Earlier this week, Get Rich Slowly had a great post on finding the balance between time and money. The author (and site owner, J.D.) relates the story of an old friend of his who radically changed his priorities in life after the death of his wife and infant daughter, and J.D. then goes on to apply this “time or money” analysis to his own rapidly expanding freelance business.
This post made me realize that one of the most important exercises in planning your freelance translation business is to firmly establish why exactly you’re doing this; what’s making you so eager to give up a steady paycheck (at least when the economy is strong!), benefits, paid vacation and an office door that closes at the end of the day? The answers to that question will be as varied as we translators are; some of us want to work extra-long hours, earn as much as possible and retire early. Some of us are heavily involved in personal projects that don’t fit well with an office schedule. Many of us want more time, or at least flexible time, to devote to our families and friends. Others want to live in a rural or remote area where in-house jobs for translators simply don’t exist. The important thing is to have your eye on your prize, and to remind yourself to get back on track when you lose sight of that goal.
My own “lightbulb moment” came when I was in the self-checkout line at the grocery store (because isn’t that where all life-changing realizations occur?) when my daughter was a few months old. At that point I was still thinking that I would translate very part time until my daughter was about a year old, at which point I would go back to teaching full time. An older woman in line behind me struck up a conversation and while she was cooing over my daughter, said “You know, I wish that when I was your age, someone had told me that everything else in life will wait for you, but your kids won’t. Everything else in life will still be there when your kids don’t need you anymore, but they’ll be off on their own.” Not that my family is my only reason for freelancing, because other issues (like living in an area where in-house jobs in my language combination are few to nonexistent) enter into it too. But many times since that day, I’ve wished I could thank that chatty woman in the supermarket line for helping me figure out my priorities. So, why do you do this?
I’m doing it because I enjoy it and am good at it – and there are no office politics to deal with! I love being able to be in charge of my day. And when business is booming the money is good!
Living in a rural area is a big one for me. Not having to deal with bosses is another biggie. I also like to work on my own time, and I believe that I can earn more money for the same amount of work as a freelancer.
Hi, everyone
I am just about to take the plunge into freelance, and the reasons are the same Jill and Ryan mention: job conditions are difficult in my area, in-house translation jobs are almost non-existent, but, most of all, the possibility of being in charge of my work and schedule.
As in-house translator in a very small company in the chemical industry, I do not have any power over my work. That is a real problem for me, having to discuss every single issue several times and having it modified anyway, no matter how much I justify the reasons for it.
That’s an easy one: I do it for the freedom, that is the literal and figurative freedom that freelancing affords. I cherish the freedom to be able to structure my day and my life how I wish. If the sun is shining, I go outside. If it is rainy and cold I can spend the day in my pjs. When plane tickets are cheap, off I go! I am not interested in the confines of a cubicle, 2-weeks vacation, Mon-Fri 9-5pm etc. I do not live in a remote place; I do not have kids; its also not about the money for me. I am a freelance because I love it.
Corinne, thanks for inspiring me to take the time to think about it.
I love being the master of my own schedule, working from home, deciding how intellectually challenging I want my week to be, not having to deal with office politics, negotiating stuff by email rather than in person or by phone, etc. I’m a super fast worker and I’m good at what I do and I love that I benefit from that directly.
Why do I do it:
– because it fits my family life. We don’t need a reliable second income, so the irregular features are not a problem.
– because I have a set of skills that make working in a fairly high-level niche in the market relatively easy for me, and I enjoy it a great deal.
Ah, good advice from the lady in the supermarket. đ
Why I am a recovering in-house translation department manager and now enjoying freelancedom:
— Because I love to work late and get up late
— Because I love being my own boss
— Because I get to choose who I work with
— Because I am so much more efficient now that I have no endless, fruitless meetings to go to
— Because I love the freedom!
— Because I love running a business with my twin sister
— Because I get to travel and work from anywhere
— Becase I will never sit in a cubicle again
— Because I can work on a chaise lounge in the pool
…and that’s only the short list.
I also do it principally because I live in a rural area where in-house positions are inexistent. But I also really appreciate the freedom that being my own boss gives to me!
Here are some of my reasons:
– I can make good money doing this
– diversified income stream, so I cannot be laid off by some badly run company (been there once, it was enough)
– more flexibility with small kids is a big bonus
– no office politics, no performance reviews
– independence!
Minus side is that working from home can get pretty lonely sometimes!
Tapani
Like you Corrine, I was expecting that a child would be a minor hiccup in my professional life. No one warned me I would fall in love with my child, and I had to learn the supermarket lady’s lesson slowly.
Now that my kids are older (and I don’t think they need me less, BTW, just not as many hours), I still opt to freelance. All the above reasons, plus one no one seems to have noted: geography is irrelevant. I can–and do–work anywhere in the world where there is an Internet connection. My husband is free to pursue his career without worrying what relocation would do to mine; he prefers being an employee, I prefer freelancing.
It also means that I have a more elastic notion of retirement: who says I have to work like crazy until I don’t work at all? I love my work, and could sustain this “lazy” pace for the rest of my life!