What Freelance Translators Hanker for from Translation Companies

Now, if you’ve ever reckoned on the life of a freelance translator, you’d figure it’s a mite like panning for gold in a river of words—sometimes you strike it rich, sometimes you’re left with mud. I’ve been poking through the chatter of these word-wranglers over on the ProZ.com forums, and I’ll tell you what they’re hollering for from them translation companies. It ain’t just a paycheck, though they’d like it quicker than a cat can lick its whiskers—some say within a week of invoicing, not a month of Sundays later.

First off, they want decent translator rates, and not the “criminal” kind that’d leave ‘em poorer than a church mouse. Jenny Miller reckons agencies rake in heaps while translators scrape by, and Rufus Peck says it’s all a free market tussle—bid high and let the chips fall. They crave respect, too— none of this “resource” nonsense Marty Braun grumbles about; call ‘em “colleague” and watch their spirits lift. Clear communication tickles their fancy—Violet Stone pines for job details up front, not some vague “you free?” tossed like a bone to a dog.

Then there’s the plague of silence. Kitty Dale and Josie Carter fume when clients dodge questions, leaving ‘em to guess at abbreviations like detectives in a dime novel. Fair pay tests, says Benny Kirk, not rigged by jealous rivals, and a ban on bureaucratic folderol—Karl Vance’s had enough of checklists and welcome packs thicker than a Bible. Add a dash of feedback, a sprinkle of human touch, and maybe some Christmas chocolates, as Percy Ellis jests, and you’ve got the recipe for a happy translator. Simple, ain’t it? Yet, like catching a greased pig, it’s easier said than done!