Slator has published the results of a recent reader poll, on topics such as payments for translation services in the future, LSPs’ busiest quarters of the year, predictions on LSP stock performance, and where vendor managers go to find freelance translation professionals.

From the section “How to Find Freelancers”:

Professional freelance linguists are the lifeblood of the language services industry. While translation marketplaces may serve their purpose, every LSP worth its salt will see it fit to build and maintain a core pool of freelancers — experts in their field and intimately familiar with specific client requirements.

A number of large buyers have recently opted out of using LSPs entirely, choosing to work instead with freelance talent. The EU Court of Justice, for example, despite having 600 “lawyer-linguists” on staff, issued a EUR 6m freelancer-only tender at the start of the year. Even the European Central Bank awarded 10 freelancers a place in its EUR 2.4m contract.

So where do vendor managers go to find freelance translators? Trade shows, according to 38% of respondents in a recent Slator poll. Others find linguists via ProZ (21%) and referrals (18%). Associations (7%) posted about even numbers as universities (7%).

See the full set of results >>