Pages sur ce sujet:   [1 2 3] >
Poll: Freelancing, in general, is more advantageous for the young.
Auteur du fil: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
COLLABORATEUR DU SITE
Jun 24, 2023

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Freelancing, in general, is more advantageous for the young.".

View the poll results »



maktal Hassan
Abdullah Nowruzy
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 05:31
Membre (2007)
anglais vers portugais
+ ...
Disagree Jun 24, 2023

Freelancing is not for everybody. Freelancing is not just about freelancing. A freelancer juggles different balls, wears different hats and is responsible for marketing, invoicing, contracts, tax payments, to name just a few tasks. Freelancing requires experience and experience comes with time and practice. That’s why freelance work appeals to older people like me…

Tom in London
Dan Lucas
expressisverbis
Kevin Fulton
Heather Oland
Jennifer Levey
Alexandra Speirs
 
Denis Fesik
Denis Fesik
Local time: 07:31
anglais vers russe
+ ...
Makes no sense to me, sorry Jun 24, 2023

How is it advantageous, and why for the young? Talking specifically about freelance translation, you can only excel at it if you've made a name for yourself, if your customers know that you're better than those no-names who are always out there, offering to do the same job at a fraction of the price. The young don't usually have that asset. Maybe they can afford to do freelancing because they still have their parents' support. According to a philosopher (Vasily Rozanov), poverty becomes young ag... See more
How is it advantageous, and why for the young? Talking specifically about freelance translation, you can only excel at it if you've made a name for yourself, if your customers know that you're better than those no-names who are always out there, offering to do the same job at a fraction of the price. The young don't usually have that asset. Maybe they can afford to do freelancing because they still have their parents' support. According to a philosopher (Vasily Rozanov), poverty becomes young age as long as it's not extreme poverty. My personal experience chimes in with these words; I can even add that the opposite is also probably true. However, the main message of proz seems to be that a freelance translator doesn't have to be poor even though the parents of some Chinese freelancer will surely not be happy with his or her career choiceCollapse


expressisverbis
maktal Hassan
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
Royaume-Uni
Local time: 05:31
Membre (2008)
italien vers anglais
Ageism Jun 24, 2023

ProZ.com Staff wrote:

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Freelancing, in general, is more advantageous for the young.".

View the poll results »



Freelancing, for or against, has got nothing to do with age.


SandraV
expressisverbis
Becca Resnik
Syrtos
Rachel Fell
Philip Lees
neilmac
 
Philip Lees
Philip Lees  Identity Verified
Grèce
Local time: 07:31
grec vers anglais
In general Jun 25, 2023

In general, then, considering all kinds of citizens growing up in any of the cultures in the world, from all periods of human history ...

No. Too difficult.

No opinion.

Being more specific, I've been a freelancer of one description or another for almost all of my working life. Even when I've worked regular hours in a specific place, it was under contract as a self-employed person.

It's worked out quite well for me. It might not suit somebody el
... See more
In general, then, considering all kinds of citizens growing up in any of the cultures in the world, from all periods of human history ...

No. Too difficult.

No opinion.

Being more specific, I've been a freelancer of one description or another for almost all of my working life. Even when I've worked regular hours in a specific place, it was under contract as a self-employed person.

It's worked out quite well for me. It might not suit somebody else. I don't think age has anything to do with it.
Collapse


expressisverbis
neilmac
 
Lieven Malaise
Lieven Malaise
Belgique
Local time: 06:31
français vers néerlandais
+ ...
Disadvantageous Jun 25, 2023

I would say it's more disadvantageous to the young. Freelancing seems attractive to young people: the freedom to work whenever you want or from your couch or whatever. But I think it's a mistake to jump into it right after you finished school. A young freelancer without any previous translation experience will deliver mediocre translations, will have no coaching from colleagues to become better fast and will hardly know anything about rates or how the translation world works.

expressisverbis
Danielle Crouch
Kay Denney
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnie-Herzegovine
Local time: 06:31
Membre (2009)
anglais vers croate
+ ...
Same for the old Jun 25, 2023

Lieven Malaise wrote:
A young freelancer without any previous translation experience will deliver mediocre translations, will have no coaching from colleagues to become better fast and will hardly know anything about rates or how the translation world works.


All of this will also apply to old people entering freelancing for the first time.

I would say it’s disadvantageous for the young as a young person is supposed to go out there and experience the world, rather than being tethered to a screen.


expressisverbis
 
Bohdan Tsymbalyuk
Bohdan Tsymbalyuk
Ukraine
Local time: 07:31
anglais vers ukrainien
+ ...
Let young speak for themselves Jun 25, 2023

I am young (I hope 24 is still considered young) and for me freelansing was a huge break. Because of it I've worked on some huge projects and gained more experience than any company could have ever given to me. And the fact that I can manage my own time and decide which projects to take is a huge plus for me.
So yeah, I do belive that it is more advantageous for the young, but it is also not for everyone, but the age is definitely not the problem here.

[Edited at 2023-06-25 08:34 GM
... See more
I am young (I hope 24 is still considered young) and for me freelansing was a huge break. Because of it I've worked on some huge projects and gained more experience than any company could have ever given to me. And the fact that I can manage my own time and decide which projects to take is a huge plus for me.
So yeah, I do belive that it is more advantageous for the young, but it is also not for everyone, but the age is definitely not the problem here.

[Edited at 2023-06-25 08:34 GMT]
Collapse


Eleanor Odhiambo
Christine Andersen
 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Danemark
Local time: 06:31
Membre (2012)
anglais vers danois
+ ...
Disagree Jun 25, 2023

On the contrary, it's much better to have some experience in various fields, before you start freelancing.

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
expressisverbis
Angie Garbarino
Christine Andersen
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 05:31
Membre (2007)
anglais vers portugais
+ ...
@All Jun 25, 2023

The agree button is not working. I’ve sent a support ticket to the staff…

Kay Denney
 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 05:31
Membre (2015)
anglais vers portugais
+ ...
Mess Jun 25, 2023

What a mess! I can't post any comments on Kudoz and for some reason I don't know I was writing something here related to a different thread and I'm positive sure I opened the right thread, not this one!



[Edited at 2023-06-25 15:33 GMT]

[Edited at 2023-06-25 15:34 GMT]

[Edited at 2023-06-25 15:37 GMT]


 
Andrea Capuselli
Andrea Capuselli
Local time: 01:31
COLLABORATEUR DU SITE
SITE LOCALIZER
Thank you for your reports. We are looking into this. Jun 25, 2023

Dear Teresa, and all,

Thank you for your reports. We have been able to confirm the issue with the "agree" button and two related issues affecting the profile updater and the discussion box in KudoZ. They seem to all be tied to the same update, and we are working to have these functions back to normal as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience, and don't hesitate to submit a support request if you need anything.


expressisverbis
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 05:31
Membre (2007)
anglais vers portugais
+ ...
@Andrea Jun 25, 2023

I’ll be waiting patiently. Anyway, thanks for a quicker response than usual on Sundays...

expressisverbis
 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 05:31
Membre (2015)
anglais vers portugais
+ ...
Many thanks, Andrea Jun 25, 2023

Many thanks for looking into these issues during the weekend.

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
One hat Jun 25, 2023

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
... A freelancer juggles different balls, wears different hats and is responsible for marketing, invoicing, contracts, tax payments, to name just a few tasks ...


I see what you mean but, in my case, I have an accountant do my tax payments and another person do my invoices. True, about once or twice every two years I read, edit and, if we agree, sign a contract, but pretty well the only hat I wear now is that of the translator.

I haven't had to look for clients for about twenty years, though I do have to negotiate with new ones, but these are both activities that are difficult for anyone without experience, whether young or old. I also did my own invoices, but I wouldn't say it was difficult.

Being a freelancer is the perfect choice for people like me who can't stand having a boss tell them what to do. And for those who like to live and work where they please. Age doesn't come into it.

Simon


neilmac
 
Pages sur ce sujet:   [1 2 3] >


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

Modérateur(s) de ce forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

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

Poll: Freelancing, in general, is more advantageous for the young.






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 »
Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »