| Stron w wątku: < [1 2 3] | Poll: Are you planning to leave the language services industry? Autor wątku: ProZ.com Staff
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Matthias Brombach 
Niemcy
Local time: 12:43
Członek ProZ.com
od 2007
niderlandzki > niemiecki
+ ...
Dan Lucas wrote:
Philippe Etienne wrote:
Anyway, before I change paths, I will finish my wooden ship model I started in 2014. That will be soothing.
Which ship?
Dan
...the question already has been answered recently, my first thought was Noah's ark, also prepared to carry one pair of the "resources" representing our profession (translator and interpreter) and one pair of...plumbers!
[Bearbeitet am 2025-03-02 16:20 GMT]
| | | | Sanjana
Indie
Local time: 17:13
Członek ProZ.com
od Mar 2025
angielski > hindi
+ ...
I think there will be more jobs created for us linguists in the future. I'm optimistic!
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Gerard Barry wrote:
After my most recent in-house position ended a few months ago (it was a two-year contract), I applied for jobs both as a translator and in completely unrelated fields. I wasn't able to find any position as a translator so in around three weeks time I'll be starting a "blue collar" job so to speak. I'm nervous because the work will be completely new to me but I'm also excited and curious to try something new. In my new job I'll be interacting a lot with people and will be working in a very busy, dynamic environment. Will I work as a translator ever again? Who knows? It all depends on whether I like the new job and whether I can find a job as a translator again. The truth of the matter is I never really liked working as a translator because I found the work so dry and lonely. My last job in particular was a nightmare because of the unfriendly, toxic working atmosphere.
Good luck in your new job, I hope you thrive in the new environment. I'm glad you got out of translation, it doesn't sound like it really suited you, and nobody should have to work in a toxic atmosphere.
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Rachel Waddington wrote:
Gerard Barry wrote:
After my most recent in-house position ended a few months ago (it was a two-year contract), I applied for jobs both as a translator and in completely unrelated fields. I wasn't able to find any position as a translator so in around three weeks time I'll be starting a "blue collar" job so to speak. I'm nervous because the work will be completely new to me but I'm also excited and curious to try something new. In my new job I'll be interacting a lot with people and will be working in a very busy, dynamic environment. Will I work as a translator ever again? Who knows? It all depends on whether I like the new job and whether I can find a job as a translator again. The truth of the matter is I never really liked working as a translator because I found the work so dry and lonely. My last job in particular was a nightmare because of the unfriendly, toxic working atmosphere.
Good luck in your new job, I hope you thrive in the new environment. I'm glad you got out of translation, it doesn't sound like it really suited you, and nobody should have to work in a toxic atmosphere.
Thanks, Rachel! It wasn't all bad working as a translator of course but I think I had two main issues. First of all was my inability to find a niche. I skipped from one job to to the other and never really developed a proper speciality. Secondly, I had issues in some jobs with colleagues. Petty proofreading was something that really got on my nerves. In my second-last job, I had a pompous colleague who basically rewrote my translations, so convinced was he that his version was always better.
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Baran Keki
Turcja
Local time: 14:43
Członek ProZ.com
angielski > turecki
Gerard Barry wrote:
I'll be starting a "blue collar" job so to speak. I'm nervous because the work will be completely new to me but I'm also excited and curious to try something new. In my new job I'll be interacting a lot with people and will be working in a very busy, dynamic environment.
Petty proofreading was something that really got on my nerves. In my second-last job, I had a pompous colleague who basically rewrote my translations, so convinced was he that his version was always better.
You should be able transition into your new position relatively easily given that you were an in-house translator. You probably wouldn't have dared do that if you were a freelance translator cooped up at home for the last 5 years.
You'd have seen more of those pompous twats if you were a freelancer. Though I suspect culture and geography have something to do with it.
I must say that I find it kind of strange that you should visit this forum (if not the website) given that you were an in-house translator that didn't like translation very much and now that you're leaving the profession for good. I came to know this website when I started working as a freelancer and depended on it for jobs. Before that I worked as an in-house like you (though luckily there were no proofreaders or know-alls where I worked) and I must have visited this website for a dozen times at most in those 10 years, and never once bothered to check the forums..
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Baran Keki wrote:
You should be able transition into your new position relatively easily given that you were an in-house translator. You probably wouldn't have dared do that if you were a freelance translator cooped up at home for the last 5 years.
I'm a bit more optimistic than you about the prospects of cooped-up-at-home freelancers. Many of us ventured out into the world in some capacity either as part of our work or in our lives in general. I'm not sure I'd like to be in an office again, but I would do it if I had to (I'm more put off by the commute than the prospect of being with other people).
You'd have seen more of those pompous twats if you were a freelancer.
I don't come across too many pompous twats as a freelancer, and I have the option of just not working with them if I do. Most of the people I work with seem like genuinely nice people. Maybe I'm lucky.
I must say that I find it kind of strange that you should visit this forum (if not the website) given that you were an in-house translator that didn't like translation very much and now that you're leaving the profession for good. I came to know this website when I started working as a freelancer and depended on it for jobs. Before that I worked as an in-house like you (though luckily there were no proofreaders or know-alls where I worked) and I must have visited this website for a dozen times at most in those 10 years, and never once bothered to check the forums..
Maybe he just wants a chat. That's allowed.
| | | | Baran Keki
Turcja
Local time: 14:43
Członek ProZ.com
angielski > turecki
Rachel Waddington wrote:
I don't come across too many pompous twats as a freelancer, and I have the option of just not working with them if I do. Most of the people I work with seem like genuinely nice people. Maybe I'm lucky.
Perhaps you're not working with agencies? It's about 80 to 90% of my experience that agencies pair you up with another translator who proofread/review your work. Sadly, it's also my experience that more than half of those people turn out to be 'pompous twats' who love to heap on track changes, changing words with their synonyms or the phrases they like best (without adding anything meaningful to the quality of translation), just doing everything they can to present your work as if it's been done by an incompetent translator (since the European or American PMs and VMs won't know the first thing about Turkish language). Like I said it could be a cultural or geographical thing. You probably have less toxic people living in the UK.
Rachel Waddington wrote:
Maybe he just wants a chat. That's allowed.
Chat with the folk he finds boring  That's allowed, of course. Not that I think he's wrong in that respect though.
Rachel Waddington wrote:
but I would do it if I had to (I'm more put off by the commute than the prospect of being with other people).
I agree. The prospect of having to literally rub shoulders with the great unwashed on the train (to say nothing of the transport costs) would put me off my food as well. I haven't had flu (including covid) in five years!
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Baran Keki wrote:
Gerard Barry wrote:
I'll be starting a "blue collar" job so to speak. I'm nervous because the work will be completely new to me but I'm also excited and curious to try something new. In my new job I'll be interacting a lot with people and will be working in a very busy, dynamic environment.
Petty proofreading was something that really got on my nerves. In my second-last job, I had a pompous colleague who basically rewrote my translations, so convinced was he that his version was always better.
You should be able transition into your new position relatively easily given that you were an in-house translator. You probably wouldn't have dared do that if you were a freelance translator cooped up at home for the last 5 years.
You'd have seen more of those pompous twats if you were a freelancer. Though I suspect culture and geography have something to do with it.
I must say that I find it kind of strange that you should visit this forum (if not the website) given that you were an in-house translator that didn't like translation very much and now that you're leaving the profession for good. I came to know this website when I started working as a freelancer and depended on it for jobs. Before that I worked as an in-house like you (though luckily there were no proofreaders or know-alls where I worked) and I must have visited this website for a dozen times at most in those 10 years, and never once bothered to check the forums..
I discovered this website when I worked as a freelancer from 2007 to 2013.
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Baran Keki wrote:
Rachel Waddington wrote:
Maybe he just wants a chat. That's allowed.
Chat with the folk he finds boring That's allowed, of course. Not that I think he's wrong in that respect though.
In this thread at any rate I think he just said he found the work dry and lonely.
Personally, I have always found translators interesting and easy to get on with. Many of us make use of the extra time freed up by the lack of a commute (and the ability to dictate our own hours) to have a thriving life outside translation.
| | | | Vincenzo Di Maso
Portugalia
Local time: 11:43
Członek ProZ.com
od 2009
angielski > włoski
+ ...
| It will depend on ProZ | Mar 3 |
I've been working in the translation industry for 20 years. In the early years, I didn’t need to focus much on marketing—projects came in steadily, largely thanks to ProZ. Back then, it was a valuable hub for connecting with quality clients.
Unfortunately, things have changed. Many agencies and direct clients are leaving ProZ, which is no longer the industry reference it once was. The platform has allowed low-paying and unreliable clients to dominate the market, pushing out seri... See more I've been working in the translation industry for 20 years. In the early years, I didn’t need to focus much on marketing—projects came in steadily, largely thanks to ProZ. Back then, it was a valuable hub for connecting with quality clients.
Unfortunately, things have changed. Many agencies and direct clients are leaving ProZ, which is no longer the industry reference it once was. The platform has allowed low-paying and unreliable clients to dominate the market, pushing out serious professionals. KudoZ is nearly deserted, and new client inquiries have all but disappeared.
The result? We’re losing business because ProZ is no longer the go-to place for high-quality translators and serious clients. Of course AI is being a nightmare ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgia
Local time: 12:43
Członek ProZ.com
od 2020
francuski > niderlandzki
+ ...
Vincenzo Di Maso wrote:
The result? We’re losing business because ProZ is no longer the go-to place for high-quality translators and serious clients. Of course AI is being a nightmare
The question is: was it ever the go-to place for serious clients? In my opinion and experience (I've never relied once on Proz to find clients) the serious clients compose pools of translators that they continually refer to for their translation work instead of dropping translation requests on Proz. I'm only a Proz member since the year 2000, but none of my serious clients ever posted anything on Proz.
| | | | Zea_Mays
Włochy
Local time: 12:43
Członek ProZ.com
od 2009
angielski > niemiecki
+ ...
Lieven Malaise wrote:
The question is: was it ever the go-to place for serious clients?
Yes, it (at least) was. I've found serious clients both through job posts (less) and being contacted directly through my profile and/or directory search. I am still working with some of them.
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Vincenzo Di Maso
Portugalia
Local time: 11:43
Członek ProZ.com
od 2009
angielski > włoski
+ ...
| Clients actually found us through Proz | Mar 4 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Vincenzo Di Maso wrote:
The result? We’re losing business because ProZ is no longer the go-to place for high-quality translators and serious clients. Of course AI is being a nightmare
The question is: was it ever the go-to place for serious clients? In my opinion and experience (I've never relied once on Proz to find clients) the serious clients compose pools of translators that they continually refer to for their translation work instead of dropping translation requests on Proz. I'm only a Proz member since the year 2000, but none of my serious clients ever posted anything on Proz.
Most of my clients originally found me through ProZ, without me even having to apply for jobs. In the past, when I did send applications, I had a reasonable chance of being accepted. Now, the competition is overwhelming — too many translators fighting over too few opportunities.
A few years ago, quality clients would reach out to me directly on ProZ. Today, that no longer happens. On the other hand, when I apply for jobs through agency websites or other channels, my applications are mostly ignored. In the past, fellow translators also referred me to agencies, but even those referrals have become rare. The market has changed, and not for the better.
The real issue? There are far more translators than available jobs. Having a degree in Translation and Interpreting for Italian is no longer a reliable path to full-time work. Many Italian graduates end up in import-export companies, call centers, or help desk roles, earning modest salaries both in Italy and abroad.
Over the years, the Italian translation market has been severely weakened, while other languages still hold up better. In response, some translators have tried to transition into teaching. But here’s the problem: many fellow Italians offer private language lessons at ridiculously low rates — just 10-15 USD/EUR per hour. Not nearly enough to make a sustainable living.
The landscape is shifting, and professional translators are the ones paying the price.
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