| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | How's biz? Thread poster: Paul Lambert
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Paul Lambert 
Sweden
Local time: 09:29
Member (2006)
Swedish to English
+ ...
I just need to be blunt here. After 18 years in the translation business, things have never been this slow. I have hardly had any work over the past three months.
How is it going for all of you? Perhaps I just happened to disappoint all of my past customers all at the same time and so they are not getting in touch. Perhaps word has spread so no new customers want to try me out.
OR
Perhaps our industry is exceptionally slow right now. Who is to blame? AI? Pr... See more I just need to be blunt here. After 18 years in the translation business, things have never been this slow. I have hardly had any work over the past three months.
How is it going for all of you? Perhaps I just happened to disappoint all of my past customers all at the same time and so they are not getting in touch. Perhaps word has spread so no new customers want to try me out.
OR
Perhaps our industry is exceptionally slow right now. Who is to blame? AI? Price dumping? I have no idea.
Things are so bad that I don't know how much longer I can continue in this business. If I am the only one having this problem, then maybe there is something I can do, but if this is just where our industry is at these days, I really would like to know. Is our profession dying.
All sorts of orchestra musicians lost their professions once movies came out with sound and the silent films were obsolete. Perhaps, human translators are becoming obsolete.
Let me know how it is for you. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | You speak from my soul | Sep 10, 2024 |
Hello Paul,
I have the same problem - since 2019. I think it is mainly because of AI and because prices have gone down since 90 per cent of translation jobs have become post-editing jobs. Another problem are deadlines which have become so tight that you cannot accept a job if you aren't ready to start at once, i.e. if you want to finish your last job.
Honestly, I'd like to to do something else if it were compatible with my disability which more or less forces me to work from home. Af... See more Hello Paul,
I have the same problem - since 2019. I think it is mainly because of AI and because prices have gone down since 90 per cent of translation jobs have become post-editing jobs. Another problem are deadlines which have become so tight that you cannot accept a job if you aren't ready to start at once, i.e. if you want to finish your last job.
Honestly, I'd like to to do something else if it were compatible with my disability which more or less forces me to work from home. After 20 years of translating, I consider myself too qualified to accept any badly paid work. I'm afraid the number of translators shall considerably diminish in the future.
There should be a trade union for us... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Paul Lambert
Sweden
Local time: 09:29
Member (2006)
Swedish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
It is hard to know whether to be happy or sad about what you said, Dr. Kleinau. I am glad to know it is not a question of my own quality slipping, but it is very problematic if this is just what the industry is like these days. I don't like unions, personally, but I am not going to get into that right now. I don't see how that would help anyone. All I can say is that it is heart-breaking that a labour of love that has given me so much (both monetarily and in other senses) is suddenly gone.
... See more It is hard to know whether to be happy or sad about what you said, Dr. Kleinau. I am glad to know it is not a question of my own quality slipping, but it is very problematic if this is just what the industry is like these days. I don't like unions, personally, but I am not going to get into that right now. I don't see how that would help anyone. All I can say is that it is heart-breaking that a labour of love that has given me so much (both monetarily and in other senses) is suddenly gone.
You suffering from a disability that keeps you home made freelance translation a good choice for you. For me, I have moved between several countries and I was able to take my job with me. Perfect.
I suppose this day had to come. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:29
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
My own area of work is busy, but nothing lasts forever and I fear that a day of reckoning will come for me also, sooner or later. Maybe it can be delayed for a while, or even indefinitely, by committing fully to MTPE-based work like Lieven of this parish, but I suspect that the market for high-quality MTPE is relatively small. Even putting aside the fact that it would not be translation as we know it, success in that area may require subtly different skills.
Regards,
Dan
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Novian Cahyadi
Indonesia
Local time: 15:29
Member (2024)
English to Indonesian
Maybe I should start selling shoes before translation is dead as a profession (again). Hmm…
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I have been translating for over 40 years and although over the years work has always been a roller coaster I’ve been noticing since Covid-19 that the ride is even bumpier: a good month is followed by a bad one. So, how has been 2024 so far?
January: quite good
February: bad
March: so, so
April: good
May: terrible
June: terrible
July: so, so
August: quite good
(…) ????
| | | | Anita Vettier
Spain
Local time: 09:29
Member (2010)
English to French
+ ...
| Sign of AI dominated times | Sep 10, 2024 |
I am afraid your situation is probably far from an isolated case Paul. I've noticed a big fall in business too, especially over the last few months. I started in the translation business before the Internet boom, so I've seen a massive change over the years. It hasn't all been bad, as the Internet made our lives so much easier on many levels. However, I am disappointed to see that companies don't really seem to have their machine translated text edited and/or corrected at all, much to my horror!... See more I am afraid your situation is probably far from an isolated case Paul. I've noticed a big fall in business too, especially over the last few months. I started in the translation business before the Internet boom, so I've seen a massive change over the years. It hasn't all been bad, as the Internet made our lives so much easier on many levels. However, I am disappointed to see that companies don't really seem to have their machine translated text edited and/or corrected at all, much to my horror! I initially thought translators would find work this way, but I'm starting to think it might not happen either. Quality machine translated text still needs a human eye correction and if the rates are decent, well that could be a way forward... But as I said, I doubt companies and organisations in general bother much with that either. Hence the lack of business... A big shame and a sign of our AI dominated times. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Paul Lambert
Sweden
Local time: 09:29
Member (2006)
Swedish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Yes, that is interesting, Anita, especially when you mention quality.
The same clients in the past who would rake me over the coals over a misplaced comma are now telling me that their machine-translated texts are "good enough".
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Anita Vettier
Spain
Local time: 09:29
Member (2010)
English to French
+ ...
| Nothing to do with your quality standards | Sep 10, 2024 |
Yes, it is obviously unrelated to your quality standards Paul, rest assured! It is a general trend and affecting translators across the board. Rates have been low for some time now, but there is a limit to everything and sooner or later the whole profession will disappear at this rate. Nobody will want to work at such low rates and a lot of companies have simply witten off their translation budget altogether...
My only hope is the small number of companies and/or organisations that... See more Yes, it is obviously unrelated to your quality standards Paul, rest assured! It is a general trend and affecting translators across the board. Rates have been low for some time now, but there is a limit to everything and sooner or later the whole profession will disappear at this rate. Nobody will want to work at such low rates and a lot of companies have simply witten off their translation budget altogether...
My only hope is the small number of companies and/or organisations that still require catchy non literal translation (like "transcreation") for advertising and marketing purposes... For them AI isn't that great yet. ▲ Collapse
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Been seeing threads like this for over a year now (search forum posts with my name on for examples )
Not just here, same on LinkedIn.
Industry newsletter Slator mentions the situation from time to time.
As far as I can tell, translator Twitter is moribund (although other factors could also be at play there!).
A couple of mailing lists for queries I'm on (under groups.io) have been dead for weeks (summer not... See more Been seeing threads like this for over a year now (search forum posts with my name on for examples )
Not just here, same on LinkedIn.
Industry newsletter Slator mentions the situation from time to time.
As far as I can tell, translator Twitter is moribund (although other factors could also be at play there!).
A couple of mailing lists for queries I'm on (under groups.io) have been dead for weeks (summer notwithstanding).
I heard of another long-standing Fr-Eng translator packing it in only last week.
That must be 20 odd by now, over the last 18-24 months.
A large Dutch agency went bust a few weeks ago.
At least one French agency I (used to?) work for posted a loss for 2023.
I know for a fact a couple of my direct clients are using AI extensively, and they are sure to be testing it for their sporadic translation needs (bear in mind you don't even have to bother with "translation" per se these days - you can tell ChatGPT what sort of document you want to write using one language and it'll spew it out in whatever language you tell it).
I know I'm guilty of complacency and having too few eggs in too few baskets, but still. Tough times. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Feeling my days are numbered | Sep 10, 2024 |
With English widely spread as a pivot language for all translations in other languages, the into-English translators may face different challenges from the from-English crowd. But I'm joining the choir anyway.
My billing figures in 2024 are in line with previous years, with about 80% in value consisting of regular, non-MT-assisted translations (MTPE: less than 15%; editing and other tasks: less than 5%), based on 329 deliveries so far this year.
I handle a few brands an... See more With English widely spread as a pivot language for all translations in other languages, the into-English translators may face different challenges from the from-English crowd. But I'm joining the choir anyway.
My billing figures in 2024 are in line with previous years, with about 80% in value consisting of regular, non-MT-assisted translations (MTPE: less than 15%; editing and other tasks: less than 5%), based on 329 deliveries so far this year.
I handle a few brands and makes for a handful of agencies, but it's shrinking. Long gone are the days where I'd turn down work almost daily. I now take everything on, resetting deadlines when possible and working weekends when the working week workload is too large. Although financially on par with previous years, I'm noticing that the business environment has substantially deteriorated since the advent of neuronal MT, LLMs and IA. Somehow, this was to be expected, but we just look the other way until it tangibly affects us!
In 2024 so far, I haven't translated a single job over 10,000 (paid) words and I delivered 10 jobs over 5,000 (paid) words only. My long-standing agency clientele (more than 10 years) is still there to send me most of the work I handle, until they're not. I still don't have enough free time to seriously think about it, but as soon as I do, I'll thoroughly review what options I have to veer off translation altogether, and if not practicable, reluctantly carry on in the AI-assisted translation business until I die of boredom.
Philippe
Edit: read "neural" and AI (excuse my French)
[Edited at 2024-09-10 17:52 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:29
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Pressure of work | Sep 10, 2024 |
Philippe Etienne wrote:
I now take everything on, resetting deadlines when possible and working weekends when the working week workload is too large.
I feel obliged to point out that in my area of my pair this is pretty much a given. Indeed, the main agencies explicitly ask whether or not you can work weekends when they are allocating orders at busy times. I have never felt secure enough to be able to turn them down!
I still don't have enough free time to seriously think about it, but as soon as I do, I'll thoroughly review what options I have to veer off translation altogether
I am in a similar situation. If you're busy, obviously that's good, but on the other hand, where do you find the time to research other potential lines of business? I have two large jobs on at the moment and worked more than ten hours on three consecutive days over the weekend to hit a tough deadline. Other than translating, I had about enough time to eat and sleep, but not to look into other careers. Yet one day this could all come to an end.
What I try to do every day after my morning coffee is spend 30 minutes working on long-term initiatives to improve my efficiency or my quality, or both. I can't do anything about the overall trend of the industry, but I perhaps I can be one of the last people standing on the deck of the slowly sinking ship. That might not be an appealing prospect - for me or anybody else - but I have a family to feed. And in any case, some of the vessel's superstructure may remain above water. The sea in some places may be shallower than we think...
Dan
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Susanne Döring
Jordan
Local time: 10:29
Member (2017)
English to German
+ ...
| Looks like a problem | Sep 11, 2024 |
Hi, I just stumbled across this topic - I don't spend much time here, actually. But I think that really AI is killing a lot of jobs in our line - and clients are more and more willing to accept bad quality if it is very cheap.
Two or three years ago one of my longtime clients, a small publishing house (since nearly ten years I mostly translate novels for small publishers or self publishing authors) told me they did not need my services anymore, they were pulling out of the German market. T... See more Hi, I just stumbled across this topic - I don't spend much time here, actually. But I think that really AI is killing a lot of jobs in our line - and clients are more and more willing to accept bad quality if it is very cheap.
Two or three years ago one of my longtime clients, a small publishing house (since nearly ten years I mostly translate novels for small publishers or self publishing authors) told me they did not need my services anymore, they were pulling out of the German market. That was a shock, they made usually about one third of my yearly income. I managed, never mind, but not longtime ago the proofreader who used to proofread my stuff for them told me they had sent her the translation for the next book in a series - appalling quality, probably AI. A novel! Ok, no big literature, just YA Fantasy, but still ...
I found other clients, I am holding up and if all goes well I'll be able to retire next summer and get a small pension from the German social insurance, which, together with my husband's also small pension and the fact we own the place we live in should be enough to survive on. But for the future I am not optimistic, only few will want to pay for quality translation, too many don't care about readability or accuracy - although, as I noticed, automatic translation makes bad mistakes, like turning the affirmative into the negative. Ten years ago I lost a big client on that - they checked my translation with Google and were I translated "this doesn't help" - they got "this helps", and they would not believe me that the machine was wrong. And more of this ...
Just now I am checking a translation of a novel and I suspect the translator used AI and did not edit thoroughly - lots of bad expressions and also mistakes. The publisher does not read German and had no idea - I noticed when I asked to see the first book of the series and saw this. But with diminishing reading skills probably less people will notice ...
Sorry, this is long and I should not ramble, but the topic is very much on my desktop these days. Wish you all good luck and good business! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Like riding the roller coaster | Sep 11, 2024 |
I have to admit it is sad to read this here, but I am not sure if it is the end.
Since the beginning of the year I had terrible months (2) and 2 good once. One big project seems to be gone, although today a small translation came in after almost 2 months silence.
My other big project has been a roller coaster for a year now, especially since January (definitely AI hype).
And then in June I had my first project for a new agency, best and fairest payment in years to be honest. N... See more I have to admit it is sad to read this here, but I am not sure if it is the end.
Since the beginning of the year I had terrible months (2) and 2 good once. One big project seems to be gone, although today a small translation came in after almost 2 months silence.
My other big project has been a roller coaster for a year now, especially since January (definitely AI hype).
And then in June I had my first project for a new agency, best and fairest payment in years to be honest. No clue why...but that gave me hope.
But we had hypes before (DeepL especially) and we/I survived.
If you search for AI Hype, you find lots of articles that the hype is over, or it is slowing down.
We can beat the machines, promise;-)
[Bearbeitet am 2024-09-11 09:04 GMT]
[Bearbeitet am 2024-09-11 13:20 GMT]
[Bearbeitet am 2024-09-11 14:14 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Novian Cahyadi
Indonesia
Local time: 15:29
Member (2024)
English to Indonesian
Susanne Döring wrote:
That was a shock, they made usually about one third of my yearly income.
I thought one client should never contribute more than 25% of our total income?
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