New CSA report on critical issues affecting freelancers

New Research Report Sheds Light on the Critical Issues Affecting Freelancers in the Translation Industry

(Boston) – December 20, 2012 – Freelancers are at the very end of the translation supply chain, but their views play a significant role in the market, according to “Voices from the Freelance Translator Community,” a new report from independent market research firm Common Sense Advisory. The report, which was based on a survey of 3,165 freelance translators throughout the world, sheds new light on the role of freelancers in an industry that the firm estimates at being more than US$33 billion in 2012 and growing at an annual rate of more than 12 percent.

“Translation agencies that do not safeguard their reputations with freelancers can end up being blacklisted by the freelance translation community, which limits their ability to recruit the best professionals and deliver the best possible quality,” explains Nataly Kelly, lead author of the study.

The report also names translation agencies that were listed by freelancers as having reputations as poor payers, as well as those that had reputations either as high-quality or low-quality providers.  Companies mentioned in the report include ASET International Services LLC, CETRA Language Solutions, CLS Communications, Corporate Translations, Crimson Language Services (a division of TransPerfect / Translations.com), euroscript International S.A., Geotext Translations, Lingo24, Lionbridge Technologies, Moravia Worldwide, thebigword Group, RR Donnelley, SDL, and Translated.

“Voices from the Freelance Translator Community” details freelancers’ concerns and reviews critical issues affecting their work, including:

• On average, freelancers receive approximately two-thirds of their income from translation agencies, and about a third from direct clients.
• More than one third (34.7%) had been victims of a translation agency failing to pay them for work completed.
• A large number of freelancers (40.3%) had turned down jobs from a translation agency because other translators had warned them about the agency’s reputation.
• The vast majority of freelancers (81.0%) had turned down work because the agency’s rates were too low.

“Many translation companies go to great lengths to protect and promote their brand to their customers and prospects, but very few consider how important it is to develop good relationships with the hundreds of thousands of freelance translators actually performing the translation work,” Kelly points out. “Translation agencies that wish to seek an advantage in the marketplace should pay more attention to what freelance translators are saying.”

For more information about the firm’s research services, visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory is an independent market research company helping companies profitably grow their international businesses and gain access to new markets and new customers. Its focus is on assisting its clients to operationalize, benchmark, optimize, and innovate industry best practices in translation, localization, interpreting, globalization, and internationalization. For more information, visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com or www.twitter.com/CSA_Research

Source: Common Sense Advisory

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