state of the industry: freelance translators in 2010

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State of the industry:

Freelance translators in 2010


Introduction

Translation is no longer a “cottage industry”.

“Computerisation has changed translation from an amateur pursuit into

a cottage industry and now, into an industrial process. IT has in fact

encouraged and probably induced the industrialisation of the translation

profession by (a) significantly increasing the volumes of translatable

material, (b) providing the tools needed to process such large volumes

and (c) accelerating the implementation of standardised procedures.”

- Daniel Gouadec, Translation as a profession


Outline

1. Efficiency2. Collaboration3. Specialization, Quality, Rates4. Direct contact with clients5. Diversification6. Demand


1. Efficiency

Then:book hunting, making the rounds to meet/get clients,

translation tests by postal mail, manually counting words

Now:the web, email, invoicing, online terms and research


1. Efficiency

Translation Memories (TMs)

TMs are now a given.

Translators use them. Companies use them.


1. Efficiency

MT is on the uptake.

30% in the community are using it.


1. Efficiency

On MT:

“For simple sentences, it goes faster than typing the whole thing. Sometimes, only minor changes are required.”

“MT saves me 20% of my time on my projects.”


1. Efficiency

Efficiency is up. It is up for translators, and up for agencies.

You may not even realize your productivity is going up (or how much it is going up).


2. Collaboration

Collaboration is up.

Even when you get stuck, you are not stuck for long (or don’t need to be).

Around 25% of the community is collaborating more now than they were just two years ago.


3. Specialization, quality, rates

There is interplay among specialization, quality, and rates, and these are also affecting, and being affected by, the trends mentioned.



80% of the community has chosen to specialize.



Quality is going up.



On quality:

“Quality is an outcome of expertise in specific fields.”

“Each day things are turning narrower in the sense that they are getting more specialized, and we of course cannot cover everything, but we need to improve our specialties in order to render better quality to customers’ 100% satisfaction.”

“Quality needs to be considered with respect to time and financial constraints and treated separately for each field (of expertise).”



Rates are flat.

Or maybe down?

What about incomes?



On quality and rates:

“Dearth of qualified, experienced translators (I'm overbooked at above-market rates) and abundance of

unqualified and inexperienced people offering translation services. Unfortunately these trends are self-perpetuating since the more unqualified people flood the market, the less prestige translators have, the less people choose to pursue translation as a full time career, the more there is a vacuum leading to the need to use unqualified people

for translation work.”


4. Direct contact with clients

Around 12% work almost exclusively with end clients.

Nearly 40% say that end clients are the source of at least 20% of their income.

More direct contact has been made possible by technologies (Translation Management Systems, for example).


4. Direct contact with clients

What needs to happen for this rise in direct contact to occur?

How does the role of the translation company change when this happens?

What additional skills will translators need?


Side note!

Crowdsourcing:

It is beginning to happen. Some translators are doing it (6% of members have participated in some way), for example in translations for non-profit organizations.

No clear indication that higher quality levels are being achieved yet in mass collaboration. There is still some disagreement as to what constitutes “crowdsourcing”.


5. Diversification

Some translators are unable to keep up the pace, or find the changes in the industry not to their liking. These translators are diversifying outside of the translation industry.


5. Diversification

Translators are beginning to offer other value-added services related to translation:

• proofreading

• editing

• interpreting

• DTP

• PM work

• teaching/training in their languages/fields

• etc!

Just over 40% in the community are diversifying. Another 15% have not yet, but are considering it.


6. Demand

As of 2010 [...] the language services market is growing at an annual rate of 13.15%.

- Common Sense Advisory


6. Demand

Demand is up.

Not a surprise, in a more efficient industry and a smaller world.


What to do?

1. Be good.

2. Differentiate yourself.

3. Be confident.

4. Charge accordingly.


ProZ.com membership

http://www.proz.com/membership


CPN

The ProZ.com Certified PRO Network: an initiative of the ProZ.com community to identify qualified translators in various language pairs, and provide them with the option of networking and collaborating in an environment consisting entirely of screened professionals.

Participating in the ProZ.com Certified PRO Network will provide a powerful new means for top professionals to distinguish themselves as such, through not only demonstration of their unique capabilities but also through peer/client/supplier review.

This network will provide an easier way for top professionals and top companies to meet and do work, particularly when that work has to be done right and is paid accordingly.

http://www.proz.com/cpn


2. Efficiency

Thank you!


2. Efficiency

Comments or questions?

state of the industry: freelance translators in 2010

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