Temperature Check Trådens avsändare: David Jones
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David Jones 
Taiwan
Local time: 05:12
Kinesiska till Engelska
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Hi everyone,
It’s been a while since I was active here, but Proz was a huge help early in my career, so I wanted to check in and see how others are doing.
In brief: I freelanced part-time from 2020–2023, mainly working on Chinese-to-English video game projects. Since going full-time in 2023, I’ve seen a sharp rise in MTPE work from mainland Chinese agencies (they make up 90% of my business), MTPE always comes with significantly lower rates. The shift has made the ... See more Hi everyone,
It’s been a while since I was active here, but Proz was a huge help early in my career, so I wanted to check in and see how others are doing.
In brief: I freelanced part-time from 2020–2023, mainly working on Chinese-to-English video game projects. Since going full-time in 2023, I’ve seen a sharp rise in MTPE work from mainland Chinese agencies (they make up 90% of my business), MTPE always comes with significantly lower rates. The shift has made the work less sustainable, and after a tough few months, I’ve decided to pivot away from translation.
I keep hearing that those who “leverage AI” will thrive, but so far I’ve mostly seen it lead to reduced workloads and lower pay. I’m curious though, what has your experience been like? ▲ Collapse
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The temperature is getting colder and colder. I have been translating for over 40 years, 20 years as a staff translator and since 2006 as a freelancer, and I must say that the changes in terms of work have been abysmal. Work has always been irregular, but before, a bad month was followed by a great month. Lately, a horrible month is followed by one or more bad months. In addition, Proz is no longer a help. In my language combinations between the 1st and the 5th May, not a single translation job ... See more The temperature is getting colder and colder. I have been translating for over 40 years, 20 years as a staff translator and since 2006 as a freelancer, and I must say that the changes in terms of work have been abysmal. Work has always been irregular, but before, a bad month was followed by a great month. Lately, a horrible month is followed by one or more bad months. In addition, Proz is no longer a help. In my language combinations between the 1st and the 5th May, not a single translation job was posted, and those that were posted on the 5th offered rates that are unacceptable for someone like me who works in Europe. Some translators (how many?) are looking for another job… ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Turkiet
Local time: 00:12
Medlem
Engelska till Turkiska
David Jones wrote:
In brief: I freelanced part-time from 2020–2023, mainly working on Chinese-to-English video game projects. Since going full-time in 2023, I’ve seen a sharp rise in MTPE work from mainland Chinese agencies (they make up 90% of my business), MTPE always comes with significantly lower rates. The shift has made the work less sustainable, and after a tough few months, I’ve decided to pivot away from translation.
The notorious reputation of Chinese (and Asian in general) agencies one of the first things I heard when I started freelancing, so I was advised to steer well clear of them.
You say the mainland Chinese agencies account for 90% of your business and MTPE made things worse. Little wonder. One would wonder why you learned Chinese in the first place? If you'd opted for the easier Swedish or Dutch, you'd be doing relatively good as a translator now, might even be 'leveraging AI' (whatever that means).
[Edited at 2025-05-06 07:35 GMT]
| | | | Dan Lucas
Storbritannien
Local time: 22:12
Medlem (2014)
Japanska till Engelska
Baran Keki wrote:
The notorious reputation of Chinese (and Asian in general) agencies one of the first things I heard when I started freelancing, so I was advised to steer well clear of them.
This was my thought also.
First, you are also working in a language pair in which rates are widely considered to be horribly low. How much of that is reputation and how much is reality I do not know.
EDIT: This thread coincidentally appeared not long after your post here, and is the sort of thing that I think many freelancers fear when it comes to agencies from certain countries:
https://www.proz.com/forum/money_matters/372557-has_anyone_tried_to_recover_unpaid_invoices_from_a_chinese_translation_agency_tips.html
Second, you are also working in a niche area that is basically a subcategory of video gaming, which as far as I can see is similar to certain categories of literature translation (like manga/anime) in that it is badly paid due in part to thousands of eager fans willing to try to translate stuff themselves, or to translate stuff for others at very low rates.
That's very much discretionary spending: nobody really needs to play Chinese games in translation. They may want to, but it depends on them having the money. And how many such people are there? How big is the target market?
Conversely, you cannot avoid the need to provide regulatory documents for pharmaceutical trials if you want to market a new drug in the US. You do it, or you get arrested. Those are your choices.
Somebody in my pair was bragging about the high volumes of work they have for translating Japanese manga and games, and rather snidely implied that they were doing better than some of the other people on the mailing list in question. Based on the figures they gave I calculated their rate and it was parlously low - on an hourly basis they could literally have made more money working at McDonald's.
So it's going to be difficult to you gave an apples-to-apples comparison. This is a very heterogeneous industry. My particular niche is ticking pretty much as normal, but who knows what next month will bring?
Can't help on the MTPE. My take is that there are too many people reporting that it is an issue for it not to be an issue, if you see what I mean.
Dan
[Edited at 2025-05-06 08:56 GMT]
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Samuel Murray
Nederländerna
Local time: 23:12
Medlem (2006)
Engelska till Afrikaans
+ ...
David Jones wrote:
I keep hearing that those who “leverage AI” will thrive, but so far I’ve mostly seen it lead to reduced workloads and lower pay.
AI is great for workers who are in command of what they do. Most translators that work for agencies won't see any benefits, because we've already squeezed as much productivity and efficiency from our work processes as is possible. AI is great for workers who currently or previously worked very inefficiently. AI is also great for more creative types of work e.g. editing and copywriting, but not so great for repetitive type of work such as agency translation.
| | | | David Jones
Taiwan
Local time: 05:12
Kinesiska till Engelska
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
[/quote]
One would wonder why you learned Chinese in the first place?
[Edited at 2025-05-06 07:35 GMT] [/quote]
lol
| | | | Mario Chávez
USA
Local time: 17:12
Medlem (2024)
Engelska till Spanska
+ ...
| Let's be gentle, please | May 6 |
None of us is in any position to question a colleague about his/her language choice to become a translator, or lecture them about “easier languages.”
MC
Baran Keki wrote:
David Jones wrote:
In brief: I freelanced part-time from 2020–2023, mainly working on Chinese-to-English video game projects. Since going full-time in 2023, I’ve seen a sharp rise in MTPE work from mainland Chinese agencies (they make up 90% of my business), MTPE always comes with significantly lower rates. The shift has made the work less sustainable, and after a tough few months, I’ve decided to pivot away from translation.
The notorious reputation of Chinese (and Asian in general) agencies one of the first things I heard when I started freelancing, so I was advised to steer well clear of them.
You say the mainland Chinese agencies account for 90% of your business and MTPE made things worse. Little wonder. One would wonder why you learned Chinese in the first place? If you'd opted for the easier Swedish or Dutch, you'd be doing relatively good as a translator now, might even be 'leveraging AI' (whatever that means). [Edited at 2025-05-06 07:35 GMT]
| | | | Mario Chávez
USA
Local time: 17:12
Medlem (2024)
Engelska till Spanska
+ ...
| Agencies' work is repetitive? | May 6 |
Your comment seems to assume that only creative people (copywriters, for instance) can do creative work, unlike translation agencies.
I am of the opinion that every act of writing, of translation, is a creative one. But let's not get carried away and conflate that with “creativity,” a different topic.
If I assumed incorrectly, apologies.
MC
Samuel Murray wrote:
David Jones wrote:
I keep hearing that those who “leverage AI” will thrive, but so far I’ve mostly seen it lead to reduced workloads and lower pay.
AI is great for workers who are in command of what they do. Most translators that work for agencies won't see any benefits, because we've already squeezed as much productivity and efficiency from our work processes as is possible. AI is great for workers who currently or previously worked very inefficiently. AI is also great for more creative types of work e.g. editing and copywriting, but not so great for repetitive type of work such as agency translation.
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Baran Keki
Turkiet
Local time: 00:12
Medlem
Engelska till Turkiska
Mario Chávez wrote:
lecture them about “easier languages.”
LOL!
| | | | Dan Lucas
Storbritannien
Local time: 22:12
Medlem (2014)
Japanska till Engelska
Mario Chávez wrote:
None of us is in any position to question a colleague about his/her language choice
...it's a bit late now. The OP is where he is.
Dan
| | | | Peter Motte
Belgien
Local time: 23:12
Medlem (2009)
Engelska till Nederländska
+ ...
| AI will lower the total work load | May 13 |
David Jones wrote:
I keep hearing that those who “leverage AI” will thrive, but so far I’ve mostly seen it lead to reduced workloads and lower pay. I’m curious though, what has your experience been like?
It's a bit nonsense that AI would make you thrive. The effect of AI is that lots of clients start to do things in-house, with their own people, so they outsource less and less.
And it's no use using AI if you don't have clients.
Their might be a few people who were well of using AI, but sooner or later that will have an impact on the prices.
"Use AI to leverage your translations" is mostly a sales quote from people selling AI applications
When CAT tools came, almost 30 years ago, somebody said he believed in CAT because in the past texts had to be published on paper, and now they had to be published on paper and digitally. In his opinion that meant an increase of the total work load, which could be managed thanks to repetitions etc. in CAT tools.
And I think he was right.
AI, however, does not appear in an environment with an increasing work load. Which means a lot of translators have to go.
Whether you can stay or not, is not determined by the fact you yourself use AI.
[Edited at 2025-05-13 10:22 GMT]
[Edited at 2025-05-13 10:23 GMT]
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnien och Hercegovina
Local time: 23:12
Medlem (2009)
Engelska till Kroatiska
+ ...
| In the beginning maybe | May 13 |
[quote]Peter Motte wrote:
David Jones wrote:
I keep hearing that those who “leverage AI” will thrive,
This was true maybe in the beginning of the hype when I was paid $40/hr to write dumb AI prompts. The expectations were high and investors were generous at the time. This is definitely no longer the case, as the investors came to their senses. Yes, the reduced workload coupled with a reduced rate will make AI work pointless even to the most enthusiastic providers out there.
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