Profile - Experience Thread poster: Timothy Barton
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Please re-post if this is the wrong forum.
When editing our profile, it asks us how much "full-time" experience we have as a translator. However, when our profile is displayed it does not say full-time.
I have been working 20 hours a week since August as a translator. I also did some other full-time work last summer. I will probably work extra hours this summer. During the next academic year, I have decided to take a Master's and I shall continue working 20 hours per we... See more Please re-post if this is the wrong forum.
When editing our profile, it asks us how much "full-time" experience we have as a translator. However, when our profile is displayed it does not say full-time.
I have been working 20 hours a week since August as a translator. I also did some other full-time work last summer. I will probably work extra hours this summer. During the next academic year, I have decided to take a Master's and I shall continue working 20 hours per week as a translator for my university's website.
However, by next July, if I follow the strict wording on the profile editing, I will still have to put "0 years" experience. Is this fair? What if I then decide to get another job to give me a guaranteed income while I get myself established as a Freelance? Will I still then have to put a "0"?
I know the problem is a difficult one. You could add a "part-time" category, but then people may interpret that to include one short translation per month. I just feel that when I'm working 20-hours per week translating (and only translating, not trying to get clients, filling in tax forms etc.), it does not reflect my real situation to see I have 0 years experience. ▲ Collapse
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Hynek Palatin 
Czech Republic
Local time: 16:49
Member (2003)
English to Czech
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| Does the number increase automatically? | Jul 11, 2005 |
This is slightly off-topic, but I was wondering if the number increases automatically in the beginning of a new year, or does it have to be changed manually every time?
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Parrot
Spain
Local time: 16:49
Spanish to English
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| Allow for flexibility | Jul 12, 2005 |
It isn't very realistic to imagine that full-time freelancing will imply 40 hours a week translating (in fact, fatigue factors applied for accuracy's sake, an 8-hour working day can boil down to 6 optimal working hours). In-house, for instance, you may have more work and more hectic hours than in your own business.
Some associations will also measure this experience by volume (turnover based on invoicing). Maybe someone can give you some of their ball-park figures. I recall t... See more It isn't very realistic to imagine that full-time freelancing will imply 40 hours a week translating (in fact, fatigue factors applied for accuracy's sake, an 8-hour working day can boil down to 6 optimal working hours). In-house, for instance, you may have more work and more hectic hours than in your own business.
Some associations will also measure this experience by volume (turnover based on invoicing). Maybe someone can give you some of their ball-park figures. I recall that a recent poll showed majority of us were between 40,000 and 60,000 words a month. Hope it helps. ▲ Collapse
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Timothy Barton
Local time: 16:49
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Well, according to some of the things I've read on this page and on the other link I was given... | Jul 12, 2005 |
I have been working "full-time" since last July, as that has been my only source of income since then and it's what I've been living off. And, for example, if someone in France were doing his standard 35-hour week, after deducting time spent trying to obtain clients, filling in tax forms etc., he wouldn't have spent that much more time than me on the translation job itself.
Conclusion: I think it would be far from being dishonest to count the summer months of last year as full month... See more I have been working "full-time" since last July, as that has been my only source of income since then and it's what I've been living off. And, for example, if someone in France were doing his standard 35-hour week, after deducting time spent trying to obtain clients, filling in tax forms etc., he wouldn't have spent that much more time than me on the translation job itself.
Conclusion: I think it would be far from being dishonest to count the summer months of last year as full months and the rest of the time as half months. That still doesn't quite bring me to the one year, but I'm not far away. ▲ Collapse
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Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 08:49
Dutch to English
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| Too conscientious? | Jul 12, 2005 |
Forgive me for asking, Timothy, but are you being too conscientious? From your description I would think that you have every right to say that you have been translating for a year. Full-time means different things in different professions. For a translator, 3-5 hours a day 5 days a week plus time spent on administration, staying up to date in your field(s), taking courses, etc. may well amount to a full-time job. I think it is a matter of being honest with yourself, not over-rating but also not ... See more Forgive me for asking, Timothy, but are you being too conscientious? From your description I would think that you have every right to say that you have been translating for a year. Full-time means different things in different professions. For a translator, 3-5 hours a day 5 days a week plus time spent on administration, staying up to date in your field(s), taking courses, etc. may well amount to a full-time job. I think it is a matter of being honest with yourself, not over-rating but also not under-rating what you do.
By the way, when I edit my profile, there is no question about full-time or part-time, just how many years. I have always simply filled in the number of years I have been translating. In my language combination it is virtually impossible to earn a living off translation alone. I worked sometimes full-time but more often part-time. But I think that I always did enough work (not to mention participating on the proZ website for up to an hour a day) to justify counting every year as a full year. ▲ Collapse
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Parrot
Spain
Local time: 16:49
Spanish to English
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| Put it this way | Jul 13, 2005 |
Would Social Security be that stringent with you? 
They hit me for full-time since the first day. I still had a job then. Didn't even ask me if I was making/would make the minimum wage out of translation. And they didn't inform me of any grounds to appeal for reimbursement in the event I didn't come up to minimum wage as a second income.
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Özden Arıkan
Germany
Local time: 16:49
Member
English to Turkish
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A bit late though...
Hynek Palatin wrote:
This is slightly off-topic, but I was wondering if the number increases automatically in the beginning of a new year, or does it have to be changed manually every time?
... but to answer your question, no, it doesn't update automatically, you should change it yourself.
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