For Surviving TranslatorsDisclaimer

(December 10, 2024)

Freelance translating for companies positioning themselves as agencies but acting as translation brokers has essentially come to an end. Freelancers might try to acquire clients that don't use AI, but only a small number will succeed.

The provision of content in the For Surviving Translators section of the website in no way implies that the author believes that more than a tiny portion of the working freelance translators at the time of this writing will be able to make a living translating after about mid-2027.

The introduction and use of machine translation (with or without the buzzword AI) by agencies is clearly already taking translation work away from freelance translators, and that will accelerate until it will make little sense for most translators to continue with translation, and it will make even less sense for students of Japanese language to expect to make a career out of translating.