| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Poll: Is it possible to support a family on a full time freelance translator's income? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Tim Drayton 
Cyprus
Local time: 17:50
Turkish to English
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| Re: above post | Jan 15, 2013 |
As with most of these questions, it all depends on interpretation. Looking at things from a different angle, if even only one person on the planet manages to support a family on a translator's income, then yes, it is possible. And undoubtedly at least one person is doing that!
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Since I´ve got a full-time freelance translator, I can support my family easely. And I can help my family in all. Money, looking my grand-mother, etc.
| | | | Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 08:50
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
No with the post-edition saga we see these days.
| | | | | Where you live counts | Jan 15, 2013 |
Caroline Lakey wrote:
Yes, it's definitely possible - I've been supporting our family of 2 + 1 (plus 2 step-children with us half the time) for 4 years now. We live a lifestyle which suits us perfectly in a smallish town. Obviously, in a large city costs would be higher and it would be more difficult.
Although French social contributions for the self-employed are sky-high, childcare is heavily subsidised which makes a real difference.
All sorts of factors come into play. The short answer for me would be, yes, it is possible. It all depends on what your general living overheads are and how regular your source of income (not just source of work, but regularity of money coming in) actually is. Of course it is possible. Thank goodness it is.
Now living in a small town is keeping my costs down in terms of transport. Previously living in the country meant being taxi to my (then) younger children. Lots of time in the car as we were on no bus routes for schools nor for shopping. That took and wasted money and time. Childcare is subsidized and compared to family in the UK, it is wonderfully available and cheap. Never the less, again, when living in the country, time and transport really ate into my availability. Although I prefer country living, with teenage children using now available public transport, time has increased and transport costs have bottomed out! Also, oddly enough, we have more house for less money. The Breton Riviera is not cheap, the Loire Valley is cheaper!
[Edited at 2013-01-15 17:48 GMT]
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While working in-house, I made a respectable amount of money for some one that had not yet graduated from college. I was laid off in September of 2011 and have been working as a freelancer ever since.
I almost never see any actual numbers when it comes to these topics, so I will throw mine out.
I made $27,000 a year as an in-house interpreter.
Last year I made about $26,000 as a freelancer.
This year, based on my current earnings and rate of g... See more While working in-house, I made a respectable amount of money for some one that had not yet graduated from college. I was laid off in September of 2011 and have been working as a freelancer ever since.
I almost never see any actual numbers when it comes to these topics, so I will throw mine out.
I made $27,000 a year as an in-house interpreter.
Last year I made about $26,000 as a freelancer.
This year, based on my current earnings and rate of growth, I expect to make about $32,000, a 19% increase.
My current monthly expenses are $1,432, though I plan to bring that down to about $1,000 over the next few months. This includes all my bills, food and transportation.
I owe $10,000 on my house and $1,700 on my car (a 2005 Hyundai Sonata, which I lovingly refer to as "la bestia"), after which both are free and clear.
My extra expenses during 2012 were plane tickets to bring my wife to the US from Argentina, Visa paper work, a wedding, and now green card paperwork. My school work was paid for in scholarships and grants, which I did not include in my figures.
I have begun the process of opening my own translation agency. We currently sub-contract through another agency and cover some of the medical interpreting here in the St. Louis, Missouri area, we have two main competitors that have been around for a very long time and are very well established, but they mainly focus on interpreting, while we focus on translation. My earnings estimate also includes payments made to translators through the agency.
I am also currently studying business administration and international law in order to augment the business, meaning that in addition to working, I am also going to school full time.
The latest statistics from our government (so take them with a grain of salt), show a large increase in the translation industry over the next 7 years, and also state that I am far below the median earnings, which I contribute to my relative short amount of time as a freelancer ( http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Media-and-Communication/Interpreters-and-translators.htm ).
I hope that provides some helpful information, not only of what is possible, but what this translator is actually doing.
[Edited at 2013-01-15 19:17 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tobias Ernst
Germany
Local time: 16:50
Member (2004)
English to German
+ ...
| It is and is must. | Jan 15, 2013 |
What a question. Of course it is possible. And if, after the first three years of full-time freelancing, it is not possible for anyone, that anyone should get out of business. They are making life harder for those who actually have to support a family.
The problem of low rates is not created by agencies, clients, or ProZ. It is created by too many fellow translators who are not able to do business calculations and name and defend the rates they need to achieve in order to support th... See more What a question. Of course it is possible. And if, after the first three years of full-time freelancing, it is not possible for anyone, that anyone should get out of business. They are making life harder for those who actually have to support a family.
The problem of low rates is not created by agencies, clients, or ProZ. It is created by too many fellow translators who are not able to do business calculations and name and defend the rates they need to achieve in order to support their families.
So please - either make a living with translation, or translate for a good cause for free. But selling translations commercially at rates at which you can't make a living in your country is not only doing harm to yourself, but doing harm to everyone else in the market.
Tobias, father of three, from a high-cost country
[Bearbeitet am 2013-01-15 20:12 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 15:50
Tobias Ernst wrote:
The problem of low rates is not created by agencies, clients, or ProZ. It is created by too many fellow translators who are not able to do business calculations and name and defend the rates they need to achieve in order to support their families.
So please - either make a living with translation, or translate for a good cause for free. But selling translations commercially at rates at which you can't make a living in your country is not only doing harm to yourself, but doing harm to everyone else in the market.
[Bearbeitet am 2013-01-15 20:12 GMT]
Nothing to add to that, really.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 10:50
English to Spanish
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| Nothing like facts | Jan 15, 2013 |
Triston Goodwin wrote:
While working in-house, I made a respectable amount of money for some one that had not yet graduated from college. I was laid off in September of 2011 and have been working as a freelancer ever since.
I almost never see any actual numbers when it comes to these topics, so I will throw mine out.
I made $27,000 a year as an in-house interpreter.
Last year I made about $26,000 as a freelancer.
This year, based on my current earnings and rate of growth, I expect to make about $32,000, a 19% increase.
My current monthly expenses are $1,432, though I plan to bring that down to about $1,000 over the next few months. This includes all my bills, food and transportation.
I owe $10,000 on my house and $1,700 on my car (a 2005 Hyundai Sonata, which I lovingly refer to as "la bestia"), after which both are free and clear.
Well put, Tristan. However, here's my question: do your earnings support two adults? Regardless, congratulations on living within your means!
Mario
Westlake, OH
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Mario Chavez wrote: Triston Goodwin wrote:
While working in-house, I made a respectable amount of money for some one that had not yet graduated from college. I was laid off in September of 2011 and have been working as a freelancer ever since.
I almost never see any actual numbers when it comes to these topics, so I will throw mine out.
I made $27,000 a year as an in-house interpreter.
Last year I made about $26,000 as a freelancer.
This year, based on my current earnings and rate of growth, I expect to make about $32,000, a 19% increase.
My current monthly expenses are $1,432, though I plan to bring that down to about $1,000 over the next few months. This includes all my bills, food and transportation.
I owe $10,000 on my house and $1,700 on my car (a 2005 Hyundai Sonata, which I lovingly refer to as "la bestia"), after which both are free and clear. Well put, Tristan. However, here's my question: do your earnings support two adults? Regardless, congratulations on living within your means! Mario Westlake, OH
Both my wife and I live off my income. My wife has started working as a professional photographer, so she's already contributing to this year. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little jealous, it took me months to get established to win my first projects, she started two weeks ago and has already had half a dozen sessions. I guess I'm putting her in charge of marketing ^_^
| | | | Dan Ilioiu
Romania
Local time: 17:50
English to Romanian
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| The answer is yes | Jan 16, 2013 |
I answered yes, me and my wife are both working as freelancer translators. I lost my job in march 2012 and since than we are going on our own. There is a certain reduction in the spending, but mostly bad spending. We are lucky not to have any credit or mortgage. We have a child, 5 years old. We live in Romania.
It's harder than being employed but is more sane.
Rant: I wonder what's wrong with the people that cannot answer a simple question. Of course it depends o... See more I answered yes, me and my wife are both working as freelancer translators. I lost my job in march 2012 and since than we are going on our own. There is a certain reduction in the spending, but mostly bad spending. We are lucky not to have any credit or mortgage. We have a child, 5 years old. We live in Romania.
It's harder than being employed but is more sane.
Rant: I wonder what's wrong with the people that cannot answer a simple question. Of course it depends on a lot of matters but hey, you don't have to give the definitive answer, valid for all known and unknown worlds!. Just answer the poll, taking into account as many factors as you want. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tobias Ernst
Germany
Local time: 16:50
Member (2004)
English to German
+ ...
congratulations on your openness. I am not very keen on publishing my own figures, but let me say that you are probably better off then some, but your goal should definitely be to reach higher figures over time.
Have you thought about pensions and social security? I am not well informed about the situation in the U.S., but in Germany, you can't compare net or even gross income of an employee to freelance profit. You have to earn a lot more as a freelancer in order to reach at least... See more congratulations on your openness. I am not very keen on publishing my own figures, but let me say that you are probably better off then some, but your goal should definitely be to reach higher figures over time.
Have you thought about pensions and social security? I am not well informed about the situation in the U.S., but in Germany, you can't compare net or even gross income of an employee to freelance profit. You have to earn a lot more as a freelancer in order to reach at least some level of social security (not even speaking of the same level that employees enjoy).
While the amounts you posted should be enough for you to live right here and now, I am not sure they allow you to put enough aside for retirement at whatever age you deem fit. Just think of the tremendous health care costs you are quite probably going to have later in your life. In Germany, the rule of thumb for a freelancer is to put aside at least 500 € a month when you start doing so aged 25 (which really nobody does - right after Uni you have other priorities), or up to 1000 € a month when you only start doing it later in your life ...
Be that as it may - once you have managed to be a freelancer for 3 years, your workflow from agencies should increase. 3 years is a magical figure for agencies - if you are below it, you will only get junk jobs and poorly paid jobs. If you are over it, you might be able to attract higher paid jobs even from agencies, if, of course, you have the guts to apporach new agency clients and demand higher rates (raising the rates for existing clients is not going to work in most of the cases ...).
You should also think about specialization, gain specific knowledge in some area (and be it photography, although I am not sure how much there is to translate in that area), then start approaching end clients from that field. Ask them for at least double the rate that agencies currently pay you.
Hiring your wife for marketing might not be the worst idea. To approach end clients, you definitely need a good web site, a good business card and someone for the nice phone conversations ... .
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Terejimenez
Local time: 09:50
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam | Of course it is possible | Jan 21, 2013 |
I supported my family of 3 children living in a nice house, good food, nice cloths, attending the best schools and universities in my country and travelling overseas for vacation very often. Needless to say I worked and still work 12+ hours per day.
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