OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
Years of ExperienceIndependent translators working in official languages are an experienced group! The largest group of respondents (26%) had between 17 and 21 years of experience, followed closely by those with 5 to 10 years (20%) and those with 22 to 26 years (16%). As proof that our profession is incredibly challenging and never boring, 20% of respondents had more than 25 years of experience. We obviously love what we do because we are not going through a midlife crisis and changing careers!
|
Age
On the flip side though, this also means that the average age of translators is increasing. 37.5% of respondents are between the ages of 41 and 50, and 35% are 51 to 60 years old. For comparison purposes, the percentage of respondents over the age of 51 was 30% in 1996, 32.9% in 2000 and now 35% in 2005. But it is the incredible lack of younger respondents that is most alarming. In 1996, 22% of respondents were 35 or younger. In 2000, that percentage dropped to 17.8%. And in 2005, only 12.5% of respondents were 40 or younger! Clearly we must work hard to attract talented young people to the profession or we won't have to worry about paying for our retirement because retirement itself won't be an option!
 |
Of the 112 independent translators working in official languages, 75% worked full time and 25% worked part time. The survey then asked respondents to identify their clients by broad groups: governments, companies, translation agencies and individuals. Twenty-five percent of respondents have clients in three of the given categories and 37.5% have clients in two.
|
Rates and resources occupied a large part of the survey and will be
discussed here at some length since this is a matter of great concern
to both the individual translator and the industry as a whole.
Thirty-five percent of independent translators working in official
languages said that their average rate falls between 15 and 20 cents
a word, while 46% said that their average rate is 21 to 25 cents a
word. This is perhaps a reflection of the number of years of
experience of our independent translators.
It should also be noted that F-E translation
rates tend to be somewhat lower than E-F
rates, possibly because F-E translation
represents only 20% of the official
languages market. However, no distinction
was made for the purposes of this survey.
|
Results from the 2005 survey compare
favourably with those from surveys in
previous years. The 1996 survey revealed
that the average rate was 19.3 cents per
word. In 2000, the average rate had dropped
slightly to 18.7 cents. Today, nearly half of
independent translators are charging
between 21 and 25 cents a word. However,
the author of the 2000 survey included a
footnote in his results indicating that some
translators were charging rates far below the
average, which then had the obvious effect
of lowering the average rate accordingly.
The translation world is unchanged in that
regard. We all have either first- or secondhand
knowledge of contracts lost to a
miserable rate and agencies that deny ever
paying even 15 cents a word. Consequently,
the 2005 survey asked about the highs and
lows of rates.
First, the highest rates charged. Even though
46% of respondents said that their average
rate was 21 to 25 cents a word, 43% said
that was also the most they had ever
charged. An overwhelming 75% said that
they charged more for rush jobs. Some
respondents expressed the premium in terms
of a percentage: 12% said that they charged
an additional 5-15%, 13% charged an extra
20-25% and 8% charged more than that.
However the majority of respondents gave the premium as an extra
charge per word: 45% charged an extra 1-5 cents per word while 11%
asked for an extra 25-30 cents.
Most respondents said that the premium charged on rush jobs was
only a few cents more per word, which explains how the average rate
and the maximum rate can both fall into the same narrow category.
With an average rate of approximately 21 cents per word, and a
premium of an extra 3 or 4 cents, or 15% to 20%, then the maximum
rate charged is still 24 or 25 cents a word.
The lowest rates charged ran the gamut from working for free to 28
cents a word. However, 44% of respondents said the lowest they had
ever charged was 10 to 15 cents a word, and 40% said their lowest rate
was 16 to 20 cents. It is interesting to note that the percentages for the
lowest rate roughly parallel the breakdown in years of experience.
Forty-six percent of respondents had between 5 and 21 years of
experience, and 36% had more. It would appear that experience pays!
The survey then asked independent translators how they charged-by
the word or by the hour, and based on the source language or the target
language. Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority (93%) charged
by the word, based on a count using the source language. When asked
how the count was conducted, 96% of respondents said they used an
electronic count, testifying to the prevalence of electronic documents
and the use of e-mail.
Independent translators were also asked about revision. Seventy-four
percent said that they had a revision rate, and although most
translation is billed by the word, the opposite appears to be true for
revision. Almost all respondents indicated that they charged by the
hour for revision: 30% charged $41 to $50 an hour, 14% charged $31
to $40 an hour, 16% charged $51 to $60, and 12% charged $61 to $70.
|
To summarize the rate situation, the survey
asked independent translators if their
professional situation had improved,
remained the same or deteriorated. The
answer was decidedly positive. Forty-seven
percent of official-language respondents
said their situation had improved, and 38%
said it had remained the same.
Tools and Resources
Finally, the 2005 survey asked independent
translators about the tools and resources
they use. Termium and reference books are
the clear favourites, as their use was
reported by 93% of respondents. They
were followed closely by on-line
dictionaries in general (the Grand
Dictionnaire Terminologique in particular)
and translation forums. ATIO is interested
to note the use of translation forums, as this
indicates that independent translators value
the opinion of their peers and rely on their
expertise. We hope independent translators
will continue to expand their networking
abilities by attending the workshops and
events the Association offers throughout
the year.
Results were somewhat unclear regarding
the use of translation memory software:
27% of respondents use at least one
translation memory, 31% do not, and 42%
did not answer the question. Therefore it is
difficult to determine the true popularity of
the tools among ATIO independent
translators; however, of those who said they
use translation memories, 50% use Trados
and 30% use LogiTerm.