Has the second half of 2020 been good for your business?
Thread poster: Yasser El Helw
Yasser El Helw
Yasser El Helw  Identity Verified
Egypt
Local time: 15:02
Member (2003)
Arabic to English
+ ...
Dec 6, 2020

Is there currently a slump in the translation business? I work in the medical field and I am starting to feel it. Have you had to lower your rates recently? It is good to know the general picture to be able to take informed actions.

 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:02
Member (2008)
Italian to English
OK Dec 6, 2020

Better than the first half !

philgoddard
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 13:02
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It has been good so far Dec 6, 2020

To sum up my year has been as follows:

January: good
February: very good
March: so, so
April: regular
May: terrible
June: excellent
July: excellent
August: very good
September: regular
October: very good
November: excellent

This means that the road has been as bumpy as ever! I must say also that I have noticed, as one might expect, a big drop on translation demand from my consumer-goods clients.

... See more
To sum up my year has been as follows:

January: good
February: very good
March: so, so
April: regular
May: terrible
June: excellent
July: excellent
August: very good
September: regular
October: very good
November: excellent

This means that the road has been as bumpy as ever! I must say also that I have noticed, as one might expect, a big drop on translation demand from my consumer-goods clients.

Regarding my rates: for my regulars, I haven’t changed them since 2015 (my rates were already on the higher side); for new clients: I prefer quoting on a per-project basis rather than per word.

All in all to my surprise (because of the coronavirus pandemic), my business has increased comparing to 2019.
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Angie Garbarino
Angie Garbarino  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:02
Member (2003)
French to Italian
+ ...
mine was Dec 6, 2020

January: good
February: good
March: regular
April: very good
May: good
June: good
July: good
August: very good
September: regular
October: regular
November: terrible


 
matt robinson
matt robinson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 14:02
Member (2010)
Spanish to English
Ups and downs Dec 6, 2020

My work has increased in some areas, but I think there was a slight fall in new projects in some business sectors from March to September, which had an effect on translation volume.
I suppose there has been a drop in some areas of medical translation. I imagine in the treatment of patients abroad and the subsequent translation of reports, etc. has fallen due to the fact that the international tourist industry has largely come to a standstill.
I have no intention of lowering my rates
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My work has increased in some areas, but I think there was a slight fall in new projects in some business sectors from March to September, which had an effect on translation volume.
I suppose there has been a drop in some areas of medical translation. I imagine in the treatment of patients abroad and the subsequent translation of reports, etc. has fallen due to the fact that the international tourist industry has largely come to a standstill.
I have no intention of lowering my rates, and I have not been asked to do so.
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María C Turri
María C Turri  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 10:02
Member (2019)
English to Spanish
Medical EN to ES just fine Dec 7, 2020

I haven't noticed any decrease in work in the second semester of 2020, indeed, it was substantially better for me than the first (which was not terrible either, except for May). I mostly translate research on cancer medications and everything seems just fine in this area. I certainly haven't had to lower my rates, quite the opposite really.

I hope it gets better for you soon, Jasser!

[Editado a las 2020-12-07 05:45 GMT]


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
No Dec 7, 2020

It’s been very quiet.

But that’s been very good for my mental health.


Mervyn Henderson (X)
 
Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:02
Dutch to English
+ ...
Quiet recently Dec 7, 2020

I have had quiet patches this year coinciding with the more severe COVID restrictions but otherwise it's been normal. Things have been quiet over the past few weeks but that's OK as I am studying for a part-time Master's degree and it's been a relief not to have to juggle study with a heavy workload.

 
Yasser El Helw
Yasser El Helw  Identity Verified
Egypt
Local time: 15:02
Member (2003)
Arabic to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you all for your input :-) Dec 7, 2020

Thank you all for your input. Obviously, it is not the same for everyone and there is no general slump.

I guess one should always be adding agencies to his/her list of clients. Many times, I suppose, our regular agencies themselves slow down because they get replaced by other younger and more energetic companies. So we have to be constantly expanding our client list!


Christopher Schröder
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Sabine Braun
LIZ LI
 


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Has the second half of 2020 been good for your business?







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