| Mga pahina sa paksa: [1 2] > | How are you diversifying? Tagapagpost sa thread: Emily Scott
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Emily Scott 
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:54
Kasapi (2018)
French papuntang Ingles
+ ...
There's a lot of doom and gloom on this forum at the moment as well as some talk of going into other ventures to mitigate falls in income, so I've been wondering what avenues people have been going down in this uncertain time? I, myself, have been considering teaching English online, but I haven't looked into it properly yet. What ways have you been/been thinking about diversifying recently? Are they related to translation or something completely different?
| | | | Baran Keki
Turkiya
Local time: 01:54
Kasapi
Ingles papuntang Turkish
| Apologies in advance | Jan 29 |
I sincerely apologize for appearing to hijack your thread, but something caught my attention yesterday while checking out the profile of a newcomer to this website. This person just registered to Proz by paying 120 USD or so, and checking out her CV I read that "she and her business partner have 5 student properties in Brighton, UK, which house 27 students at present, and their goal is to increase this to 10 in 3 years".
Talk about diversifying... If you have have a business like this, re... See more I sincerely apologize for appearing to hijack your thread, but something caught my attention yesterday while checking out the profile of a newcomer to this website. This person just registered to Proz by paying 120 USD or so, and checking out her CV I read that "she and her business partner have 5 student properties in Brighton, UK, which house 27 students at present, and their goal is to increase this to 10 in 3 years".
Talk about diversifying... If you have have a business like this, renting out rooms to students, you must be making a killing, then why the hell would you try your hand at a moribund profession like translation? It makes no sense.. ▲ Collapse
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For my part, I've started accepting jobs that I'd rejected until recently (PEMT). Anyway, I'm approaching the end of my career, I’ve been through some immensely testing times and I trust my ability to adapt.
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:54
Kasapi (2014)
Japanese papuntang Ingles
| Stick (mostly) to what you know | Jan 29 |
If you are brave then you could strike off into a completely different direction and build a brand-new career, but most people should try to leverage what skills and abilities they already have.
I have some knowledge of finance, so I would be looking in that direction, I suppose. As another example, if Tom is interested in diversifying he could explore the fringes of the architectural profession / construction industry. Rachel has in the past mentioned her interest in engineering wi... See more If you are brave then you could strike off into a completely different direction and build a brand-new career, but most people should try to leverage what skills and abilities they already have.
I have some knowledge of finance, so I would be looking in that direction, I suppose. As another example, if Tom is interested in diversifying he could explore the fringes of the architectural profession / construction industry. Rachel has in the past mentioned her interest in engineering with an environmental tilt. Matthias, I think, went back to working in tech full time.
Dan ▲ Collapse
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 23:54
Kasapi (2020)
French papuntang Olandes
+ ...
I gave it some thought and my master plan in which I would keep on earning more or less the same as I do now, would be as follows:
Stage 1: taking a halftime job and continuing my freelance translation business as a secondary job.
Stage 2: taking a fulltime job and continuing my freelance translation business as a secondary job.
| | | | Baran Keki
Turkiya
Local time: 01:54
Kasapi
Ingles papuntang Turkish
| Expanding and Project Management | Jan 30 |
I've been wondering if it might still be a good idea to open a translation agency (or rather pretend you're an agency) covering all languages (outsourcing jobs to translators obviously) these days.
I have this website, for which I've done very little SEO and haven't done any kind of investment in the last 5 years, and I still get the odd job from direct clients (from Europe) through there (and last year I missed out on a potentially 300K worth deal through my ineptitude), and Turkish is o... See more I've been wondering if it might still be a good idea to open a translation agency (or rather pretend you're an agency) covering all languages (outsourcing jobs to translators obviously) these days.
I have this website, for which I've done very little SEO and haven't done any kind of investment in the last 5 years, and I still get the odd job from direct clients (from Europe) through there (and last year I missed out on a potentially 300K worth deal through my ineptitude), and Turkish is one of the least, if not the least, popular languages in the European translation market. Imagine I was translating from Spanish or German into English, or English into French etc.
I'm also occasionally approached by what seem like English or Spanish freelance translators, who ask me to translate English legal texts into Turkish and tend to pay good rates (very unlike an ordinary translation agency). I've been wondering for years how the hell they manage to get those Turkish jobs when their personal website or Proz profile says "French to English legal translator" or "English to Spanish technical/marketing translator", but somehow they get those jobs in other languages and splash the cash like they're some sort of 'boutique agency'.
I'm also curious as to know how much a Project Manager (not those working out of Chisinau) makes. I'm sure their job involves more hassle compared to a translator, but they must have regular working hours (which is something I'd really like to have) and earn a fixed salary. I wonder if they (working for agencies in Germany, Denmark, UK etc.) earn like 3k a month, working 9 to 5 on weekdays from home. Now, that wouldn't go against the grain of the 'freelancing ideal', would it?
I remember people asking similar questions about 'diversifying' here and receiving less than satisfactory replies. This is because once you've spent a decade of your life sitting at home and losing your people skills, there's very little you can do. They seem to venture into copywriting (as if that's AI-proof) and other language related stuff. You say you're considering teaching. But, have you ever taught before? It requires a whole different skill set. Would you be comfortable talking to a stranger/strangers? I even doubt that those returning to the healthcare industry after a decade of medical translation find it easy or can pick up where they left off.
I'm sort of curious to see the Youtubing career of that colleague of ours who is fascinated by 'clinical trials'. I used to follow a certain American Japanese translator turned Youtuber (who used to put out content about her life as a freelance translator), I just checked her channel now and saw that she's got about 13k subscribers in over 9 years despite all the fancy stuff she put out in the last few years. I don't know how many subscribers you need to monetize your channel, but it must take a couple of hundred thousands at the very least, and translation don't sell apparently... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:54
Kasapi (2014)
Japanese papuntang Ingles
| You may be optimistic | Jan 30 |
Baran Keki wrote:
but they must have regular working hours (which is something I'd really like to have)
I sometimes get emails from the project managers at my clients in the early hours of their morning...
(And late evening emails are common.)
But that's Japan. Maybe European clients work shorter hours.
You'd kind of think they would.
Regards,
Dan
[Edited at 2025-01-30 09:16 GMT]
| | | | Emily Scott
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:54
Kasapi (2018)
French papuntang Ingles
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Project management is a logical option, but I'm not sure that they always have a good work-life balance and regular hours - this is what I've gleaned from some of the PMs I've worked with anyway, sending emails way past 5pm and on weekends. But at least you'd still be able to work from home, and I see that these posts tend to what people with experience in the translation industry and language skills, so translators would probably have a good chance at landing these roles.
I haven't... See more Project management is a logical option, but I'm not sure that they always have a good work-life balance and regular hours - this is what I've gleaned from some of the PMs I've worked with anyway, sending emails way past 5pm and on weekends. But at least you'd still be able to work from home, and I see that these posts tend to what people with experience in the translation industry and language skills, so translators would probably have a good chance at landing these roles.
I haven't taught before, no, but you have to start somewhere, right? Like most translators (I assume), language learning is a passion and so I think it would be something I would enjoy and I know there are courses you can take for TEFL. Talking to strangers as an introvert who has worked on her own for years may be a struggle, but no job's perfect and I'm sure it's something I could get used to if I had to. English is a popular language to learn so I'm confident there will be work there, but who knows, maybe it will also succumb to AI...
[Edited at 2025-01-30 09:45 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:54
Kasapi (2014)
Japanese papuntang Ingles
| No kicks, no goals | Jan 30 |
Emily Scott wrote:
but no jobs perfect and I'm sure it's something you could get used to if I had to.
At least you're trying/considering something!
Good for you.
Dan
| | | | Michael Kelly
Pransya
Local time: 23:54
Kasapi (2022)
Aleman papuntang Ingles
+ ...
| Re: project management | Jan 30 |
If you're talking about project management in a translation agency, what I've seen in France is as follows:
- yes, regular hours
- pay is OK but not great.
In any case I would have thought that AI would eventually affect their jobs as well, if companies do their translations internally with MT and eventually bypass agencies.
Working as a secretary for a law firm or investment bank is another possibility, with translation on top in the evenings. It also complements trans... See more If you're talking about project management in a translation agency, what I've seen in France is as follows:
- yes, regular hours
- pay is OK but not great.
In any case I would have thought that AI would eventually affect their jobs as well, if companies do their translations internally with MT and eventually bypass agencies.
Working as a secretary for a law firm or investment bank is another possibility, with translation on top in the evenings. It also complements translation in the sense of gaining increased exposure to financial or legal terminology.
Re: teaching - I came from there, people vary widely and so do jobs, but for me the unpaid preparation/travel time and prolonged people contact was exhausting. However, never say never again, and I don't rule out having to do it in the future. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 23:54
Kasapi (2020)
French papuntang Olandes
+ ...
Baran Keki wrote:
This is because once you've spent a decade of your life sitting at home and losing your people skills, there's very little you can do.
If we would agree that long-standing translators "lose their people skills", then project management definitely wouldn't save them because people skills are very important for PMs (or at least they should be).
But I don't really agree with you. I imagine most translators have a life outside their office, with human interaction in different forms (children, parents, friends...). Translators tend to be more or less introvert (probably because the job, because of its nature, attracts introvert people), but that's not the same as lacking appropriate people skills to interact professionally with other people, imo.
[Bijgewerkt op 2025-01-30 11:26 GMT]
| | | | Baran Keki
Turkiya
Local time: 01:54
Kasapi
Ingles papuntang Turkish
| Online vs. face-to-face interaction | Jan 30 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
If we would agree that long-standing translators "lose their people skills", then project management definitely wouldn't save them because people skills are very important for PMs (or at least they should be).
But I don't really agree with you. I imagine most translators have a life outside their office, with human interaction in different forms (children, parents, friends...). Translators tend to be more or less introvert (probably because the job, because of its nature, attracts introvert people), but that's not the same as lacking appropriate people skills to interact professionally with other people, imo.
[Bijgewerkt op 2025-01-30 11:26 GMT]
I think there's a world of difference between online and face-to-face interaction. I express myself quite well in writing (and therefore I can do an okay job as a PM working from home at my desktop computer), but would be totally at sea at times when talking to a person in the real world (to the extent that I can't even form sentences properly in my native Turkish), if that makes any sense?
I may have failed to get across what I meant by 'people skills'. What I mean is that you can't be expected to work in an 'office environment', dealing with people (be it customers or your colleagues), like a duck takes to water after having spent 16 years at home, translating HVAC manuals or lease contracts, or some other mind numbing rubbish.
Of course, you interact your with kids, friends and neighbours etc., you don't completely turn into a caveman even after two decades of freelance translation.
I'm not saying 'office jobs' and dealing with people on a daily basis out there (not online) are desirable. I decided to be a translator to avoid dealing with people in the first place. I've gotten used to it.
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia at Herzegovina
Local time: 23:54
Kasapi (2009)
Ingles papuntang Croatian
+ ...
| Project Management | Jan 30 |
At some point in the past, I worked as a project manager with an interpreting agency. I was the only one, out of 10 project managers, who had an actual interpreting background and experience. All others had been trained in business and sales, never having worked as translators. They only hired me because they liked the test I completed about project flows and told me it had been perfect.
These two skillsets are completely different. They may look like they intersect, but they are di... See more At some point in the past, I worked as a project manager with an interpreting agency. I was the only one, out of 10 project managers, who had an actual interpreting background and experience. All others had been trained in business and sales, never having worked as translators. They only hired me because they liked the test I completed about project flows and told me it had been perfect.
These two skillsets are completely different. They may look like they intersect, but they are different. If you are not ready for a lot of chaos, crazy neurotic clients, a ton of moving parts, zillion useless staff meetings, don’t even think about it. And you’ll be constantly evaluated and assessed, your every move.
Btw, for the amount of work and chaos, the pay was not great at all.
[Edited at 2025-01-30 13:22 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Turkiya
Local time: 01:54
Kasapi
Ingles papuntang Turkish
Lingua 5B wrote:
At some point in the past, I worked as a project manager with an interpreting agency. I was the only one, out of 10 project managers, who had an actual interpreting background and experience. All others had been trained in business and sales, never having worked as translators. They only hired me because they liked the test I completed about project flows and told me it had been perfect.
These two skillsets are completely different. They may look like they intersect, but they are different. If you are not ready for a lot of chaos, crazy neurotic clients, a ton of moving parts, zillion useless staff meetings, don’t even think about it. And you’ll be constantly evaluated and assessed, your every move.
Btw, for the amount of work and chaos, the pay was not great at all.
[Edited at 2025-01-30 13:22 GMT]
I wasn't envious of the PMs at our office when I was working as an in-house translator. They were earning less than us and dealing with all sorts of crap, and taking a lot of shit (abuse) from the boss.
What I had in mind was that me working as a PM from home in Turkey for a translation office based in Cambridge or Copenhagen, doing everything online just like I'm doing now as a freelance translator (would that be called 'freelance project management'?). Would I get paid hourly like 40, 50 GBP/EUR per hour? I have no interest in commuting, sharing an office space with others, and least of all getting paid in Turkish money.
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia at Herzegovina
Local time: 23:54
Kasapi (2009)
Ingles papuntang Croatian
+ ...
Baran Keki wrote:
Lingua 5B wrote:
At some point in the past, I worked as a project manager with an interpreting agency. I was the only one, out of 10 project managers, who had an actual interpreting background and experience. All others had been trained in business and sales, never having worked as translators. They only hired me because they liked the test I completed about project flows and told me it had been perfect.
These two skillsets are completely different. They may look like they intersect, but they are different. If you are not ready for a lot of chaos, crazy neurotic clients, a ton of moving parts, zillion useless staff meetings, don’t even think about it. And you’ll be constantly evaluated and assessed, your every move.
Btw, for the amount of work and chaos, the pay was not great at all.
[Edited at 2025-01-30 13:22 GMT]
I wasn't envious of the PMs at our office when I was working as an in-house translator. They were earning less than us and dealing with all sorts of crap, and taking a lot of shit (abuse) from the boss.
What I had in mind was that me working as a PM from home in Turkey for a translation office based in Cambridge or Copenhagen, doing everything online just like I'm doing now as a freelance translator (would that be called 'freelance project management'?). Would I get paid hourly like 40, 50 GBP/EUR per hour? I have no interest in commuting, sharing an office space with others, and least of all getting paid in Turkish money.
No, you won’t be paid 50 GBP/hr, not even close, even if the agency is based in the most expensive country. Why would they pay you 50 GBP/hr, when Filipinos do the same remote job at $6/hr.
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