Announcement

 

I do support and agree with the “Make America Go Away” (MAGA) movement. In fact, I started to refuse to work as a translator for American companies for the last ten years. I believe, by now the reasons do not require any explanation or justification. Occasionally working for American companies over a period of over 30 years has NEVER been pleasant or gratifying after all.

And yes, I refuse to buy American products whenever possible.

Russian war

  I have been a freelance translator for about 35 years now.
Over that time I have registered on multiple translator sites like Proz.com, Aquarius, Translators Directory. Go Translators, translatorscafe and more that I do not even remember.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine and continues to kill everyone in their path (just like the orcs in ‘Lord of the Rings’) I did raise my voice on facebook (which is most likely totally irrelevant) and pledged never to work for any Russian agency again.

And since the devil Adolf Putin is systematically blocking news and all forms of information about his atrocities to reach the Russian people, I believe it would be appropriate to urge all those translator sites to block all Russian agencies from posting job offers. This may not have any “real” effect on the war, but as an indirect message it could result in a few more people in Russia wondering what is going on in the world.

So, personally I urge those translator platforms to do something.
And if any other freelance translator might be willing to add his or her voice, that would be wonderful.

The current situation is NOT something one should “let slide” - like the Chinese are doing!

Translators - resist

Trump (I believe that person does not deserve any honorific or title), a self-declared enemy of freedom, is "all over the place", intentionally driving the world into chaos and towards destruction. Eventually his arrogant and self-centered behavior = he "trumples"over everthing and everybody, will adversely affect everybody who is not a fat, rich, white man living in the States.
And there is probably not much a few translators can do about it.

But ...
since it is now "America first", maybe the translator's community can come together and boycott jobs coming from the USA and/or American companies, so that those companies that a currently heavily "outsourcing" much of their work to those "dirty foreign people" who should be slaves in the first place, will have to rely more on "American only" resources. Requiring them to pay their "personnel" rates compatible with survival in the States and not the "peanuts" they offer on their slave markets.
I wrote about those before: e.g., Wagner Consulting International which offers 0.03 USD/word, which is WAY below any international standard and even cheaper than India based companies or TransPerfect. I would not be surprised, if Trump has his fingers in those businesses too.
I VERY MUCH doubt, that an ordinary American translator would/could work for 0.03 USD.

So ... what would happen, if Trump has to rely on translations = which ARE indispensible in numerous industries ONLY on those that are made IN America by white (male) translators? After all, if a translator from any arabic country would translate something, s/he might be planning/coordinating a terror attack his bombastity Trump.
Manpower will not meet the demand, quality might suffer when people are forced to work on unfamiliar materials, prices will soar because salaries/rates in the USA are most likely MUCH higher than what is paid to "ordinary" translators.

This *** might *** give Trump a hint. But then again, since he is pathologically delusional, he would/could not acknowledge that snow is white, even if he were left in the middle of an ice field in the antarctic.

"Translator resistance" -  a stupid idea of mine. I am well aware, that many translator simply cannot afford to recline work. I am one of those myself!!! But, this could be the minimal contribution translators might be able to make to the just started battle for freedom.
I myself will commit to this cause to the best of my abilities.
I would be "outrageously happy" (to speak with Linus), if anybody would actually feel it worthwhile to join me.
Thank you.
 

Fair trial

As a translator one either contacts new companies or else IS ASKED by new companies to work for them. In either case the translator is likely to be asked to do a trial/test free of charge. Over more than 30 years I have been asked a million times to do these trials and actually did many. Recently, however, I am getting very tired of those. Why?
Well ... you do those tests = spend maybe hours to do work FOR FREE, have to wait a sometimes unbeliebable long time for the results, and when they finally tell you, you have passed the test, the company discloses "their rates". It then turns out, those are unacceptably low. If I knew in advance those rates ... I would not have done the test.
I now ask companies up front to disclose their rates, since there is really no point in working for free, only to conclude later, that working for the particular company is "out of the question".
To be a FAIR trial, I believe the companies should disclose their rates up front!

Do it!

A message receive the other dayä
"Dear Translator
 Please translate the sentence below  into Japanese
 What do you approx. spend on bras in a year (in Yen)?
 Regards"

Is it only me?
I get this message from an Indian company (EZEE NURSING SOLUTION PVT. LTD.) asking me (probably a lot of other people too) to translate something, but DOES NOT indicate, that it is willing to pay for this. If so, how much etc.
Just this "demand": translate the following ...
Since I consider translation a "business", this strikes ME as odd ...
Or am I just crazy?