The idea for such a site came to me in 1998, when I bought my first modem. I tried to search the Internet for translation agencies so I could send them applications. I realised that there was a need for a free and convenient way to do that online. However, TranslatorsCafe.com only came into being after I relocated to Canada.
This site aims at giving linguists the opportunity to search a substantial database of translation agencies, using a convenient and user-friendly application. The database was created in April-May 2002, and TranslatorsCafe.com was launched on August 1, 2002. It now has 156208 registered linguists, 5361 translation agencies and receives a stable flow of jobs.
Who am I?
I started in translation by working as a freelancer for the Crimean Branch of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. First, I had to tackle their complicated (for the beginner that I was) entry exam. I'm not a member of any professional translators association, I do not have a degree in translation: I was an engineer before moving to Ontario.
After I graduated from the Kharkiv Technical University of Radio-Electronics (Ukraine), I began my engineering career at Hartron Corporation, and worked on the TKS project. I spent 10 years commissioning mainframe computers (IBM 360, IBM 370 and PDP11 clones), 3 years of military service within the Artic Circle (Northern Fleet, Severomorsk, Russia), and then set up a small business of computer servicing, book printing, translation and DTP, which I ran for 10 years following the disintegration of the Soviet Union. I then relocated to Canada and worked in a laboratory at Canadian Servo and Electronics, and then at the Playdium Corporation. (See my full resume here.)
Now, TranslatorsCafe.com is my work. I've been translating for much of my working life, and during my 22 years as a freelance translator, I've translated around 8 million words, mostly from English into Russian.
Why am I a "Former" Translator?
After relocating to Canada from Ukraine in May 2000, I studied the local translation market and decided to completely quit translation. At the time, I worked mostly for local Ukrainian clients and, given the current English>Russian translation rates at less than $0.01/word there, I did not want to compete with them. I foresee that eventually all translation jobs in this language combination (except, maybe, those that require a high level of security) will go to the ex-USSR countries. So I decided not to spend my time finding new international clients.
This change is not only happening in the translation industry, but in others as well. It is also true of software development, web design and generally all work that can be done anywhere in the world. Sites like this one have been criticized for contributing to decreasing rates. I disagree. It's not the sites that decrease the rates, but the new, easier communication methods.
I believe that rates will continue to decrease because, on one hand, more and more translators from countries where the cost of living is lower will be able to use the Internet and, on the other hand, agencies and direct clients in the West will gradually realize that the quality of translation coming from those countries is acceptable. Sometimes, high quality work is not important. Almost everybody now uses inexpensive high quality mother boards from Taiwan. It will be the same with translation. People that don't realize this are hiding their heads in the sand.
If you're not extremely specialized, it's hard to find a job in Canada, where even office plants are watered by specialists. Nobody wants a person like me who can do everything—from rocket science (literally) and translation to plumbing and auto repairing. That is why I decided not to send my resume any more and to start helping others to do this job instead.
It is the moderators who define the spirit of TranslatorsCafe.com. Thanks to their hard work and to the participation of all the posters, the forums have become a lively source of information and debate.
Where is TranslatorsCafe.com Heading?
TranslatorsCafe.com is free, and I plan to maintain the site's free status in the future. However, in order to be able to keep the site alive, a paid Master Membership will be introduced, which will offer many additional features and benefits. Many of these features are being developed and tested at the moment.
I hope you will enjoy your visit and find TranslatorsCafe.com useful for your translation and interpreting business.
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