Translators do not have the same status of other freelance professionals and consultants. Clients who would never question an accountant's or a lawyer's bill may reject a translator's quote in horror, and then rush to ask for the help of 'that nephew of mine who spent a month in Rome'.

Translators do not have an official register; nobody requires a language or translation degree, and everybody is free to try and offer to do a job. On one hand, this favours talented people who are willing to learn; on the other hand, it fills the world with the obscene translations that each one of us, sooner or later, had the misfortune to encounter on a product label, in a handbook or even in a novel.

To translate, one needs to master two languages - first of all their own, because being a native speaker does not necessarily mean being able to write perfectly in one's own language. Translating is not the same as being able to understand the general meaning of a foreign text, or to read it quickly. I assure you that even a person who is proficient at a foreign language will need several hours of toil to produce a decent translation of a single page.

A professional translator, instead, runs her eyes over the screen while she types lines and lines of text, for many hours a day. But skills, experience and speed should be paid. Those who ask for a perfect translation in no time and want it cheap should try for themselves, at least once.