I continue to see freelance translators characterize their work for translation agencies (resellers) as “collaboration.”
The use of this agency-promoted term greatly mischaracterizes the translator-agency relationship in most cases.
In the majority of cases—probably almost all cases—translators are not involved in collaboration with translation agencies anymore than a chicken is involved in collaboration with a poultry farmer when it lays an egg.
Just as poultry farmers cannot lay eggs themselves, translation agencies rarely have any translation capability. That’s why they purchase translations for resale.
And the very etymology of the word collaboration should show translators that it is inappropriate. The term collaboration is promoted by agencies to give freelancers a warm feeling that they’re a partner with an agency in a concerted effort to translate. That is very rarely the case.
I would never presume to be collaborating with my direct clients. I sell them translations, which they, just like translation agencies, are incapable of doing themselves.
For the small number of freelancers who might survive, I recommend discarding the term collaboration, as it hinders your own self-image as the owner of the translation process.