Translator unions Audiovisual Translators Europe (AVTE) and Tramiti have called out multinational game service provider Keywords for ignoring their requests for collective bargaining.
Both organizations have accused Keywords of prioritizing the “the race for profit” over the needs of translation workers and claim their attempts to open a dialogue with the company to secure better compensation for freelance translators have been met with a “wall of silence.”
AVTE is an umbrella association representing national unions across Europe and beyond. Tramiti represents multimedia translators in Italy (mainly working in the subtitling and video game industries) and is a section of Italian union Acta.
In a lengthy post on the AVTE website, both claim Keywords has gained a competitive edge in the translation industry by “applying an aggressive profit-first logic” to the detriment of both internal employees and external contractors.
AVTE and Tramiti allege Keywords has essentially monopolized the translation industry through mergers and acquisitions, allowing the company to lowball workers with impunity.
“Keywords’ most harmful practice is the ‘merging & acquisition’ policy, in which they systematically absorb smaller and ‘more human’ companies, increasingly limiting the alternatives for those who would like to earn a living through translation,” reads the post.
Related:Unity developers will soon be able to bring games to Fortnite
“The culmination of this process was seen last summer: in preparation for Keywords’ acquisition by the equity fund EQT, 31 employees were laid off for no other reason than to increase the company’s already high profit margin. Keywords’ freelance collaborators, although not directly affected by the layoffs, are experiencing a continuous deterioration of their working conditions and compensation.”
Keywords accused of refusing to negotiate with translator unions over “rock-bottom rates”
More specifically, AVTE and Tramiti claim Keywords intentionally withholds work from inherited contractors on “decent rates” to avoid paying those fees. They also claim the company replaces translation workers who refuse to make their rates more “competitive” with inexperienced newcomers who are more willing to accept lower rates.
Keywords is also accused of luring translators in with the promise of experienced-based raises that never materialize, while also employing a “wholesaler approach” to contract work that theoretically allows contractors to take on more projects by accepting a lower rate. ATVE and Tramiti claim it’s an approach that only works on paper.
Related:Dispatch’s episodic format – alongside sharp storytelling – is key to its success
“In the past, some collaborators were persuaded to accept very low ‘entry-level’ rates with the prospect of periodic adjustments based on the newly-gained experience. However, these adjustments turned out to be negligible at first and then became practically non-negotiable. As a result, many freelancers with years of experience in the company are still working at entry-level rates, with a monthly income equivalent to that of an unskilled beginner,” continues the post.
“More recently, to justify its rock-bottom rates, Keywords adopted a ‘wholesaler approach.’ According to this logic, by accepting a lower rate, one can work on more projects (though no guarantee is provided in this regard), thus earning an equal or higher income. Artificial Intelligence plays a part in this approach too, since it would allegedly justify rates that are two-thirds of those for purely human translation, with the reasoning that the translator wouldn’t be starting from scratch. The problem is that, in the field of multimedia translation, the help of AI is far more hypothetical than real.”
AVTE and Tramiti say it’s a scenario that traps freelancers in a “vicious cycle” where they must overload their slate with poorly paid tasks—leaving them with no time or energy to seek out better opportunities.
Related:Lumines Arise developer Enhance is forever chasing God
To remedy the situation, ATVE and Tramiti emailed Keywords’ Resource Management on December 13 and December 20, 2024. After failing to hear back, both organizations followed up on February 3, 2025, but claim they were again met with silence.
In those messages, both unions say they outlined the difficulties members have encountered working with Keywords and offered to help the company find an “alternative business model” that prioritizes sustainability for both parties.
“More specifically, Tramiti requested that a minimum, fair rate for entry-level freelancers be set, one that is transparent and negotiable upwards, in order to prevent the exploitation of newcomers and unfair competition, as well as a reconsideration of the new automated project assignment system, which resembles the exploitative mechanisms used for riders and other gig-economy workers,” adds the post.
AVTE and Tramiti claim the company has yet to respond as of April 14, 2025. Game Developer has reached out to Keywords for comment.