| Pages in topic: [1 2 3 4 5] > | Poll: Are you satisfied with your income as a freelance translator/interpreter? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Are you satisfied with your income as a freelance translator/interpreter?".
This poll was originally submitted by Witold Chocholski. View the poll results »
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 03:20
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Yes, somewhat | Apr 21, 2015 |
Although after keeping my fees at turn-of-the-century rates for seven years now since the start of the economic crisis, I am now trying to raise them, especially for new clients. The cost of living is rising and I need to keep up.
| | | | Michael Harris 
Germany
Local time: 03:20
Member (2006)
German to English
pretty much.
It is just the tax office and the health service payments that I dislike!! But who does?
| | | | | The problem is the exchange rate | Apr 21, 2015 |
I was extremely happy with my income until the fall in the value of the euro (I live in the UK but earn 99% of my income in euros), which means that I now earn considerably less for the same volume of work than I did a couple of years ago.
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| Yes, somewhat! | Apr 21, 2015 |
If one can ignore the ups and downs that freelancing inevitably brings…
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Teresa Borges wrote:
If one can ignore the ups and downs that freelancing inevitably brings…
I'd be happier if I could keep a constant flow of work, rather than having peaks and valleys... but, all in all, I can't complain 
| | | | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 21:20
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| I just raised my rates for 2015... | Apr 21, 2015 |
... so we will see what happens.
| | | | Anthony Baldwin
United States
Local time: 21:20
Portuguese to English
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| My income would be fine | Apr 21, 2015 |
if my outgo didn't keep growing...
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Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 21:20
English to Spanish
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| Income: In it comes...out it goes | Apr 21, 2015 |
I'm satisfied that I have an income thanks to a sustainable business model. The income could be larger, of course.
On a related note, would I be on Proz if I were extremely satisfied with my income? No. Then again, I'm here for the polls.
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I only have one car, no Xbox One, no Playstation 4, and I am in desperate need of a new video card for my gaming computer...
Not to mention the total lack of furniture in our new house!
Seriously, though, I promised my wife that we would be millionaires by the time we turned 30. My 28th birthday is next week, and we're still about a million dollars short of the goal.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 21:20
English to Spanish
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Triston Goodwin wrote:
I only have one car, no Xbox One, no Playstation 4, and I am in desperate need of a new video card for my gaming computer...
Not to mention the total lack of furniture in our new house!
Seriously, though, I promised my wife that we would be millionaires by the time we turned 30. My 28th birthday is next week, and we're still about a million dollars short of the goal.
Did your wife marry you on the strength of that promise? Sorry, it had to be asked
Hopefully, you guys have IKEA nearby.
| | | | | I had to double check... | Apr 21, 2015 |
Mario Chavez wrote: Triston Goodwin wrote:
I only have one car, no Xbox One, no Playstation 4, and I am in desperate need of a new video card for my gaming computer...
Not to mention the total lack of furniture in our new house!
Seriously, though, I promised my wife that we would be millionaires by the time we turned 30. My 28th birthday is next week, and we're still about a million dollars short of the goal. Did your wife marry you on the strength of that promise? Sorry, it had to be asked Hopefully, you guys have IKEA nearby.
She said no, that she only married me because of my physique and charm - two more things I've lost since becoming a freelancer.
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DianeGM
Local time: 04:20
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
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If I just look at the bottom line then I think I'm somewhat satisfied ...
But it is not just the bottom line that matters to me.
What I can do with the time and money I have also matters to me and some things are just priceless: I do something I love, when I arrive at my computer at the time that I choose no-one is checking their watch or checking out what I am wearing, what I drive, etc. and there is never anyone standing over shoulder telling me to do something in a way I d... See more If I just look at the bottom line then I think I'm somewhat satisfied ...
But it is not just the bottom line that matters to me.
What I can do with the time and money I have also matters to me and some things are just priceless: I do something I love, when I arrive at my computer at the time that I choose no-one is checking their watch or checking out what I am wearing, what I drive, etc. and there is never anyone standing over shoulder telling me to do something in a way I don't think is correct or asking if I've finished X yet, etc.
If I add into the mix that I have never had to miss any of the important milestones I'm my kids' lives, or their sailing races, football games, etc., that I can go off sailing on a Tuesday,when there's perfect weather for it, I can stay out late for dinner with friends on a Thursday because I have flexibility in my schedule on Friday.
If I had to put a dollar value on those things I'd have to say that I'm definitely satisfied.
[Edited at 2015-04-22 05:46 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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If you had asked me 18 months ago, I would have said I was VERY satisfied. Since then, my three main clients have *dropped* their rates. I definitely see that some of the higher rates getting whittled down. Four colleagues have had similar experiences. For a while I held my ground, but after one client didn't send me anything for a couple of months I inquired and was told that they would give me more work if I dropped my rate, which I agreed to do. With another one I have a contract for x cents ... See more If you had asked me 18 months ago, I would have said I was VERY satisfied. Since then, my three main clients have *dropped* their rates. I definitely see that some of the higher rates getting whittled down. Four colleagues have had similar experiences. For a while I held my ground, but after one client didn't send me anything for a couple of months I inquired and was told that they would give me more work if I dropped my rate, which I agreed to do. With another one I have a contract for x cents a word, and they asked me to ignore the contract and accept x minus 3, which I refused to do. I still have plenty of work, but I'm working harder for less money. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Iouri Belov
Finland
Local time: 04:20
English to Russian
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I live in a student room in Finland and with my earnings from translation I cannot pay even half of the rent for this room. To say nothing of food, clothes, etc. I do not have any other income. Since 2007, when I left my last full-time job, I have been living in poverty.
[Редактировалось 2015-04-26 18:22 GMT]
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