| Các trang trong chủ đề: [1 2] > | Poll: How long did it take you to be satisfied with the money you earn as a Freelance? Người gửi thông tin lên tuyến đoạn: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How long did it take you to be satisfied with the money you earn as a Freelance?".
This poll was originally submitted by Duilio Pintagro. View the poll results »
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When I started out translating full-time some 35 years ago (in 1986), I had just a single excellent client: a Belgian translation agency who gave me regular work (circa 150 pages every month) very well paid and on time until after one year suddenly for no fault of mine their contract was cancelled and I found myself with almost no work. I learned my lesson the hard way, had to start again and it took me two more years. 35 years later, I still go thorough ups and downs (thankfully more ups than d... See more When I started out translating full-time some 35 years ago (in 1986), I had just a single excellent client: a Belgian translation agency who gave me regular work (circa 150 pages every month) very well paid and on time until after one year suddenly for no fault of mine their contract was cancelled and I found myself with almost no work. I learned my lesson the hard way, had to start again and it took me two more years. 35 years later, I still go thorough ups and downs (thankfully more ups than downs) but I’m quite satisfied with what I've got. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Freitas 
Braxin
Local time: 21:36
Thành viên kể từ 2014
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| A few months. | Mar 28, 2021 |
I worked in-house for 20 long years, regrettably, and during this time, translating was an "extra". A few months after I decided to give up the in-house carreer and dedicate myself to translation full time, my income simply doubled. I should have done that many years earlier.
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I was happy as soon as the first payments started rolling in.
Having been an impoverished student for five years, my £15k in-house salary had felt like a fortune (this was 1993), but when I went solo after four months I doubled that instantly.
I started by getting work from the translators who had taught me on my postgraduate course and from my former employer and their sister companies, and I was mostly busy from day one. It was a few months before I landed my first... See more I was happy as soon as the first payments started rolling in.
Having been an impoverished student for five years, my £15k in-house salary had felt like a fortune (this was 1993), but when I went solo after four months I doubled that instantly.
I started by getting work from the translators who had taught me on my postgraduate course and from my former employer and their sister companies, and I was mostly busy from day one. It was a few months before I landed my first regular agency client where I had no connections. After 18 months I took on my first employee.
I’m sure this is the exception, but it’s proof it can happen. It also shows the importance of meeting people and using your connections. Even if you’re cripplingly shy, hideously ugly and apocalyptically smelly, it’s going to be so much better than mailing out a million CVs. ▲ Collapse
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Dan Lucas
Vương Quốc Anh
Local time: 00:36
Thành viên kể từ 2014
Japanese to English
Chris S wrote:
Even if you’re cripplingly shy, hideously ugly and apocalyptically smelly, it’s going to be so much better than mailing out a million CVs.
I think you're being a bit hard on yourself there, Chris.
I mean, I wouldn't say you're cripplingly shy.
Surely "satisfied" is going to vary depending not only on character, but also on the point your career is at, the fluctuating demands on your finances, the economic situation and so on. As a rule of thumb for a skilled professional, if you're making between 1x and 2x the median income for your country (assuming not much in the way of work-related outgoings) within a couple of years of starting, you're doing all right, I reckon. But then for many people hedonic adaptation kicks in, and they want more.
For the ambitious, in the UK/EU/US, I'd say a six-figure revenue figure before tax and (hopefully modest) expenses is a decent stretch target.
Dan
[Edited at 2021-03-29 10:34 GMT]
| | | | | Still not satisfied | Mar 29, 2021 |
Six years of translation (mostly subtitling) and I'm still not earning enough. My work often receives praises, but rarely do I find clients ready to actually pay for quality. I don't know how you guys did it.
| | | | | It's not about the money | Mar 29, 2021 |
It's really not about how much I make, it's about how many hours I need to work to get what I think is a decent income. I used to work 10-12 hours a day Monday to Friday, and lots of weekends, now I work around 6 hours a day, hardly ever on a weekend, and I make about as much. I could work 10 hours a day and earn a lot more money, sure, but I wouldn't have time for my family.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Hà Lan
Local time: 01:36
Thành viên kể từ 2006
English to Afrikaans
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I had been a full-time in-house translator for 5 years before I had enough freelance clients to allow me to become a full-time freelance translator, and even then I had to pinch pennies for about 3 years. Before I was an in-house translator, I tried for 2 years to be a freelance translator, but things didn't really pan out. ProZ.com didn't really exist in those days (it was Aquarius and Glenn's Guide) and I hadn't realized that I should have focused on international clientele (foreign clients... See more I had been a full-time in-house translator for 5 years before I had enough freelance clients to allow me to become a full-time freelance translator, and even then I had to pinch pennies for about 3 years. Before I was an in-house translator, I tried for 2 years to be a freelance translator, but things didn't really pan out. ProZ.com didn't really exist in those days (it was Aquarius and Glenn's Guide) and I hadn't realized that I should have focused on international clientele (foreign clients happily paid 20 times as much as the local ones were willing to).
[Edited at 2021-03-29 18:21 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Muriel Vasconcellos
Hoa Kỳ
Local time: 16:36
Thành viên kể từ 2003
Spanish to English
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| Less than a year | Mar 30, 2021 |
Like Mario, I was an in-house translator. I had work waiting for me the day I resigned and launched my freelance business. I already had contracts lined up with other organizations as well as a large two-year project from my previous employer. That was in 1994 and I haven't stopped since.
| | | | Mario Freitas
Braxin
Local time: 21:36
Thành viên kể từ 2014
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Jocelin Meunier wrote:
Six years of translation (mostly subtitling) and I'm still not earning enough. My work often receives praises, but rarely do I find clients ready to actually pay for quality. I don't know how you guys did it.
You should have found out by now that people who stick to subtitling and/or publishers will never reach this level. Most experienced translators drop the subtitling, publishers, and accademic jobs, invest in document translation, and leave these peanut paying areas to the newbies.
| | | | Dan Lucas
Vương Quốc Anh
Local time: 00:36
Thành viên kể từ 2014
Japanese to English
| That's what I heard | Mar 31, 2021 |
Mario Freitas wrote:
You should have found out by now that people who stick to subtitling and/or publishers will never reach this level.
As Jocelin and I have had our disagreements in the past, I didn't want to say anything for fear it being misinterpreted as me intentionally provoking Jocelin, but I agree with Mario.
At a workshop held a couple of years ago by the UK association for my language pair, we had a presentation from someone who did a lot of subtitling (and there was one other experienced subtitler in the audience). It was full of tips from somebody who was working on the front line, with plenty of back and forth between the speaker and the audience. It was very educational and in that sense a really good introduction to the job, actually.
I had a few questions, but when I heard how much subtitlers in our pair were being paid, the only thing I could bring myself to ask was "Why on earth do you do it?". I think in her case it was that she had worked in broadcasting and just kind of fell into it. But it seemed very badly paid for such skilful and finicky work.
I resolved on that day to avoid subtitling unless desperate. So in that sense, Jocelin, it's not you that's the problem, it's the area of work you're doing.
Dan
| | | | | I used to be | Mar 31, 2021 |
Now the situation changed, less orders, none from my field. I have to be a teacher most of time.
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@Dan: If this can reassure you, know that I do not disagree with that. Subtitling really is a severely underpaid area, this is undeniable. There are of course good clients, but they tend to keep a very low profile about what they offer. I love what I do, so I still try to do subtitling AND live off of it.
Now I think this is where our disagreements came from: I believe translation rates should be regulated, so that no area is paid peanuts, but this could bring further constraints.
| | | | kezia Lago
Braxin
Local time: 21:36
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I just star now, but I would like working for many years, because I love translation texts.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Hà Lan
Local time: 01:36
Thành viên kể từ 2006
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
kezia Lago wrote:
I just star now, but I would like working for many years, because I love translation texts.
If you post comments in the forums, remember: clients and colleagues will be able to see what you wrote in future years, and while they may be tolerant to the occasional typo, you should try to write in the forum as if the forum is an advertisement for your services. And you can't edit your posts (and fix typing errors) after 24 hours have passed.
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