Ridiculously Low Translation Rates: This needs to Stop!
I just found out about Upwork from someone I know and decided to browse through it a little bit. Upon checking the translation projects posted there, I realized that even the highest rate proposed by the job poster (aka employer) is just ridiculously low! When will this stop? Translators have one of the most demanding and difficult jobs out there which requires an ample amount of time, effort, research, dedication and professionalism.
I can’t believe someone is asking for a fixed price of $10 per page! What makes me even more sad is that there are still translators willingly accepting jobs at such hideous rates. As I have always said, this is all related to the fact that we do not have a proper syndicate.
I just hope the situation sees some change in the near future, although I highly doubt it, and that is coming from an overly positive thinking person! You see, the thing is, many translators don’t regard this as an issue. In order to solve the problem of translation rates, you have to admit that you have one. Plain and simple.
On a side note: I was just contacted (literally 5 minutes ago) by someone who has 34 legal pages to translate, for a budget of $300. Go figure. And before you ask, of course I said “No”.