| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18] > | Moving on from freelance translation, starting a new career Thread poster: James Greenfield
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| Lack of Perspective | Feb 14 |
James Greenfield wrote:
I've been a freelance translator for 11 years. I've really struggled though to make a living. I've seen a trend to increasingly low rates and I fear that this will get worse. I've come to the point where I've practically given up and am looking for work elsewhere.
If I do get job emails it's asking me if I might be available for an upcoming project that then gets cancelled or is at a silly rate. I send my CV to good agencies and get rejected time and time again.
The perceived value of translation appears to be spiralling down. As a long-run freelance, I struggle with the lack of perspective. Last year, I used quiet months to join a software company as a tech writer, and I really loved their tiered incentives and compensation (junior -> mid -> senior -> lead).
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Jo Macdonald wrote:
Baran I don't have answers for you or anyone else, we're all in a unique personal situation.
Just saying what has worked (or not) for me so far and that we can make use of the resources we have, including experience as professionals, managing our own time, finding something that might also work in a few years when retired.
I think this is true. Translators are a diverse bunch. Most of us do have other aptitudes, resources, qualifications and interests we can draw upon (I know some extremely practically minded translators who probably could become plumbers or similar if they wanted). Having to change direction is indeed a very daunting prospect but I am seeing translators successfully making that jump in various ways so it is clearly not hopeless.
(But if you start out thinking it is impossible, then it probably is)
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Like all of you, I've been noticing some main differences work-wise: projects are fewer and much more spaced out because small projects have practically disappeared (with the exception of one client) and at the same time large projects have increased. As I'm in the fortunate position of not needing to work (a comfortable pension) if this trend keeps up, I think I'm going to follow David Marjot's e... See more Like all of you, I've been noticing some main differences work-wise: projects are fewer and much more spaced out because small projects have practically disappeared (with the exception of one client) and at the same time large projects have increased. As I'm in the fortunate position of not needing to work (a comfortable pension) if this trend keeps up, I think I'm going to follow David Marjot's example (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-68166764) and enrol at university again (I've still got a good few years ahead until 95). Watch this space! ▲ Collapse
| | | | mroed
Local time: 12:29
Italian to German
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I'm more at the end of my career. And I also have some good (institutional) clients who ensure a relatively steady workflow.
Nevertheless, I would like to do something new from time to time. And something completely different from translating. Preferably less top-heavy, with people.
Let's see if I can get out of my comfort zone again...
If I were a younger translator, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to look for something else or to do further training.
... See more I'm more at the end of my career. And I also have some good (institutional) clients who ensure a relatively steady workflow.
Nevertheless, I would like to do something new from time to time. And something completely different from translating. Preferably less top-heavy, with people.
Let's see if I can get out of my comfort zone again...
If I were a younger translator, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to look for something else or to do further training.
Translation simply doesn't have a long-term future (like a lot of other jobs, unfortunately - they just don't realise it yet...) ▲ Collapse
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P.L.F. Persio 
Netherlands
Local time: 12:29
Member (2010)
English to Italian
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| Maria Teresa, will you be my Valentine? | Feb 14 |
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote: Like all of you, I've been noticing some main differences work-wise: projects are fewer and much more spaced out because small projects have practically disappeared (with the exception of one client) and at the same time large projects have increased. As I'm in the fortunate position of not needing to work (a comfortable pension) if this trend keeps up, I think I'm going to follow David Marjot's example ( https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-68166764) and enrol at university again (I've still got a good few years ahead until 95). Watch this space!
You always put a smile on my face, and it's no mean feat, considered the year I'm having. You make me want to be brave and optimistic. You're a star!
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Let’s be brave together! Courage is contagious (they say)…
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Christopher Schröder wrote: Matthias Brombach wrote:
Plumber Miss you around here, Matthias!
...not entirely my fault, but when you lot are in need of a plumber...but with no discount for repetitions on bolts of the same size per job!
| | | | Joakim Braun
Sweden
Local time: 12:29
German to Swedish
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Christopher Schröder wrote:
The ability to write is worth little in itself.
Quite right, in the new AI world. Lots of office-type people are in for unpleasant surprises, not just in the language industry. The ability to reason and line-edit may still be of some value.
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| This business is not for the faint of heart | Feb 14 |
Every year is different. In a bad year I still make more than a lot of friends who work in offices (they have to take trains/cars to get there and cannot manage their own working hours), so I will keep translating...
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 12:29
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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Joakim Braun wrote: Christopher Schröder wrote:
The ability to write is worth little in itself. Quite right, in the new AI world. Lots of office-type people are in for unpleasant surprises, not just in the language industry. The ability to reason and line-edit may still be of some value.
I haven't seen it anywhere in the real world/in my surroundings, only online. People working in offices in various sectors (admins, engineers, also teachers at schools, etc.) did not lose their jobs over AI. The only case I saw in the real world is some tech or software/IT support development companies, they complained some of them closed offices or lost jobs over AI.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:29
Member (2008)
Italian to English
mroed wrote:
Translation simply doesn't have a long-term future
That's just wrong.
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Lingua 5B wrote:
People working in offices in various sectors .... did not lose their jobs over AI.
These people are.
https://news.onclusive.com/news/statement-from-onclusive-executive-leadership-team
Just happened to be mentioned in a job (about AI, ofc) I worked on, I didn't go seeking the information.
Anything where the output can be broadly classified as "intellectual" (versus produced in aome manual way) and especially in the written form, is under some kind of threat, in the sense that the old way of doing things will change.
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Joakim Braun
Sweden
Local time: 12:29
German to Swedish
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Lingua 5B wrote:
I haven't seen it anywhere in the real world/in my surroundings, only online. People working in offices in various sectors (admins, engineers, also teachers at schools, etc.) did not lose their jobs over AI. The only case I saw in the real world is some tech or software/IT support development companies, they complained some of them closed offices or lost jobs over AI.
This is only year 1 of the "in the office" part of the AI revolution. Applied technology is brand new, corporate-style solutions are only just starting to emerge, there is due diligence to be made, legal complications to ponder, options to be explored. It takes 6-12 months for things to start moving in large organisations. I can see it starting to happen in print media, and at customers' offices.
AI doesn't mean that everybody will suddenly be fired, but we'll work differently and/or do different things. Long-term, if we can't learn and adjust, we'll be replaced because it's cheaper that way. Just like in any other technical revolution.
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 12:29
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
In my local environment I heard about only 1 case that had issues due to AI, they are in the software field. (In the past year). Everyone else works like they did before.
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Yes, I understand what you mean. I fear the same: translation will become more often than not an "MTPE" job, very underpaid, tight deadlines, not worthwhile. Recently I have taken on quite a few transcription jobs which has paid quite nicely, but I can't imagine doing this all day, every day. Indeed, I can't imagine doing anything all day, every day - most likely the main reason why I became a freelancer in the first place.
I have another problem - at 27 I retrained to become a "te... See more Yes, I understand what you mean. I fear the same: translation will become more often than not an "MTPE" job, very underpaid, tight deadlines, not worthwhile. Recently I have taken on quite a few transcription jobs which has paid quite nicely, but I can't imagine doing this all day, every day. Indeed, I can't imagine doing anything all day, every day - most likely the main reason why I became a freelancer in the first place.
I have another problem - at 27 I retrained to become a "technician in art jewellery" in Barcelona, essentially a person who uses jewellery as an art form, then went to art school in Germany to learn more about this art form. Six years later, I am a fully qualified jewellery and hollowware artist - but this makes even less than translation! I have been lucky and invited to some big exhibitions and competitions in the "art craft" field, even collected by museums, but it isn't easy. People only seem willing to pay a decent amount for pieces made in gold (a delight to work with, like butter, but very expensive now, also has the charged question of origin - we would all prefer not to know the history of the gold around our necks). And even more for polished stones (oh my goodness, how I hate stones - this style of jewellery hasn't changed since the 1800s).
I rant and I rave... I enjoy what I do and have been able to make a living from both, but as I approach my 40s I am starting to think "oh, what happens when I'm 60?".
If you need a ring for your beloved on Valentine's Day, you now know who to contact ▲ Collapse
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