Poll: Have you seen any trends during the pandemic which may be detrimental to translation/interpreting?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Nov 24, 2020

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you seen any trends during the pandemic which may be detrimental to translation/interpreting?".

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Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Yes Nov 24, 2020

Most of my friends are no longer stuck working 9 to 5 so they can come out to play during the week and send me a steady stream of rude memes which somewhat hampers my productivity.

Zibow Retailleau
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Elaine Ruby
expressisverbis
Becca Resnik
Ana Vozone
Ventnai
 
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 21:00
Spanish to English
+ ...
Sounds ... Nov 24, 2020

... familiar.

Zibow Retailleau
expressisverbis
Christopher Schröder
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 20:00
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Not sure Nov 24, 2020

One of my main customers is a well-known manufacturer of electrical personal care appliances. For over 20 years I’ve been translating all brochures and user handbooks with several projects every month but this November. With the pandemic they are taking a nosedive on sales, so no translation needed. I suppose the same is happening with other nonessential products, but I hope things will get back to normal, once the pandemic is over…

expressisverbis
Sabine Braun
svetlana cosquéric
Francesco Venale
Becca Resnik
Zuli Fernandez
Angie Garbarino
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 21:00
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
A new excuse to press rates... Nov 24, 2020

Two agencies I have worked for and others I have heard of are asking freelancers to take a 10% cut in their rates.

I said no to the agency that directly asked me. I went along with giving them an extra month's credit, because I like them otherwise, and I know they made some big investments last year, before they knew anything about the pandemic. So I understood that they might have cash-flow problems. However, my expenses are the same, and my rate for them is quite competitive enoug
... See more
Two agencies I have worked for and others I have heard of are asking freelancers to take a 10% cut in their rates.

I said no to the agency that directly asked me. I went along with giving them an extra month's credit, because I like them otherwise, and I know they made some big investments last year, before they knew anything about the pandemic. So I understood that they might have cash-flow problems. However, my expenses are the same, and my rate for them is quite competitive enough already!

They have not sent me much work this year, which has suited me for other reasons, but I hope we are still friends when the market picks up again.
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Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Judith Anne Smith
Teresa Goncalves
Naoko Orito
Ventnai
Fiona Grace Peterson
Elena Simonelli
 
Jorge Nunes
Jorge Nunes  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 20:00
Member (2006)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Lower rates and clients translating in-house Nov 24, 2020

Apart from rate reduction requests from a couple of agencies, I've seen an increase in requests to revise translation work done in-house by end clients. I fear this might be a future trend with some end clients doing the bigger slice of the work themselves and then offering us peanuts to simply revise and correct their poor translations.

Zuli Fernandez
Teresa Goncalves
Becca Resnik
Naoko Orito
Ventnai
Jane F
Mario Freitas
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 13:00
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Yes Nov 25, 2020

Some business closures may affect the demand for translation.

Alessandro Gaudenzi
Laura Bissio CT
 
MARIA LEIDAL KOVACS
MARIA LEIDAL KOVACS  Identity Verified
Hungary
Local time: 21:00
Member (2006)
German to Hungarian
+ ...
Automotive Nov 25, 2020

Amount of automotive translations has decreased.

Ventnai
Laura Bissio CT
expressisverbis
 
Alessandro Gaudenzi
Alessandro Gaudenzi  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 21:00
English to Italian
+ ...
slavery rates Nov 25, 2020

I have been offered from am agency 0.05 us dollars per source word....for a project.
I'm not saying anything else, cos I have no more words.
The respect for this job, dignity amnd professionality is just gone.


Aisha Maniar
Alexandra Quesada
Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:00
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
Yes Nov 25, 2020

A steep decrease in potential jobs (and rates by the way). It appears that most "translations" also went into "lockdown".

[Edited at 2020-11-25 10:05 GMT]

[Edited at 2020-11-25 10:49 GMT]


Blandina Broesicke
Christel Zipfel
Muriel Vasconcellos
Mario Freitas
 
Elena Simonelli
Elena Simonelli  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 21:00
Member (2006)
English to Italian
+ ...
Interpreting Nov 25, 2020

With RSI is not just the rates, but also work conditions: clients suggest that you could work on your own and act as a sound technician at the same time.
Probably, many interpreters are free and prone to accept low rates/poor work conditions rather that doing nothing, but we should reject those offers if we don't want to create a precedent for the future


Christine Andersen
Alexandra Quesada
Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 21:00
French to English
. Nov 25, 2020

My main specialist subjects are all in industries that are at a standstill. I was translating documentation for an exhibition at a prestigious Paris museum just before the March lockdown. The museum had only just opened the exhibition a couple of weeks before the second lockdown. If ever they organise another exhibition, they probably won't bother translating the documentation because there are no foreign tourists...

Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Paul Lambert
Paul Lambert  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 21:00
Member (2006)
Swedish to English
+ ...
A killer summer Nov 25, 2020

I thank God business has picked up now in November given a dreadfully slow summer. I literally had no billings in August, about 1000 euros in September and the same in October. Anticipating this, I paid all my rent and personal fixed expenses for the rest of the year, but had things not picked up in November, I really would not know how to pay my rent in January.

Still, I won't breathe too easily (no pun intended) given that this pandemic is still with us and a new lockdown has been
... See more
I thank God business has picked up now in November given a dreadfully slow summer. I literally had no billings in August, about 1000 euros in September and the same in October. Anticipating this, I paid all my rent and personal fixed expenses for the rest of the year, but had things not picked up in November, I really would not know how to pay my rent in January.

Still, I won't breathe too easily (no pun intended) given that this pandemic is still with us and a new lockdown has been imposed. Who knows when business could drop off again?
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Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 17:00
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yes, unfortunately Nov 26, 2020

Aside from all the negative aspects of any crisis, specifically in our market, the "Peanuts" trend has been strengthened, unfortunately. It was already a trend before the crisis, but since July, the svage capitalists of many industries are trying to profit from the bad situation, raising their prices and lowering what they pay for services. It is very clear in supermarkets, for example, but it's also very clear among our clients, trying harder and harder to lower our rates, now with the addition... See more
Aside from all the negative aspects of any crisis, specifically in our market, the "Peanuts" trend has been strengthened, unfortunately. It was already a trend before the crisis, but since July, the svage capitalists of many industries are trying to profit from the bad situation, raising their prices and lowering what they pay for services. It is very clear in supermarkets, for example, but it's also very clear among our clients, trying harder and harder to lower our rates, now with the additional excuse of the COVID.Collapse


 


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Poll: Have you seen any trends during the pandemic which may be detrimental to translation/interpreting?






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