Certified translations by sworn translators in France
Thread poster: Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 19:15
French to English
May 9, 2019

Certified translators for submission for official administrative purposes in France can only be carried out by a "traducteur assermenté". When job offers are posted in a pair requiring French, then only those who are register to do this type of work can do so. Like others who would like to apply for this type of job, I am not a paying member of ProZ. Many certified translators providing this service cannot afford to become a paying member of ProZ.

Is there any possibility of this
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Certified translators for submission for official administrative purposes in France can only be carried out by a "traducteur assermenté". When job offers are posted in a pair requiring French, then only those who are register to do this type of work can do so. Like others who would like to apply for this type of job, I am not a paying member of ProZ. Many certified translators providing this service cannot afford to become a paying member of ProZ.

Is there any possibility of this type of job becoming open to non-paying members of the site?

I have been a member of ProZ since 2003 and was a co-moderator for a couple of years. I cannot afford to become a member as the business set-up I have ("microentrepreneur") does not enable me to deduct business expenses. That's hard luck for me; I should change my business set-up, I hear you say. Maybe, but the hard fact is that in France, this service is provided by many who will not be able to make this type of investment.
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Yolanda Broad
 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 02:15
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Cannot afford? May 9, 2019

I cannot afford to become a member as the business set-up I have ("microentrepreneur") does not enable me to deduct business expenses.

I don't see the logic. Do you not buy computers either, because you can't deduct it as business expenses?

You buy ProZ membership if you feel the return is worth the cost, and you don't buy if you don't think it is. Whether it's tax-deductible or shifts the balance by may be a hundred USD, which is not much money at all, and I don't see how it is a determining factor.


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Hedwig Spitzer (X)
Angus Stewart
Eliza Hall
 
Jean Dimitriadis
Jean Dimitriadis  Identity Verified
English to French
+ ...
Certified/Official/Sworn translations and ProZ May 9, 2019

COUNTER-PROPOSAL FOR CERTIFIED TRANSLATIONS AND THE PROZ DIRECTORY

Each country seems to have a different set up when it comes to certified translations.

What I suggest is that ProZ offers a way for clients to search its directory for translators (and agencies) who can provide certified translations in a specific country.

This would be an important service, and a big incentive to use ProZ Find for individuals.

I have recently had the nee
... See more
COUNTER-PROPOSAL FOR CERTIFIED TRANSLATIONS AND THE PROZ DIRECTORY

Each country seems to have a different set up when it comes to certified translations.

What I suggest is that ProZ offers a way for clients to search its directory for translators (and agencies) who can provide certified translations in a specific country.

This would be an important service, and a big incentive to use ProZ Find for individuals.

I have recently had the need for a certified translation, and had to check within the ProZ profile of listed members for such a mention, which makes the search too unwieldy.

This would require ProZ to map the different country-specific setups (a thread could be used for local input), and, based on the country declared in each translator’s profile, an option to clearly state that one offers certified translations.

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THOUGHTS ON THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL

This was a counterproposal to Nikki’s idea, on which here are some additional thoughts:

In the Job Board, the poster can choose NOT to restrict the job to ProZ members. There is an option to allow non-members to quote without having to wait for 12 or 24 hours. It is therefore up to the poster to make the right choice when they search for certified translators in a specific country and may wish to lift this artificial restriction, to make sure their offer can be answered by the appropriate profiles. When you post a job, it is made clear what members are in this context. The text says: “Limit this job to (paying) members of ProZ.com?”.

Maybe some option to state that this is a call for certified translation could be added, but my focus would be on the Directory rather than the Job Board, which, as I have repeatedly said, is much too prominent, and offers a distorted image with its focus on (low rate) bidding.

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RE THE SITUATION IN FRANCE AND IN GENERAL

I happen to operate under the “micro-entrepreneur” status in France myself, and must say that, unless mistaken, business expenses ARE taken into account, in a way, for micro-entrepreneurs too. Specific expenses are not tax deductible and you can’t buy without paying VAT for professional purchases, but the taxable benefits are calculated after applying a 34% flat deduction to take into account business expenses.

Depending on each business set up, actual business expenses may be lower or higher than 34%. I can say that at least my own annual operation costs are much lower than 34%, that is after taking into account a ProZ Plus membership, which anyway tends to at least pay for itself in terms of ROI.

[Edit: The 34% flat deduction is taking into account business expenses AND social security expenses. The latter being fixed to 22.5%, that's 11,5% for business expenses. Sounds about right. Unless one chooses to have their own office, business expenses are quite low, compared to other businesses.]

Is it a fact that translators in France or other developed countries are more penalized than those in less developed ones when it comes to the ProZ membership? Are translators in France (whatever their status) less able to afford a ProZ membership than in a country with much lower median annual income?

I really wouldn’t think so, but I may be missing something.

[Edited at 2019-05-09 16:07 GMT]

[Edited at 2019-05-09 16:51 GMT]
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Gerard de Noord
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 19:15
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
Experience May 9, 2019

Lincoln Hui wrote:

You buy ProZ membership if you feel the return is worth the cost, and you don't buy if you don't think it is. Whether it's tax-deductible or shifts the balance by may be a hundred USD, which is not much money at all, and I don't see how it is a determining factor.


Your post makes me realise that I did not express myself clearly. My past experience of ProZ membership has been that it was not worth the cost for me. That's my first point. By the way, that was at a time when I was not under the simplified system. I was able to deduct business expenses.

My second point is about the specificity of one particular business structure that exists in France. That is why I did not go into any detail about it. However, I nevertheless do explain it a little, precisely because it is specific. As Jean points out, each country has its specificities with regard to certification.

The business structure I have is for those with sales of up to a certain limit. There is another similar structure above a certain level of sales. Different rules apply to that category. Like any business organisation, there are advantages and disadvantages to various structures and a choice has to be made. One main advantage of this particular set-up is the simplicity of it all. One big disadvantage is not being able to deduct any expenses. (Note that I specified deductible business expense; that is not quite the same thing as being tax-deductible).

My third point is that this simplified structure is adopted by a number of translators, particularly those who are starting out, but also by those who have another activity. A number of sworn translators in France do certified translations in addition to another activity. The simplified business structure is well-suited to those who provide this service. So, just like Bill Gates, we have to think before we buy and the fact that with this structure does not allow any purchase to be set off against sales, cost is a determining factor. The key link in my explanation is that this set-up is adopted by many sworn translators so choices have to be made.

[Edited at 2019-05-09 19:21 GMT]


 


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Certified translations by sworn translators in France






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