The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2022 - 18

We Need to
Talk about...
Courses that tackle the topic of translator
rates are materializing rapidly, but disclosing
what we personally charge as translators is
extremely important in terms of raising general
rates within the profession.
By Justine Raymond
Note: The following article is not intended to constitute legal,
financial, or other business advice. Each individual or company
should make its own independent business decisions and consult
its own legal, financial, or other advisors as appropriate. The
views expressed here are not necessarily those of ATA or its Board
of Directors.
A
recent conversation
with a well-known
translator about the
general reluctance of people
to talk about how much
they earn got me thinking
about the pervasiveness of
poor remuneration in the
translation profession. While
seemingly controversial
to point out the tendency
for earnings to be on the
paltry side in our profession,
it's not my intention to
court controversy or be
unduly negative. I fully
acknowledge that there are
many translators who earn
decent money, even sixfigure
sums. However, it
begs the question: Why, in
18 The ATA Chronicle | November/December 2022
an industry that is a $64.7
billion industry globally
(with the U.S. accounting
for approximately 40%)1
,
is the average translator's
income in the U.S. a not very
lucrative $44,278 per year2
?
(The Occupational Outlook
Handbook, published by the
U.S. Department of Labor's
Bureau of Labor Statistics,
puts this number a bit higher
at $52,330/year on average.3
)
Of course, many translators
earn far less, particularly
those working in emerging
economies. [Note: Because
most freelance translators
work for agencies, the direct
client market will not be
addressed in this article.]
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The ATA Chronicle - November/December 2022

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