than before. I applied for a job in lyrical adaptation and was not given information on beforehand that this contained mostly swearing words or racial content. For me, registered as an ethical business, such is impossible to p... See more First:
Many job descriptions are too vague before starting on the tasks.
In fact, they can become quite different when starting and you need to ask the companies more specifics, sometimes midway in the project. Such as ethical dilemmas have become more frequent than before. I applied for a job in lyrical adaptation and was not given information on beforehand that this contained mostly swearing words or racial content. For me, registered as an ethical business, such is impossible to perform nomatter the payment. The companies need to place category in job descriptions, and they need to also specify whether it contains sensitive content. Some translators might do anything, while some of us do have limits. This has happened three times in a semester now.
Second: Invoicing at maximum 30day period, and preferably within it due to so many becoming delayed in systems or placed in queues and sending reminders is not a nice feeling.
Third: Improving or make Tools optional, and let translators choose which tools to use. Would been ideal. I prefer to work on the platforms I work the best from home office, e.g. apps that I choose to work on and downloaded because I like their interface and know how to work on them. I love making SRTs in Aegisub for instance as downloaded to my computer and it has one of the best audio-selections , so if the streamlined environment they made is more or less a worse working-environment than apps or software you have, then I'd even prefer MS Word. Some platforms made online especially for machine translation make the job more difficult and not easier at all to do (e.g. can't save files/skip back or forth in translation/can't choose which file at what time you need/must follow A-Z etc.), and rather the opposite. This all depends on its developer, of course! Some are good, some are not. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: If you could improve one thing about translation as a career, what would it be? | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
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