| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Real job opportunities? Thread poster: Sarolta Lőrincz
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Hi dear fellow freelance translators,
In the past 1+ year I was constantly looking for work. Since Ai takeover you probably realized that there are far fewer opportunities for translators, there are no more long-term jobs and so on.
One thing I’ve noticed is that there are a few companies that are constantly advertising job openings, yet I never manage to land a position with them. Often, I get stuck right at the application stage due to some odd feature on their webs... See more Hi dear fellow freelance translators,
In the past 1+ year I was constantly looking for work. Since Ai takeover you probably realized that there are far fewer opportunities for translators, there are no more long-term jobs and so on.
One thing I’ve noticed is that there are a few companies that are constantly advertising job openings, yet I never manage to land a position with them. Often, I get stuck right at the application stage due to some odd feature on their website—or, even if I do manage to get through and get onboarded, I never end up getting assigned any projects.
My question for you is: is there anyone who has managed to work on at least one project with companies such as: Alignerr, Label, Crossing Hurdles, SME Careers, Cactus, Mercor, micro1, Outlier and so on.
Please let me know your experiences, how you navigate in this new, mostly Ai generated job-chaos ▲ Collapse
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I’ve never heard of those companies, perhaps because I’m not at all interested in feeding AI. Over the years I managed to build a small but faithful pool of clients who keep me working on human translation…
| | | | | I understand your pain | Oct 28 |
Hi Sarolta,
We are in the same boat. I used to have a regular stream of projects and now it is more challenging to say the least.
I am sure the good human clients are out there, I am not sure how to find them at the moment when the first wall we hit is a chat bot and not a human being.
I've heard and applied to some of the agencies you've mentioned, but haven't engaged into any project as yet either.
I hope things get better for all of us. We are in this tog... See more Hi Sarolta,
We are in the same boat. I used to have a regular stream of projects and now it is more challenging to say the least.
I am sure the good human clients are out there, I am not sure how to find them at the moment when the first wall we hit is a chat bot and not a human being.
I've heard and applied to some of the agencies you've mentioned, but haven't engaged into any project as yet either.
I hope things get better for all of us. We are in this together. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sarolta Lőrincz
Romania
Local time: 20:10
Romanian to Hungarian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Real job opportunities? | Oct 28 |
I think nobody is interested in feeding AI I see these companies when I am looking for jobs on several platforms, like LinkedIn and so on. They are constantly advertising jobs and I was never able to land one.
I am happy for you that you managed to create your client pool and continue with the human translation. I was also employed as a human translator for years, but as Ai gained ground the workload became smaller, so I had... See more I think nobody is interested in feeding AI I see these companies when I am looking for jobs on several platforms, like LinkedIn and so on. They are constantly advertising jobs and I was never able to land one.
I am happy for you that you managed to create your client pool and continue with the human translation. I was also employed as a human translator for years, but as Ai gained ground the workload became smaller, so I had to look for other jobs...
[Edited at 2026-10-28 09:06 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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dkfmmuc 
Local time: 19:10
German to English
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| Setting sails & Thank you for your trust in the community | Oct 28 |
Sarolta Lőrincz wrote:
Hi dear fellow freelance translators,
In the past 1+ year I was constantly looking for work. Since Ai takeover you probably realized that there are far fewer opportunities for translators, there are no more long-term jobs and so on.
Please let me know your experiences, how you navigate in this new, mostly Ai generated job-chaos
Dear Sarolta,
at first I would like to thank you for your trust in the proz.com community and for your honest contribution and the assessment of the market.
I appreciate this type of open communication. What you describe seems to be fact in many language pairs. It is definitely not your fault
The next steps should be taking a completely blank paper and write down the strengths you have learnt during starting the business. Language and attention to the detail are solid pillars for every employeer.
For example in contrast to many peers of your age group you have learnt to analyze, to concentrate on work for more than several minutes and don't have the short attention span of the tech add9cts.
So write down your strengths, many more than language, analyzing abilities, passion for language and people.
Then identify all business sectors where you may use these strengths. Some hints to "nudge" you:
+ Is there an airport nearby (1 h travel distance). Screen every type of company, public service etc. working there. From airlines through customs office, office staff of freight forwarders.
+ Any larger consulting company, law firm with international ties or doing business with clients abroad?
So you could begin looking for part-time job offers and then use your skills elsewhere. You can keep the translation as a side business, eg. don't cancel the tax number as freelancer etc..
For example in Germany I have the tax declaration on several forms. One the revenue as a translator / freelancer and then the other income.
This reduces the pressure to accept offers ba clients not willing to pay for translations adequately.
And again and the most important lesson repeated: It is definitely not you, it's the market and the decreasing language abilities of the population. Newspapers, news agencies, companies like Reuters, Bloomberg seem to face the same challenge.
So partially setting sails would be my idea how to try to navigate the market.
Best regards
| | | | | Re: Real job opportunities? | Oct 28 |
Hi Sarolta, I can't speak for those specific platforms, but in my experience the large pools of on-demand linguists often onboard far more people than they ever assign work to, so being onboarded and never getting a project is quite common. I would not rely on them as a main source of income. What tends to work better over time is a few direct clients or smaller agencies in a niche you know well, reached through targeted outreach and a clear profile. It is slower, but the work is more stable and... See more Hi Sarolta, I can't speak for those specific platforms, but in my experience the large pools of on-demand linguists often onboard far more people than they ever assign work to, so being onboarded and never getting a project is quite common. I would not rely on them as a main source of income. What tends to work better over time is a few direct clients or smaller agencies in a niche you know well, reached through targeted outreach and a clear profile. It is slower, but the work is more stable and better paid. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 19:10
English to German
+ ...
| sweatshop companies | Oct 28 |
Why on earth do professional translators even consider working for those peanut payers?
Here's what AI says about such firms: Yes, legally and operationally, these platforms are classified as digital sweatshops, "ghost work" hubs, or algorithmic piecework platforms by labor economists, human rights organizations, and investigative researchers.
While they lack physical brick-and-mortar factories, they rely on a global internet-based gig economy model that mirrors the core exploitative... See more Why on earth do professional translators even consider working for those peanut payers?
Here's what AI says about such firms: Yes, legally and operationally, these platforms are classified as digital sweatshops, "ghost work" hubs, or algorithmic piecework platforms by labor economists, human rights organizations, and investigative researchers.
While they lack physical brick-and-mortar factories, they rely on a global internet-based gig economy model that mirrors the core exploitative dynamics of historical sweatshops. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Peter Motte
Belgium
Local time: 19:10
Member (2009)
Dutch to Flemish
+ ...
| Another one of those stupid offers | Oct 28 |
On LinkedIn somebody send me a job offer to check the results of one of their programs, and they would pay me by giving me credits to use that program.
I refused, of course, mentioning my hourly rate.
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Peter Motte
Belgium
Local time: 19:10
Member (2009)
Dutch to Flemish
+ ...
| I think they are to be avoided | Oct 28 |
Sarolta Lőrincz wrote:
My question for you is: is there anyone who has managed to work on at least one project with companies such as: Alignerr, Label, Crossing Hurdles, SME Careers, Cactus, Mercor, micro1, Outlier and so on.
As far as I know those "companies" are to be avoided. It's not necessarily because they are scammers, but the offers are worthless
| | | | lihsia
France
Local time: 19:10
French to Chinese
+ ...
| Names like Alignerr, Label, Outlier, have very strong AI connotation... | Oct 28 |
In AI industry, we talk a lot of data labeling and alignment, esp. through reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF). As for the term "outlier," it is an essential statistical term that also serves as a fundamental concept in machine learning.
Mercor and micro1 seem to have very bad reputation. It seems that they either pay very low rates or use dishonest methods to collect your data under the guise of recruitment.
Check out these companies on LinkedIn.
[... See more In AI industry, we talk a lot of data labeling and alignment, esp. through reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF). As for the term "outlier," it is an essential statistical term that also serves as a fundamental concept in machine learning.
Mercor and micro1 seem to have very bad reputation. It seems that they either pay very low rates or use dishonest methods to collect your data under the guise of recruitment.
Check out these companies on LinkedIn.
[Modifié le 2026-10-28 13:40 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Peter Motte
Belgium
Local time: 19:10
Member (2009)
Dutch to Flemish
+ ...
| And what about this one? | Oct 28 |
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[Edited at 2026-10-28 19:50 GMT]
| | | | Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 13:10
Japanese to English
+ ...
| real job opportunities? | Oct 28 |
All of these platforms (linked-in, Mercor, Cactus) are notorious for giving out tiny jobs paid at a pittance and then stopping a project altogether. Some post jobs on proz.com.
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Sarolta Lőrincz
Romania
Local time: 20:10
Romanian to Hungarian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Maybe because we are running out of options?! :) | Oct 30 |
Zea_Mays wrote:
Why on earth do professional translators even consider working for those peanut payers?
Here's what AI says about such firms: Yes, legally and operationally, these platforms are classified as digital sweatshops, "ghost work" hubs, or algorithmic piecework platforms by labor economists, human rights organizations, and investigative researchers.
While they lack physical brick-and-mortar factories, they rely on a global internet-based gig economy model that mirrors the core exploitative dynamics of historical sweatshops.
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 19:10
English to German
+ ...
| no options? it's also a matter of dignity | Oct 30 |
Sarolta Lőrincz wrote:
Zea_Mays wrote:
Why on earth do professional translators even consider working for those peanut payers?
Here's what AI says about such firms: Yes, legally and operationally, these platforms are classified as digital sweatshops, "ghost work" hubs, or algorithmic piecework platforms by labor economists, human rights organizations, and investigative researchers.
While they lack physical brick-and-mortar factories, they rely on a global internet-based gig economy model that mirrors the core exploitative dynamics of historical sweatshops.
Maybe because we are running out of options?!
Is working for less than what a cashier earns really an option?
You'd earn way more and feel more dignified offering pet sitting, and that's no joke.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 19:10
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
If you are serious about freelancing, then you need an hourly rate that you have to earn on average to have a sustainable income. Those AI companies and other bottom-feeders offering ridiculous rates make it impossible to earn that amount of money. So how could they be an option?
The only option is finding customers that pay you enough money to make it. And if those customers are impossible to find, the only viable option is to put all your energy into finding another job.
... See more If you are serious about freelancing, then you need an hourly rate that you have to earn on average to have a sustainable income. Those AI companies and other bottom-feeders offering ridiculous rates make it impossible to earn that amount of money. So how could they be an option?
The only option is finding customers that pay you enough money to make it. And if those customers are impossible to find, the only viable option is to put all your energy into finding another job.
Working oneself into poverty should never be an option.
The times are challenging and I don't know how much longer I will be able to do this fulltime, but before the final whistle I will have worked exactly 0 minutes for bottom-feeders. Because it's pointless if you want to survive in this business. So why wasting any energy that you could use to steer your working life in a better direction? ▲ Collapse
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