Poll: Have you noticed a slowing in demand / your workload so far this year?
ناشر الموضوع: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Feb 6, 2017

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you noticed a slowing in demand / your workload so far this year?".

This poll was originally submitted by Anne-Virginie Lerat. View the poll results »



 
Catherine De Crignis
Catherine De Crignis  Identity Verified
فرنسا
Local time: 11:06
عضو (2012)
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"No" but I meant "Too early to say" Feb 6, 2017

However, it could happen. One agency I worked for got bought out recently. I was expecting to lose them as a client (their eyes are stuck on rates only) and I managed to replace them before the merge. With a couple of other clients I need to increase my rate and I'm almost certain one of them will prefer to see me go, so I'm getting ready for a possible slump in my workload, which means I'll have more time to develop my business.

 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
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Local time: 10:06
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No, it actually increased, it's too early to say... Feb 6, 2017

No, if I compare to the volume translated the same month (January) over the period of the last 5 years, but as this profession is full of ups and downs I’d say it’s too soon to tell, there are still 10 more months to come…

 
Gianluca Marras
Gianluca Marras  Identity Verified
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Local time: 11:06
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too early to say and not interested in comparisons Feb 6, 2017

I do not do comparison year to year, month to month and so on.
What I see is that I have to work, every day, full time and I go on.
If I see that I have some days off during the week well I can then say there is something wrong.


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
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Local time: 11:06
عضو (2003)
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No idea really Feb 6, 2017

Things are a bit quieter than sometimes, but it is partly because I have told some of my less attractive clients that I am winding down my business and planning to retire...

I have told others that I am still very happy to work for them, and work is coming in from them. Then there are the types who won't take no for an answer, or who have not deleted me from their database as suggested. I have even had some of those trying to 'recruit' me again after successfully dropping them.
... See more
Things are a bit quieter than sometimes, but it is partly because I have told some of my less attractive clients that I am winding down my business and planning to retire...

I have told others that I am still very happy to work for them, and work is coming in from them. Then there are the types who won't take no for an answer, or who have not deleted me from their database as suggested. I have even had some of those trying to 'recruit' me again after successfully dropping them.

Income-wise, January was a good month, because I invoiced a large job that was partly done in December, and December was a fairly busy month, as always.

I think the demand is there, but I am cutting down deliberately on my workload.
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Catherine De Crignis
Catherine De Crignis  Identity Verified
فرنسا
Local time: 11:06
عضو (2012)
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to Christine Feb 6, 2017

Christine,
Who is going to take up after you, so to speak? Are there enough skilled translators in your pair, do you believe? Just being curious...
Catherine


 
Patricia Bowden
Patricia Bowden
إيطاليا
Local time: 11:06
عضو (2013)
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Only becausw my availability changed Feb 6, 2017

I noticed a slowdown in my work only because I translation soeed is slower than before and i am much less available now that i have a small child.
It will probably get worse after I have my second.


 
Linda Ildevert (X)
Linda Ildevert (X)  Identity Verified
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Local time: 10:06
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No change Feb 6, 2017

It's been pretty much the same as usual for me. The first week of January was very quiet, but then things picked up and it's been non-stop ever since.

 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
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I hope there are enough translators in my pair... Feb 6, 2017

Catherine De Crignis wrote:

Christine,
Who is going to take up after you, so to speak? Are there enough skilled translators in your pair, do you believe? Just being curious...
Catherine


I hope there are enough translators in my language pair - though I know at least one client is having difficulty finding suitably qualified people. There are probably not too many, but I want to stop while I'm still delivering the quality clients expect.

I hope younger colleagues will take up Danish. It's not a language taught in schools outside Denmark. (Some people are worried about the levels of teaching IN Danish schools too, but I don't think it is entirely hopeless!) There are plenty of opportunities for translators and good dictionaries and resources.

The demand will be there too - Danes trade all over the world, and they use a lot of documentation in English... And competition is not always as fierce as in some of the 'bigger' languages.


 
inkweaver
inkweaver  Identity Verified
ألمانيا
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Yes, but it's picking up again Feb 6, 2017

In fact this January was the worst month in my whole career as a freelance translator. I just didn't expect such a slump after more than 9 years as a freelance translator. But things are picking up again, I have already made as much in a week as in the whole of January (pretty good for just one week, precious little for a whole month...).

 
Rebekah Burdyshaw
Rebekah Burdyshaw
الولايات المتحدة
Local time: 05:06
عضو (2014)
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Slow for Chinese New Year but... Feb 6, 2017

I always expect the few weeks around the Lunar New Year to be slow, as my main language pair is Chinese>English, but I can say that early January showed a huge increase in work volume. If that trend can pick back up after next week, this will be my best Q1 to date!

 
Catherine De Crignis
Catherine De Crignis  Identity Verified
فرنسا
Local time: 11:06
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Thanks Christine for your insight Feb 6, 2017



 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
اليابان
Local time: 18:06
عضو (2011)
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Other Feb 7, 2017

Haven't a clue

How can you make any rational judgment based on just the month of January?
The question would have made more sense if it were properly programmed and posted, say, at the beginning of April.

You might as well make a guess based on whether or not it rained yesterday or by a throw of the dice. IMHO


 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
البرازيل
Local time: 06:06
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No Feb 10, 2017

And it hasn't happened in 2016 either, despite all the complaints I heard from other colleagues. I had no free time then, and I still don't. The quality of my clients is improving, my income is improving, I'm getting rid of undesireable clients and getting new and better ones. As I mentioned before, I think we, freelance translators, are a very privileged category of professionals, and it would be a sin to complain at all.

 


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Poll: Have you noticed a slowing in demand / your workload so far this year?






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