I’m thinking about becoming a translator (german,english,italian) and was wondering how much translators earn?
If you are going to work as a freelance, then you should not expect to earn very much at all. The rates have remained static over the past ten years and there is a great reluctance to pay more because of the Internet and the fact that people in third world countries are offering their services very cheaply (although not generally to the same standard). There is constant pressure to compete with others over rates and at the same time pressure from translators’ organisations to support the profession by insisting on decent rates. Normally one charges so much per thousand words. It is not simply a matter of how many words you can rattle through in a day: you have to look things up, check them and read through your work before dispatching it. Sometimes your work will be edited and returned to you for re-checking and you’ll have to drop everything you’re doing to look it through. You have all sorts of overheads and ideally you should be paying for professional indemnity insurance just in case things go horribly wrong, over and above the costs of equipment, dictionaries and keeping warm (or cool, depending on the climate!) The amount you clear after tax by working day and night compares unfavourably with most professions.
On the other hand, if you are able to land a job in an international organisation (for which the competition is exceedingly fierce), you’ll earn a large salary, sometimes tax free, with all kinds of perks and a fantastic pension.
December 27th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
If you are going to work as a freelance, then you should not expect to earn very much at all. The rates have remained static over the past ten years and there is a great reluctance to pay more because of the Internet and the fact that people in third world countries are offering their services very cheaply (although not generally to the same standard). There is constant pressure to compete with others over rates and at the same time pressure from translators’ organisations to support the profession by insisting on decent rates. Normally one charges so much per thousand words. It is not simply a matter of how many words you can rattle through in a day: you have to look things up, check them and read through your work before dispatching it. Sometimes your work will be edited and returned to you for re-checking and you’ll have to drop everything you’re doing to look it through. You have all sorts of overheads and ideally you should be paying for professional indemnity insurance just in case things go horribly wrong, over and above the costs of equipment, dictionaries and keeping warm (or cool, depending on the climate!) The amount you clear after tax by working day and night compares unfavourably with most professions.
On the other hand, if you are able to land a job in an international organisation (for which the competition is exceedingly fierce), you’ll earn a large salary, sometimes tax free, with all kinds of perks and a fantastic pension.
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