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How can you survive as a translator in Italy?
Thread poster: lesley haigh
lesley haigh
lesley haigh
Italy
Local time: 21:46
Italian to English
+ ...
Sep 11, 2003

Hello

I live in Italy and I started working as a translator a few months ago. I really love the work but I'm finding it difficult to survive financially.
At the moment I am working as "occasionale" an Italian way of working whereby I just have to give a receipt for my work and 20% is deducted for tax purposes. This system is changing and it will be impossible for me to continue working this way next year and I'll have to get a VAT number. This means that with the various ta... See more
Hello

I live in Italy and I started working as a translator a few months ago. I really love the work but I'm finding it difficult to survive financially.
At the moment I am working as "occasionale" an Italian way of working whereby I just have to give a receipt for my work and 20% is deducted for tax purposes. This system is changing and it will be impossible for me to continue working this way next year and I'll have to get a VAT number. This means that with the various taxes and contributions I have to take off around 40% from my earnings.
How does everyone else manage in Italy?
I find that on avarage the pay is of Eur 10-11 per page - is this right or am I underpaid? (language pair Italian -English)
As I am bilingual Italian/English and I have also got a degree in French I am thinking about starting to work with agencies abroad because apparently they pay more. Is this true?
Any suggestions on how to find serious agncies abroad?

Thank you for your help!
Lesley ▲ Collapse
 
Egmont
Egmont
Spain
Local time: 21:46
Afrikaans to Spanish
+ ...
agencies abroad... Sep 11, 2003

lesley haigh wrote:

Hello

I live in Italy and I started working as a translator a few months ago. I really love the work but I'm finding it difficult to survive financially.
At the moment I am working as "occasionale" an Italian way of working whereby I just have to give a receipt for my work and 20% is deducted for tax purposes. This system is changing and it will be impossible for me to continue working this way next year and I'll have to get a VAT number. This means that with the various taxes and contributions I have to take off around 40% from my earnings.
How does everyone else manage in Italy?
I find that on avarage the pay is of Eur 10-11 per page - is this right or am I underpaid? (language pair Italian -English)
As I am bilingual Italian/English and I have also got a degree in French I am thinking about starting to work with agencies abroad because apparently they pay more. Is this true?
Any suggestions on how to find serious agncies abroad?

Thank you for your help!
Lesley

I prefer the UK, USA, CH and DE agencies according to my experience since 1973...and not the IT, FR and ES anyway!!!
 
CMJ_Trans (X)
CMJ_Trans (X)
Local time: 21:46
French to English
+ ...
Italian rates seem cheap to me! Sep 11, 2003

For your interest, I commission work as well as doing large quantities for myself and the agency I work with in Italy gives me good quality work at very reasonable prices compared to what I have to pay in France/Germany (for the same texts but into another language).
From the figure you quote and from this experience, I would say that you are right in your assumption about prices/rates.
HTH
Chris
 
lien
lien
Netherlands
Local time: 21:46
English to French
+ ...
Translators' association Sep 12, 2003

lesley haigh wrote:

Hello
How does everyone else manage in Italy?
I find that on avarage the pay is of Eur 10-11 per page - is this right or am I underpaid? (language pair Italian -English)

You should first find on the internet the site for the translators in Italy ans be a member, so you will know what's going on. There you can find the currants prices for translation. I know that each country has one.
11 euros/page is too low. Look at this URL

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:1KcxQaMqmIEJ:www.atlf.org/documents/remuneration2002.pdf%20traducteurs-littéraires&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
 


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How can you survive as a translator in Italy?







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