| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | Poll: What percent of your available work time is booked? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What percent of your available work time is booked?".
This poll was originally submitted by Jenn Mercer. View the poll results »
| | | | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:17
German to English
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I voted 90 % but it varies hugely. I'd say averaged out over a longer period, it's more like 95 % (and sometimes feels like 150 %). I might get a quiet day or two a month, but a day when I have absolutely no work to do at all is very rare indeed.
| | | | Claire Cox
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:17
French to English
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| Wasn't sure what was meant | May 14, 2012 |
i.e. now at this moment in time? Or as a general rule? 100% if it means now, but more like 90 - 95% as a general rule. Usually fully booked, but the odd inexplicable quiet day when I should relax and make the most of it, but usually start to wonder what's gone wrong! You'd think I'd know better after nearly 30 years in the business...
| | | | | Other: 75% and more than happy with that | May 14, 2012 |
I could fill 100% if I wanted to, but life's too short!
My one-step plan to ultimate happiness:
Jack up your prices and get the same money for less work. Well it worked for me...
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| Right now I am free for new projects | May 14, 2012 |
I was very busy first 4 months of 2012, but May brought only few relatively small projects.
I enjoyed this unplanned vacation for a while, but 4 working days without any translation work is boring and starts being scary. There are periods when my time is 110% booked and periods like this one... Hope that this situation doesn't last long.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 21:17
Spanish to English
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All of my available working time is taken up. The rest is for sleeping, eating and all the rest.
I've actually just had a whole 2-day weekend with no work, although I was expecting stuff to come in from one client, and had told another I wasn't available because of this prior cimmitment. In the end, I ended up twiddling my thumbs and spring cleaning the shed...
| | | | Tim Drayton
Cyprus
Local time: 22:17
Turkish to English
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I thought last year was terrible, but then 2012 was still to come. So far this year, if you were to conflate all of the work that I have had into a single stretch, it would be the equivalent of about twelve working days. Yet, a few years ago I was turning down job offers left, right and centre due to lack of capacity. I have sought consolation in the fact that the world ecomomy is in meltdown. To judge by most replies here, one would think that the translation sector was immune from crisis. Am I... See more I thought last year was terrible, but then 2012 was still to come. So far this year, if you were to conflate all of the work that I have had into a single stretch, it would be the equivalent of about twelve working days. Yet, a few years ago I was turning down job offers left, right and centre due to lack of capacity. I have sought consolation in the fact that the world ecomomy is in meltdown. To judge by most replies here, one would think that the translation sector was immune from crisis. Am I really the only translator who is seriously feeling the effect of the global slowdown? If so, perhaps I had better start sending out large numbers of CVs for proper jobs.
[Edited at 2012-05-14 10:00 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Sorry to hear that. Assuming you're not just a crap translator, I think you probably need to market yourself more. Even allowing for some people here being too proud to admit they are ever without work, the market surely can't be quite that bad in your languages.
Talking of chest-beating, I should add that when I say I could work 100% if I wanted, at some times of the year that would mean lowering my prices and accepting texts I don't enjoy, which I refuse to do. I'm also not allowi... See more Sorry to hear that. Assuming you're not just a crap translator, I think you probably need to market yourself more. Even allowing for some people here being too proud to admit they are ever without work, the market surely can't be quite that bad in your languages.
Talking of chest-beating, I should add that when I say I could work 100% if I wanted, at some times of the year that would mean lowering my prices and accepting texts I don't enjoy, which I refuse to do. I'm also not allowing for time spent on email, admin, surfing and chatting, which is not insignificant.
I realise I am lucky to be in this position, but it is also down to a lot of hard work over the years.
[Edited at 2012-05-14 10:15 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| Do other work-related activities count? | May 14, 2012 |
If it's not the translation or other linguistic tasks, then it's marketing, bookkeeping, self-education etc. So I wonder whether we can legitimately say we're always busy?:)
Seriously though, it's like the tides of a sea. Hectic days give way to relatively quite periods.
[Edited at 2012-05-14 10:50 GMT]
| | | | Tim Drayton
Cyprus
Local time: 22:17
Turkish to English
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| Different translation pairs | May 14, 2012 |
You don't think that perhaps there is simply much more demand in the market for quality translations by native speakers of the target language at rates equating to an acceptable first-world standard of living in the Swedish to English pair than in Turkish to English?
Chris S wrote:
Sorry to hear that. Assuming you're not just a crap translator, I think you probably need to market yourself more. Even allowing for some people here being too proud to admit they are ever without work, the market surely can't be quite that bad in your languages.
Talking of chest-beating, I should add that when I say I could work 100% if I wanted, at some times of the year that would mean lowering my prices and accepting texts I don't enjoy, which I refuse to do. I'm also not allowing for time spent on email, admin, surfing and chatting, which is not insignificant.
I realise I am lucky to be in this position, but it is also down to a lot of hard work over the years.
[Edited at 2012-05-14 10:15 GMT]
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Seeking other work, indeed
| | | | Alison Sparks (X)
Local time: 21:17
French to English
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But then since I'm really only starting out as an independent I'm not too surprised. Do hope it picks up a bit before the end of the year though.
[Edited at 2012-05-14 11:34 GMT]
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Mary Worby
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:17
German to English
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| Demand for German-English | May 14, 2012 |
Tim Drayton wrote:
You don't think that perhaps there is simply much more demand in the market for quality translations by native speakers of the target language at rates equating to an acceptable first-world standard of living in the Swedish to English pair than in Turkish to English?
I can't comment on the language pairs you cite, but I do know that there is still healthy demand for good-quality translation at acceptable rates from German to English, another of your language pairs!
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 21:17
Member (2006)
German to English
and if it is not involving translating, it is getting all the other admin stuff finished off
| | | | Mario Gonzalez
Mexico
Local time: 12:17
Member (2008)
English to Spanish
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