| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | The life of a freelancer Thread poster: OffMag
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OffMag 
France
Local time: 06:43
German to French
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To be a freelancer or not ? Here's my view on the subject (what's yours?) :
http://www.leblogdelamirabelle.net/38/sans-deesse-ni-maitre-freedom-and-bubblegum/
"Ah to be a freelancer. Pure bliss. Ok maybe not. Let’s stay real.
There are surprising ... See more To be a freelancer or not ? Here's my view on the subject (what's yours?) :
http://www.leblogdelamirabelle.net/38/sans-deesse-ni-maitre-freedom-and-bubblegum/
"Ah to be a freelancer. Pure bliss. Ok maybe not. Let’s stay real.
There are surprising moments: from the local police who keeps you a whole day to interprete between the arrival of the psychologist and fingerprints recording, the court sending you a bunch of documents to translate pretty fast, the clueless "
I would be lad if this little article inspired you to discuss the topics I introduce.
It would be nice to have a list of links concerning non commercial blogs like mine dealing with translation! Feel free to add yours. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule |
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Claudio Porcellana (X)
Italy
| The life of a freelancer | Dec 2, 2009 |
freelancer as opposite to employed ?
it's a living choice, to me
and I'm born to be free ...
;-D
Claudio
| | | | OffMag
France
Local time: 06:43
German to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Yes exactly
The freedom is a major point.
Drawbacks are evidently the lousy income :-/ Unless you are specialized in technical or legal fields.
[Edited at 2009-12-03 12:04 GMT]
| | | | Kay Barbara
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:43
Member (2008)
English to German
+ ...
| Well put, Claudio | Dec 3, 2009 |
Claudio Porcellana wrote:
d I'm born to be free ...
Claudio [/quote]
Spot on! Flexibility and freedom are important factors for me as well. But there is also a good measure of idealism in it for me (game translations have not been particularly renowned for their quality in the past (and still aren't)).
However, you don't need to go technical/legal to earn good money. I would say everyone creates their own luck (to a certain extent)
| | | | OffMag
France
Local time: 06:43
German to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Yes but it takes years to have a decent income if you are specialized in let's say tourism, literature, art, movies...
All around me I hear translators complaining about their income.
Not surprising when you see the rates most agencies pay.
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pcovs
Denmark
Local time: 06:43
English to Danish
| Freedom and responsibility | Dec 3, 2009 |
The extreme freedom is a dominant factor for me, but with it comes extreme responsibility, which is not for everyone to live up to.
To make it as a freelancer, IMO:
You must be able to administre the freedom it gives you so that you will still get your work done and do enough of it to make a living.
You must also be strong enough to demand a decent rateYou must be able to administre the freedom it gives you so that you will still get your work done and do enough of it to make a living.
You must also be strong enough to demand a decent rate for your work, otherwise you will be out of business the instant you want to have some spare time, because you simply cannot afford to.
You must be confident enough to spend idle times on improving yourself, taking time off enjoying yourself or whatever makes you feel good, without getting that feeling of despair that you will now go out of business for sure.
You must have enough self control not to spend every dime you have in your account, simply because it's there. If you have a good month earning a lot, save the surplus for an idle month. Then you won't have to desparately search for work and end up taking every ridiculously low paying job you come across.
To me, freelancing is everything - I love it, I have never regretted it, and I will never go back - not even on the hard days ;o) ▲ Collapse
| | | | OffMag
France
Local time: 06:43
German to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER |
well, in theory... but when you are very busy (and I'm always busy... lol) and you work 10 hours a day, where's the freedom? Sure, I don't have to wear a suite or go to an office, but I don't have any paid holidays or company's pension contributions and my work is always here with me... can't leave it in the office... and no free week-ends either, especially if you have a family to support and a mortgage to pay...
| | | | | Completely agree!! | Dec 3, 2009 |
PCovs wrote:
The extreme freedom is a dominant factor for me, but with it comes extreme responsibility, which is not for everyone to live up to.
I completely agree with this. Well said!
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Kay Barbara
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:43
Member (2008)
English to German
+ ...
| For me, this works in reality too | Dec 3, 2009 |
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
well, in theory... but when you are very busy (and I'm always busy... lol) and you work 10 hours a day, where's the freedom? Sure, I don't have to wear a suite or go to an office, but I don't have any paid holidays or company's pension contributions and my work is always here with me... can't leave it in the office... and no free week-ends either, especially if you have a family to support and a mortgage to pay...
Good point: wearing a suit is something I prefer not to do, either
I could take 50 (or any amount I can cope with financially) days of holiday a year and still be very busy the rest of the time. If you have loyal and satisfied clients, they will be happy when you are back from your holidays. I do work on weekends, too, but I see this as part of my freedom as well (more over grocery shopping on, say, tuesday late mornings is so much more relaxed!).
Giovanni, you seem to have chosen to work (i.e. you accept jobs) 10h day in day out (and that's cool with me), but no one (except yourself) made you do this. If you do this to support a family and/or pay a mortgage, that's a great motivation, however one could argue that you could still work less and raise rates (or buy a smaller house (-: )
Don't go freelance if you can't enjoy it...
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Kay Barbara, Dipl.-Übersetzer wrote: Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
well, in theory... but when you are very busy (and I'm always busy... lol) and you work 10 hours a day, where's the freedom? Sure, I don't have to wear a suite or go to an office, but I don't have any paid holidays or company's pension contributions and my work is always here with me... can't leave it in the office... and no free week-ends either, especially if you have a family to support and a mortgage to pay... Good point: wearing a suit is something I prefer not to do, either I could take 50 (or any amount I can cope with financially) days of holiday a year and still be very busy the rest of the time. If you have loyal and satisfied clients, they will be happy when you are back from your holidays. I do work on weekends, too, but I see this as part of my freedom as well (more over grocery shopping on, say, tuesday late mornings is so much more relaxed!). Giovanni, you seem to have chosen to work (i.e. you accept jobs) 10h day in day out (and that's cool with me), but no one (except yourself) made you do this. If you do this to support a family and/or pay a mortgage, that's a great motivation, however one could argue that you could still work less and raise rates (or buy a smaller house (-: ) Don't go freelance if you can't enjoy it...
I do do it to support my family and pay the mortgage... I'd like to work less and have more holidays... my rates are more than satisfactory and I doubt I could raise them even more... I'll just have to wait until the kids are all grown-up and then I will be able to work less...
I don't know if my situation is typical... I suppose if you are single, freelancing makes more sense... having said that, freelancing gives me the chance to look after my children better when my wife is at work...
Don't go freelance if you can't enjoy it...
wise words...
| | | | Stephanie Gibbs (X)
Sweden
Local time: 06:43
French to English
+ ...
| freelancing highpoints | Dec 4, 2009 |
I started freelancing about five years ago, and while I sometimes hanker after the security of regular employment, I think in reality I'd have some trouble fitting into the office routine.
Some things I enjoy about being a freelancer:
being able to do my Christmas shopping on a weekday morning instead of the insanity of a Saturday
belting out music in my office (currently some Bach cello suites, but usually something more like the Pixies)
politely turning down jobs... See more I started freelancing about five years ago, and while I sometimes hanker after the security of regular employment, I think in reality I'd have some trouble fitting into the office routine.
Some things I enjoy about being a freelancer:
being able to do my Christmas shopping on a weekday morning instead of the insanity of a Saturday
belting out music in my office (currently some Bach cello suites, but usually something more like the Pixies)
politely turning down jobs that will make my life hell (either rush jobs or subjects I know nothing about)
setting my rates in relation to what my actual living costs are. Now, I know that when you work with agencies, this can be tough but it's not impossible. you are you're own boss, so you get to choose your clients: hard work at first, but endlessly rewarding.
Stef ▲ Collapse
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