In July 2012, the European Commission’s DGT published “The Status of the Translation Profession in the European Union”, cautioning: Most of traditional status signals are failing…When the signals of status are weak or confusing, market disorder results and good translators may leave the market!“.

In January 2020, a survey published by Common Sense Advisory confirmed the risk of a large number of professionals leaving the market, given that 50% of translators today earn less than $20,000 (gross) p.a. and 20% of these earn less than $5,000.

To have wasted 10 years ignoring the EC’s warning, waiting in vain for better times, has been a serious mistake that should be recitified. The new decade shows no signs of providing solutions to old problems. On the contrary, it has brought new ones – of historic dimensions. Pause and think for a moment of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis, which is likely to push bilingual people (of whom there are 2 billion world-wide) looking for a job to pour like a tsunami into the translation market – which is notoriously devoid of barriers to entry.

It’s time to get serious about finding innovative solutions that solve problems old and new, that allow translators to regain their rightful professional status. Several areas of the sector have initiated changes, not least of which are the numerous training and marketing courses that have been designed, offered and often applied egregiously. However, what we are trying to do here is a action by the whole industry not just individuals or groups.

The TranslatorSpace project was conceived with this objective: starting from scientific data, to promote a “mass consultation” that investigates problems and finds solutions to be translated into practice within a new platform, developed to improve conditions for those who offer and/or request professional translations.

To reach these Solutions, the contribution of your personal experiences and ideas is required: read the short summary of the CHALLENGES to be faced on the Problems page and, if you want, offer your contribution by participating in the “Crowdsourcing of ideas” on the Way out page.