Poll: The translation industry is changing. 'll...
Лице кое објавува дискусија: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ПЕРСОНАЛ НА СТРАНИЦАТА
Jul 9, 2025

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "The translation industry is changing. 'll...".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Португалија
Local time: 03:47
Член (2007)
англиски на португалски
+ ...
Other Jul 9, 2025

Since Covid work has been more irregular than ever, but I’m having an excellent month, so…

Claudio Machado Junior
neilmac
 
Edith van der Have
Edith van der Have
Холандија
Local time: 04:47
Член (2016)
англиски на холандски
+ ...
Earning better than ever Jul 9, 2025

If the second half of this year will be as good as the first, it'll be my best year ever.

Chris Spurgin
Luca Adie
Aline Amorim
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Босна и Херцеговина
Local time: 04:47
англиски на француски
+ ...
Incomplete poll question Jul 9, 2025

Several recent poll questions tend to be incomplete with just half sentences prompting us to click the link in order to find out what it is all about. I won’t be clicking it unless I can get an idea of the theme/topic in advance.

neilmac
Dmitrii Kashkan
 
Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Малта
Local time: 04:47
Член (2012)
англиски на малтешки
+ ...
I don't know yet Jul 9, 2025

I don't know what I'll do. One good month follows one slow month. This month, I'm not working as I fell and broke my right shoulder and I'm right-handed. I'm coping with the left side but I'm waiting for the operation when pain will re-increase-now it's not bad and I can wash myself and put on certain clothes and eat, but not everything as i cannot lift fork well with left hand. So certain translations are out if they have formatting or website checking and including. Pity I cannot swim and mayb... See more
I don't know what I'll do. One good month follows one slow month. This month, I'm not working as I fell and broke my right shoulder and I'm right-handed. I'm coping with the left side but I'm waiting for the operation when pain will re-increase-now it's not bad and I can wash myself and put on certain clothes and eat, but not everything as i cannot lift fork well with left hand. So certain translations are out if they have formatting or website checking and including. Pity I cannot swim and maybe, not go abroad, so things are bit uncertain. Otherwise I had good months this year too but the months are unpredictable.Collapse


 
Lieven Malaise
Lieven Malaise  Identity Verified
Белгија
Local time: 04:47
Член (2020)
француски на холандски
+ ...
...hope to keep earning the same Jul 9, 2025

With a mortgage and children following higher ecducation the coming years life is expensive and I have little choice but to keep earning more or less what I'm earning today. Until now: no problem, but I can't predict the future or suspect how things might turn out the coming years or even months (nil nove sub sole in that regard, though). All I know for sure is that my customers and their job offers are still there, for now, even to the extent that I'm still not forced to start looking for new c... See more
With a mortgage and children following higher ecducation the coming years life is expensive and I have little choice but to keep earning more or less what I'm earning today. Until now: no problem, but I can't predict the future or suspect how things might turn out the coming years or even months (nil nove sub sole in that regard, though). All I know for sure is that my customers and their job offers are still there, for now, even to the extent that I'm still not forced to start looking for new customers.

After this expensive period I would probably be just fine with only half of the earnings I make today, but that would mean another 7 years of succesful fulltime translation. Might be a stretch. To be continued.
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Dan Lucas
Luca Adie
 
Lieven Malaise
Lieven Malaise  Identity Verified
Белгија
Local time: 04:47
Член (2020)
француски на холандски
+ ...
Get well soon Jul 9, 2025

Josephine Cassar wrote:
This month, I'm not working as I fell and broke my right shoulder and I'm right-handed. I'm coping with the left side but I'm waiting for the operation when pain will re-increase-now it's not bad and I can wash myself and put on certain clothes and eat, but not everything as i cannot lift fork well with left hand.


That's some bad news, particularly being a freelance translator. I wish you a speedy recovery.


Novian Cahyadi (X)
Zea_Mays
Christine Andersen
P.L.F. Persi (X)
Odil Gaipnazarov
Josephine Cassar
Yuri Larin
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Португалија
Local time: 03:47
Член (2007)
англиски на португалски
+ ...
@Josephine Jul 9, 2025

Get well soon!

ramo-de-flores


Novian Cahyadi (X)
Zea_Mays
Gyöngyi Tanácsi
Christine Andersen
Josephine Cassar
Yuri Larin
P.L.F. Persi (X)
 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
Обединето Кралство
Local time: 03:47
Член (2014)
јапонски на англиски
Precisely because the industry is changing... Jul 9, 2025

... I don't know what will happen!

I can only express what I hope or believe will happen.

I hope to keep "earning well" and July/August are looking like big months after a quiet June, which was preceded by a busy May.

But I believe that certainty is not something you can expect in freelance translation markets, particularly when the economy as a whole is under pressure.

Dan


Lieven Malaise
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Claudio Machado Junior
Chris Spurgin
P.L.F. Persi (X)
Zea_Mays
Aline Amorim
 
Luca Adie
Luca Adie
Германија
Local time: 04:47
германски на англиски
+ ...
How long is a piece of string? Jul 9, 2025

Luckily, I've not noticed a big change in my earnings. However, I have realised that my one big regular client is now not so regular: one job each in May and June, no project this month so far. But I've had work come in from a new agency and two new direct clients, so it all evens out.

Last year my main gallerist died so I don't sell as much art as I used to. I'm now thinking of more commerical series for an additional income.

I gave up on teaching, but some kind of po
... See more
Luckily, I've not noticed a big change in my earnings. However, I have realised that my one big regular client is now not so regular: one job each in May and June, no project this month so far. But I've had work come in from a new agency and two new direct clients, so it all evens out.

Last year my main gallerist died so I don't sell as much art as I used to. I'm now thinking of more commerical series for an additional income.

I gave up on teaching, but some kind of position may pique my interest at some point.

I'll most likely be translating for the next 5 years or so - by then, I would like to have transitioned into something else (language or art based, teaching, cultural, something where my soft skills are appreciated).
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Oscar Núñez Alfaro
Le Zhang
 
Sinan Güldal
Sinan Güldal  Identity Verified
Турција
Local time: 05:47
англиски на турски
+ ...
sick and tired! Jul 9, 2025

i haven't earned decent money in few past years, i decided to pursue my writing life. and looking for jobs in video making, to do so i'm learning 3d animation and programming.

 
Oscar Núñez Alfaro
Oscar Núñez Alfaro  Identity Verified
Костарика
Local time: 20:47
англиски на шпански
+ ...
keep going specializing and diversifying my services to meet more clients. Jul 9, 2025

One of my best students got sick and need to recover, so I am losing temporarily a great student and income for these couple of months. On the other hand, this situation gave me the opportunity to write some interesting blog posts about Latin American Spanish idioms, and learn more about translation, interpreting, and AI. In my country, we sometimes say "no hay mal que por bien no venga" (=there are bad things that happen for a good reason). So, I am really happy ... See more
One of my best students got sick and need to recover, so I am losing temporarily a great student and income for these couple of months. On the other hand, this situation gave me the opportunity to write some interesting blog posts about Latin American Spanish idioms, and learn more about translation, interpreting, and AI. In my country, we sometimes say "no hay mal que por bien no venga" (=there are bad things that happen for a good reason). So, I am really happy



[Editado a las 2025-07-09 19:15 GMT]
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Le Zhang
 
neilmac
neilmac
Шпанија
Local time: 04:47
шпански на англиски
+ ...
N/A Jul 10, 2025

I actually reached retirement age a few years ago, but keep working because I enjoy my job and I think it keeps me mentally active, more or less. I never really worked with agencies, and am lucky enough to have a few legacy clients who provide me with enough work to make it worthwhile for me to keep going.

If I do have to stop working, it will be more due to health issues rather than lack of work. The year has had its ups and down so far, but the months of May and June were quite bu
... See more
I actually reached retirement age a few years ago, but keep working because I enjoy my job and I think it keeps me mentally active, more or less. I never really worked with agencies, and am lucky enough to have a few legacy clients who provide me with enough work to make it worthwhile for me to keep going.

If I do have to stop working, it will be more due to health issues rather than lack of work. The year has had its ups and down so far, but the months of May and June were quite busy, and I can't complain this month so far either.
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Luca Adie
 
Hasrina Munajat
Hasrina Munajat  Identity Verified
Малезија
Local time: 10:47
англиски на малајски
+ ...
ЛОКАЛИЗАТОР НА САЈТОТ
Translation industry is changing Jul 12, 2025

Getting a genuine job offer is getting more challenging because scammers are impersonating legit agencies.
Even if there are legit job offers, the rate is unreasonably low.


Maria Laura Curzi
Dmitrii Kashkan
 
Maria Laura Curzi
Maria Laura Curzi  Identity Verified
Аргентина
Local time: 23:47
англиски на шпански
+ ...
Scammers and AI Jul 12, 2025

Hasrina Munajat wrote:

Getting a genuine job offer is getting more challenging because scammers are impersonating legit agencies.
Even if there are legit job offers, the rate is unreasonably low.


Yes, one of the changes I see regarding AI in the translation industry is that the number of scams has multiplied.
Now that scammers use AI, they have more options, so they can impersonate translation agencies, publishers, and software companies. It seems that scams are the biggest growth in the translation industry since AI involvement.


Daryo
Hasrina Munajat
 


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Poll: The translation industry is changing. 'll...






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