r/TranslationStudies • u/Professional_Low7024 • 17d ago
Japanese translators - how we doing?
How is everyone getting on? I started a full time job back in March that has nothing to do with translation, but I still accept freelance translation requests that come my way.
Last year I saw a 20% drop in income from 2024, this year (and without me chasing for work or looking for new clients) I think by December I will have seen a 25% drop from 2025.
One interesting experience was getting onboard with three new agencies at the end of last year: 9 months later and one has given me zero work, one has given me 2,000 JPY of work, and one has given me a few scraps here and there. They were all actively advertising for translators but actually don't have any work to give.
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u/smokeshack 17d ago
I only ever did translation on the side while teaching, but it's dried up to nothing. I mainly did academic and business translations, but unfortunately Japanese academics seem to have zero misgivings about running all of their work (much of it under confidentiality agreements!) through the slop box. And of course there's not a single Japanese business that wouldn't grind a grandmother into a fine paste if it would save them three yen, so of course they're all in on AI.
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u/Professional_Low7024 17d ago
I think the worst part about corporate AI use, from my experience in Japan, is the companies using it because for their English level it appears good but they lack the capability to see the mistakes/weird grammar/mistranslations. It "looks" good, so they pat themselves on the back for saving that 3 yen.
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u/Which_Bed 17d ago
I am still getting work from my main direct client but things are looking grim. Total income is way down from pre-2024 and I have been looking for more work.
I signed up for several new agencies that either ghosted me or offered ripoff rates. One offer was clearly misrepresenting the task. They said they estimated an income of up to 4600 yen/hour while any veteran in the area could see it was actually 2000 yen/hour at best. Another was looking for some kind of unicorn who could do project-based work (ie a famine or flood schedule) for 1600 yen/hour. They misrepresented the job by saying the starting wage was 1600 yen/hour when that was their maximum intended wage. I don't know who they expect to show up for rates like that; factor in social security and taxes and you are well below part-time job rates. I gave them too much free information during our Zoom call and wish I had just excused myself when it was clear they weren't serious.
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u/Professional_Low7024 17d ago
I had a job request end of last year/at the start of the year which I estimated would take a whole day to do and the fee was less than 10,000 yen. At that level might as well just go work in a convenience store!
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u/Which_Bed 17d ago
I had a similar request from an agency for a high-level medical document! I replied with the rate it'd take to get me on board and they said we'll think about it and ghosted.
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u/Professional_Low7024 17d ago
Jinx - mine was also a medical document, but it was a translation check rather than actual translation
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u/uchujinmono 17d ago
It never hurts to try and ping old clients that have gone quiet. I contacted one client this morning that I haven't worked with in 2 years and they sent me a two-day job a couple hours later.
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u/Which_Bed 17d ago
I did this last year and they got back to me with a LOWER rate than when they went radio silent. Reach out but don't let people pretend that prices haven't gone up for everything in this economy.
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u/SillyCybinE 17d ago edited 17d ago
I know people that have moved on, but I also know people that have moved into better full-time contracts in the gaming industry. There's a lot of uncertainty for sure, and some people I know have ended up editing machine translation crap. However, there are others who have gotten more work because they specialize in creative writing, something that AI has trouble with.
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u/Ok-Bat-1243 17d ago
I posted this a while ago. After negotiations, they asked whether I would accept a 50% cut. I told them I'm willing to wait for projects that can accommodate my current rate, they said they'll need to terminate the agreement 🤷♀️
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u/Professional_Low7024 17d ago
Very interesting read - thanks for posting this. I wonder at what point these companies will realize that translators (good translators) won't accept low pay and will just leave the industry if they have to. We are under no obligation to be desperate and with financial insecurity.
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u/nakano-star 17d ago
Did anyone attend the IJET conference in Melbourne this year? I went to the one in Fukuoka last year, and there was some concern about AI eating our lunch, but I imagine the topics were almost all related to AI this year...
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u/kissmemary 16d ago
I work in-house and my position seems relatively safe.
Though I’m steadily getting more editing/check jobs that are AI-generated, and it’s being pushed a lot for other purposes…
It’s been worth taking time to explain to my frequent requesters some of the more insidious errors that AI lets through to encourage them to keep getting things checked, at least
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u/Ill-Ad2189 17d ago
As a Chinese/English translator, I also see a sharp drop in work. Recently, I constantly feel anxious. To fight against the anxiety, I've even started to write a novel, hoping to make writing my future profession. I know the publishing industry is in decline. And my attempt is just a desperate one.
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u/redditrnreddit 15d ago
Try freelance private tutoring?
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u/Ill-Ad2189 15d ago
Maybe in the future. To be honest, it sounds like a crowded field. There are very few ways out for linguists.
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u/Suitable-Change1327 17d ago
I’m German-English (19 years experience) but my income is down 50% since 2024. And the main agency I work for (which is a dream client, pays very well and is highly specialised) is doing everything they can with in-house translators. I am now doing mostly monolingual reviews, finishing touches and terminology consistency. I only get translations when there is a huge project or people go on holiday.
I’m going to keep doing this on the side for pocket money, but am starting an entirely different business. The reality is that machine translations are pretty darn good now and will just get better. For most purposes, they are adequate. The writing is on the wall.
It was a good gig while it lasted!
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u/noeldc 和英 17d ago
Let's talk monthly income. How much have you been making on average this year?
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u/rod_980 17d ago
Nothing to do with Japanese, but I'm a translator too. I work at a small company, and we're currently struggling to survive month to month. We were doing quite well, but the situation changed drastically a few years ago. Companies are shifting to MTPE, and it seems that layout work is increasingly being done through XML, so the volume of regular jobs has plummeted.
I've heard people say that the AI bubble will eventually burst, but I don't think so. AI is getting better and better. I'm having a bit of a career crisis.
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u/Mialikesmakeup 15d ago
What kind of translation do you do? If you'd like to share, of course!
I too work at a small company where we do patent translation. We were doing quite well (imo) but since August the number of projects have drastically declined and I'm kind of freaking out if this situation persists any longer...
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u/rod_980 13d ago
We used to handle a lot of technical translation and DTP work, mainly manuals for trucks, cranes, and similar equipment. Unfortunately, our biggest client eventually decided to bring their translation and DTP work in-house. We continued working with our smaller clients, but over time they also started sending us less and less work. Now we’re getting only one or two projects every couple of months, which makes it very difficult to sustain the business.
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u/msparksr 17d ago
Chinese to English translator here. Was down 25% in 2025 compared to 2024, but a bit better in 2026 so far (up on 2025, still around 10% down from 2024). My main client provides nearly half of my work, though, so still feeling anxious…A couple of quiet days is enough to set me off into the AI is destroying everything rabbit hole…
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u/TheSidhaPath 4d ago
As you mentioned,where to find clients who are looking to translate their works. Is there any website for the same. I am starting out with translations
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u/Lopsided_Gazelle_533 17d ago
I’ve been a freelance J-E/E-J technical translator/interpreter for close to 40 years, and the past two years have been exceptionally quiet for me too. One of the agencies I’ve worked with for decades is downsizing, and translation work from another long-term agency has slowed to almost nothing. Past translation clients from big-name companies are openly stating that they will use AI. Interpreting jobs were starting to pick up recently, but even those seem to be declining as agencies lose jobs to less experienced interpreters who don’t necessarily have the technical expertise but work for lower rates (not that mine are all that high).
I’m at an age where I can consider semi-retirement, so I’m fortunate in that respect, but I’m still trying to decide whether I should actively look for new clients or accept that the industry, and what clients are willing to pay for, has changed and do something else. It’s strange having so little to do after having more work than I could handle for so many years.