Poll: Do you feel pressured to maintain or improve the level of your income?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Jan 5, 2015

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you feel pressured to maintain or improve the level of your income?".

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Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:54
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Maintain - not necessarily improve Jan 5, 2015

I rely on my income to pay the mortgage, etc. So yes, I feel a certain pressure.

 
Ben_ (X)
Ben_ (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:54
German to English
Yes, to a certain extent Jan 5, 2015

Even if you disregarded the fact that I need my income to live on, I'd feel like I was doing something wrong if my income went down year-on-year, especially fairly early on in my career. My income target for 2015 is quite simply to beat 2014's figure.

 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:54
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Not really! Jan 5, 2015

Pressured? By whom?

I’d like to maintain my income at the same level of the last 5 years, or even improve it, but I live alone, I have no debts and no one pressures me but myself!


 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:54
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
I MAKE myself pressured Jan 5, 2015

My income is the only tangible result from my work, and there is that delicate balance between rates and demand to be kept.

Once I have achieved that balance, i.e. my rates for the level of service I deliver provide a reasonably steady and healthy demand for my work, feeling that pressure is what drives my efforts towards more efficiency and higher quality.

IMO higher quality is included in efficiency, as it prevents wasting time on rework to achieve my own standards, s
... See more
My income is the only tangible result from my work, and there is that delicate balance between rates and demand to be kept.

Once I have achieved that balance, i.e. my rates for the level of service I deliver provide a reasonably steady and healthy demand for my work, feeling that pressure is what drives my efforts towards more efficiency and higher quality.

IMO higher quality is included in efficiency, as it prevents wasting time on rework to achieve my own standards, so it's a closed loop. In short, to get it right the first time.
Collapse


 
Gianluca Marras
Gianluca Marras  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 09:54
English to Italian
yes Jan 5, 2015

Yes, for the following reasons:

- two kids (and they are starting to have a certain weight in the family balance)
- the need of saving for their future (in order to be able to offer a decent choice when University time arrives)
- taxes are growing in this country
- % for retirement is growing by 3% this year and again 3% in 2 years time 27 to 30%, and 30% to 33% .. no no! not to be calculated on the net income!!!)


 
Helen Hagon
Helen Hagon  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:54
Member (2011)
Russian to English
+ ...
Yes Jan 5, 2015

My rapidly growing children want to eat more, do more things, travel further and wear bigger clothes...

Also, I am in the process of gradually moving from part-time to full-time and would feel disappointed if my income did not reflect this.


 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:54
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It's a constant pressure in Brazil Jan 5, 2015

... as the prices raise constantly way above the official inflation rates.

I've been trying to work for as many clients abroad as possible and as few clients in Brazil as possible, as the exchange rates for Dollars and Euros will cover the escalation. But if my volume of work within Brazil exceeds 40% of the total, I'll be in trouble.


 
JanaB
JanaB  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:54
English to German
Not anymore ... Jan 5, 2015

I used to put myself under pressure regarding my income, but that didn't do me any good. Nowadays I get up in the morning, do the best I can and go to sleep at night...there's not much else I can do!

 
Eleonora Chyc
Eleonora Chyc  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:54
Russian to Ukrainian
+ ...
No. Jan 5, 2015

because at certain age you are blessed ( or,in most cases,not) with understanding :
1) if you serve others (it' called "love" as well) you'll never be poor
2) everything is to learn us something
3) the world is fair
4) you are where you have to be
5) if you don't like point 4, I have to add that we can change things in our life
6)if you don't trust me,ask any wise men


 
Triston Goodwin
Triston Goodwin  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 02:54
Spanish to English
+ ...
Yes, very Jan 5, 2015

If you have even been shopping with my wife, you would understand.

I promised her that we would be millionaires by the time we turn 30, she's already shopping as if we'd made it


 
Mariel Varjão Azoubel
Mariel Varjão Azoubel  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:54
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Not really, no Jan 5, 2015

Mario Freitas wrote:

... as the prices raise constantly way above the official inflation rates.

I've been trying to work for as many clients abroad as possible and as few clients in Brazil as possible, as the exchange rates for Dollars and Euros will cover the escalation. But if my volume of work within Brazil exceeds 40% of the total, I'll be in trouble.


Well, I was actually going to say the opposite, haha.

I do agree that inflation rates and local clients (especially translation agencies, from whom I get most of my income) put a certain amount of stress in maintaining that overall level, but I haven't really felt those pangs of readjustment in the market (yet).

I've found it quite easy to maintain the same level I have had and needed so far and I feel no pressure whatsoever to raise it. In fact, when I began freelancing I'd say I was a little worried about that due to the changeable nature of a freelancer's work in itself, but it's never really been much of a bother.


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
:-) Jan 5, 2015

Triston Goodwin wrote:

If you have even been shopping with my wife, you would understand.

I promised her that we would be millionaires by the time we turn 30, she's already shopping as if we'd made it



I was always going to retire at 40...


 
Luiz Barucke
Luiz Barucke  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:54
Spanish to Portuguese
+ ...
Not here Jan 6, 2015

In the country where I live, the exchange rate helps me a lot when I work to abroad clients. Actually, I'm comfortable spending about 30% of my income.

 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:54
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Lucky Mariel... or an excellent negotiatior Jan 6, 2015

Mariel Azoubel wrote:

Mario Freitas wrote:

... as the prices raise constantly way above the official inflation rates.

I've been trying to work for as many clients abroad as possible and as few clients in Brazil as possible, as the exchange rates for Dollars and Euros will cover the escalation. But if my volume of work within Brazil exceeds 40% of the total, I'll be in trouble.


Well, I was actually going to say the opposite, haha.

I do agree that inflation rates and local clients (especially translation agencies, from whom I get most of my income) put a certain amount of stress in maintaining that overall level, but I haven't really felt those pangs of readjustment in the market (yet).

I've found it quite easy to maintain the same level I have had and needed so far and I feel no pressure whatsoever to raise it. In fact, when I began freelancing I'd say I was a little worried about that due to the changeable nature of a freelancer's work in itself, but it's never really been much of a bother.


I must say you are very lucky! I have lost many regular clients in Brazil simply by suggesting a price readjustment. They simply disappear after sending me work for two or three years. If I hadn't expanded my portfolio abroad, I'd be begging in the streets.


 


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Poll: Do you feel pressured to maintain or improve the level of your income?






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