ProZ.com Translation Forums

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | Several of these

Mario Freitas — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 10:50:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: Mario Freitas
Post title: Several of these

The three most voted options. But that doesn't mean I would anyhow ever return to an in-house job... ever.

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | Admin, billing, loneliness

Kay Denney — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 06:03:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: Kay Denney
Post title: Admin, billing, loneliness

I loathe anything in admin, especially billing and checking that everyone's paid and chasing up payment.

That's the one thing I would get out of, the one thing that stopped me from free-lancing for so long.

The other thing is loneliness. We have actually taken in a couple of lodgers now which means there are other people around the house, so I can at least chat with them. Before I was working in an office with another translator and a couple of software engineers, that was great. We all worked really hard in total silence, we would even send each other messages rather than break the silence. Then at lunch and after work we would natter non-stop, it was great. That all fell apart with people's circumstances changing so I'm back at home now, wishing I had tried to find replacements, but it all happened too quickly at a time when I had too much on my plate.

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | other

Jan Truper — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 18:36:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: Jan Truper
Post title: other

I love the work itself and most aspects of it.
But I think most projects are underpaid, even if they are supposedly well-paid by translators' standards. I've played an important role in some projects that were insanely successful, financially speaking, but I still just got my regular rate -- and I'm not even allowed to name such projects due to NDAs.
I realize this is a total first-world problem, but I wish there was something along the lines of "You do that one great translation, kiddo, and you'll never have to touch a keyboard again."

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | Physical activity

Angie Garbarino — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 18:01:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: Angie Garbarino
Post title: Physical activity

No problems at all except lack of physical activity

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | The financial aspect

Richard Jenkins — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 16:32:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: Richard Jenkins
Post title: The financial aspect

Echoing what a few people are saying here - I really dislike the financial aspect of being a freelance translator, and the need to chase customers for payments, not receiving responses from customers when asked about payments, and the general unsociable and sometimes rude behaviour of customers when it comes to matters regarding money.

I think this needs to be stamped out in the translation industry: the attitude of requesting urgent and ASAP work, and then paying under different conditions in comparison to the deadline demands of the translation itself.

Richard

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | Other: irregular work hours

SachiM — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 13:14:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: SachiM
Post title: Other: irregular work hours

I have enough work, but I can't schedule them into specific days of the week. I don't know what hours I'll need to commit to work until I receive a job, and then I have to work around the other schedules I had already made to meet the deadline... which means I usually end up doing unhealthy night hours.

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | Invoicing...

Christine Andersen — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 12:52:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: Christine Andersen
Post title: Invoicing...

As an employee I simply had to do my job, whatever it was, drink my coffee and tidy up after myself. Pay checks arrived all by themselves...

Now I have to work out rates and agree on them with clients, and then I have to add VAT and all that nonsense.
This month three out of four invoices came back from my husband, who checks them before I send them to clients, and I had to correct errors. I have trouble with figures, and that was a bad day, but invoicing always irritates me.

At least it is a month before I have to do it again!

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | I agree

yam2u — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 12:08:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: yam2u
Post title: I agree

[quote]Teresa Borges wrote:

I hate chasing payments! [/quote]

This wasn't offered as one of the choices, but it would have been mine too.

As I'm sure is the case with most of my serious translator colleagues, I'm quite anal about timely delivery/invoicing. So I consider clients who drag their feet paying and need reminders, sometimes more than once, are not only inconsiderate but also discourteous.

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | Feast/Famine & translator availability

José Henrique Lamensdorf — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 11:18:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: José Henrique Lamensdorf
Post title: Feast/Famine & translator availability

Very few clients have a constant demand for translation throughout the entire year or most of it. Some have 1-3 jobs now and then, and they'll hibernate for a couple of months between such sprints.

Most will come up every so many months with a giant and urgent request, and this is the problem.
Due to some syncing device in the Universe's clockwork machinery, they will seldom come alone. Though these clients certainly don't know each other, and are often separated by many thousand miles, they often strike at once!

All translation clients expect a freelance translator to be [i][u]always[/u] available for them[/i], all the time, any time. Those who indulge into imposing lower rates and longer payment terms seem to be more persistent in this assumption, which is obvious, as they have a smaller population of vendors willing to yield to their demands. On the other extreme, it is tough for the freelancer to manage the worthy business partners' (aka good clients) requests when they come in all at once, in order to keep everyone happy.

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | I like it all

Muriel Vasconcellos (X) — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 09:11:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: Muriel Vasconcellos (X)
Post title: I like it all

No complaints, really, except that people assume I'm available because I'm home. I live in a very friendly neighborhood and could spend the whole day gabbing with my neighbors if I didn't draw the line.

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | Other

neilmac — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 08:44:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: neilmac
Post title: Other

Admin tasks.

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | Other

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 08:39:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: Other

I hate chasing payments!

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | Ups and downs

Michael Harris — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 08:31:00 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: Michael Harris
Post title: Ups and downs

There are ups and downs in all occupations. I am happy with what I am doing, and now that the children are in school, I have a bit more time to get rid of the kilos from the past 10 years.
I don´t think that there is a worse part.

Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?

ProZ.com Staff — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 08:10:02 +0000

Forum: Poll Discussion
Topic: Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?
Poster: ProZ.com Staff

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What is the worst part about being a freelance translator?".

This poll was originally submitted by Bora Tasdemir. View the poll results »