Is it true that Chinese to English translators are paid lower rates than other language pairs? Thread poster: Julian Zhang
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Julian Zhang
United States
Local time: 06:23
Chinese to English
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Hi all, new to the field and I keep seeing ZH>EN translators saying to expect far lower rates (0.02-0.06/word) than other language pairs. The reason given is that Chinese clients generally value low prices over quality and can choose from a massive supply of non-native translators.
Unfortunately, I live in one of the highest cost-of-living areas in the US. Wouldn't this mean it's just... not possible to work as a ZH>EN translator if you are really receiving rates similar to that of... See more Hi all, new to the field and I keep seeing ZH>EN translators saying to expect far lower rates (0.02-0.06/word) than other language pairs. The reason given is that Chinese clients generally value low prices over quality and can choose from a massive supply of non-native translators.
Unfortunately, I live in one of the highest cost-of-living areas in the US. Wouldn't this mean it's just... not possible to work as a ZH>EN translator if you are really receiving rates similar to that of local Chinese native translators?
What's even more confusing is that I see the ProZ community-reported rates are 0.11/word. What gives? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ching Shun Cheung
United States
Local time: 09:23
Member (2023)
Cantonese (Yue Chinese) to Chinese
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The environment for Chinese to/from English translation is really bad, especially for simplified Chinese. The rate quoted in your post is considered a “pretty good” rate for a lot of simplified Chinese translators in mainland. In mainland China, you can see people taking job less than 100rmb/thousand word, which is around 0.013usd/word Not sure about the situation in the state though, I assume it’d be better if you find direct... See more The environment for Chinese to/from English translation is really bad, especially for simplified Chinese. The rate quoted in your post is considered a “pretty good” rate for a lot of simplified Chinese translators in mainland. In mainland China, you can see people taking job less than 100rmb/thousand word, which is around 0.013usd/word Not sure about the situation in the state though, I assume it’d be better if you find direct client? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | you need to market yourself on other things | Mar 26 |
It will be difficult for you to compete pricewise with translators in mainland China, but you can try to profile yourself based on the strong points in your profile.
Not everyone prioritizes cheap prices, some prioritize good quality and will be ready to pay a little bit more if they feel a certain confidence about a particular translator. (Compare with consumers: some always select the cheapest product, while others who prioritize quality may prefer to purchase a more expensive pr... See more It will be difficult for you to compete pricewise with translators in mainland China, but you can try to profile yourself based on the strong points in your profile.
Not everyone prioritizes cheap prices, some prioritize good quality and will be ready to pay a little bit more if they feel a certain confidence about a particular translator. (Compare with consumers: some always select the cheapest product, while others who prioritize quality may prefer to purchase a more expensive product of a specific brand that they have more confidence in.)
Thus, in your case, some companies in the US might prefer to work with US-based translators for different reasons (for instance because they already worked with you once and know your output; simply because you are based in the US; because you speak/write English better and thus is easier to communicate with; because you're more familiar with US business practices; because you have a degree from a US university (if that's the case); because you're in the timezone and respond between 9 and 5 and not the next day; because they feel affinity with you and believe you will be more serious or more professional for being American, etc.). ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julian Zhang
United States
Local time: 06:23
Chinese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for the reply. | Mar 27 |
Ching Shun Cheung wrote: The environment for Chinese to/from English translation is really bad, especially for simplified Chinese. The rate quoted in your post is considered a “pretty good” rate for a lot of simplified Chinese translators in mainland. In mainland China, you can see people taking job less than 100rmb/thousand word, which is around 0.013usd/word Not sure about the situation in the state though, I assume it’d be better if you find direct client?
Wow, that is indeed low Thanks for the honest reply!
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Julian Zhang
United States
Local time: 06:23
Chinese to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Hopefully the market for quality translation exists! | Mar 27 |
Thomas Johansson wrote:
It will be difficult for you to compete pricewise with translators in mainland China, but you can try to profile yourself based on the strong points in your profile.
Not everyone prioritizes cheap prices, some prioritize good quality and will be ready to pay a little bit more if they feel a certain confidence about a particular translator. (Compare with consumers: some always select the cheapest product, while others who prioritize quality may prefer to purchase a more expensive product of a specific brand that they have more confidence in.)
Thus, in your case, some companies in the US might prefer to work with US-based translators for different reasons (for instance because they already worked with you once and know your output; simply because you are based in the US; because you speak/write English better and thus is easier to communicate with; because you're more familiar with US business practices; because you have a degree from a US university (if that's the case); because you're in the timezone and respond between 9 and 5 and not the next day; because they feel affinity with you and believe you will be more serious or more professional for being American, etc.).
Makes sense, and I agree that the only way I would be able to make a living would be finding a market that is willing to pay more for quality. The question is how rare those are, I suppose. I plan to try to connect with some C-E translators to ask about it.
| | | | | Now that we have tons of highly specialised texts translated from Chinese through English... | Mar 27 |
I wonder if it's possible today to change the industry so that at least 50% of those translations make at least 50% more sense than they do now. A person capable of producing Chinese-English translations that make sense surely deserves to command high rates (only it will be difficult to convince customers as much). Chinese-English must be the single most sought-for direction. KudoZ is flooded with expressions like (a recent one) "Main shaft adopts through turbo-dynamo conveying speed, through th... See more I wonder if it's possible today to change the industry so that at least 50% of those translations make at least 50% more sense than they do now. A person capable of producing Chinese-English translations that make sense surely deserves to command high rates (only it will be difficult to convince customers as much). Chinese-English must be the single most sought-for direction. KudoZ is flooded with expressions like (a recent one) "Main shaft adopts through turbo-dynamo conveying speed, through the connecting rod made with up board lifting." Some non-Chinese translators even learn to understand what such texts mean. Not me though, a Chinese mind is still a closed book to me. I can understand Runglish alright, but Chinglish is beyond me ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julian Zhang
United States
Local time: 06:23
Chinese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Interesting, thanks for sharing! | Mar 28 |
Denis Fesik wrote:
I wonder if it's possible today to change the industry so that at least 50% of those translations make at least 50% more sense than they do now. A person capable of producing Chinese-English translations that make sense surely deserves to command high rates (only it will be difficult to convince customers as much). Chinese-English must be the single most sought-for direction. KudoZ is flooded with expressions like (a recent one) "Main shaft adopts through turbo-dynamo conveying speed, through the connecting rod made with up board lifting." Some non-Chinese translators even learn to understand what such texts mean. Not me though, a Chinese mind is still a closed book to me. I can understand Runglish alright, but Chinglish is beyond me
I agree, I do see tons of unintelligible translations, but I suppose if they're happy with it we can't really *make* them change their minds...
I've done ESL teaching for Chinese students in the past, and much of my time is spent translating their English back into Chinese to figure out what they were trying to say. But they seem to use some really wacky dictionaries/translation software that often spit out rare or archaic words no one uses and I still can't figure it out, lol.
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