Poll: Does your income as a freelancer generally increase each year?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
May 28, 2014

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Does your income as a freelancer generally increase each year?".

This poll was originally submitted by tilakahuja. View the poll results »



 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 00:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other May 28, 2014

AFAIK, it more or less stays the same. I don't actually pay much attention to stuff like that, as long as my rent and bills get paid on time.

For what it's worth, I've just had a look at my records and it seems my income underwent a significant drop from 2008 to 2009 - almost 40% - probably due to the global economic crisis. I can't tell you quickly how my earnings fared in 2010 or 2011, as that's when I started calculating things quarterly and it would take me about 20 minutes to
... See more
AFAIK, it more or less stays the same. I don't actually pay much attention to stuff like that, as long as my rent and bills get paid on time.

For what it's worth, I've just had a look at my records and it seems my income underwent a significant drop from 2008 to 2009 - almost 40% - probably due to the global economic crisis. I can't tell you quickly how my earnings fared in 2010 or 2011, as that's when I started calculating things quarterly and it would take me about 20 minutes to work out the annual totals... but by 2012 my income was almost back to 2008 levels. Then in 2013 it was a little lower, about 3000 euros less, but still enough to get by.

So far, this year feels about the same as last year... But I've just checked it out and I've actually earned quite a bit less than in the same period last year. If things continue this way, I could easily be back to the same level as 2009... It all depends on whether I work much during summer... But then again I'm not terribly bothered.



[Edited at 2014-05-28 08:46 GMT]
Collapse


 
Tim Drayton
Tim Drayton  Identity Verified
Cyprus
Local time: 01:11
Turkish to English
+ ...
Same May 28, 2014

I have a graph of my annual earnings for the years 2005 - 2013, during which I have been freelancing full-time as a translator, and the overall trend appears to be steady in monetary terms. The cost of living has gone up a lot over the same period where I live, so this translates into a gradually declining standard of living. In fact, the trend was sharply upwards over 2005 - 2007, then it fell to a lower trough in the crisis years of 2008 - 2012, with a degree of recovery in 2010 - 2011, but la... See more
I have a graph of my annual earnings for the years 2005 - 2013, during which I have been freelancing full-time as a translator, and the overall trend appears to be steady in monetary terms. The cost of living has gone up a lot over the same period where I live, so this translates into a gradually declining standard of living. In fact, the trend was sharply upwards over 2005 - 2007, then it fell to a lower trough in the crisis years of 2008 - 2012, with a degree of recovery in 2010 - 2011, but last year things picked up and my annual earnings slightly exceeded those for 2007. The secular trend appears to be sideways.Collapse


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 23:11
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other May 28, 2014

I should have said generally yes, though with a few peaks and valleys along the way: right at the beginning (one year later), I made the cardinal sin of having all my eggs in on basket (the Belgian agency I was working with lost their main client): I learned at my own expense a very valuable lesson! Circa 20 years later, I felt a slowdown as the economic crisis deepened, but these last three years have been pretty good…

 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:11
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Almost May 28, 2014

There has been an overall rising trend over the past 22 years, though two years saw decreases.

 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 00:11
Member (2006)
German to English
Other May 28, 2014

yes, if I work more, no if I do not;-)

 
Hugo Martínez Andrade
Hugo Martínez Andrade  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 00:11
French to Spanish
+ ...
I don't work full time May 28, 2014

I have recently graduated from University and, though I have done several translations and transcriptions in the past, I still don't work full time (even not part time... just sporadic assignments). Therefore I can't live on translation.

 
Terry Richards
Terry Richards
France
Local time: 00:11
French to English
+ ...
Other May 28, 2014

On my smoothed 1-year sliding window income (which automatically adjusts for seasonal variations), my income rose steadily until October 2011 and has been dropping more or less steadily ever since.

 
Triston Goodwin
Triston Goodwin  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 17:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
Yes May 28, 2014

I've been seeing an increase of roughly 33% each year as I find better clients and improve my processes. This year looks even better, to be honest. Our expenses will drop about $1,000 a month once we move

 
DianeGM
DianeGM  Identity Verified
Local time: 01:11
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Yes .... May 28, 2014

My bottom line is rising slowly and steadily but there has been a huge explosion in cost of living here in Greece ....

 
Ventnai
Ventnai  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 00:11
German to English
+ ...
No change May 28, 2014

Much as I try, it always seems to stay the same for one reason or other, even though I am actually working with agencies which pay more. I have had more slow periods than in the past and maybe took to much holiday last year

 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 08:11
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Yes May 29, 2014

Like Triston & Gaby, I'm always improving my skills and processes, which means I can get more done in a progressively shorter time.

I'm also continually acquiring new knowledge. Let's face it. We're in the knowledge business - we are selling our know-how and expertise. The more we know, the more we can handle content-wise. Coupled with better skills and faster translation capabilities, our income should (touch wood!) increase proportionally.

However, one thing is certai
... See more
Like Triston & Gaby, I'm always improving my skills and processes, which means I can get more done in a progressively shorter time.

I'm also continually acquiring new knowledge. Let's face it. We're in the knowledge business - we are selling our know-how and expertise. The more we know, the more we can handle content-wise. Coupled with better skills and faster translation capabilities, our income should (touch wood!) increase proportionally.

However, one thing is certain. I've seen the number of bottom-feeder LSPs asking translators to work at Walmart cut-price translation rates increase with each year, too. Grrrr

Added a little more venom in last time Grrrrrr

[Edited at 2014-05-29 09:41 GMT]
Collapse


 
EvaVer (X)
EvaVer (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:11
Czech to French
+ ...
Over what period? May 29, 2014

As others, I have had ups and downs. It has been growing lately, but without inflation, it would be about the same as in the 1990s, or lower for certain years.

 
Gina W
Gina W
United States
Local time: 19:11
Member (2003)
French to English
No Jun 1, 2014

It varies from year to year. Some years are busier than others, that's the nature of being a freelancer.

 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Does your income as a freelancer generally increase each year?






Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »
TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »