| Páxinas no tema: [1 2 3] > | Poll: Are you planning to leave the translation industry in the next few years? Persoa que publicou o fío: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Are you planning to leave the translation industry in the next few years?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 00:04
Membro (2020)
French to Dutch
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I have at least 19 years to go until my retirement and I hope to continue my business until then. That might be false hope, but I will do anything I can to last as long as possible (without taking desperate measures like accepting unprofitable rates and brain killing AI jobs that have got nothing to do with translation as such, though).
I wouldn't quit immediately if things are getting harder, but I would begin with looking for a part-time job and becoming a part-time translator. If... See more I have at least 19 years to go until my retirement and I hope to continue my business until then. That might be false hope, but I will do anything I can to last as long as possible (without taking desperate measures like accepting unprofitable rates and brain killing AI jobs that have got nothing to do with translation as such, though).
I wouldn't quit immediately if things are getting harder, but I would begin with looking for a part-time job and becoming a part-time translator. If there's no other way I would just quit and look for another job. Without regrets, without complaining and without whining about it on the internet.
For every door that closes, another one opens. ▲ Collapse
| | | | WolfgangS
France
Local time: 00:04
Membro (2007)
English to German
+ ...
Never
[Edited at 2024-12-08 10:15 GMT]
| | | | Baran Keki 
Türkiye
Local time: 02:04
Membro
English to Turkish
| How can you leave? | Dec 8, 2024 |
If you've spent close to two decades at home translating mind numbing, uninspiring stuff day in day out, what other job could you possibly do?
This is like the mafia, once you're in, you can't get out.
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Translation has been a good companion for many years and I’m not planning to leave it, but I have been translating for over 40 years and we all know that life is not eternal…
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Baran Keki wrote:
If you've spent close to two decades at home translating mind numbing, uninspiring stuff day in day out, what other job could you possibly do?
This is like the mafia, once you're in, you can't get out.
I'm seeing translators popping up on LinkedIn celebrating moves into all kinds of new jobs. We are more versatile than you might think.
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I highly recommend others to leave the industry so that I can raise my rates.
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 02:04
Membro
English to Turkish
| I'm intrigued | Dec 8, 2024 |
Rachel Waddington wrote:
I'm seeing translators popping up on LinkedIn celebrating moves into all kinds of new jobs. We are more versatile than you might think.
Can you give some examples? Other than a former engineer or healthcare professional, having tried their hand at technical or medical translation, going back to their previous industries?
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Baran Keki wrote:
Rachel Waddington wrote:
I'm seeing translators popping up on LinkedIn celebrating moves into all kinds of new jobs. We are more versatile than you might think.
Can you give some examples? Other than a former engineer or healthcare professional, having tried their hand at technical or medical translation, going back to their previous industries?
I'm not going to do that because it would involved discussing individuals' choices publically in a way they may not be happy with. Also, a lot of the time I just don't keep track of exactly who I've seen posting about exactly what new role they've moved into.
My impression, though, is that the situation is not as utterly bleak as you paint it.
We're a diverse bunch in any case - it's really impossible to generalise about what options might be open to us.
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 02:04
Membro
English to Turkish
Rachel Waddington wrote:
I'm not going to do that because it would involved discussing individuals' choices publically in a way they may not be happy with. Also, a lot of the time I just don't keep track of exactly who I've seen posting about exactly what new role they've moved into.
My impression, though, is that the situation is not as utterly bleak as you paint it.
We're a diverse bunch in any case - it's really impossible to generalise about what options might be open to us.
I'm very good at translating privacy policies, legal contracts, training materials etc. thanks to having translated similar material on a daily basis for the last 20 years (in other words, I haven't studied law or OSH at an academic level as you seem to advocate here), I just can't think of a business I can go into with these 'skills'.
It seems like the only options available are still within this 'industry' like 'mentoring', 'empowering', 'dishing out common sensical BS as business tips' to fleece the gullible (of which there is no shortage apparently).
Once Andy M. told me that doing Mastermind stuff beat staring at the pixels for hours on end and was economically more rewarding (obviously!)
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Baran Keki wrote:
Rachel Waddington wrote:
I'm not going to do that because it would involved discussing individuals' choices publically in a way they may not be happy with. Also, a lot of the time I just don't keep track of exactly who I've seen posting about exactly what new role they've moved into.
My impression, though, is that the situation is not as utterly bleak as you paint it.
We're a diverse bunch in any case - it's really impossible to generalise about what options might be open to us.
I'm very good at translating privacy policies, legal contracts, training materials etc. thanks to having translated similar material on a daily basis for the last 20 years (in other words, I haven't studied law or OSH at an academic level as you seem to advocate here), I just can't think of a business I can go into with these 'skills'.
It seems like the only options available are still within this 'industry' like 'mentoring', 'empowering', 'dishing out common sensical BS as business tips' to fleece the gullible (of which there is no shortage apparently).
Once Andy M. told me that doing Mastermind stuff beat staring at the pixels for hours on end and was economically more rewarding (obviously!)
... that if you have successfully run a business and kept your clients happy for 20 years you probably have a wider range of skills than you are giving yourself credit for. I've studied alongside engineers, for example, and I was certainly good at some things that they struggled massively with - and that had nothing at all to do with foreign languages - as a direct result of my work as a translator.
Convincing recruiters of that fact is obviously another matter altogether and I don't mean to make light of the challenges that translators face if they find they need to make a radical change. But if you believe you are beaten before you start, you probably are.
| | | | Mario Chávez
United States
Local time: 18:04
Membro (2024)
English to Spanish
+ ...
| The request was fair | Dec 8, 2024 |
I thought the request asking for examples was fair and reasonable. It wasn't asking for names or other personally identifiable information.
Some people might call this necessary adaptability 'versatile,' and I have no qualms about it. After all, leaving one profession or industry for another is nothing new and not exclusive to translators.
But if I had said I've seen translators celebrating moves into all kinds of new jobs, I could simply elaborate like this: "For inst... See more I thought the request asking for examples was fair and reasonable. It wasn't asking for names or other personally identifiable information.
Some people might call this necessary adaptability 'versatile,' and I have no qualms about it. After all, leaving one profession or industry for another is nothing new and not exclusive to translators.
But if I had said I've seen translators celebrating moves into all kinds of new jobs, I could simply elaborate like this: "For instance, I remember reading last month about 3 translators going into marketing & sales, another 2 going back to health care and 1 leaving translation to go back to graduate school to study music. They all seemed happy with their choices." Point made, question answered.
Or I could simply highlight a couple of examples that struck me as unique or special. No need to name names or quote statements from them.
MC
Rachel Waddington wrote:
Baran Keki wrote:
Rachel Waddington wrote:
I'm seeing translators popping up on LinkedIn celebrating moves into all kinds of new jobs. We are more versatile than you might think.
Can you give some examples? Other than a former engineer or healthcare professional, having tried their hand at technical or medical translation, going back to their previous industries?
I'm not going to do that because it would involved discussing individuals' choices publically in a way they may not be happy with. Also, a lot of the time I just don't keep track of exactly who I've seen posting about exactly what new role they've moved into.
My impression, though, is that the situation is not as utterly bleak as you paint it.
We're a diverse bunch in any case - it's really impossible to generalise about what options might be open to us. ▲ Collapse
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Mario Chávez
United States
Local time: 18:04
Membro (2024)
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Not just translators leaving the 'industry' | Dec 8, 2024 |
I knew of the owner of a small translation agency more than twelve years ago, quite active. Now he's doing something else outside of the language services industry. A colleague of mine, also a translation adjunct professor, told me about a year ago that she knew of several translators who decided to go into other occupations. A translator with a Kent State University degree, whom I knew personally, went into real estate a few years ago.
To the slew of 'Nos' in the comments to this p... See more I knew of the owner of a small translation agency more than twelve years ago, quite active. Now he's doing something else outside of the language services industry. A colleague of mine, also a translation adjunct professor, told me about a year ago that she knew of several translators who decided to go into other occupations. A translator with a Kent State University degree, whom I knew personally, went into real estate a few years ago.
To the slew of 'Nos' in the comments to this poll, I happily join them in saying that no, I'm not leaving the translation profession behind, ever. However, that's not all what the poll question is asking.
It is, admittedly, a yes-or-no question, nothing more. It looks like a simple, almost trivial question, but it is not. It's a small social experiment in a way. Our colleague Baran Keki gave a humorous jab with his Mafia comment, which I believe holds true for many professions: lots of practitioners have thrown themselves head first into an activity that fills them with joy, purpose, adventure, and they're fully devoted to it.
But reality is reality: the intrusion of technologies, lower rates, fewer customers or a shrinking customer base for some, the disappearance of small translation agencies because they can no longer compete in this oligopoly of LSPs, the natural attrition among translation agencies (owners retire or die), and the closer-to-home realities: bills have to be paid, translators cannot just work to survive, they don't operate alone or in a vacuum.
In the end, translators who leave the language services industry now or in a few years may have to do it not because they fell out of love with this wonderful occupation and, for some, a life mission. They have to be practical. And life goes on. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I looking for the new opportunities | Dec 8, 2024 |
Day by day lowering rates, more MT and AI cuts are making it too difficult to be in the industry. Since I cann't control other factors like more ridiculus cheap peers (in my language and geography, it's different than other parts of world), pressure of MT, decreasing demand of work etc. I need to look possibilities to leave the industry.
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Mario Chávez wrote:
I thought the request asking for examples was fair and reasonable. It wasn't asking for names or other personally identifiable information.
I personally know two translators who have move into sustainability roles and were very happy in their work the last time I spoke to them. Sustainability is not necessarily a well paid field, so it might not be seen as a viable alternative to people here who are still doing quite well financially in their work as translators but it seems to be working out for those people. These examples stick in my head because it's something I've considered for myself.
I was also having a conversation just yesterday at a translation event about someone who had moved into some kind of financial role that was related to her previous specialism as a translator. I don't know any more details though - I don't really know the person.
I have certainly seen other examples on LinkedIn too - I haven't been keeping a spreadsheet of them though.
I didn't say the question wasn't fair or reasonable, just that I can't necessarily produce any detailed stats.
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