How to recognize a translation scam

I’m sharing this email (see screenshot) as a reminder for fellow translators.

At first glance, it looks legitimate: academic content, claims of being from a well-known institution, and very attractive pay. But a closer look reveals several red flags:

🚩 Generic greeting (“Dear Linguist”)
🚩 Inconsistent capitalization and sender name
🚩 Vague project details and artificial urgency
🚩 Unrealistically high rates
🚩 No verifiable institutional email domain

Key takeaway: if an offer sounds too good to be true and lacks traceable details, pause and verify before responding.

Scams are becoming more sophisticated. Staying informed is part of protecting our profession.