At the very least, it doesn’t seem a bad gig to get into.  Several blogging translators say they’ve seen little to no difference in their volume–Ryan Ginstrom at the GITS blog is full up with work.  I love hearing this from Ryan in particular as he works in the language pairing I’m aiming for, Japanese -> English.

What is it that makes translation so stable in unstable times?  I have a couple of guesses.  First, some services are needed no matter the economy.  This is especially true for specializations such as legal and medical translation, and maybe even business translation.  You might be translating bankruptcy proceedings instead of straight lawsuits, but hey, it’s work.

Second, some governments and municipalities may turn to translation to help bring in tourists bearing euros and other strong currencies.  This summer there were tons of European tourists in San Francisco and many were carrying city guides provided by their hotel, translated into their native tongue.

These two things can’t possibly be it though.  If there are any translators out there, what kinds of jobs have kept you busy over the last few months?  What am I missing?  Let me know in the comments.