ProZ.com Translation Forums

New translator looking for career advice. | career advice

Michael Newton — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 22:49:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Michael Newton
Post title: career advice

What do you say to a sociology graduate with a job?
"Big Mac, please".

New translator looking for career advice. | I peaked in 2008-2018

Samuel Murray — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 22:06:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: I peaked in 2008-2018

[quote]Daryo wrote:

Translation was something I dreamed about when I was younger. Next week I'll turn 25 and I know that my professional future does not belong to translation anymore.
... Notice the year: 2008! [/quote]
And yet, 2008 was the year in which my translation business really took off. The years 2008-2018 was my best decade so far.

But I recognize the original poster's plight: 2005-2008 was a period in which translation agencies began to squeeze translators who had previously charged spectacular rates. This was the period between when translators had discovered CAT tools and when agencies started discovering CAT tools, or when CAT tools because generally affordable and generally feature-rich. During this phase, agencies began to realize that translators can do much more for much less, but many long-standing translators were still used to charging high rates, and those that adopted CAT tools early had gotten used to riding the wave of existing high rates combined with a newly acquired faster turnaround.

Alas, 2008 was also the year in which my translation rate peaked. From then onwards there was a constant pressure on rates, and my rate has gradually reduced to its current low levels.

There was a brief respite when MT suddenly became very good (Google Translate's statistical engine took a while to gain acceptance, but their neural network engine blew us away in around 2016) while agencies were slow adopters of MT in their workflows. But then agencies made peace with machine translation and the rates tanked yet again.

Then came Covid and then came LLMs and that was when clients REALLY stopped caring about quality, and "barely good enough" became simply good enough.

[quote]Just take a look in the Jobs section (and in few other sites) at what is on offer right now in your langue pair... [/quote]
Fair enough, but: the heyday of job boards was in 2000-2010. Job boards still exist, but the type of clients that post to job boards are those that aren't willing/skilled/equipped to search for translators themselves, and thus such jobs tend to be from clients with unrealistic expectations of what translation costs.

[quote]If you decide to persist, agencies are 'the least bad option / the solution of last resort'. Better to aim from the start for direct clients (i.e. the ones who need your translations for themselves, as opposed to self-serving intermediaries) - takes more efforts (to put luck on your side…) and time but it's definitely worth it. [/quote]
I agree -- agency work has always been low-hanging fruit, and the best kind of translation business is one that focuses on direct clients. It takes a certain kind of personality, social and business skill, and determination to get clients like that, but you should definitely consider going for it.

New translator looking for career advice. | Lottsa stuff

kd42 — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:55:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: kd42
Post title: Lottsa stuff

[quote]Daryo wrote:
Notice the year: 2008!
Anyone claiming that anything has improved since?[/quote]
Laptops, rechargeable batteries, bicycles, smartphones.
The situation in the industry has worsened proportionally.

New translator looking for career advice. | x100 times vs x5 - 10 times?

Daryo — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 01:19:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Daryo
Post title: x100 times vs x5 - 10 times?

[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:

[quote]Ingrid Diniz wrote:
What would you recommend to me? [/quote]
My advice to you is the same as my advice to all new translators, despite the fact that the industry has changed dramatically and it's now 100x more difficult to break into translation.

You have to find clients, and the quickest way to find clients is to work for translation agencies*. So, visit the ProZ.com Blue Board, filter according to which agencies you would want to work for (e.g. agencies with a high rating, agencies in your preferred countries), visit their websites and apply to them or email them to market yourself to them. Also sign up with the top 400 or so translation companies on ProZ.com's company list.

[url removed]
[url removed]

You can expect 1-2% of them to respond, and you can expect work from 1-2% of those that respond. So this is a numbers game: get yourself listed on the books of as many agencies as you can.

[quote]How did you get your first translation job here and how many days were necessary to get it? [/quote]
When I studied translation, I was told by my professors that it takes 6-12 months for a translator to get enough clients to have sufficient income to sustain them. Of course, this was before the interwebs, but it still sounds like a good warning: initially, you will struggle a lot to get any work.

[quote]Was it on the first try or not? [/quote]
I'm not sure what you mean by "first try" (-:

[quote]When you were doing your first translation, how long did it take to get it done?[/quote]
My very first translation took 2 weeks to complete. But with agencies you're likely to get a lot of jobs that you can finish in an hour or two, and they'll likely expect you to deliver it within a day or two.

* The translation agency is your client.

[Edited at 2026-07-28 09:08 GMT] [/quote]

Of course, if you really persist you'll eventually find 'work in linguistic services' even if it's '100 times more difficult than it used to be'. Which part of it would warrant the label 'translation' is another matter.

The real question being: is it worth getting into it as of now?

Also, more importantly: which way the 'state of the market' is likely to evolve in the next few years, never mind a decade of two?

Do you want to find yourself in a profession going downhill fast for the vast majority of still remaining practitioners and trapped in it by the sunk cost fallacy?

It's not that the 'direction of travel' is difficult to see. Some saw it already years ago:

There's no future in translation 2008-08-02

I am a student specialised in translation and this is exactly the type of evolution in the tranlation's sphere that pushes me not to keep on getting specialised in that profession.
***I see that prices are low*** and that the biggest translation agencies now gather to have even more power concerning prices over translators.
What can we do against such things? An easy answer: nothing!
Translation was something I dreamed about when I was younger. Next week I'll turn 25 and I know that my professional future does not belong to translation anymore.

[url removed] #:~:text=There%27s%20no%20future,to%20translation%20anymore.

Notice the year: 2008!

Anyone claiming that anything has improved since?

As or the year 2026, easy to check it for yourself: just take a look in the Jobs section (and in few other sites) at what is on offer right now in your langue pair, and take into account that in few years time even these will be looking as 'damn good offers' [unless there is some miraculous reversal in the trend]. Does it look attractive enough to neglect other better possibilities that are 'only' 5 - 10 times more difficult to get into compared to before?

BTW if you decide to persist, agencies are 'the least bad option / the solution of last resort'. Better to aim from the start for direct clients (i.e. the ones who need your translations for themselves, as opposed to self-serving intermediaries) - takes more efforts (to put luck on your side…) and time but it's definitely worth it.

New translator looking for career advice. | Some do, some don't

Mario Chávez — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:25:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Mario Chávez
Post title: Some do, some don't

It may so well be that frustration and penury are the fruits of the labors of some translators, but not all. Not even close.

My suggestion to Ingrid applies in your case as well.

Mario Chávez

[quote]Michael Newton wrote:

Find another career. If you choose translation, you have nothing but frustration (and penury) in front of you. [/quote]

New translator looking for career advice. | So many questions…

Mario Chávez — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:24:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Mario Chávez
Post title: So many questions…

…and so few answers.

Hola, Ingrid,

Most of your questions will be answered in your first experience in the translation profession: approach more experienced translators where they congregate locally: do they have an association, a club? Go there and introduce yourself, and ask these questions there.

Forge relationships with your local peers, other translation students, translation company owners. Listen to them all.

Your questions will gradually find answers.

Mario Chávez

[quote]Ingrid Diniz wrote:

Hello, I am writing this because I would like to have a piece of advice and also to connect with all of you, if that is possible.

Before anything else, let me introduce myself.

My name is Ingrid and I'm from Brazil. I speak Portuguese, English and I understand a little bit of Spanish too.
I am new to the translation field. I hold a bachelor's degree in Pedagogy and another in Languages. I recently enrolled in a postgraduation course in translation, in order to become a professional translator.

What would you recommend to me? Where should I start? How did you get your first translation job here and how many days were necessary to get it? Was it on the first try or not?
When you were doing your fisrt translation, how long did it take to get it done?

Feel free to share your experience with me or add any information that may be worth sharing to help me.
I would love to see how it has started for each of you.

:) [/quote]

New translator looking for career advice. | @Ingrid

Samuel Murray — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:58:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: @Ingrid

[quote]Ingrid Diniz wrote:
What would you recommend to me? [/quote]
My advice to you is the same as my advice to all new translators, despite the fact that the industry has changed dramatically and it's now 100x more difficult to break into translation.

You have to find clients, and the quickest way to find clients is to work for translation agencies*. So, visit the ProZ.com Blue Board, filter according to which agencies you would want to work for (e.g. agencies with a high rating, agencies in your preferred countries), visit their websites and apply to them or email them to market yourself to them. Also sign up with the top 400 or so translation companies on ProZ.com's company list.

[url removed]
[url removed]

You can expect 1-2% of them to respond, and you can expect work from 1-2% of those that respond. So this is a numbers game: get yourself listed on the books of as many agencies as you can.

[quote]How did you get your first translation job here and how many days were necessary to get it? [/quote]
When I studied translation, I was told by my professors that it takes 6-12 months for a translator to get enough clients to have sufficient income to sustain them. Of course, this was before the interwebs, but it still sounds like a good warning: initially, you will struggle a lot to get any work.

[quote]Was it on the first try or not? [/quote]
I'm not sure what you mean by "first try" (-:

[quote]When you were doing your first translation, how long did it take to get it done?[/quote]
My very first translation took 2 weeks to complete. But with agencies you're likely to get a lot of jobs that you can finish in an hour or two, and they'll likely expect you to deliver it within a day or two.

* The translation agency is your client.

[Edited at 2026-07-28 09:08 GMT]

New translator looking for career advice. | Choose anything

Gianni Pastore — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 07:40:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Gianni Pastore
Post title: Choose anything

that won't be replaced by an IA bot for the foreseeable future. Preferably a manual trade.

New translator looking for career advice. | Pedagogy degree

expressisverbis — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:53:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: expressisverbis
Post title: Pedagogy degree

[quote]Ingrid Diniz wrote:

I am new to the translation field. I hold a bachelor's degree in Pedagogy and another in Languages. I recently enrolled in a postgraduation course in translation, in order to become a professional translator.

[/quote]

I don't want to discourage you, but I also don't want to give you unrealistic expectations.
The translation industry has changed dramatically in recent years. Many experienced translators with 15, 20 or even 30 years of experience are facing reduced workloads, lower rates and increasing competition from AI mainly. Building a freelance translation career today is considerably more challenging than it was a decade ago.
Since you already have a degree in Pedagogy, I would encourage you not to overlook this qualification. It may offer you greater stability and opportunities, and your translation training can still be valuable in the classroom. Translation is an excellent teaching tool and can help students develop vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, writing skills, cultural awareness and critical thinking.
I would also add one point about training. A postgraduate course in translation is undoubtedly worthwhile, but it is a specialisation, not a substitute for years of professional practice.
Likewise, having a degree in translation does not automatically make someone a good translator.
Translation is much more than knowing languages or mastering CAT tools. It requires excellent writing skills in your native language, strong research skills, sound judgement, subject-matter knowledge, cultural awareness, curiosity, consistency, and the ability to solve problems and make informed decisions. Those are skills that develop gradually through experience.
I wish you every success.

New translator looking for career advice. | Well...

Gregor Trebec — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 06:32:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Gregor Trebec
Post title: Well...

I am not an expert but i came to think many here want to translate via the web, the internet. But the web cannot bring you steady income. Never did. At least where i come from. The buiseness still goes in the real world therefore look for clients 'outside' the computer.

New translator looking for career advice. | Treat languages as a passion, not a profession.

Li-Hsiang Hsu — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 06:23:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Li-Hsiang Hsu
Post title: Treat languages as a passion, not a profession.

That's it.

New translator looking for career advice. | Do you really want to board a sinking ship

Daryo — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:08:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Daryo
Post title: Do you really want to board a sinking ship

where half of the crew is busy unplugging the holes in the hull?

If you chose translating because you really like it, do it as a hobby - translate what you like when you like and if you make any money out of it consider it as a bonus.

But for the 'day job' better look for something else. There still are professions where real people are badly needed and where being bilingual is, if not a requirement, certainly a huge advantage. I don't know what's exactly the situation in Brazil, but if you start looking with an open mind you'll find them.

As Michele Fauble said, decades ago translating was a great job - especially when you're lucky to be in high demand in your 'local market'. Hardly likely to happen NOW with your language pair - unless you are extremely lucky to find some very specialised niche market. The operative word being 'extremely lucky' ...

Only being realistic.

New translator looking for career advice. | My advise?

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:24:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: My advise?

I advise you to run from it while you can...

New translator looking for career advice. | Irrelevant

Michele Fauble — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 16:05:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Michele Fauble
Post title: Irrelevant

[quote]Ingrid Diniz wrote:

What would you recommend to me? Where should I start? How did you get your first translation job here and how many days were necessary to get it? Was it on the first try or not?
When you were doing your fisrt translation, how long did it take to get it done?
:) [/quote]

All of this is irrelevant in light of what the field of translation has become. The best advice I can give to aspiring translators is don’t do it. Translation was great when I started, that is no longer the case. Sorry. Thank AI.

New translator looking for career advice. | Career advice

Michael Newton — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:56:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Michael Newton
Post title: Career advice

Find another career. If you choose translation, you have nothing but frustration (and penury) in front of you.

New translator looking for career advice.

Ingrid Diniz — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:26:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: New translator looking for career advice.
Poster: Ingrid Diniz

Hello, I am writing this because I would like to have a piece of advice and also to connect with all of you, if that is possible.

Before anything else, let me introduce myself.

My name is Ingrid and I'm from Brazil. I speak Portuguese, English and I understand a little bit of Spanish too.
I am new to the translation field. I hold a bachelor's degree in Pedagogy and another in Languages. I recently enrolled in a postgraduation course in translation, in order to become a professional translator.

What would you recommend to me? Where should I start? How did you get your first translation job here and how many days were necessary to get it? Was it on the first try or not?
When you were doing your fisrt translation, how long did it take to get it done?

Feel free to share your experience with me or add any information that may be worth sharing to help me.
I would love to see how it has started for each of you.

:)

translating simple sentances | My understanding was

Zea_Mays — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:24:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: Zea_Mays
Post title: My understanding was

that he is translating _into_ English, hopefully I was wrong.

translating simple sentances | In that case...

philgoddard — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:54:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: philgoddard
Post title: In that case...

...you should post a question in English to Slovenian.

I'm surprised this doesn't exist in Slovenian -- it means it wasn't OK, but it is now.

translating simple sentances | Well...

Gregor Trebec — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:25:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: Gregor Trebec
Post title: Well...

[quote]philgoddard wrote:

Are you asking whether to word them differently in the target language?
[/quote]

"It is OK now" doesn't exist in Slovenian therefore i am asking what to do in this situation

translating simple sentances | Your question is difficult to understand...

philgoddard — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:14:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: philgoddard
Post title: Your question is difficult to understand...

...and I think some people may have misinterpreted it. It's not about English grammar.

Are these software strings in English, with different word orders but the same meaning?

Are you asking whether to word them differently in the target language?

[Edited at 2026-06-23 15:39 GMT]

translating simple sentances | @Zea

Samuel Murray — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 16:01:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: @Zea

[quote]Zea_Mays wrote:
[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:
Well, both options are grammatically correct in English, so I suggest you put the "now" in the position that occurs most frequently in the language.[/quote]
I'd also say it depends where you want to place the emphasis. [/quote]
Well, if I understand Gregor's question correctly, the sentence is given without any context about what the sentence means or where the emphasis might be, so the question is how to translate the sentence under those circumstances.

translating simple sentances | Rude

Gerard Barry — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:34:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: Gerard Barry
Post title: Rude

[quote]Cilian O'Tuama wrote:

It matters.

But you wrote before that you're a robot, so maybe not so much. [/quote]

Your post is unnecessarily rude.

translating simple sentances | There's much reading on the subject

kd42 — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:04:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: kd42
Post title: There's much reading on the subject

[quote]Zea_Mays wrote:[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:
Well, both options are grammatically correct in English, so I suggest you put the "now" in the position that occurs most frequently in the language.[/quote]I'd also say it depends where you want to place the emphasis. [/quote]
Yes, I'd recommend Karletto123 to read about theme and rheme.

[quote]
AI Overview

In linguistics, a Theme is the starting point of a message (what you are talking about), while a Rheme is the new information added about the Theme (what you are saying about it). Together, they form the information structure of a clause or sentence. [1, 2, 3]
Key Concepts
• Theme: Occupies the initial position in a clause or sentence. It often overlaps with "given" or known information.
• Rheme: Follows the theme. It carries the core development of the message and typically introduces "new" information. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
________________________________________
Structural Breakdown
1. Unmarked vs. Marked Themes (Declarative Clauses)
• Unmarked Theme: The expected starting point, where the Theme naturally aligns with the grammatical subject.
o Example: [The dog] (Theme) | [barked loudly in the yard.] (Rheme) [1, 2]
• Marked Theme: When an element other than the subject (like an adverb, prepositional phrase, or object) is placed at the very beginning for emphasis or stylistic effect.
o Example: [Suddenly] (Theme) | [the dog barked loudly.] (Rheme) [1, 2]
2. Types of Themes
Under systemic functional linguistics (SFL), themes can be broken down into three main categories: [1]
• Topical (Ideational): The main subject or participant (e.g., The cat sat).
• Textual: Conjunctions or connecting words (e.g., However, ...).
• Interpersonal: Words expressing attitude or viewpoint (e.g., Frankly, ...). [1, 2, 3]
________________________________________
Why It Matters
Understanding this dynamic helps analyze how texts build cohesion and flow. The way a writer links the Rheme of one sentence to the Theme of the next is known as Thematic Progression, which establishes the overall readability and texture of a passage. You can read more about its application in academic writing via this Thematic Progression in English Writing Study. [1, 2, 3, 4]

If you would like to explore this further, let me know if you want to:
•
• See examples of Thematic Progression patterns (e.g., linear, constant)
• Analyze a specific sentence or paragraph together
• Dive deeper into marked themes in interrogative or imperative clauses
Let me know how you'd like to proceed.[/quote]

translating simple sentances | emphasis

Zea_Mays — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 11:56:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: Zea_Mays
Post title: emphasis

[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:

Well, both options are grammatically correct in English, so I suggest you put the "now" in the position that occurs most frequently in the language.[/quote]

I'd also say it depends where you want to place the emphasis.

translating simple sentances | Go back to school, now.

Cilian O'Tuama — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:43:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: Cilian O'Tuama
Post title: Go back to school, now.

It matters.

But you wrote before that you're a robot, so maybe not so much.

translating simple sentances | Contraction more idiomatic

Taran Johnston — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 19:09:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: Taran Johnston
Post title: Contraction more idiomatic

Either is correct, but the subject and verb should be contracted to “it’s” so that the whole sentence is in the same register.

translating simple sentances | @Gregor

Samuel Murray — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 16:04:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: @Gregor

[quote]Karletto123 wrote:
How do you translate simple sentances for example:
- "It is ok now." or
- "Now it is OK."
Where do I put NOW in targeted text? Does it even matter? [/quote]
Well, both options are grammatically correct in English, so I suggest you put the "now" in the position that occurs most frequently in the language.

[Edited at 2026-06-19 16:05 GMT]

translating simple sentances

Gregor Trebec — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:56:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: translating simple sentances
Poster: Gregor Trebec

Hi,

I am getting confused here and I would like to ask you who are more experienced and specialized in translation. These sentances that i am getting in a project are not using standardized terms or anything like that.
How do you translate simple sentances for example:
- "It is ok now." or
- "Now it is OK."

Where do i put NOW in targeted text? Does it even matter?

Quoting deadlines | Long quoting deadlines are common — don't overthink it

Rodolfo Abachi — Tue, 12 May 2026 13:23:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: Quoting deadlines
Poster: Rodolfo Abachi
Post title: Long quoting deadlines are common — don't overthink it

I wouldn't necessarily worry about a two-month quoting deadline being a red flag. As others have mentioned, clients often don't fully understand how the job posting system on ProZ works, and they may have set the deadline generously without realizing it.

That said, if you're genuinely concerned about whether the project is real, there are a few things you can do: check the client's Blue Board rating to see if they have a positive track record of paying translators, look at how many jobs they've posted in the past, and send a quick inquiry to the poster asking about the project timeline. A real client will respond.

Long quoting deadlines are more of a curiosity than a warning sign, in my experience.

Quoting deadlines | Well...

Gregor Trebec — Tue, 12 May 2026 05:53:00 +0000

Forum: Getting established
Topic: Quoting deadlines
Poster: Gregor Trebec
Post title: Well...

[quote]Zea_Mays wrote:

There can be various reasons for this, or a combination of them:
- long-term projects
- high turnover due to poor pay
- filling/updating their freelancer database
- getting an idea of the current average rates charged by translators
- ... [/quote]

I wonder, if the project in the job ad is even real or are they waisting my time?