| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] | There's an inflation crisis, and it's much worse than we thought! Thread poster: Bryan Crumpler
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Bryan Crumpler 
United States
Local time: 17:38
Dutch to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | 20 years ago there was no internet market, AI, or MT | Jul 16, 2019 |
Liviu-Lee Roth wrote:
You are right! I did not read the last paragraph of the research. Now, after I read it, I am so proud of myself for being ahead of the curve when I shifted 20 years ago, at a time when there were no researches available in this field.
Best,
lee
Nice pat on the back.
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | | Don't count out the impact of professional translators | Jul 16, 2019 |
I had taken the time and commented on one of the reports cited by the poster of the thread:
The Impact of Translation Technologies
on the Process and Product of Translation
STEPHEN DOHERTY1
The University of New South Wales, ... See more I had taken the time and commented on one of the reports cited by the poster of the thread:
The Impact of Translation Technologies
on the Process and Product of Translation
STEPHEN DOHERTY1
The University of New South Wales, Australia
Link:
https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/3499/1573&ved=2ahUKEwj51vqdqa7jAhVvU98KHUpcAycQFjABegQICRAC&usg=AOvVaw3NLCxUp-qt5kjZFuIN_eo6
The issues discussed in the report are discussed in a very generalized matter, especially with regard to experiences by professional freelancers - who have not been polled - and simply don't gel with what I and many professional colleagues experience and practice (e.g. rate development, needs of clients for precision and excellent professionals, current and future opportunity to charge fair rates). The report is clearly missing out on attempting and can't really give a more diversified outlook of the future of freelancers in the business in the US and elsewhere that would be needed to make such broad statements as posted by the originator of this thread:
Bryan Crumpler wrote:
... We are saying *document translation* is becoming obsolete as a viable career path FOR AMERICANS (i.e. linguists living & working the US), because rate trends on the global market are inversely proportional to inflation for basic services Americans need but have the least discretion over in terms of pricing.
... on account of rate trends online and drastic inflation, foreign language professionals in the United States urgently need to shift their career focus away from document translation, especially via businesses over the Internet, and begin engaging in (more lucrative) offline services that are restricted to and, thus, pay according to their local markets.
The translation market is growing and that includes the need for translating different document types (especially legal, marketing, advertising, technical and medical texts, brochures [online and off-line] - but certainly especially over the "global" Internet - to just name a few). The need for precise translations isn't disappearing - and neither will professional American translators providing them on a global market for a fair price. If anything, it might become harder for amateurs or inexperienced people to live on peanuts.
Please reread my contribution on page 2 of this thread. I want to emphasize that I do not agree with the negative view presented by the poster of the thread, especially with the situation in the States.
Also, the poster hasn't been a full-time translator in a while. He left the industry, only sometimes provides translations, and thus isn't really on the inside. So I would ask that he view any general data very critically, especially when forming an opinion about what translators are supposed to do in the future or that they should leave their profession or change it drastically.
Example from my previous comments:
Bryan Crumpler cited:
Bernhard Sulzer replied:
I wish the report would have looked at that point in more detail. While it is true, from my own experience of seeing what goes on around translation platforms and direct contacts, that there are certainly many clients today unaware or ignorant of adequate rates for accurate translations, mainly because services are being offered and accepted by many providers (agencies and translators) at very low prices, it is not a general fact for professionals. Professionals certainly do not lower their rates in general, and not at all at a rate of up to 50% since 2008 as cited above.
Let me add to that that professional translations (i.e. precise translations that also contain the required style and regional adaptation = don't read like translations) have their price. Anyone selling translations for rock bottom prices certainly has a lot to learn and I as a business partner would not entrust the task to them. I do frequently get inquiries to fix translations (just one a few days ago that had been run through Google Translate or a comparable MT, showing all the signs: grammatical and idiomatic errors and very complicated sentence structure that isn't good to read).
And here a citation from the article from my earlier post, actually showing a few very positive conclusions about the future of translation/translators:
https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/3499/1573&ved=2ahUKEwj51vqdqa7jAhVvU98KHUpcAycQFjABegQICRAC&usg=AOvVaw3NLCxUp-qt5kjZFuIN_eo6 "...With informed and effective use of TMs and MT, many of the known issues and shortcomings of these technologies can be overcome, especially in terms of translation quality, to somewhat mitigate the downward trend in pricing for translation services in line with tighter budgets and deadlines. Further empirical evidence of the effects that these tools have on productivity, consistency, and quality will add value to negotiations of fair and appropriate pricing and evidence-based best practices within the industry and academe—an agenda that is in need of much more collaborative attention."
Bernhard Sulzer replied:
This I wholeheartedly support. And it often falls to the translator to convince his/her client to accept a fair price, no matter what you call the task. I provide translations and I use technology. Technology is a tool and should be used to improve the quality of service. But it does not replace the translator, and no matter where you input that technology in the translation process, you need to clearly know its place, especially when calculating adequate remuneration.
Here'a a link to my earlier post:
https://www.proz.com/forum/money_matters/335942-theres_an_inflation_crisis_and_its_much_worse_than_we_thought-page2.html#2802977
Hope there are some professional translators out there willing to comment. I also believe we should speak out against opinions that seem to denigrate our profession and its value. We should never forget the great impact professional translators have on the industry who provide their services following best practices and ethical behavior. There are many challenges, quite true, but they are there to be met.
Thanks for reading this. ▲ Collapse
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| Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | James Heppe-Smith
Türkiye
Local time: 00:38
German to English
Moderator of this forum | And breathe.... | Jul 17, 2019 |
There have been a number of increasingly belligerent posts. I think this particular topic has run its course, and therefore will lock it for new posts.
Debate is very welcome, different views are a part of debate, but some of the postings were getting very personal and quite animated.
Please bear this in mind in the future, keep it professional, and remember others may have a differing view which is just as valid as yours.
Thank you.
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » There's an inflation crisis, and it's much worse than we thought! | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
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