Poll: In your experience, what is the most underpaid type of translation job? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "In your experience, what is the most underpaid type of translation job?".
This poll was originally submitted by Gabriella Vento. View the poll results »
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I set my own rates and clients are free to accept them or not. Anyway, most of my potential new clients when they come to me seem to have done their homework and they already have a rough idea of my rates. I should also say that I have never translated some of the items listed (bank statements, patents, subtitling).
| | | | | The jobs I refuse to do! | Jul 9, 2022 |
Over the years, of course, I have taken on jobs that took far more time than I expected.
There have been so-called proofreading jiobs where really, it would have been easier to translate the text again from scratch.
There have been jobs where I have struggled with a CAT tool, or formatting was quite hopeless and took a lot of extra work.
In time I have learned to say no to jobs like that, or to insist on a fee that covered the effort involved. If the client thought I was... See more Over the years, of course, I have taken on jobs that took far more time than I expected.
There have been so-called proofreading jiobs where really, it would have been easier to translate the text again from scratch.
There have been jobs where I have struggled with a CAT tool, or formatting was quite hopeless and took a lot of extra work.
In time I have learned to say no to jobs like that, or to insist on a fee that covered the effort involved. If the client thought I was too expensive, then at least I had given my opinion, but I felt sorry for the next person they tried.
Educating the client is important - we should not accept work that is underpaid! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki 
Türkiye
Local time: 11:14
Member
English to Turkish
| Jack of all trades | Jul 9, 2022 |
If I'm to choose from the given options, I'd say (badly) scanned pdf files.
This question sort of implies that translators work on every conceivable subject. I thought the veterans of these forums were particularly anal about 'specialization'. If you specialize in an underpaid subject matter then obviously it doesn't make much economic sense, does it?
When I first started freelancing, I targeted Turkish academics, instead of agencies (due to not knowing any better, and thinking tha... See more If I'm to choose from the given options, I'd say (badly) scanned pdf files.
This question sort of implies that translators work on every conceivable subject. I thought the veterans of these forums were particularly anal about 'specialization'. If you specialize in an underpaid subject matter then obviously it doesn't make much economic sense, does it?
When I first started freelancing, I targeted Turkish academics, instead of agencies (due to not knowing any better, and thinking that I'd have direct clients who'd pay better rates, I couldn't have been more wrong). I can safely say that they are the worst kind of clientele I've come across so far. They produce rubbish stealing from other people's works, forming incomprehensible sentences (to say nothing of grammar, spelling, punctuation etc.), haggling for the lowest rate possible for the most difficult subjects to translate into one's source language and then getting indignant when their rubbish was rejected by external reviewers abroad because of plagiarism and bad translation (translator gets all the blame of course). I'd definitely take Indian agencies over 'direct clients' like those. ▲ Collapse
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Marek Tulipan
Poland
Local time: 10:14
Member (2023)
English to Polish
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| The most underpaid jobs are those from ignorant clients | Jul 9, 2022 |
I think it's hard to distinguish some kind of job that's most underpaid. Regardless of the type of job, there are some clients who disregard the fact that sometimes it's not easy to translate documents in some narrow specialist fields, especially where terminology is not strictly defined, there are neologisms, jargon, etc.
As Christine wrote, it is important to educate clients. When a client realises that what is obvious to them may not be so obvious at all, chances are that they are going... See more I think it's hard to distinguish some kind of job that's most underpaid. Regardless of the type of job, there are some clients who disregard the fact that sometimes it's not easy to translate documents in some narrow specialist fields, especially where terminology is not strictly defined, there are neologisms, jargon, etc.
As Christine wrote, it is important to educate clients. When a client realises that what is obvious to them may not be so obvious at all, chances are that they are going to appreciate translator's work.
I have a good example for it - not strictly from a translation job, but from a lawyer's experience - my colleague was asked to provide assistance in drafting a contract between two IT companies. One of the provisions concerned "IT outsourcing". She suggested including a definition of it into the contract, but both CEOs said it was a commonly used term in IT sector, they both knew what it meant, so no need to bother. So she asked both that each of them write for her a short explanation of what "IT outsourcing" is about, just for her to learn, which they did.
As you can guess, their definitions matched in 50-60 percent.
Then they spent 2 hours working out a common definition of "IT outsourcing" for the purposes of the contract ▲ Collapse
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I think fiction translation is one of the most underpaid niches. Publishing houses tend to think that fiction translation doesn't require much work. However, it requires a lot of creativity, understanding of social and cultural context of the novel and language it is translated into... Simply put, it's not that simple.
(Non-fiction is something else, though it can be underpaid as well, but it varies from client to client).
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... that means "jobs" I am supposed to care for because of my technical background (and the other side is very clear aware of that fact!), but I have to queue for because of the numerous "colleagues" not qualified for at all but who are ways cheaper than me and who can't distinguish between control and control, power and power, line and line, network and network etc etc etc. And the "other side" is not aware of these facts, just because they don't (or can't) care.
| | | | Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 04:14
Japanese to English
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| underpaid jobs? | Jul 10, 2022 |
The most underpaid type of translation jobs are the ones offered me by agencies in China and which I refuse. Meyou kuzi meyou wazi, meyou quianzi meyou fazi.
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Olga Fišnerová wrote:
I think fiction translation is one of the most underpaid niches.
The lowest rate I've received for translation in recent years was for translating a novel. However, I hesitate to apply the word "underpaid" because I entered into the agreement voluntarily and there were other compensatory factors. I have no regrets.
In any case, the low rates paid for literary translation reflect the low pay received by the authors. Very few writers of fiction nowadays can make a living just from their writing: they have to rely on teaching work or another second occupation.
As for other low-paid jobs, I simply turn them down.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:14
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Olga Fišnerová wrote: I think fiction translation is one of the most underpaid niches. Publishing houses tend to think that fiction translation doesn't require much work. However, it requires a lot of creativity, understanding of social and cultural context of the novel and language it is translated into... Simply put, it's not that simple. (Non-fiction is something else, though it can be underpaid as well, but it varies from client to client).
The only people who can afford to translate fiction are tenured university professors.
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 04:14
German to English
| Non-editable files | Jul 10, 2022 |
Over time with the help of OCR software and other utilities I became quite adept at rendering PDF files, faxes, image files with text into documents that could be edited in Word/Excel and processed in a CAT tool. About 15 years ago I decided not to accept non-editable files from customers. The result was a temporary loss of clientele but a substantial increase in productivity. The jobs aren't necessarily more interesting, but they're easier to translate and deliver in a format that matches the o... See more Over time with the help of OCR software and other utilities I became quite adept at rendering PDF files, faxes, image files with text into documents that could be edited in Word/Excel and processed in a CAT tool. About 15 years ago I decided not to accept non-editable files from customers. The result was a temporary loss of clientele but a substantial increase in productivity. The jobs aren't necessarily more interesting, but they're easier to translate and deliver in a format that matches the original. ▲ Collapse
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I haven't worked on most type of files presented, but I do have a lot of experience in subtitling. And unfortunately, I think this is one of the most underpaid type of translation. One day's worth of subtitling with my rate, which is double what agencies propose, would still earn me less money than one day's worth of regular, document translation at my minimum rate. Not to mention that I would also work a little more than the advised 15 minutes of video per day.
Subtitling is often ... See more I haven't worked on most type of files presented, but I do have a lot of experience in subtitling. And unfortunately, I think this is one of the most underpaid type of translation. One day's worth of subtitling with my rate, which is double what agencies propose, would still earn me less money than one day's worth of regular, document translation at my minimum rate. Not to mention that I would also work a little more than the advised 15 minutes of video per day.
Subtitling is often presented as "work while having fun watching the latest series before everyone else". Of course, it's not fun, it's work. You have to find a way to truncate the translation so that it fits screen space and timing, pay attention to the context and mostly, you have to be creative. Subtitling has always made me work harder than regular translation. But it's almost considered as a hobby, therefore the rates are quite low. There are good clients, but they're quite rare (and don't propose work often). ▲ Collapse
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Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:14
Serbian to English
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Long time ago I was asked to do subtitling for a documentary.
The client paid without flinching my asking price. You might ask "how was that 'underpaid' then?"
Well, the state of the art technology at the time was the VHS Cassette player. I wanted to work from home so used my own VHS player. The repeated go-stop-go-stop when watching the documentary resulted in the VHS Cassette player taking a very early retirement. So the overall financial effect turned out to be rath... See more Long time ago I was asked to do subtitling for a documentary.
The client paid without flinching my asking price. You might ask "how was that 'underpaid' then?"
Well, the state of the art technology at the time was the VHS Cassette player. I wanted to work from home so used my own VHS player. The repeated go-stop-go-stop when watching the documentary resulted in the VHS Cassette player taking a very early retirement. So the overall financial effect turned out to be rather thin.
My point is that in a more general way, most translation jobs ARE underpaid if you make a realistic estimate of ALL costs (including the years spend on leaning a second / third language, specialising in few domains etc).
If money is the main motivator, most translators could find much better paid and easier other jobs/professions, so most ARE systematically 'underpaid'. ▲ Collapse
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