| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | No work - why? Thread poster: Paul Dixon
|
|---|
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:13
Member (2008)
Italia menyang Inggris
| An Italian lesson for Paul | Apr 17, 2020 |
Fidarsi è bene.
Non fidarsi è meglio.
Basically, that's all you ever need to know about Italy.
[Edited at 2020-04-17 15:35 GMT]
| | | |
Google Translate got the Welsh spot on.
But the very fact that a native is easily able to correct the German and the Italian would suggest that its output isn’t really that bad at all...
| | | | Paul Dixon 
Brazil
Local time: 22:13
Portugis menyang Inggris
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER Ing pamenget | Not Googlised | Apr 17, 2020 |
Dear Angie, My Italian phrase was not from Google. I studied Italian for two years and remember some stuff but had forgotten 'ottenuto' instead of 'ottenito'. Grazie anche para te!
Chris: I know a bit of (and am interested in) Welsh because my Mum was from Llansomething near Pontypridd in Cwm Rhondda. I can even say LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH reasonably well. Cymru am byth!
As mentioned, I plan to study Italian and Esperanto during the lockdown. Here i... See more Dear Angie, My Italian phrase was not from Google. I studied Italian for two years and remember some stuff but had forgotten 'ottenuto' instead of 'ottenito'. Grazie anche para te!
Chris: I know a bit of (and am interested in) Welsh because my Mum was from Llansomething near Pontypridd in Cwm Rhondda. I can even say LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH reasonably well. Cymru am byth!
As mentioned, I plan to study Italian and Esperanto during the lockdown. Here in Jundiaí SP there is a strong Italian element in the population, and many streets have Italian names, like Antonio Buzanelli Street and Osmundo Pellegrini Street. Qui in Jundiaí ci sono molte pizzerie e cantine italiane. Il più famoso è Brunholi. Mi piacciono gli gnocchi ai quattro formaggi! Mangia che ti fa bene! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Daniel Burke
Australia
Local time: 09:13
Jepang menyang Inggris
| Japanese to English translation also | May 16, 2020 |
I noticed a big drop in April. I have a few bits and pieces coming in thankfully, but really noticeable. This is partially normal for this time of year, but it seems worse.
But as said elsewhere, the number of possible factors is large and can vary depending on your language or industry. I am focused on academic translation, and one thing which happened in Japan recently was that a lot of professors moved to giving online lectures from home. You can imagine they have been quite stre... See more I noticed a big drop in April. I have a few bits and pieces coming in thankfully, but really noticeable. This is partially normal for this time of year, but it seems worse.
But as said elsewhere, the number of possible factors is large and can vary depending on your language or industry. I am focused on academic translation, and one thing which happened in Japan recently was that a lot of professors moved to giving online lectures from home. You can imagine they have been quite stressed dealing with all this new technology and trying to adjust their courses. Not a lot of time for writing papers or books. I can also imagine the cancellation of the academic conference circuit will have an ongoing impact.
Hopefully things will settle down a bit and partially recover soon, although I imagine there will be long term impacts. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Rita Pang
Canada
Local time: 21:13
Member (2011)
Tionghoa menyang Inggris
+ ...
Moderator of this forum | New opportunities | May 16, 2020 |
Daniel Burke wrote:
...I am focused on academic translation, and one thing which happened in Japan recently was that a lot of professors moved to giving online lectures from home. You can imagine they have been quite stressed dealing with all this new technology and trying to adjust their courses. Not a lot of time for writing papers or books. I can also imagine the cancellation of the academic conference circuit will have an ongoing impact.
Things have definitely been slow, I agree. I don't engage in full-time translation anymore as I do training and QA on the side. Daniel, as you are working with a language pair which deals with a very traditional industry, as you said many of your potential clients are struggling to deal with new technologies. I see different opportunities as well. There's been increasing demand for transcription and captioning, for PMs who can deal with different technologies from start to finish, for example. With Japan, while I don't work with the language, my (limited) experience of dealing with this crowd is that it takes a lot of time for them to change old habits. Same in many parts of Asia, actually. The pandemic has actually pushed more than 50% of companies here in Hong Kong to *finally* implementing remote work or flexible days/work hours, which is something that is completely new. This is a city where people are expected to show up at work after a level 10 typhoon, so in some ways the pandemic did bring about positive changes to work habits here. I am sure there are opportunities to be found, but of course, it takes time, and it looks like for the moment we'll all have to just grit our teeth and stick it out.
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:13
Member (2014)
Jepang menyang Inggris
| Sector matters | May 16, 2020 |
Daniel Burke wrote:
I noticed a big drop in April. I have a few bits and pieces coming in thankfully, but really noticeable. This is partially normal for this time of year, but it seems worse.
I think it depends, as you indicate, on the area of specialisation. Financial translation from Japanese to English is currently crazy busy, which is as one would expect for May. The content is slightly different to a normal year, but the volume is comparable. Nevertheless, there's a lot of talk in these financial reports about cutting costs, and translation is a cost. Once the bonanza of reporting season ends, I expect hard times.
Dan
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: Fake profile | Lauren Higgins
United States
Local time: 20:13
Tionghoa menyang Inggris
| Case in point | May 18, 2020 |
Nathan Russell wrote:
To add to the excellent points made in this thread, my thinking is that there may have been a lot of proposed translations that will have been put on hold due to the crisis, or put off for budgetary reasons.
Can't speak for everyone but this did happen to me. Got everything set up with the agency and then they told me they would be able to start sending me work once this crisis lets up a bit. This job in particular had to do with employment contracts and bank statements. It does seem like the amount of work available at the moment varies widely from industry to industry.
| | |
|
|
|
Rose Webb
France
Italia menyang Inggris
+ ...
| Native English translator- no work in 2021? | Aug 26, 2021 |
Just resurrecting this post...
I'm a French / Italian > English translator and have found that work has really dried up for the past few months. Have any other UK-based translators found this too? It's strange because I'm actually getting less work than in the midst of all the 2020 lockdowns... The cynical part of me wonders whether this is due to Brexit... Does anyone have any thoughts about why this might be?
Thanks,
Rose
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:13
Member (2008)
Italia menyang Inggris
| Three possible reasons | Aug 26, 2021 |
Rose Webb wrote:
Just resurrecting this post...
I'm a French / Italian > English translator and have found that work has really dried up for the past few months. Have any other UK-based translators found this too? It's strange because I'm actually getting less work than in the midst of all the 2020 lockdowns... The cynical part of me wonders whether this is due to Brexit... Does anyone have any thoughts about why this might be?
Thanks,
Rose
1. Your EU clients have discovered that their banks are charging ridiculous fees, using Brexit as an alibi. I was told this by one of my Italian clients, and have switched to using Wise, which costs them nothing, instead of direct bank transfers. However since you seem to be based in France, this may not apply.
2. In Italy, in August, nobody, or almost nobody, does any work, especially in the 2 weeks after Ferragosto (14 August). So it's not surprising that there's no work (although I'm lucky because I have one client in Rome that is still sending me work even in August).
3. Your clients have found other translators who are cheaper than you. I have lost a lot of clients that way but I stubbornly refuse to lower my rate.
[Edited at 2021-08-26 16:44 GMT]
| | | | Ludovicap
Germany
Local time: 03:13
Jerman menyang Italia
+ ...
| different experience | Aug 29, 2021 |
I may be the complete opposite, or maybe I am just "starting out" in these months with having this activity "part-time" (as I define it, since I do have another job part-time), but for me, it's been the complete opposite.
I am seeing now my earnings rise, I receive lots of projects on a daily basis from different agencies, as they consider me as their "preferred translator", I don't even know if that's the right word for it, but they saw I am very good in some fields, so they rather... See more I may be the complete opposite, or maybe I am just "starting out" in these months with having this activity "part-time" (as I define it, since I do have another job part-time), but for me, it's been the complete opposite.
I am seeing now my earnings rise, I receive lots of projects on a daily basis from different agencies, as they consider me as their "preferred translator", I don't even know if that's the right word for it, but they saw I am very good in some fields, so they rather keep me for those specific clients all the time (and I am really happy about it).
I had the necessity to interrupt my freelancer career last year and to take some time off, since the coronavirus has been challenging for everybody, but from last March I really invested lot of time, stress and hard work on making me notice to some translation agencies.
As always (and we all translators know about it), it is pretty stressful to receive freelance contracts, NDAs to sign and, most importantly, HOPE that it could bring somewhere after signing those contracts, but it didn't bring to anything for most of the contracts I signed.
I felt so stressed that I couldn't even understand what the matter was, if it was all on me, or if it was on the translation agencies, not wanting to "hire" new ones.
Then something lucky happened several months ago, starting working for several ones on a daily basis.
At the end of this story, what I just want to say is that sometimes is a matter of luck.
It is maybe not because of "you" as "you as a person", but some agencies do really have lots of translators to handle, that's why they do not even accept or contact back new ones.
I know it takes a while, but I am more than sure that sending CVs, inserting names on multiple platforms is a good way to start.
Have a great weekend to you all! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Rose Webb
France
Italia menyang Inggris
+ ...
Thanks for your reply! I'm actually based in the UK now which could explain clients' hesitancy to work with me, however I use a Revolut account for receiving payments in euros which I don't believe charges for bank transfers (in sterling or otherwise).
I also agree about your third point, I've found that many agencies are trying to lower their prices using the pandemic as an excuse, which I just won't buy, unfortunately! I guess if push came to shove I could start accepting lower rates but... See more Thanks for your reply! I'm actually based in the UK now which could explain clients' hesitancy to work with me, however I use a Revolut account for receiving payments in euros which I don't believe charges for bank transfers (in sterling or otherwise).
I also agree about your third point, I've found that many agencies are trying to lower their prices using the pandemic as an excuse, which I just won't buy, unfortunately! I guess if push came to shove I could start accepting lower rates but I'd really rather not do that as it just ends up devaluing the work of translators.
Tom in London wrote:
Rose Webb wrote:
Just resurrecting this post...
I'm a French / Italian > English translator and have found that work has really dried up for the past few months. Have any other UK-based translators found this too? It's strange because I'm actually getting less work than in the midst of all the 2020 lockdowns... The cynical part of me wonders whether this is due to Brexit... Does anyone have any thoughts about why this might be?
Thanks,
Rose
1. Your EU clients have discovered that their banks are charging ridiculous fees, using Brexit as an alibi. I was told this by one of my Italian clients, and have switched to using Wise, which costs them nothing, instead of direct bank transfers. However since you seem to be based in France, this may not apply.
2. In Italy, in August, nobody, or almost nobody, does any work, especially in the 2 weeks after Ferragosto (14 August). So it's not surprising that there's no work (although I'm lucky because I have one client in Rome that is still sending me work even in August).
3. Your clients have found other translators who are cheaper than you. I have lost a lot of clients that way but I stubbornly refuse to lower my rate. [Edited at 2021-08-26 16:44 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Ludovicap
Germany
Local time: 03:13
Jerman menyang Italia
+ ...
I tried to apply for several agencies all around Europe, and there are only few ones with "normal/standard" low rates.
All others are with a lower rate/word, but the workflow is steady.
In such cases, I made a compromise with myself: I agreed with the lower payment rate, knowing that the workflow and the projects would have been constant/daily.
I know, this might be not the best option, but it is a constant cooperation with agencies, so I understand the price they... See more I tried to apply for several agencies all around Europe, and there are only few ones with "normal/standard" low rates.
All others are with a lower rate/word, but the workflow is steady.
In such cases, I made a compromise with myself: I agreed with the lower payment rate, knowing that the workflow and the projects would have been constant/daily.
I know, this might be not the best option, but it is a constant cooperation with agencies, so I understand the price they decided (they take care of QA, project management and everything).
Until now, I have never had private clients, for whom I would have for sure decided higher rates.
I know only one agency, till now, which has very high rates (as per my standards), but there's never been a project ongoing with them.
That's why I rather lower my rate a little bit and having the "security" of receiving projects daily instead of only one "una tantum" from an agency who pays better (even because I never received one from this, but I hope this could also become a good cooperation in the future).
At least, this is the compromise I wanted to make with myself for now. I have started translating a lot in the last few months, I don't know where this will bring.
Have a great day! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sanjin Grandić
Croatia
Local time: 03:13
Prancis menyang Kroasia
+ ...
The other day the dreaded "dry season" or no work for an extended period of time was the topic between a group of translators on Linkedin.
Conclusion; it happens or happened to almost all of us and the best solution is to have some savings ay a cushion for such hard times.
Some said that it is a good time to rethink your marketing strategy or write a better CV and try to diversify your services or try to reach new cliebts.
Some say that it is a welcome time-off from mountains ... See more The other day the dreaded "dry season" or no work for an extended period of time was the topic between a group of translators on Linkedin.
Conclusion; it happens or happened to almost all of us and the best solution is to have some savings ay a cushion for such hard times.
Some said that it is a good time to rethink your marketing strategy or write a better CV and try to diversify your services or try to reach new cliebts.
Some say that it is a welcome time-off from mountains of work they have and so forth.
Do not worry, the dry season will end.
Good luck
Sanjin ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » No work - why? | Protemos translation business management system |
|---|
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.
More info » |
| | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 |
|---|
Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
