| Vom Thema belegte Seiten: [1 2] > | Poll: If taking on a new niche, would you work for free as part of the learning phase (eg.academic books)? Initiator des Themas: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "If taking on a new niche, would you work for free as part of the learning phase (eg.academic books)?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Novian Cahyadi 
Indonesien
Local time: 03:02
Mitglied (2024)
Englisch > Bahasa Indonesia
| Annette Fehr
Frankreich
Local time: 21:02
Mitglied (2023)
Französisch > Englisch
+ ...
| Paying for work | Nov 18, 2024 |
If a new bakery opened up its doors, would you expect it to give away its goods for free as part of a learning phase?
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgien
Local time: 21:02
Mitglied (2020)
Französisch > Niederländisch
+ ...
If I accept a job, then I feel capable of doing it and then I expect to be paid. I don't care about niches, I only care about "Am I able to do this or not?". In the unlikely event I would feel I'm not, I just wouldn't accept the job.
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Rachel Waddington
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 20:02
Niederländisch > Englisch
+ ...
If I'm competent to translate books to the required standard then I deserve to be paid. Doing it for nothing harms me and my fellow translators.
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italien
Local time: 21:02
Englisch > Deutsch
+ ...
| you always work for free in the learning phase | Nov 18, 2024 |
When you enter a new niche, you'll always work for free, i.e. during the time you're training yourself in the new subject, etc., perhaps doing some pro bono work as a final test. But you won't start doing paid work on it until you're comfortable with it. So: NO, because you will not work in the new niche until you are actually able to and the learning phase is behind you.
[Bearbeitet am 2024-11-18 11:23 GMT]
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Not for free, but maybe a lower rate to begin with.
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There are a few unfamiliar areas I will never venture in as I know my limits. If I would take a new niche, I'd probably work much more slowly, but I wouldn't work for free…
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Gennady Lapardin
Russische Föderation
Local time: 23:02
Italienisch > Russisch
+ ...
in a transparent and fair environment, why not. the customer reliably proves to be able to pay fair price for further assignments, I show my competence. it's absolutely normal
| | | | | The job has the same value for the client, so you can charge the normal rate | Nov 18, 2024 |
If you take the job, then you believe you can deliver the quality the client needs. Otherwise it is useless, and you are wasting everybody´s time. So you can charge the full fee.
The only exception would be if you work for a non-profit client, who may not be able to afford the full fee. You may be happy to contribute to a good cause with a free translation. However, you should still deliver full professional quality! It reflects badly on the client if the translation is not accura... See more If you take the job, then you believe you can deliver the quality the client needs. Otherwise it is useless, and you are wasting everybody´s time. So you can charge the full fee.
The only exception would be if you work for a non-profit client, who may not be able to afford the full fee. You may be happy to contribute to a good cause with a free translation. However, you should still deliver full professional quality! It reflects badly on the client if the translation is not accurate and up to standard. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Working for free | Nov 18, 2024 |
Gennady Lapardin wrote:
in a transparent and fair environment, why not. the customer reliably proves to be able to pay fair price for further assignments, I show my competence. it's absolutely normal
Normal? I have never gotten a free haircut, a free plumming job or car repair like this, but maybe I should just have asked for it, promising future jobs ...
| | | | Rachel Waddington
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 20:02
Niederländisch > Englisch
+ ...
Gennady Lapardin wrote:
in a transparent and fair environment, why not. the customer reliably proves to be able to pay fair price for further assignments, I show my competence. it's absolutely normal
It's normal to get paid for your work.
If you agree to work for nothing, what makes you thing the client will pay for future assignments? They will just move on to the next newbie looking to get a foot on the ladder.
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IrinaN
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 14:02
Englisch > Russisch
+ ...
translators are so obsessed with comparing themselves to plumbers, mechanics, housekeepers, hair dressers etc?
Not like those guys are "second class citizens" or "the jungle" to the divinely gifted golden masters of the sublime profession, but how can work practices, purposes, paths, learning curves, circumstances, clients, scales, the very nature of vendor-client relationships even be compared? Your plumber does not expect a long-term project from you. Funny - wittingly or unwitti... See more translators are so obsessed with comparing themselves to plumbers, mechanics, housekeepers, hair dressers etc?
Not like those guys are "second class citizens" or "the jungle" to the divinely gifted golden masters of the sublime profession, but how can work practices, purposes, paths, learning curves, circumstances, clients, scales, the very nature of vendor-client relationships even be compared? Your plumber does not expect a long-term project from you. Funny - wittingly or unwittingly, an honest plumber makes sure that he'll never see you again, albeit in a distant future, if you plan to live in the same house for years or have more than 1 bathroom on top of the kitchen. Should you need a plumber again for the same task after just one week, it won't be him, he can guess that much. Unless, of course, Mr. Scrooge in you always wins and you prefer to keep trying to squeeze your money's worth from the same loser again and again, using public or kind-hearted neighbor's bathrooms in the meantime:-) .
There are no universal answers to this yet another... hmmm... vague and meaningless question in reference to our trade. Even "work for free" can be interpreted differently. ▲ Collapse
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 20:02
Mitglied (2015)
Englisch > Portugiesisch
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| In my view, it's not an obssession... | Nov 19, 2024 |
IrinaN wrote:
translators are so obsessed with comparing themselves to plumbers, mechanics, housekeepers, hair dressers etc?
Translators, like anyone else, face economic pressures and career uncertainties.
Comparing oneself to other professionals serves not only as a 'rhetorical device', but also as a way of solidarity, acknowledging that no one should have to justify their need to earn a living wage.
Working for free probably makes sense under very specific conditions, like genuine skill-building or networking opportunities, but it should never feel like an obligation or expectation.
As with other professions, expertise deserves respect and compensation, whether you’re unclogging a drain or rendering Saramago into another language.
Advocating for (fair) pay isn’t about being "obsessed" with comparisons, it's more about emphasizing that all work has worth (from the "less valuable" to the intellectual, creative, or invisible, like translation).
| | | | Rachel Waddington
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 20:02
Niederländisch > Englisch
+ ...
| Why not though? | Nov 19, 2024 |
IrinaN wrote:
translators are so obsessed with comparing themselves to plumbers, mechanics, housekeepers, hair dressers etc?
Not like those guys are "second class citizens" or "the jungle" to the divinely gifted golden masters of the sublime profession, but how can work practices, purposes, paths, learning curves, circumstances, clients, scales, the very nature of vendor-client relationships even be compared? Your plumber does not expect a long-term project from you. Funny - wittingly or unwittingly, an honest plumber makes sure that he'll never see you again, albeit in a distant future, if you plan to live in the same house for years or have more than 1 bathroom on top of the kitchen. Should you need a plumber again for the same task after just one week, it won't be him, he can guess that much. Unless, of course, Mr. Scrooge in you always wins and you prefer to keep trying to squeeze your money's worth from the same loser again and again, using public or kind-hearted neighbor's bathrooms in the meantime:-) .
There are no universal answers to this yet another... hmmm... vague and meaningless question in reference to our trade. Even "work for free" can be interpreted differently.
If something would seem ridiculous for a businessperson working in another field, maybe we should think twice about it too. The basic principles of running a business are universal. Rule no. 1 is that we are in it to make money, not to give our work away for nothing.
And plumbers do rely on repeat business. Once you find a good one, you will call them again the next time something goes wrong.
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