Jianjun’s Blog

Before the main content, a few words about my blog:

Politics is not part of my blog’s coverage. But for the last few weeks, such things infiltrated into this place. Although I categorized them as cultural, I know they are more political. Now my blog is back in normal mode.

Yesterday I attended a translators Powwow. We had lots of discussions about the market, the client, the rates and the quality. Obviously ‘bypassing the agencies to get direct clients and high rates’ was of great interest to many translators. But there were agency representatives present. Their feedback was unless you can achieve a high standard of quality, let’s not talk about rates.

A colleague from Italy expressed concern that in her country the rates have been going down. I don’t really know what the situation there in Italy. But rates are dependent upon many factors. Different language pairs have different rates. For some language pairs the market demand is very low while the supply is over abundant (too many translators) - such as between some of the most popular western languages. The market situation for such languages is very challenging. But there are still successful translators who get well paid for their superb quality job.

For some languages, rates could be extremely varied and, needless to say, with very different qualities - Chinese for example. Unless there is a reliable source that can provide true reference for quality translators, it’ll be difficult for both good clients and good translators to recognize one another. One of the purposes for me to attend the meeting was to identify such translators as my partners. Some colleagues expressed similar intent and we agreed a Trusted network is the way to go.

How to identify good translators? I pay more attention to the way they speak, how they socialize and interact with other colleagues than their translating experience. I enjoy working with responsible and optimistic people. Equipped with good language skills, necessary training and correct work attitude, work experience could accumulate through real work. One of the rarest virtues of a translator is the willingness and the ability to self-adjust and self-improve in regards to quality.

I agree with Jeffrey of Insupro who says freelance work makes people seclusive and very characteristic. This is actually detrimental to any collaborative teamwork. Sometimes we see a translator and a proofreader mutually pointing fingers at each other. Translators must realize this problem and be more open-minded and sociable instead of close-minded and bigoted. Even though the nature of the work is such that translators are mostly confined to their little space, I found interacting with social media guys do make me feel better and my mind become more active.

I also had a chance to personally see the guy who copied my content. He doesn’t look like the person who did such things.

This year’s Translator Powwow will be held on April 19 at N. E. Courtyard Hotel in Beijing. If you are a translator and interested in it, there’s still time to reserve your place. So hurry up and visit http://www.proz.com/powwow/1876 now and register to attend the event.

If you bring your photo ID and your ProZ profile number (the digits at the end of your profile url) with you, I will verify your ProZ identity. Verification adds credibility to your ProZ profile - the client will know you are really the person you claim to be - and your forum posts will appear immediately after posting, even though you are not a ProZ paying member. ProZ staff may charge five bucks for ID verification, but I won’t charge you anything and there’s no catch. Isn’t this cool?

Powwow discussion topics include ‘tips for new comers’ and ‘networking’. I myself am seeking potential partners to expand the Yeasir Network of Trusted Professionals. If you are interested, try to differentiate yourself during the Powwow! I’m sure you will draw my attention and I’ll hand you a note (secretly) for a possible private meeting and discussion.

Cheers!