Poll: How much of your work have you outsourced over time? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How much of your work have you outsourced over time?".
This poll was originally submitted by Iulia Parvu. View the poll results »
| | | | Tanja Oresnik 
Slovenia
Local time: 20:09
French to Slovenian
+ ...
| I outsourced none. | Sep 21, 2023 |
I only accept projects I can translate myself.
I have, however, on some occasions introduced fellow translators to clients when they needed a translation in a language pair or field I don't work in, or a service I don't offer, such as simultaneous interpreting or sworn translation.
[Edited at 2023-09-21 08:35 GMT]
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 20:09
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Firstly I'm not allowed to (working mostly for agencies) and secondly I hate human translation editing (although I'm offering the service).
| | | | Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 20:09
Member (2020)
English to German
+ ...
As a freelancer working on my own, I do not have the contacts/connections, the resources or the time to do any meaningful outsourcing.
On two occasions, I was able to have another translator (a friend of mine) proofread my work, since I was specifically asked to do so by the client, but that's pretty much it.
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I don’t outsource work from English, French, Spanish and Italian into European Portuguese (my working languages) but I have outsourced work when my regular customers have requests for languages or areas I don’t cover. When the request comes from a potential new client and I’m not available or I don’t cover that particular language combination I prefer recommending specific translators. I have been working for years with a very small group of qualified translators with whom I am proud to ... See more I don’t outsource work from English, French, Spanish and Italian into European Portuguese (my working languages) but I have outsourced work when my regular customers have requests for languages or areas I don’t cover. When the request comes from a potential new client and I’m not available or I don’t cover that particular language combination I prefer recommending specific translators. I have been working for years with a very small group of qualified translators with whom I am proud to have established an excellent relationship. Over the years we have mainly teamed up to handle very large translations.
P.S. I have no idea what the percentage is as regards the number of projects per year, but I'm willing to guess it's pretty low, even if the word count is probably quite high in certain years…
[Edited at 2023-09-21 09:35 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 20:09
Spanish to English
+ ...
On rare occasions, I have passed work on to colleagues, but I don't recall the details and I wouldn't call it "outsourcing" per se.
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A colleague of mine, whom I and others considered to be the best in his field, made what I believe was the error of outsourcing. He paid market rates but charged far more, so he was able to edit and still earn a good margin. As time went on, he lowered the rates he paid and spent less time on editing and proofreading in order to maintain his income. As a result, his reputation waned and fewer clients turned to him. It took some years for this to happen but in the end it proved to be his downfall... See more A colleague of mine, whom I and others considered to be the best in his field, made what I believe was the error of outsourcing. He paid market rates but charged far more, so he was able to edit and still earn a good margin. As time went on, he lowered the rates he paid and spent less time on editing and proofreading in order to maintain his income. As a result, his reputation waned and fewer clients turned to him. It took some years for this to happen but in the end it proved to be his downfall. I resolved never to fall into the same trap.
I have passed on the names of colleagues from and into Italian on countless occasions but that's as far as I'll go. If I want to damage my reputation, I prefer to do it myself, without letting others do it for me :- ) ▲ Collapse
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I outsourced one to a "friend" who needed some work. I told you her not to tell anyone, but she blabbed to everyone. The client found out about it and that was the end.
[Edited at 2023-09-22 12:19 GMT]
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