🐈
» Groups » Writers & Translators » Forum » Clients think Translation Services are Cheap
Page options
egner-nicklas
Community Member

Clients think Translation Services are Cheap

Dear Upworkers , 

 

I have been some time on Upwork and completed some Jobs and in my opinion , the work in the Translation/Transciption/Customer Service department is so underrated and underpaid by most of the clients.

Do you have any conclusions on why this happens ? Why do most of the clients think that for every translation service the basis Rate is 0,03 x word? Just because they googled it maybe? 

I am not fine by working for customers who pay such prices for "technical stuff" as if the work is easy and fast-done as you are a native speaker. Aswell as in Transcription-Translation Services .. it takes time to work on it clients..

The prices should definetely change or maybe the awareness of both clients and freelancers in changing their rates to something plausible. 

Regards Nick

 

3 REPLIES 3
jr-translation
Community Member


@Nicklas E wrote:

Dear Upworkers , 

 

I have been some time on Upwork and completed some Jobs and in my opinion , the work in the Translation/Transciption/Customer Service department is so underrated and underpaid by most of the clients.

Do you have any conclusions on why this happens ? Why do most of the clients think that for every translation service the basis Rate is 0,03 x word? Just because they googled it maybe? 

I am not fine by working for customers who pay such prices for "technical stuff" as if the work is easy and fast-done as you are a native speaker. Aswell as in Transcription-Translation Services .. it takes time to work on it clients..

The prices should definetely change or maybe the awareness of both clients and freelancers in changing their rates to something plausible. 

Regards Nick

 


 Dear Nick,

 

As a fellow translator (unlike you fulltime and with university degree) from a high-cost country I understand some of your issues and am happy to share my opinion.

 

Most jobs require some kind of formal education and a degree so someone is able to work as such. Especially translation is a field in which these rules do not apply and you are one of those benefiting from it. So while you as an uneducated translator complate about the rates some clients are oly willing to pay, you should look at yourself. Do you really know and understand what it means to be a translator?

 

At the end of the day the translator defines the price. If no one agrees to low rates, the clients cannot "get away" with them. But how do I explain a client that my studies in electrical and mechanical engineering will matter in the final translation and are worth paying for if anyone can just claim to have a background in techical and medical translation.

 

Trust me, I have far more thoughs but since they will be edited I will not waste my precious time writing them down.

Thank you Jennifer !

lditomasso
Community Member

I, myself, took an initiative. Go for journalism - paid publication - I get from certain sites like Writers Digest and see if I can write an article and "pitch it" then I can try to write several articles with relevance of the theme. If I cannot get money for it right now.... I shall publish it on Amazon. And, plus sometimes looking at Amazon for already published and some who get Prime Unlimited Kindle - lots of people just read - take what they want and reply to UpWork or Freelancer and land some clients. They want samples. Here you are... I found them on Amazon Unlimited Kindle - book eat book here at Amazon. UpWork clients will get what they never bought.