Poll: Do you think working as a freelancer is enough to earn a good living? Inițiatorul discuției: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you think working as a freelancer is enough to earn a good living?".
View the poll results »
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As I said before (another very similar poll): enough to have raised my 3 kids by myself…
PS. Good living can mean many different things to different people.
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos 
Statele Unite
Local time: 23:26
Membru (2003)
din spaniolă în engleză
+ ...
| It depends on your lifestyle | Sep 6, 2014 |
I answered "no," because my freelance income alone could not support my particular lifestyle here in San Diego, California, but I know tons of people who could live on what I make from my freelance work. I am at the end of my career and I have accumulated a house with more contents than I need, and it costs extra money to support all that.
| | | | Tim Drayton
Cipru
Local time: 09:26
din turcă în engleză
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| Yes, to a point | Sep 6, 2014 |
Yes ... in some language pairs and specializations, but not in all.
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Yes, you can live, raise kids, but some questions need to be answered before saying GOOD:
1) are you single? Do you have kids?
2) do you have enough free time to enjoy your hobbies, your family, spend time playing with your kids, ....
3) do you feel stressed because of the uncertainty related to both being a freelancer and to the lower rates being offered (and accepted) in the market?
Well generally speaking if I see myself in 10/15 years I am worried, because I do... See more Yes, you can live, raise kids, but some questions need to be answered before saying GOOD:
1) are you single? Do you have kids?
2) do you have enough free time to enjoy your hobbies, your family, spend time playing with your kids, ....
3) do you feel stressed because of the uncertainty related to both being a freelancer and to the lower rates being offered (and accepted) in the market?
Well generally speaking if I see myself in 10/15 years I am worried, because I do not think I will be able to work as affectively as I can now...
I guess that before saying GOOD, we have to consider the level of stress, fear, worries we experience, and maybe this is not that good.
Also, a lot depends on where you live and the taxes you pay, cost of houses/rents, and the general cost of living. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Germania
Local time: 08:26
Membru (2009)
din engleză în germană
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| To a point, but... | Sep 6, 2014 |
"Good" is a relative term, so is "income" (by itself).
Someone who only needs USD 800/month to make life comfortable, even good (yes, there are still countries where such an income suffices), can accept lower rates and still lead a decent to good life, including the family. On the contrary, someone who needs to earn at least USD 3.000/month to "halway make it", has only 3 options: work like a slave, turn down lower rates, or get a different job.
Aside from one's own wi... See more "Good" is a relative term, so is "income" (by itself).
Someone who only needs USD 800/month to make life comfortable, even good (yes, there are still countries where such an income suffices), can accept lower rates and still lead a decent to good life, including the family. On the contrary, someone who needs to earn at least USD 3.000/month to "halway make it", has only 3 options: work like a slave, turn down lower rates, or get a different job.
Aside from one's own wishes or needs, there are always things like SS & taxes. Back then when I worked as an in-house translator, especially in December, I often wished I could take home the money "consumed" by taxes and SS, because the Christmas bonus - and perhaps a vacation bonus - regularily pushed me into the next higher tax group/class.
There is always one eye focussing on old age, retirement and what if-situations, a concern many young translators don't have.
All in all, I'd say that it is possible to earn a decent income as a translator. What a good income is lies in the eye of the beholder (translator). ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mark Hamlen
Franţa
Local time: 08:26
din franceză în engleză
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| Probably depends on your specialisation | Sep 6, 2014 |
As has been said many times, just knowing the languages is not enough.
I think medical and legal translators are more likely to make a good living than generalists.
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but I will never become rich.
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neilmac
Spania
Local time: 08:26
din spaniolă în engleză
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| Yes, to a point | Sep 6, 2014 |
Working as a freelancer, I make enough to get by. In fact, I earn quite a decent living compared to many of my friends or acquaintances. However, I don't have the burden of children or a mortgage, etc. As it is, I can afford to run 2 cars and a motorbike and rent a 2-bedroom house with garden and swimming pool in rural surroundings (it costs about the same as a small flat in the city) ... so I can't complain.
| | | | Thomas Pfann
Regatul Unit
Local time: 07:26
Membru (2006)
din engleză în germană
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Millions of freelancers make a good living and most freelancers (in any profession) probably earn more than if they were to do the same work (and the same amount of hours) as an employee.
To be honest, I find this a somewhat stupid (and in a forum mostly frequented by freelancers maybe even insulting) question. A bit like "Do you think honest work is enough to earn a good living or is crime the only way to get rich?".
| | | | Triston Goodwin
Statele Unite
Local time: 00:26
din spaniolă în engleză
+ ...
I did pretty well working in-house. Freelancing is a bit more... hectic, but it works. My wife and I live comfortably, but we are really careful with our money and try to live as inexpensively as possible.
I am working on becoming a millionaire right now.
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I haven't earned any kind of a living from it, but I only started a few years ago. I know from reading other people's posts on here that it is possible to earn a good living from it, though.
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William Zhang
China
Local time: 14:26
din engleză în chineză
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Working as a freelancer is not enough to support myself.
| | | | Rudolf Frans Maulany
Ţările de Jos
Local time: 08:26
din engleză în indoneziană (bahasa Indonezia)
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| Yes, to a point | Sep 7, 2014 |
Yes, to a point. As a freelance medical translator about 20 years ago I could say yes(bought a house).
[Edited at 2014-09-07 05:19 GMT]
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