| Pages sur ce sujet: < [1 2 3 4 5 6] | Enough is enough Auteur du fil: Nikki Scott-Despaigne
|
|---|
| Of course... | Aug 26, 2015 |
Gabriele Demuth wrote:
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
We all know how much we need to take home every months... the problem is that we all have different needs and different situations... I have 4 kids and I need to make an x amount... somebody living on their own or even at home with their parents will have different needs... I have to charge 20, whilst others can charge 5... do I blame them? In a way, but I understand. It's a free market, after all. It's the same in all unregulated professions.
Well, I don't think a translator's rate should be set according to the number of children they have:), but rather according to their education, experience and specialities - I thought!?
my rates are based on my qualifications and my experience... but, the amount of work you are prepared to do every month depends on the individual needs... if I need x, I will work more or I will charge much higher rates... you don't do that? You don't set a target for your monthly/yearly income?
[Edited at 2015-08-26 12:16 GMT]
| | | | | More peanuts | Aug 26, 2015 |
Charlie Bavington wrote:
Angela Rimmer wrote:
(God, I hate the word "peanuts".)
See also http://www.proz.com/forum/business_issues/287692-what_is_really_happening_in_the_business-page3.html#2445055
If an individual is incapable of expressing themselves on this issue without mentionning peanuts, I have decided of late their opinion is probably worth very little and I can save myself a great deal of time, especially over the course of a lifetime, by not reading such comments 
Only "probably", natch, they could be a business and economics genius, in which case, my loss.
The word peanuts is used intentionally. It is supposed to imply something. I am actually capable of using other words like pittance, inadequate or scandalous remuneration, exploitative rates, etc. And I do. But I throw in the occasional peanuts out of disgust for what people accept as payment. There's a movement too.
Come to think of it, I could save myself a lot of time by not posting anymore.
| | | | Phil Hand 
Chine
Local time: 21:28
chinois vers anglais
| Definitely, no market fundamentalism here | Aug 27, 2015 |
Charlie Bavington wrote:
...thinking about the issue in terms solely of supply and demand...is probably over-simplifying matters.
Utility (or perceived utility) and substitution effects, especially the negative impact of agency involvement in the supply chain, which would appear to drag down one and increase the other (usually, not necessarily universally), should also be considered.
Yep, I agree with all that. I think that some kind of supply/demand thinking is a better starting place than "I have skills which ought to earn me 50k" or "I want to make 100k as a translator". But markets are much weirder places than those two-dimensional graphs make them look; and your skills and needs determine which markets you are willing to and able to work in.
On the agencies, I reckon it's better for your sanity just to consider the agencies as your clients. Their relationships with their (end) clients are multifarious and bad for the soul.
| | | | | Market thinking yes, but | Aug 27, 2015 |
I feel that this is a very strange market.
Because if well educated and skilled people cannot make a reasonable living by charging adequate prices then they would surely go and do something else?
Goivanni: I have not been in this business for too long and I just try to do my best, I use the time I have available as best as I can, e.g. work (quality and rate, meaning as high as I think I can go), study for MA and family. If I have reached a target I don't stop, I will ju... See more I feel that this is a very strange market.
Because if well educated and skilled people cannot make a reasonable living by charging adequate prices then they would surely go and do something else?
Goivanni: I have not been in this business for too long and I just try to do my best, I use the time I have available as best as I can, e.g. work (quality and rate, meaning as high as I think I can go), study for MA and family. If I have reached a target I don't stop, I will just set another one.
[Edited at 2015-08-27 06:20 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| Rationally, yes | Aug 27, 2015 |
Gabriele Demuth wrote:
I feel that this is a very strange market.
Because if well educated and skilled people cannot make a reasonable living by charging adequate prices then they would surely go and do something else?
Indeed, that would be the rational response. That would reduce the supply of translation skills and, according to the simple theory of supply & demand, do the rest of us a huge favour
Sadly, we do not all act rationally, economically speaking. To judge from forums and Twitter, and I daresay Facebook is similar but I don't use it, lots of translators "love" translating (if not they "love" words, or languages, or somesuch), or describe it as being paid to do their hobby. And I'm not immune; I am influenced by non-financial factors, not least the absence of line managers. Irrational behaviour distorts markets.
I was once in a discussion with a translator who was exasperated to the extent of saying she could earn more at KFC than she could as a translator. Logically, she should therefore have gone to work at KFC, which is what I replied. Turns out she didn't want to
Phil Hand wrote:
On the agencies, I reckon it's better for your sanity just to consider the agencies as your clients. Their relationships with their (end) clients are multifarious and bad for the soul.
Commercially, undoubtedly I just meant that when discussing the economics of the thing, they will sometimes respond differently. For example, if I wrote to all my direct clients today saying I was dropping rates by 2 cents, I would expect little to no change in workload. If I did the same to my agencies, I would expect to see more work offered almost immediately. If I wrote to both sets of clients (agencies & direct) with a price rise, I would expect an immediate effect on agency volume, and possibly a long-term effect with some but not all direct clients.
So while "everybody knows" lower prices equal more demand, it ain't necessarily so. Not all demand is price sensitive and not all types of demand are equally sensitive in both directions.
(Probably a bit late in life to realise I find this kind of thing arguably more interesting than actually translating these days....!)
[Edited at 2015-08-27 10:01 GMT]
| | | | | I don't stop either... | Aug 27, 2015 |
Gabriele Demuth wrote:
Goivanni: I have not been in this business for too long and I just try to do my best, I use the time I have available as best as I can, e.g. work (quality and rate, meaning as high as I think I can go), study for MA and family. If I have reached a target I don't stop, I will just set another one.
[Edited at 2015-08-27 06:20 GMT]
but my goal is to reach my target first... I don't go on holiday when I accomplish that, on the contrary...
| | | | | One and the same | Aug 27, 2015 |
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
but my goal is to reach my target first... I don't go on holiday when I accomplish that, on the contrary...
Going on holiday IS my target....
| | | |
Charlie Bavington wrote:
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
but my goal is to reach my target first... I don't go on holiday when I accomplish that, on the contrary...
Going on holiday IS my target....
You are a lucky man... or maybe didn't go overboard with children...
| | |
|
|
|
| Yes, I love translating, but | Aug 27, 2015 |
Charlie Bavington wrote:
Sadly, we do not all act rationally, economically speaking. To judge from forums and Twitter, and I daresay Facebook is similar but I don't use it, lots of translators "love" translating (if not they "love" words, or languages, or somesuch), or describe it as being paid to do their hobby. And I'm not immune; I am influenced by non-financial factors, not least the absence of line managers. Irrational behaviour distorts markets.
I was once in a discussion with a translator who was exasperated to the extent of saying she could earn more at KFC than she could as a translator. Logically, she should therefore have gone to work at KFC, which is what I replied. Turns out she didn't want to
most people don't live in a bubble of their own.
Working at KFC wouldn't appeal to me either, but earning less than at KFC would mean that my family suffers, I would have to rely on state handouts. This is irresponsible and unfair to everyone around me and I wouldn't like it either - so economics can't be ignored.
... or they rely on someone else who finances their indulgence.
[Edited at 2015-08-27 12:47 GMT]
| | | |
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
You are a lucky man... or maybe didn't go overboard with children...
you should never let them outnumber you!
[Edited at 2015-08-27 13:04 GMT]
| | | |
Gabriele Demuth wrote:
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
You are a lucky man... or maybe didn't go overboard with children...
you should never let them outnumber you! [Edited at 2015-08-27 13:04 GMT]
| | | | | Pages sur ce sujet: < [1 2 3 4 5 6] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Enough is enough | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
