Poll: Are you satisfied with your income as a translator? 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 translator?".
View the poll results »
| | | | | | | Yes, to a certain extent | Oct 20, 2015 |
If you count my pension from my full-time translating job, then I'd say that I'm fully satisfied.
| | | | tilak raj 
India
Local time: 08:01
Member (2012)
English to Punjabi
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| Yes to a certain extent | Oct 20, 2015 |
It is good job, I like to work. It gives satisfactory income.
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Natalie Soper
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:31
French to English
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But then, I'm still building up my client base - I only became freelance 7 months ago
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 04:31
Spanish to English
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I should really have put up my rates across the board a few years ago, but (and despite government claims to the contrary) Spain is taking a long time to recover from the 2008 economic crisis, so I have done my best to keep my rates affordable for clients. I managed to raise my basic rate 25% this year for two of my regulars though, which is nice.
| | | | Anthony Baldwin
United States
Local time: 22:31
Portuguese to English
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It's been a struggle since about 2008, when W flushed as all down the drain with his unpaid for wars and tax-cuts
(and almost nothing's got any better with O, either...Clearly, I'm American, although it's clear others have been affected by the stupidity here, too...sorry, I didn't vote for these morons).
I've barely raised rates since then, and am trying to raise them now,
and I get all kinds of whining from the agencies (but not so much from private clients).
All MY ex... See more It's been a struggle since about 2008, when W flushed as all down the drain with his unpaid for wars and tax-cuts
(and almost nothing's got any better with O, either...Clearly, I'm American, although it's clear others have been affected by the stupidity here, too...sorry, I didn't vote for these morons).
I've barely raised rates since then, and am trying to raise them now,
and I get all kinds of whining from the agencies (but not so much from private clients).
All MY expenses have increased!
I don't care about their whining anymore...
I work way too hard to be having trouble paying the electric bill, which has gone through the roof!
[Edited at 2015-10-20 13:09 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Yes, if it wasn't for the taxes and the payment delays...
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| Good months and bad months | Oct 20, 2015 |
I worry that I will have a difficult time becoming a millionaire through pure translation. I have been diversifying my income a little, in order to stave off the months of famine. I just started teaching Spanish classes in the local technical college and my app is starting to bring in clients (we just need to finalize the contract and I will have my first official client!). I also make about $10 a month from YouTube...
| | | | Paul Dixon
Brazil
Local time: 23:31
Portuguese to English
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| No, not at all | Oct 20, 2015 |
In Brazil, rates are very low and expenses (especially rents and taxes) are sky-high. Some lucky people get good incomes, but in general the situation in Brazil is very bad indeed.
| | | | DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
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| not with middlemen, direct only | Oct 20, 2015 |
When I worked as a translator/interpreter for some agencies (still a politically correct term, yep?), I could barely break-even after expenses and taxes, because they always tried to squeeze my payment to nil. Of course, sometimes there was a relatively generous client, but it was once per hundred (ahem!) greedy and unfair ones--no more than once or twice a year.
How come that similar (regarding the field, the difficulty, and the terms) projects are paid $3 and $20 per page?! How up... See more When I worked as a translator/interpreter for some agencies (still a politically correct term, yep?), I could barely break-even after expenses and taxes, because they always tried to squeeze my payment to nil. Of course, sometimes there was a relatively generous client, but it was once per hundred (ahem!) greedy and unfair ones--no more than once or twice a year.
How come that similar (regarding the field, the difficulty, and the terms) projects are paid $3 and $20 per page?! How upon the Earth one client is glad to pay $800+/h for interpreting and bonus while the other by all means wants to cut it down to under $200? Take it or leave it? Forget it.
I couldn't find the difference, nor feel satisfied with my job, until I started working with local/direct clients ONLY. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 23:31
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| Yes, but some things have to be settled | Oct 21, 2015 |
I'm very pleased with my income, but in order to offset the fact that I don't have annual leave, bonus payments, health plan, meal vouchers, severance fund, unemployment pay, and time counted for social security, I still have to increase it a bit to pay for these things in a private manner.
However, I would never ever return to an in-house job, because all these benefits do not offset the advantage of not having a boss, not having working hours and not having to drive to and from office ev... See more I'm very pleased with my income, but in order to offset the fact that I don't have annual leave, bonus payments, health plan, meal vouchers, severance fund, unemployment pay, and time counted for social security, I still have to increase it a bit to pay for these things in a private manner.
However, I would never ever return to an in-house job, because all these benefits do not offset the advantage of not having a boss, not having working hours and not having to drive to and from office every day. ▲ Collapse
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