Poll: Do you mostly wait for or look for jobs? Iniziatore argomento: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you mostly wait for or look for jobs?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Michael Harris 
Germania
Local time: 01:57
Membro (2006)
Da Tedesco a Inglese
Fortunately, neither.
I am in the very happy situation that I have my regular customers that keep "feeding" me.
| | | | Carmen Grabs
Germania
Local time: 01:57
Membro (2012)
Da Inglese a Tedesco
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| I thought that's what they meant with "wait" | Feb 17, 2014 |
I selected "wait", although luckily I don't have to wait Long.
| | | | Elina Sellgren
Finlandia
Local time: 02:57
Membro (2013)
Da Inglese a Finlandese
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| Currently mostly wait but also look | Feb 17, 2014 |
I am currently mostly waiting for my regular clients to send me work, but I am also on the lookout for new clients, mainly because it's easier to raise rates that way, and I'm also too dependent on one client in particular.
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Like Michael, I'm fortunate that I don't have to "wait" for jobs, as my inbox is almost always overflowing. I'm always waiting/hoping for a break.
| | | | | I don't have to wait long! | Feb 17, 2014 |
Usually I have plenty of paid work in the pipeline, but I always have a 'to do' list of important things like invoicing, tidying up my mailbox and elsewhere...
Or getting away from the computer for some fresh air!
I only have to start looking at that sort of thing, it seems, before a mail comes in and I'm back in business.
I do make an effort, all the same, to keep my favourite clients happy and approach promising new ones now and then.
| | | | DianeGM
Local time: 02:57
Membro (2006)
Da Olandese a Inglese
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Michael Harris wrote:
Fortunately, neither.
I am in the very happy situation that I have my regular customers that keep "feeding" me.
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Thayenga
Germania
Local time: 01:57
Membro (2009)
Da Inglese a Tedesco
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Most of the time I'm being kept busy by my regular customers. But once in a while it happens that they all seem to be on vacation , since hardly any work comes in. Then I usually either look for work or use that free time otherwise.
| | | | Erzsébet Czopyk
Ungheria
Local time: 01:57
Membro (2006)
Da Russo a Ungherese
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SITE LOCALIZER
Thayenga wrote: Most of the time I'm being kept busy by my regular customers. But once in a while it happens that they all seem to be on vacation , since hardly any work comes in. Then I usually either look for work or use that free time otherwise.
My regular clients are feeding me but I am happy for any new job
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 19:57
Da Inglese a Spagnolo
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| What would my dentist say? | Feb 17, 2014 |
Sometimes we translators think we are unique in the way our business evolves and that the feast and famine times, the ups and downs, are exclusive of our work.
It's not like that.
Doctors, mechanics, dentists, pet groomers, carpenters, accountants, financial planners, etc. they all have to go through similar cycles.
Does a dentist with no patients sit on a chair by the phone?
Oh, wait, but many of you will say Unlike a dentist, I don't keep... See more Sometimes we translators think we are unique in the way our business evolves and that the feast and famine times, the ups and downs, are exclusive of our work.
It's not like that.
Doctors, mechanics, dentists, pet groomers, carpenters, accountants, financial planners, etc. they all have to go through similar cycles.
Does a dentist with no patients sit on a chair by the phone?
Oh, wait, but many of you will say Unlike a dentist, I don't keep an office separate from my living quarters, out in downtown! Fair enough. Still, putting a regular effort in marketing and advertising is part of the business of translation. I don't mean the marketing and advertising that some self-appointed gurus in our industry talk so often about.
I find a lot of inspiration in nature: how predators, for example, hunt and collect, like a certain artic fox, who will grab more than one dead bird in his muzzle to carry to his puppies. Or the chickadee (a bird in North America) whose amygdala grows temporarily before winter, so that it collects seeds and hides them in different places. The enlarged part of his brain gives him a better spatial memory.
Can you imagine if we humans had to hibernate?
Whenever I had a full-time job, I would stop looking for jobs or clients, but I'd welcome smaller jobs in order to gain and retain new clients. Then, when the full-time job ceased, I could resort to those new clients for additional work. ▲ Collapse
| | | | vixen
Grecia
Local time: 02:57
Da Inglese a Olandese
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Like some of the other posters, I have a few regular clients who keep supplying me with a steady flow of work. Whenever things appear to be slowing down, and I'm starting to think about archiving, clearing out, reorganising, cleaning and so on, there's usually several translation requests coming in from different sides.
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| About a freelancer's vacation... | Feb 21, 2014 |
I've started to work as a freelance translator not long ago, before that I was an in-house translator in one company. At first I had to do some efforts to find clients, now I am quite comfortable with the jobs coming from my regular customers.
But... recently I thought about the freelancers' vacations. And I would be grateful for any advices or ideas from more experienced colleagues in this question. I am just wondering how can I manage my vacation (about 2-3 weeks abroad) with reg... See more I've started to work as a freelance translator not long ago, before that I was an in-house translator in one company. At first I had to do some efforts to find clients, now I am quite comfortable with the jobs coming from my regular customers.
But... recently I thought about the freelancers' vacations. And I would be grateful for any advices or ideas from more experienced colleagues in this question. I am just wondering how can I manage my vacation (about 2-3 weeks abroad) with regular job mails coming to my e-mail. I am a bit afraid to lose my regular clients... How do you handle this problem? ▲ Collapse
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