| Počet stránok v téme: < [1 2] | Poll: As a general rule, in August you have... Nadvädzujúci príspevok na vyvesovateľa: ProZ.com Staff
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Mario Chavez (X) 
Local time: 14:26
angličtina -> španielčina
+ ...
| No such thing as 'general rule' | Aug 28, 2017 |
When I was in college (sorry, when I was attending university for a 4-year degree), I had read that translation work was subject to geopolitics. At the time (I was in my early 20s) I thought learning Russian would be advantageous because of the Cold War. In the 90s, I thought learning Japanese would be very advantageous, probably influenced by the news I read in the late 80s. Then, in 2005, I thought learning Arabic for translation purposes would be very advantageous. I suppose it still is.
... See more When I was in college (sorry, when I was attending university for a 4-year degree), I had read that translation work was subject to geopolitics. At the time (I was in my early 20s) I thought learning Russian would be advantageous because of the Cold War. In the 90s, I thought learning Japanese would be very advantageous, probably influenced by the news I read in the late 80s. Then, in 2005, I thought learning Arabic for translation purposes would be very advantageous. I suppose it still is.
In my 26 years in this profession, I haven't seen any particular trend, and I keep records of all my projects. On some years, January is the winner. On others, it's July or September. Unlike having a full-time job with a predictable flow of income, being an independent translator means the opposite, which would require, in my view, planning on a year in, year out basis. And, of course, for some of us, the cycles are sometimes multiyear ones, not annual or monthly ones.
It is up to the individual translator to determine what cycles those are, understanding from increasing experience that those cycles are not universal, immobile or predestined and depend on a number of factors: number and type of clients, specializations, geographic location, your own family size, your attitude towards risk, and many others.
So, if the original poster was looking for insight, I believe she won't find much that is applicable at her individual level, I'm afraid. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sophie Dzhygir
Francúzsko
Local time: 20:26
nemčina -> francúzština
+ ...
Michael Harris wrote:
Why should August differ from any other month? Nikki said it all: France is almost shut down in August. That may be true of other countries, or not. And @Julian, I was personally interested in learning that July in Sweden was the equivalent of August in France (because I do have Swedish clients).
I personally also have learnt that there is no rule (for me) in terms of business by month, except that August is always very busy. Always. That's because countries of my source languages are obviously at work, while many French translators are on holidays. And if you ask French translators if they noticed such a peak, you're likely to hear "never noticed...", but that's because they mostly are on holidays themselves in August, so they don't get a chance to notice! I've been working through most of August for ten years and it's always been an extremely busy month. That's also the only month in the year when clients are happy if you offer them to translate 2.000 words in 3 weeks, because they know they won't get it done any earlier anywhere else.
| | | | | Fast and Furious | Aug 28, 2017 |
Although there's no general rule for any month, this August was fast and furious. 😊 Seven clients got in touch during one week (!), some of them hadn''t contacted me for a year or two before, some were new. Don't know how I survived. Unfortunately, I had to decline three big projects, because I have only two eyes, two hands, and 24 hours a day.
What it was?
Most translators on vacations, or a lunar eclipse?
I think, neither. Just Freelancer's law. 😀
| | | | Kristina Cosumano (X)
Nemecko
Local time: 20:26
nemčina -> angličtina
Last August was the same, but this time there were more new agencies involved. I haven't yet figured out the ideal time to go on vacation, but it's definitely not going to be August, with its peak season and abundance of work.
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neilmac
Španielsko
Local time: 20:26
španielčina -> angličtina
+ ...
Mario Chavez wrote:
When I was in college (sorry, when I was attending university for a 4-year degree), I had read that translation work was subject to geopolitics.early 20s) I thought learning Russian would be advantageous because of the Cold War.
Same here - I took a degree in Russsian then found out the only job openings in the UK were for the Ministry of Defence, which meant having to sign the draconian Official Secrets Act, which didn't appeal to me. So, to cut a long story short, I ended up coming to Spain to work in TEFL instead, which turned out to be the right decision. You never know what's around the corner...
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos (X)
Spojené štáty
Local time: 11:26
španielčina -> angličtina
+ ...
| My month was very busy | Aug 29, 2017 |
But then, I have been busy nonstop since May. Like someone said, I can only do so much. Feeling very exhausted now, and I'm booked through September. Already desperate fora break.
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazília
Local time: 16:26
Člen (2014)
angličtina -> portugalčina
+ ...
| Augst, then September, then October... | Aug 29, 2017 |
Let's wait for the same question every month, as usual.
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