Hello to the translators who want to keep winning in a market that’s changing faster than they’d like to admit.
This week I exchanged emails with a medical translator in Greece.
Eighteen years in the field. Mostly direct clients.
Yet every year the ground gets shakier.
Agencies in her market are throwing out offers at 0.04–0.06 EUR per word. That doesn’t seem like enough to keep the lights on… let alone run a professional business…
She’s watched good colleagues walk away.
Rates are under siege.
Clients think AI means instant, free translation.
She sees little collaboration among colleagues, no strong business mindset, and a growing “race to the bottom.”
She’s even thinking about adding a side income outside of translation.
Her big question to me: Is it worth the time to learn AI at a high level when you’re already battling low rates?
She’s already switched to thinking in hourly terms (even if she still quotes per word).
But she struggles to hit 20 EUR/hour.
She’s not convinced Greek gets the same AI support as bigger languages.
And she says ChatGPT “out of the box” just doesn’t cut it for her language.
Here’s what I told her.
Hoping the old way will save you is a losing bet.
The perceived value of our work is shifting.
For some language markets, it’s sliding fast.
You can’t stop it, but you can outpace it (for now, and then start building in more value).
That starts with knowing your true hourly rate and using it as your go/no-go filter.
I do this myself.
I work backwards from my minimum acceptable rate, then convert it to a client-friendly per-word or per-project number.
But negotiating harder only gets you so far.
The real game-changer is producing more value per hour without lowering your standards recklessly.
That’s where AI Mastery comes in.
Take my own work last week.
I used the GAIT workflow (Generative AI Iterative Translation) to translate a 5,700-word patent in four hours.
Even at lean rates, that’s over 60 EUR/hour.
If I’d been working in a turn-key post-editing mode, it could have been double.
(Correction: It wouldn’t have been double output on a patent… But it’s certainly possible with many types of content… and 5,700 words in 4 hours was already impressive!)
Besides, the goal isn’t raw speed—it’s sustaining 800 to 1,000 words per hour or more while delivering quality you’re proud to sign.
If you’re below that output, you’re not going to be competitive in very many markets now.
If AI competition is keeping you up at night, the answer isn’t to duck your head and hope the storm passes.
It’s to master the workflows that turn AI into your competitive edge.
As for Greek (or most any other language), the leap forward isn’t about the language model—it’s about process control.
You drive the AI, not the other way around.
Tools like CotranslatorAI and structured, micro-iterative methods like GAIT let you get professional results in any language.
The worst results happen when translators dump text into a black box and accept whatever comes back.
If you feel stuck between low offers and AI pressure, you’re not alone.
And you’re not powerless.
Here’s the full breakdown of GAIT, with testimonials from translators who are already using it to hit higher hourly rates:
https://cotranslatorai.com/
Want to see it live?
I’m hosting a free, in-depth webclass next Thursday.
Details here:
https://cotranslatorai.com/
AI isn’t the biggest threat.
Standing still is.
Take charge, and you can work faster, improve quality, and protect—or raise—your income.
Keep building.