| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: Freelancers, are you members of your local chamber of commerce? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Miriam Neidhardt (X) 
Germany
Local time: 23:38
English to German
| @michael harris | Jul 11, 2012 |
Since when do you have to be a member of the IHK as a translator? I am not and in almost 14 professional years I have never heart of that! (And the website of the IHK also states that freelancers do not have to become members. Only "Gewerbebetreibende" do.)
Miriam
www. überleben-als-übersetzer.de
[Edited at 2012-07-11 14:27 GMT]
[Edited at 2012-07-11 14:48 GMT]
| | | | Anthony Baldwin
United States
Local time: 17:38
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Membership is very costly and the benefits are questionable.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 17:38
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Yes, yes I am | Jul 11, 2012 |
Bora Tasdemir wrote:
I am not a member, but i want to be. I am new in this sector and i don't have much information about this. How can i do that exactly?
Here in America we are full of chambers of commerce, which go by city and region, and at times overlap. I live in a small town called Westlake, 16 miles west of Cleveland (Ohio). Both have their own chambers of commerce, but I became a member of the regional association of chambers of commerce because (1) I can take part in the activities of all of them and not just my own and (2) I see no reason to pay 300 bucks to the smaller one for 1/10 of the benefits.
However, becoming a member is not compulsory at all, even if you are a corporation or sole proprietorship (a one-person company). Unlike doctors, lawyers and nurses, among others, translators as independent contractors are unregulated in America.
Becoming a member of a chamber of commerce is a personal decision that should be based on a number of reasons. The main advantage is networking with other business owners and sharing with them what translation services really are. Additionally, building relationships by taking active part in their activities is another plus (depending on available time, of course).
As not all chambers of commerce are the same (big-city ones tend to be indifferent to small-biz owners; they only take your money and run things without your input), it depends on where you live if you want to become a part of one.
Bora, check out what's out there in your city or region; identify the chamber of commerce that is closest to you, attend its meetings, meet members, chat with them, see what advantages and disadvantages they've experienced. Then, you will have enough info to make up your mind.
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 23:38
Member (2006)
German to English
Miriam Neidhardt wrote: Since when do you have to be a member of the IHK as a translator? I am not and in almost 14 professional years I have never heart of that! (And the website of the IHK also states that freelancers do not have to become members. Only "Gewerbebetreibende" do.) Miriam www. überleben-als-übersetzer.de [Edited at 2012-07-11 14:27 GMT] [Edited at 2012-07-11 14:48 GMT]
No idea, after I registered myself as full time freelancer, I got post from them telling me to pay them €75,00 / year. I spoke to them and my accountant and both said that all freelancers irrelevant of the sector are automatically members of the IHK as soon as they register themselves as a freelancer.
I have no idea why, but have accepted it in the mean time.
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inkweaver
Germany
Local time: 23:38
French to German
+ ...
Michael Harris wrote: Thayenga wrote:
In order to become a member I would have to register a trade - which is not required for freelance translators - and also pay trade tax. And their fees are quite hefty. As a freelancer, you have to be a member of the IHK, you have no choice. If they find out you have not registered, they will expect you to pay fees from the day you registered yourself as a freelance at the town hall!
No, you don't. If you are registered as a company membership is compulsory, if you are a freelancer, it isn't.
http://www.frankfurt-main.ihk.de/ihk/vorstellung/beitrag/besondere-rechtsformen/index.html
(Edited to add link.)
[Edited at 2012-07-11 15:36 GMT]
| | | | Miriam Neidhardt (X)
Germany
Local time: 23:38
English to German
| @michael harris | Jul 11, 2012 |
Sonderfall Freiberufler (Rechtsanwälte, Ingenieure, Steuerberater, Ärzte, Unternehmensberater)
„Freier Beruf“ ist ein steuerlicher Begriff. Im Regelfall sind reine Freiberufler nicht gewerblich tätig und damit auch nicht IHK-zugehörig,
http://www.hannover.ihk.de/ueber-uns/faq-beitrag.html
Go and get your 75 Euros back!
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 23:38
Member (2006)
German to English
| Thanks for the advice!! | Jul 11, 2012 |
Miriam Neidhardt wrote: Sonderfall Freiberufler (Rechtsanwälte, Ingenieure, Steuerberater, Ärzte, Unternehmensberater) „Freier Beruf“ ist ein steuerlicher Begriff. Im Regelfall sind reine Freiberufler nicht gewerblich tätig und damit auch nicht IHK-zugehörig, http://www.hannover.ihk.de/ueber-uns/faq-beitrag.html Go and get your 75 Euros back!
| | | | wonita (X)
China
Local time: 17:38
Michael Harris wrote: Thanks for the advice!! Miriam Neidhardt wrote: Sonderfall Freiberufler (Rechtsanwälte, Ingenieure, Steuerberater, Ärzte, Unternehmensberater) „Freier Beruf“ ist ein steuerlicher Begriff. Im Regelfall sind reine Freiberufler nicht gewerblich tätig und damit auch nicht IHK-zugehörig, http://www.hannover.ihk.de/ueber-uns/faq-beitrag.html Go and get your 75 Euros back!
Michael, since you outsource jobs, you have a business and have to pay.
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Miriam Neidhardt (X)
Germany
Local time: 23:38
English to German
So schnell wird man nicht gewerblich! Es gibt wohl keine genaue Regel, wann dem so ist, Theorien jedoch besagen, dass man einen Gewinn (! Nicht Umsatz!) von 24.500 Euro im Jahr allein aus vermittelten Aufträgen erzielen muss, um gewerbesteuerpflichtig zu werden. Sobald man den Text selber Korrektur liest, fällt dieser Auftrag nicht darunter.
Ich weiß ja nicht, wie viele Aufträge Michael weitervermittelt, aber da er seiner Aussage nach als Freiberufler beim Finanzamt gemeldet ist... See more So schnell wird man nicht gewerblich! Es gibt wohl keine genaue Regel, wann dem so ist, Theorien jedoch besagen, dass man einen Gewinn (! Nicht Umsatz!) von 24.500 Euro im Jahr allein aus vermittelten Aufträgen erzielen muss, um gewerbesteuerpflichtig zu werden. Sobald man den Text selber Korrektur liest, fällt dieser Auftrag nicht darunter.
Ich weiß ja nicht, wie viele Aufträge Michael weitervermittelt, aber da er seiner Aussage nach als Freiberufler beim Finanzamt gemeldet ist, muss er auch nicht für die IHK zahlen. Auch nicht, wenn er outsourct.
Gibt's n extra Kapitel in meinem Buch zu
Gruß Miriam
[Edited at 2012-07-11 20:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 17:38
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Full participation | Jul 12, 2012 |
Miriam Neidhardt wrote: So schnell wird man nicht gewerblich! Es gibt wohl keine genaue Regel, wann dem so ist, Theorien jedoch besagen, dass man einen Gewinn (! Nicht Umsatz!) von 24.500 Euro im Jahr allein aus vermittelten Aufträgen erzielen muss, um gewerbesteuerpflichtig zu werden. Sobald man den Text selber Korrektur liest, fällt dieser Auftrag nicht darunter. Ich weiß ja nicht, wie viele Aufträge Michael weitervermittelt, aber da er seiner Aussage nach als Freiberufler beim Finanzamt gemeldet ist, muss er auch nicht für die IHK zahlen. Auch nicht, wenn er outsourct. Gibt's n extra Kapitel in meinem Buch zu Gruß Miriam [Edited at 2012-07-11 20:54 GMT]
May I invite our German-speaking participants to use English instead? If you really want to bring a point home with a fellow German speaker, could you do it via a private message instead?
Thanks!
| | | | Jessica Noyes
United States
Local time: 17:38
Member
Spanish to English
+ ...
Another benefit in this country is that free-lancers can purchase lower-cost health insurance through the Chamber if they are members. I am not sure if Europeans are aware how much decent health care costs in the U.S. -- in our state it is about $7000 a year for one, or $12,000 for a family, if you don't have a group plan through an employer. So free-lancers often join the Chamber to get the lower group rates.
| | | | 564354352 (X)
Denmark
Local time: 23:38
Danish to English
+ ...
| No, never even considered it | Jul 12, 2012 |
However, recently, I received a weird letter from the local chamber of commerce, quite rudely asking (telling) me to pay my part of the advertising campaign they are apparently running on local TV. I live in a very small town (7,000 people), where the population doubles many times over during summer due to tourism, and tourism is really all there is in this town, and trade is based very much on that. From October through April, the village becomes a bit of a ghost town (I actually prefer it then... See more However, recently, I received a weird letter from the local chamber of commerce, quite rudely asking (telling) me to pay my part of the advertising campaign they are apparently running on local TV. I live in a very small town (7,000 people), where the population doubles many times over during summer due to tourism, and tourism is really all there is in this town, and trade is based very much on that. From October through April, the village becomes a bit of a ghost town (I actually prefer it then to the times of tourist inundation). However, contributing to the chamber of commerce would only mean contributing to promoting the shops, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions around here, none of which appear to have any translation needs, and I'm pretty sure none of the tourists need my services either. Why on earth would I waste my money on that?
So glad to live in a country where such things are completely voluntary. ▲ Collapse
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afaik, there are no identical local-level (local-level) entities in Russia.
| | | | | No, because in France | Jul 12, 2012 |
No, because in France the terms "commerce" and "profession libérale" are basically and viscerally incompatible.
"Liberal professionals" can't register on "registre du commerce" and, for instance, are not allowed to accept payments by bills of exchange nor to sign a commercial lease.
Have a great day
Catherine
| | | | Mihai Badea (X)
Luxembourg
Local time: 23:38
English to Romanian
+ ...
| Membership of a chamber of commerce | Mar 8, 2022 |
There are times when it's good to be a member of your national chamber of commerce.
It's like getting some very special spectacles that make some things much clearer.
Like knowing whether an overseas company does not pay on time because it wants to penalise you for something they didn't like or they struggle to comply with some new local policy.
It's important, because insisting too much on getting paid on time might speed the payment (positive effect in th... See more There are times when it's good to be a member of your national chamber of commerce.
It's like getting some very special spectacles that make some things much clearer.
Like knowing whether an overseas company does not pay on time because it wants to penalise you for something they didn't like or they struggle to comply with some new local policy.
It's important, because insisting too much on getting paid on time might speed the payment (positive effect in the short term), but ruin the business relationship (negative effect in the long term).
Can there be a compromise? One could probably argue that a reasonable late payment fee might do the trick.
You give them some space (more time), but not for free.
Note: applying the fee right away might be seen as rude, if they really have a problem that is outside their control. Of course, it also depends on how much you desire to keep the business. ▲ Collapse
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