对国内的翻译市场简直是失望透了 (Disappointed with the translation market in mainland China)

Chris Leo wrote:

连金庸这样的大家都这么认为，华夏文明何在？所谓的中华又是一个什么概念？

Yueyin Sun wrote:

难道这就是有特色的什么主义？我不想为“垂死的、腐朽的资本主义”贴金，但可以说，那个中年妇女即使是在洛杉矶、旧金山的街上明目张胆地搞这种“推销”，也会马上被抓起来！


[Edited at 2007-03-14 05:00]

Chinese Concept wrote:

我看电影“Pretty Woman"倒也是挺明目张胆的，呵呵...不过那是电影，真实性不敢确定...

ysun wrote:

一季度城镇单位在岗职工平均工资7399元

http://news.163.com/09/0429/10/582F0FMK0001124J.html

Wenjer Leuschel wrote:

Hi Mark,

You might not believe how hard I have been promoting Chinese translators. I never paid any translator less than 0.04 USD and that usually only for the first contact. If the translator qualifies himself, the rate goes up promptly over 0.06 USD.

To my clients, I always tell them that good translators shall not be treated badly. If they are to retain good translators, they have to think of having them properly paid for a better living to keep up the quality.

However, as we know, the market demands different qualities. Some jobs can be done sloppily and paid sloppily. The market is big enough to accommodate all levels of quality. If a client asks for low rates, it serves him right to get low quality. For the ones who pay properly, they shall get corresponding quality.

In fact, I don't mind that some translators ask for 80 RMB per thousand words, because I don't bother to review, revise and edit their translations for better rates. They may stay where they are. But for the real good ones, I wouldn't let them stay where they are. Instead, I would show them the way to go up into global marekt and find their proper rates.

You see, it all depends on individual translators to pursue their own ways and their own rates. The reason why my clients pay me several times above the rumored low rates in China is that I won't deliver a quality for that rumored rates. I manage the quality and they manage me for better rates. The same applies to the translators I manage. They won't get low rates from me for a better quality.

The problem with some Chinese translators lies in their belief in offering low rates, say, less than 0.02 USD, for stepping into the global market and getting themselves established.

As I explained in "Looking into the Market" and some othe threads, there are a lot of ways to promote oneself. What a translator needs as prerequisite is a solid foundation of language skills. We can never expect a translator doing his jobs properly, if he doesn't express himself well enough even in his native language and who doesn't show the clients how he perform his jobs properly. As well, we can never expect a client willing to pay higher rates when the translator cannot convince him with language skills.

There are some translators who believe that they can go an easy way by offering low rates, such as 0.02 USD per source word. I wouldn't bother to manage such translators, even when their Chinese language skills are all right for some purposes. They will be occupied all the time, anyway.

As a German translator and enterpriser puts it: "Translation is not a commodity. Translators are usually not interchangeable. Translation is potentially scarce item. Neither the number of its producers nor their output can be increased at will." When there are in China supposedly half a million translators in shortage, why are the ones active in the market getting nervous and eager to accept low rates? I really don't see the reason why.

So, take it easy. Everyone finds his own way to maintain his position in the market. It all depends on his insight into the market and his confidence in his own skills.

- Wenjer

Jianjun Zhang wrote:


There's no so-called standard Chinese rate. I never did any single job at a rate of 50 or 80 or 120 and so on.../1,000 words.

When I did the first translation work in 1992 for a Tsing Hua University professor, it was from Chinese to English and the rate was 30 RMB/100 words not 1,000 words.

And in 1992, 70 RMB/month/person was enough for anyone to live and save. Now, 1,000-1,500 RMB/month/person is hardly enough in many places. So I don't think at that poor rate, anyone can live (well?).

If you are talented, simply ignore those cheaters. My clients in China never give me "Standard Chinese rates". Because: -

First, they know me well for more than 10 years.
Second, my work justifies my rates.
Third, they, as any other company, can well afford to pay the rate.

What you should do is to market yourself to guys who are honest business people.

The so-called Chinese rates are simply enforced by a misunderstanding of the Chinese market. Fresh starters in the Chinese market are exploited and abused. Learn to refuse those unreasonable offers.

I wrote this in English so people who don't read Chinese can see what we are talking about and in some way clarify the mystery of Chinese rates. I have been trying hard to promote Chinese translators' image and dignity. The rumoured low rate is one of the things I want the world know that is not right.

Jian

miraclee wrote:

前几天应聘国内某翻译公司的大型长期项目，他们说要招资深译员，试译通过，我被选中了，结果只给50元/千汉字，我就郁闷了，即使初次合作也不必这样少吧，其实我很喜欢那个题材的翻译，只是很少碰到这方面的项目，决心拿下来，可最后谈价格时感觉简直是受到侮辱，原来50元的价格是资深翻译的入门价格。他们的口气很强硬“你不做我们就找别人了”，郁闷，我还不如花些时间学点东西呢。看来英语好的人多了去了。对国内的翻译市场简直是失望透了。

[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2007-03-09 07:52]

ysun wrote:

一季度城镇单位在岗职工平均工资7399元

http://news.163.com/09/0429/10/582F0FMK0001124J.html