FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Years of ExperienceForeign-language translators are the fastest-growing group in ATIO which is clear from the years of experience reported in the survey. Twenty-eight of respondents had 5 to 10 years of experience, 37% had 11 to 21 years of experience and 30% had more than 21. It is interesting to note that the largest percentage of foreign-language translators is in the early years of their career.
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The average age of foreign-language translators parallels that of official-language translators. Thirty-six of foreign-language translators are between the ages of 41 and 50 and 20% are between 51, and 60. Happily, 26% are 40 or younger, thus indicating that succession is less of a problem for foreign languages and confirming that this is the growth area in the Association.
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Of the 81 independent translators working in foreign languages, there is a fairly even split
between those who work full time (49%) and those who work part time (47%). This is quite different from official languages, and it is a difference that is repeated in the responses to the question regarding daily output.
While 67% of official-language respondents produce between 1000 and 2100 words per day, only 42% of
foreign-language translators had the same output. Interestingly, fully 26% of foreign-language translators did
not know what their daily output was. Unfortunately, we do not know if this is because they have simply never
tracked their production, or because they do not work on a daily basis.
When asked to identify their clients by broad groups, 37% of foreign-language translators indicated that they have
clients in all four of the given categories, 22% have clients in three categories and 28% have clients in two.
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The majority of foreign-language translators (60%) charge between 15 and 20 cents a word. Only 13.5% charged more than that; however, 17% charged less than 15 cents a word. This is a great difference from official languages, where only 7% charged between 13 and 14 cents; no one reported that their average rate was below 13 cents. Are the lower average rates for foreign languages due to stiff competition from overseas, or can they be explained by the fact that 86% of foreign-language translators include individuals in their client base? Do the lower rates also explain why nearly half of foreign-language translators only work part-time? Do these translators require another source of income? Or, the largest group has between 5 and 10 years of experience, are they still trying to build their client base to the point at which it can support them? How possible is repeat business when your customers are individuals? This is clearly a whole different world from official-language translators, where the largest client categories are the government and companies.
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Although the average rate for foreign-language translators is lower than for official languages,
at 15 to 20 cents per word, it appears to be comparable with previous surveys. In 2000, the average was 17.4 cents
a word and in 1996, it was 18.3 cents.
The lowest rates charged by foreign-language translators were identical to those charged in official languages:
from free to 27 cents per word. And again, the majority (57%) indicated their lowest rate was 10 to 15 cents.
The highest rates most commonly charged appear to be quite similar as well. Forty percent of foreign-language translators
say the most they have ever charged is 20 to 25 cents, compared to 43% of official-language translators who say
that it is their highest. However, only 25% of foreign-language translators say their highest rate is 26 to 35
cents, compared to almost 40% for official languages.
Like their official-language counterparts, the majority (67%) of foreign-language translators charge more for rush
jobs. However, with only a few exceptions, foreign-language translators charged an additional percentage as a
premium. This percentage varied widely, from 5% to 62.5%, although the most common premiums (25% of those who
charged more for a rush job) were in the 10% to 20% range.
Interestingly, while only 19% of official-language translators had a flat rate for documents such as certificates
and diplomas, 59% of foreign-language translators had such a rate. Along the same lines, 57% of official-language
translators had a minimum for small jobs, with equal percentages indicating $20, $25, $30, and so on up to $75.
However 79% of foreign-language translators had a minimum, again split fairly evenly amongst $15, $20, $25
and $35.
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There are also differences between foreign and official-language translators when it comes
time to calculate the invoice. Fully 20% of foreign-language translators charge by the hour, although their
responses indicate that they may also charge by the word on occasion. Of those who charge by the word, 65% charge
based on the source language, and 35% charge based on the target language.
With regard to how the count is conducted, 83% of foreign-language translators use an electronic word count.
However 16% count manually and 10% use a percentage, for example adding 10% to the count in the target language.
When asked about revision, 62% of foreign-language translators said that they had a revision rate. However, while
official-language revisors clearly preferred to charge by the word, foreign-language revisors were equally likely
to charge by the word or by the hour. Interestingly though, rates were all over the board, regardless of how they
were calculated.
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When foreign-language translators were asked to sum up their professional situation, there was proof once again that this is the growth area in the Association. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said that their situation had improved, and 27% said it had remained the same. Rates may be lower, but business is apparently on the upswing!
Tools and ResourcesIt is difficult to tell how much use foreign-language translators make of translation memory
software, as 40% of respondents did not answer the question. Of those who did reply, as many people said they use
the software as said they did not! However, of those who do use the programs, 54% use Trados and 33% use SDL/SDLX.
Foreign-language translators favour on-line dictionaries and reference books. Their use was reported by 75% and
88% of respondents respectively. Interestingly, only 41% stated that they turned to on-line translation forums for
help. ATIO hopes to foster their use through its own Terminology Exchange Network. We hope you will check it
often to see if you can provide a translation-or perhaps find help with a problem term of your own.
This concludes our analysis of the results of the ATIO 2005 survey of independent translators. We hope the
information provided allows you to fine-tune your own marketing strategy and make 2006 your most profitable year
ever.