ProZ.com Translation Forums

A shocking warning to companies using AI | Of course it's not the AI itself ...

Daryo — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:09:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: A shocking warning to companies using AI
Poster: Daryo
Post title: Of course it's not the AI itself ...

[quote]kd42 wrote:

I believe this is paid hype aimed at creating a totally untrue impression that a neural network has a potential to compete, while it is a simple, rather buggy, very expensive software tool which can only facilitate the work of the lower tier office workers by accelerating clerical tasks thereby freeing much time which can be used for checking the neural network's output for crazy and cunningly concealed errors.

There was a post on a very lively Russian website where a lawyer complained about various types of recruits, of all ages and different career backgrounds. The young graduates of a law college used AI to generate applications instituting proceedings which that lawyer called something like Application Instituting proceedings (if you see my point, the Russian is "исковые заявления" ===> "ИИсковые заявления"), the were completely unsuitable for the intended purpose, because, as the lawyer said, "the essential thing is practice, clear interpretation of specific circumstances, and understanding of uncertain implications", AI cannot do that, and will never be able to, as a mater of fact, the best of humans barely cope with such tasks. The bubble is going to burst.

Of course, NNMT is now practical, the polarization of the workforce will increase, the rates will fall, the increased daily turnaround will partly compensate that fall. Even in the domain of creating images AI seems to have hit the glass ceiling: people generally resent AI-slop. It works only for a primary school teacher who needs to generate a friendly presentation, but this is not going to pay off. [/quote]

Of course it's not the AI itself that is going to do the 'unfair competing' ... That part will be done by those having access to everything and anything that AI siphoned one way or another [whatever their legalese has to say ...]

The technical possibility is there, and it's technically nearly impossible to control to which extent it's used or abused. No one knows nothing, until some day you discover some 'new competitor' that seems to have had a miraculous insight in your own data. Surely a 'good competition'?

machine translations contaminating TMs and affecting prices | ...

Thomas Johansson — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:22:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: machine translations contaminating TMs and affecting prices
Poster: Thomas Johansson
Post title: ...

[quote]kd42 wrote:

The шыttiest of all Topic Starters or Askers for Help are those who never thank those who try to help and/or never come back with the results. (I wonder when Proz introduces a ban list, preferably with and AI feature which would add such posters to the list automatically.) [/quote]

I guess I am one of the шыttiest then.

I am grateful for all replies, but I would be reluctant to posting an individual thank you note in a forum like this unless I have anything of more substance to add.

machine translations contaminating TMs and affecting prices | The golden rule is

kd42 — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:31:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: machine translations contaminating TMs and affecting prices
Poster: kd42
Post title: The golden rule is

The шыttiest of all Topic Starters or Askers for Help are those who never thank those who try to help and/or never come back with the results. (I wonder when Proz introduces a ban list, preferably with and AI feature which would add such posters to the list automatically.)

Public warning about Globibo | @Songri

Samuel Murray — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Public warning about Globibo
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: @Songri

See duplicate thread:
[url removed]

Public warning about Globibo

Songri Piao — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 20:08:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Public warning about Globibo
Poster: Songri Piao

This is a public warning: Globibo has an unpaid invoice of 1,700 USD for work I delivered more than 4 years ago.
After extensive private follow‑ups, I received 600 USD but still 1,100 USD remains unresolved.
I contacted them via all possible contacts such as owner, CEO, financial team, customer team.
But their whole company is responded with meaningless promises, small payments, and no response.
I am formally advising freelancers, agencies, partners, and clients to avoid engaging with Globibo.

I am issuing this advisory so the professional community is fully aware of the risks of engaging with Globibo.
I strongly encourage everyone to inform their own clients, colleagues, and partners to avoid entering any agreements with Globibo until they resolve long‑term outstanding payments.
I am now processing debt recovery process including late fee with support of third parties.
I am determined never to give up until their exploitation of labor stops and I receive the full outstanding amount.

I am organizing a public campaign to gather and publish verified cases of non‑payment or extreme delays involving Globibo.
If you have been affected — or want to stand with freelancers demanding accountability — join the campaign.
Collective visibility is the only way to protect others from similar harm.

A shocking warning to companies using AI | Competition is good, they are acting, but there's no result, will never be

kd42 — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 14:42:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: A shocking warning to companies using AI
Poster: kd42
Post title: Competition is good, they are acting, but there's no result, will never be

I believe this is paid hype aimed at creating a totally untrue impression that a neural network has a potential to compete, while it is a simple, rather buggy, very expensive software tool which can only facilitate the work of the lower tier office workers by accelerating clerical tasks thereby freeing much time which can be used for checking the neural network's output for crazy and cunningly concealed errors.

There was a post on a very lively Russian website where a lawyer complained about various types of recruits, of all ages and different career backgrounds. The young graduates of a law college used AI to generate applications instituting proceedings which that lawyer called something like Application Instituting proceedings (if you see my point, the Russian is "исковые заявления" ===> "ИИсковые заявления"), the were completely unsuitable for the intended purpose, because, as the lawyer said, "the essential thing is practice, clear interpretation of specific circumstances, and understanding of uncertain implications", AI cannot do that, and will never be able to, as a mater of fact, the best of humans barely cope with such tasks. The bubble is going to burst.

Of course, NNMT is now practical, the polarization of the workforce will increase, the rates will fall, the increased daily turnaround will partly compensate that fall. Even in the domain of creating images AI seems to have hit the glass ceiling: people generally resent AI-slop. It works only for a primary school teacher who needs to generate a friendly presentation, but this is not going to pay off.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Clue

Lieven Malaise — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:21:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Lieven Malaise
Post title: Clue

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
It's almost like you think that non-Europeans can't be racist, which is hilarious.[/quote]

It's almost like you haven't got a clue about what exactly I think. Which would be correct. Good night, Gerard. Sweet white dreams!

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Not enterily true

Peter Motte — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 16:52:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Peter Motte
Post title: Not enterily true

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
I hope your anti-racist credentials do you good in a Belgium that is becoming increasingly more Muslim and less European. [/quote]

I'm not sure about that. People say so, but I wonder: where do they get those figures? And with which dates do they compare?

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | .

Gerard Barry — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:48:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Gerard Barry
Post title: .

[quote]Lieven Malaise wrote:

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
I hope your anti-racist credentials do you good in a Belgium that is becoming increasingly more Muslim and less European. [/quote]

Thanks, Gerry, that's a really nice thing to say! I also hope that muslims and non Europeans will become increasingly my neighbours to the detriment of all those deplorable racists. At this pace we're going nowhere with that big replacement. [/quote]

Funny how you think that Muslims/non-Europeans and "deplorable racists" are mutually exclusive. It's almost like you think that non-Europeans can't be racist, which is hilarious. Have you seen the protests in South Africa recently, where black South Africans basically hounded non-South African Blacks out of the country?

machine translations contaminating TMs and affecting prices | You are mistaken in one assumption

kd42 — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:29:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: machine translations contaminating TMs and affecting prices
Poster: kd42
Post title: You are mistaken in one assumption

[quote]Thomas Johansson wrote:
are TMs gradually being contaminated...?[/quote]
Your gradually does not apply.
A BigMomma TM with a few unreviewed and/or MT TUs is a barrel of honey with a spoonful of sh*t, you won't eat it.
If you know that the TM contains garbage TUs, you must check any document consisting only of exact matches, that is the reality.

A practical advice is -- develop a routine which provides the exact amount of changes you made, give your customer a preliminary quote and ask them to accept the final analysis. I heard about tools which do this, but my homegrown routine is:
= save the target as you received it
= do the editing, convert the bilingual data into a TM, reverse it
= analyze the cr@ppy saved target against your TM which has your perfect output as source.
This will give you the numbers, exactly like we have been doing it for decades.

Speaking with the numbers at hand helps. An average NNMT segment is worth from 75% (the best ones) to 90% of the new word rate.

Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge. | Exactly

kd42 — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:15:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge.
Poster: kd42
Post title: Exactly

[quote]Daryo wrote:
As for totally idiotic ways of 'saving on costs' I've seen many examples in other fields I worked in - it's not really a 'translation-specific psychiatric condition'. More to do with dumb penny pinchers who imagine that it’s 'being a good manager'. [/quote]
Exactly. A colleague drives an old Hyundai Getz, generally a good small car. The rear door edges are curved, and the rubber seal is a straight extruded shape, it collapses at the bend, and the rain water gets in, fortunately there's the inner seal. When it rains, you get off and close the rear door, this curve shoots a few drops of water into your face. The savings were tiny, negligibly small per car, but these morons have calculators, some bright mind discovered that they could save ten thousand money across the five years of production. About the same in translation.

Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge. | Sounds familiar ...

Daryo — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 13:07:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge.
Poster: Daryo
Post title: Sounds familiar ...

[quote]kd42 wrote:

[quote]Daryo wrote:
the rapidly shrinking 'market segment' giving top priority to quality. [/quote]
Over 30 years ago I translated my first combat jets manuals and bulletins, the originals were very well written, the translations were good, because the translator could dial the engineer and ask.
Take Shakespeare or Christina Rossetti for this level of quality.

A colleague is translating the same data and asks me questions because it is forbidden to use AI and Google. The TM and termbase are partly machine-translated and partly translated by morons who completely miss the point, many TUs are mutually exclusive, the client insists that his verbal garbage is reused, because it helps to save money (just think: someone selling combat jets is trying to save a couple of thousand dollars on translation, this is a psychiatric condition), the translators were not given the originals with the drawings, diagrams, etc., just the text, some of the errors are naturally caused by this.
This level of quality is not even Sex Pistols lyrics, it is some uneducated teenage rapper under the influence of substances.

Nobody gives a flying fart when the translators rightfully object. I wonder if this happens also in health service, pharma, environment protection. I guess it does, why not. [/quote]

When I started translating the concepts of personal computers and Internet were at best 'some silly science fiction'. More than once I would take the trouble to find who are the experts in the field I'm translating and phone them. When they sense you can understand what they are talking about they would give you plenty of very helpful information. Nowadays you can do a web search instead - certainly much much faster but NOT ALWAYS better.

Or you could use Augmented Ignorance - which definitely IS NOT better. More like relying on some smooth talking sycophant blessed with a tenuous grasp of the concept of 'accuracy/verified facts'. You can't stop 'progress', right?

As for totally idiotic ways of 'saving on costs' I've seen many examples in other fields I worked in - it's not really a 'translation-specific psychiatric condition'. More to do with dumb penny pinchers who imagine that it’s 'being a good manager'.

Using Sex Pistols lyrics as a reference for the quality of translated texts? Never thought of it, but you do have a good point there!

Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge. | This market segment collapsed into a neuton star

kd42 — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:28:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge.
Poster: kd42
Post title: This market segment collapsed into a neuton star

[quote]Daryo wrote:
the rapidly shrinking 'market segment' giving top priority to quality. [/quote]
Over 30 years ago I translated my first combat jets manuals and bulletins, the originals were very well written, the translations were good, because the translator could dial the engineer and ask.
Take Shakespeare or Christina Rossetti for this level of quality.

A colleague is translating the same data and asks me questions because it is forbidden to use AI and Google. The TM and termbase are partly machine-translated and partly translated by morons who completely miss the point, many TUs are mutually exclusive, the client insists that his verbal garbage is reused, because it helps to save money (just think: someone selling combat jets is trying to save a couple of thousand dollars on translation, this is a psychiatric condition), the translators were not given the originals with the drawings, diagrams, etc., just the text, some of the errors are naturally caused by this.
This level of quality is not even Sex Pistols lyrics, it is some uneducated teenage rapper under the influence of substances.

Nobody gives a flying fart when the translators rightfully object. I wonder if this happens also in health service, pharma, environment protection. I guess it does, why not.

Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge. | AI and bottom-feeders

Baran Keki — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:26:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge.
Poster: Baran Keki
Post title: AI and bottom-feeders

Traditionally speaking, most translation agencies have their 'go-to translators' in every language pair. This might have been you back in the good old days, commanding 0.10 to 0.12 EUR per word, and getting picked for jobs ahead of those charging 0.05 or 0.06 EUR per word.
DeepL empowered bottom-feeders (those charging 0.02 to 0.04 EUR per word) immensely in the last 4 years or so. They're no longer the same incompetent creatures making appalling, laughable mistakes. So if you lose your 'privileged position' with the agency for whatever reason (like by taking one vacation too many or being unavailable through illness or injury), they are there to replace you in a heartbeat, and you won't get any jobs from them even if you've halved your rates. That's unfortunately the reality with most agencies. I must have been onboarded with hundreds of agencies, but never once have I received any requests from them, because their 'go-to translator' in my pair has never taken a vacation or got hit by a car.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Thanks

Lieven Malaise — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:02:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Lieven Malaise
Post title: Thanks

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
I hope your anti-racist credentials do you good in a Belgium that is becoming increasingly more Muslim and less European. [/quote]

Thanks, Gerry, that's a really nice thing to say! I also hope that muslims and non Europeans will become increasingly my neighbours to the detriment of all those deplorable racists. At this pace we're going nowhere with that big replacement.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Racism

Gerard Barry — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 10:35:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Gerard Barry
Post title: Racism

[quote]Lieven Malaise wrote:

Buckets of frustration and tears from failed racists, extremely thin skins, unwordly responses... The acting is rather bad, but I'm enjoying every minute of it: 7/10. [/quote]

You seem obsessed with racism. You see it everywhere. I hope your anti-racist credentials do you good in a Belgium that is becoming increasingly more Muslim and less European.

Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge. | No surprise, indeed

Lieven Malaise — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:26:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge.
Poster: Lieven Malaise
Post title: No surprise, indeed

If customers would be only interested in low rates, and you lower your rates by 50%, then you become just one of the zillion translators that somehow are willing to work for rates that are way too low. I can imagine it hardly increases your chances to get more work, let alone decent work.

My theory is that it is all about finding customers that still value quality (so disregard bottom-feeders that are only interested in paying as little as possible and pay even less if they're not happy with the quality you delivered for their miserable offers). They exist, I know that, because all of my important customers do. And after you've identified those customers it's about being able to determine your rates in a way that your customers can accept them and that you are able to make a decent living, also called the optimal price/quality ratio.

This is the theory, I know it must be hard. I've been lucky to be able to establish long-term relationships over the last 21 years that continue to last, and I've also been lucky that I've always had rates that were never perceived as way too high by anybody. Because of that I know that my price/quality ratio is very much on point.

Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge. | Nothing surprising there

Daryo — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:54:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Well fellow Translators. About a month ago, I decreased my fees to half of what I usually charge.
Poster: Daryo
Post title: Nothing surprising there

'Lower prices = higher demand' was always a rather simplistic model to explain real-life economics.

You get the Giffen Paradox to confuse things, but that one can hardly be relevant for 'translation services' - except for the rapidly shrinking 'market segment' giving top priority to quality.

When it comes to the vast bulk of the present 'translation market' maybe some new model would be in order, something along the lines of 'rearranging the deckchairs' as a novel way of dealing with the AI iceberg?

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Pass me the popcorn

Lieven Malaise — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:08:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Lieven Malaise
Post title: Pass me the popcorn

Buckets of frustration and tears from failed racists, extremely thin skins, unwordly responses... The acting is rather bad, but I'm enjoying every minute of it: 7/10.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | deleted

Angie Garbarino — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Angie Garbarino
Post title: deleted

[Edited at 2026-07-17 07:21 GMT]

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Clarifying

expressisverbis — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 16:44:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: expressisverbis
Post title: Clarifying

You deleted your previous post:

"Correct, but can I recall you that you 'personally' constantly entered your agree to 2 of the colleagues who are insulting? This does not help for sure."

You're clearly following this thread more closely than I am. I've been busy this week, so I haven't been paying close attention to every discussion on ProZ.
That said, let me clarify something:
My "Agree(s)" in this thread was for specific points that I agreed with, not for any personal insults.
I did not agree with a single insult.
If you look carefully, you'll see that my "Agree" referred to the arguments being made, not to the abusive language.
I hope that makes my position clear.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | deleted

Angie Garbarino — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 16:26:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Angie Garbarino
Post title: deleted

[Edited at 2026-07-16 18:56 GMT]

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | May I ask a genuine question?

expressisverbis — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:06:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: expressisverbis
Post title: May I ask a genuine question?

We spend our careers helping people communicate across languages and cultures.
And we carefully choose our words to avoid misunderstandings, build bridges and facilitate dialogue.
So why are we communicating like this with each other?
I don't know most of you personally, but I genuinely don't like seeing colleagues treat one another this way.
Whatever our opinions on AI, the industry, or even each other's sense of humour, personal insults don't reflect well on any of us or on our profession.
Let's all calm down and get back to discussing ideas rather than insulting one another.
"Gracias".

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Retaliation

Gerard Barry — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:42:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Gerard Barry
Post title: Retaliation

[quote]The Shredder wrote:

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
Thanks, Michael. It really is astonishing how some of these people behave online. They attack me because I've expressed conservative political views, especially about immigration. Their intolerance and nastiness is staggering. [/quote]

You literally just called someone the C word 🤷‍♂️

And I’m not English.

There’s a word for someone who constantly whines about others doing what they’re constantly doing themselves. Can’t think what it is. [/quote]

Yes, I did. After he called me a twat.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Ffs

The Shredder — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:44:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: The Shredder
Post title: Ffs

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
Thanks, Michael. It really is astonishing how some of these people behave online. They attack me because I've expressed conservative political views, especially about immigration. Their intolerance and nastiness is staggering. [/quote]

You literally just called someone the C word 🤷‍♂️

And I’m not English.

There’s a word for someone who constantly whines about others doing what they’re constantly doing themselves. Can’t think what it is.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Nasty!

Baran Keki — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:40:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Baran Keki
Post title: Nasty!

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
I really hope for your sake that no customers of yours read the vile stuff you post here. C**t. [/quote]
I'm touched by your concern!

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
English p***k. [/quote]
Now that's a racist comment, if ever I heard one. I'm literally in shock!

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Thank you

Gerard Barry — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:12:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Gerard Barry
Post title: Thank you

[quote]Michael Newton wrote:

Calling someone "a pathetic little twat" or "that old git who lives in England". This is abuse and a violation of proz.com posting rules which forbids abuse. Why do the moderators allow this? [/quote]

Thanks, Michael. It really is astonishing how some of these people behave online. They attack me because I've expressed conservative political views, especially about immigration. Their intolerance and nastiness is staggering.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | .

Gerard Barry — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:09:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Gerard Barry
Post title: .

[quote]The Shredder wrote:

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
I wouldn't take much notice of him. He's often attacked me as well, making stupid "jokes" about Ireland and the Irish. He's a little troll who thinks he's funny. There are several smart alecs on this site who probably wouldn't dare in person say half of what they say online. Pathetic, strange little people. [/quote]

I do hope you are born with a little more self-awareness in your next life, but that did make me chuckle.

I suspect you’d have no teeth left if you had done your trolling on here in real life. [/quote]

If I met you in real life, I'd have no problem saying to your face what I say to you online. English p***k.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Professionalism

Gerard Barry — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:05:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: Gerard Barry
Post title: Professionalism

[quote]Baran Keki wrote:

[quote]Gerard Barry wrote:
I wouldn't take much notice of him. He's often attacked me as well, making stupid "jokes" about Ireland and the Irish. He's a little troll who thinks he's funny. There are several smart alecs on this site who probably wouldn't dare in person say half of what they say online. Pathetic, strange little people. [/quote]
Yes it's true, I've made fun of you because you're an economic migrant who contributes to the housing crisis in Germany, a pathetic little twat who visits a translators' forum after having been kicked out of his in-house translation job (most likely through his incompetence) and confessed time and again how he hated translation and felt that AI was just deserts for human translators.
I don't believe I've made any disparaging remarks about the Irish and Ireland. You and that old git who resides in London are not representative of the good people of Ireland. [/quote]

I really hope for your sake that no customers of yours read the vile stuff you post here. C**t.

Is the Tanslation Industry down??? | Ironically...

expressisverbis — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 11:15:00 +0000

Forum: Money matters
Topic: Is the Tanslation Industry down???
Poster: expressisverbis
Post title: Ironically...

Ironically, this thread has become another example of the state of our industry.
Instead of focusing on the real challenges we face, we're turning against each other.
That, in itself, says a lot about the current state of the industry as well.