The New Zealand Society of Translators & Interpreters (NZSTI) has released a report on its first-ever survey covering rates and working conditions for language professionals.

“This report is the result of the most comprehensive survey of translators and interpreters ever conducted in New Zealand, marking a significant milestone for NZSTI and the wider language services sector,” NZSTI President Isabelle Poff-Pencole wrote in a foreword to the report. 

According to NZSTI, the report has several goals: to provide current and future translators and interpreters (T&Is) with clarity about the language industry; to foster a sense of unity among language professionals; and to collect accurate and up-to-date information about a rapidly evolving profession. 

The results provide a snapshot of the profession in a smaller market, at a time when experienced and qualified T&Is express passion for their work, along with doubts about and frustrations with the industry.

Participants — all voluntary — submitted their anonymized responses to the survey online between July to September 2024. Ultimately 362 New Zealand T&Is (58 translators, 186 interpreters, and 118 professionals who provide both translation and interpreting) covering more than 50 languages participated. (Respondents were able to provide answers for more than one language pair.) The majority of respondents were NZSTI members.

Demographically, about three out of four New Zealand T&Is are female, more than half are aged 40-59, and most are based in one of New Zealand’s major population centers, such as Auckland (50% of T&I respondents), Wellington (10%), and Christchurch (10%). 

Translators said they almost exclusively freelance, whereas interpreters are “highly likely” to be employees; those providing both services, unsurprisingly, tend to do both. But regardless of the setup, both translators and interpreters tend to earn less than NZD 60,000 (USD 34,290) annually.

Collectively, respondents reported that approximately 55% of their income comes from T&I, with those working as employees reporting an even lower percentage of their income deriving from such work. In other words, for T&Is working as employees, the majority of their income stems from another, non-T&I source. (The report did not detail whether employees worked full- or part-time.)

All Work and Low Pay

“Limited financial stability” emerged as one of five major themes in the survey and report. Interpreters said their rates have remained largely unchanged over the past five years, while translators noted a slight decrease in pay. Both groups are at least “somewhat dissatisfied” with rates.

“My rates have increased slightly over time, but only because I’ve picked up new clients at slightly higher rates. I don’t think that my rates have kept pace with inflation,” one respondent shared in a short-form answer. 

A combination of low pay and no employee benefits has led many T&Is to see the work less as a profession and more as a side gig or volunteering opportunity. 

“If you accept at current rates and subtract parking, mileage, travel time, and preparation time, it’s below minimum wage,” an interpreter wrote.

Emerging technologies are a double-edged sword. The vast majority of interpreters — 80.9% and 73.2%, respectively — offer telephonic interpreting and video remote interpreting, expanding their job prospects. Nearly two-thirds (63.8%) of translators use CAT tools, and nearly half (45.2%) use machine translation (MT). That is just over the 42.4% of translators who said they use generative AI.

While one translator said embracing technology has allowed them to increase output and become more profitable despite stagnant rates, others said they feel redundant, often limited to post-editing due to the influence of MT.

Rate Pressure

Participants did note satisfaction with their work, expressing that they feel they provide a valuable service that helps others. This sentiment, however, was not enough to outweigh complaints related to the interconnected issues of regulation, respect, and remuneration.

T&Is identified limited recognition and regulation as major factors that impact pay. Without standardized rates, for instance, agencies are free to set the terms of work engagements.

“Most agencies are totally unfair with the rates they offer. Obtaining [certification] has not raised the hourly rate through agencies,” one linguist explained. (This seems to track with only 25% of translators reporting being able to negotiate rates with agencies.)

An interpreter agreed that certification does not seem to pay, pointing out, “Certified interpreters are treated like amateur community interpreters, receiving the same rate with no priority for assignments.” 

It makes sense, then, that as of September 2024, interpreters reported holding certification through the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) for only one in three language pairs. Translators said they were NAATI-certified for fewer than one in four language pairs.

“The translation industry is going through interesting times. I’m not sure I would recommend it to a new starter,” one respondent admitted.

NZSTI President Isabelle Poff-Pencole told Slator, “The findings confirm what many in the profession already know – translators and interpreters often face low pay, inconsistent conditions, and a lack of industry recognition. This report is a wake-up call for better support and professionalization.”