The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2018 - 14

FEATURE

BY CHRISTELLE MAGINOT

Is There a Future in Freelance
Translation? Let's Talk About It!
While the demand for translation services is at a record high, many
freelancers say their inflation-adjusted earnings seem to be declining.
Why is this and can anything be done to reverse what some have labelled
an irreversible trend?

O

ver the past few years
globalization has brought
unprecedented growth to the
language services industry. Many
have heard and answered the call.
Census data shows that the number
of translators and interpreters in the
U.S. nearly doubled between 2008 and
2015, and, according to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, the employment
outlook for translators and interpreters
is projected to grow by 29% through

14

The ATA Chronicle | May/June 2018

2024.1 In an interview with CNBC last
year, ATA Past President David Rumsey
stated: "As the economy becomes more
globalized and businesses realize the
need for translation and interpreting
to market their products and services,
opportunities for people with advanced
language skills will continue to grow
sharply."2 Judging by the size of the
industry-estimated at $33.5 billion
back in 2012, and expected to reach
$37 billion this year3-it seems the

demand for translation will only
continue to increase.
Many long-time freelance translators,
however, don't seem to be benefitting
from this growth, particularly those who
don't work with a lot of direct clients.
Many report they've had to lower their
rates and work more hours to maintain
their inflation-adjusted earnings. Also,
the same question seems to be popping
up in articles, blogs, and online forums.
Namely, if the demand for translation is
increasing, along with opportunities for
people with advanced language skills,
why are many professional freelance
translators having difficulty finding
work that compensates translation for
what it is-a time-intensive, complex
process that requires advanced, unique,
and hard-acquired skills?
Before attempting to discuss this
issue, a quick disclaimer is necessary:
for legal reasons, antitrust law prohibits
members of associations from discussing
specific rates.4 Therefore, the following
will not mention translation rates per
se. Instead, it will focus on why many
experienced translators, in a booming
translation market inundated by
newcomers, are forced to switch gears
or careers, and what can be done to
reverse what some have labelled an
irreversible trend.

THE (UNQUANTIFIABLE) ISSUE
I'll be honest. Being an in-house
translator with a steady salary subject
to regular increases, I have no firsthand experience with the crisis many
freelance translators are currently facing.
But I have many friends and colleagues
who do. We all do. Friends who tell us
that they've lost long-standing clients
because they couldn't lower their rates
enough to accommodate the clients'
new demands. Friends who have
been translating for ages who are now
wondering whether there's a future in
freelance translation.
Unfortunately, unlike the growth of
the translation industry, the number
of freelance translators concerned
about the loss of their inflationadjusted earnings and the future of the
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2018
