Poll: Do you actively do something to increase your income?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Oct 19, 2020

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you actively do something to increase your income?".

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Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Duh Oct 19, 2020

I do more work.

Mervyn Henderson (X)
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
ahartje
Travis Watters
Joe France
expressisverbis
 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 09:59
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Several things, none stantard, none as routine Oct 19, 2020

Being on the first block of the ProZ ranking in my pairs has surely been the best "something" in the past six years or so.
Other than that, I still do some networking and marketing, but nothing like the standard actions we see being suggested around, and not with any discipline or routine face.
My objective is not simply to "get more clients". I've been trying hard to ged rid of those who pay less and replace them with better payers. And I'm succeeding in it, but at a slow pace.
... See more
Being on the first block of the ProZ ranking in my pairs has surely been the best "something" in the past six years or so.
Other than that, I still do some networking and marketing, but nothing like the standard actions we see being suggested around, and not with any discipline or routine face.
My objective is not simply to "get more clients". I've been trying hard to ged rid of those who pay less and replace them with better payers. And I'm succeeding in it, but at a slow pace.

[Edited at 2020-10-19 09:11 GMT]
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Liena Vijupe
Augusto Rochadel
Katarzyna Skroban
Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 12:59
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Oct 19, 2020

I have two sources of income: freelancing and a pension (the job I'm retired from was also translating). I should add that I’m pretty satisfied with what I have professionally, personally and financially.

[Edited at 2020-10-19 09:36 GMT]


Augusto Rochadel
Angie Garbarino
Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Martha Schwan
Martha Schwan  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 09:59
Member
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO Oct 19, 2020

I still don't know what to do, but I am studying a new resource. I did not find it as of yet, but I will

 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 13:59
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
Not really Oct 19, 2020

except I refuse to lower my rates.

Kaisa I
Philip Lees
Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Felipe Lacerda
Felipe Lacerda  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 09:59
Member (2011)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yup. Oct 19, 2020

Juggling while the traffic lights are red.

And also a shady night shift I'm not proud of - c'mon!, 10 dollars are still 10 dollars. It's probably more than LionBridge pays their linguists monthly anyway.


Aisha Maniar
Tom in London
 
Odile Breuvart
Odile Breuvart  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:59
Member
English to French
+ ...
Obvious? Oct 19, 2020

Who doesn't?
I admit to not having completely understood the question as it feels obvious to me that most people would want an increase of income.
Actively has degrees... Sure.
You can be sat at your desk and be lucky to receive offers of job because you have developped a good 'cred' over the years. Is this being active? The 'active' effect of being thought of as someone professional I suppose.
But maybe I am facetious. Actively is willing to do something about it. I do,
... See more
Who doesn't?
I admit to not having completely understood the question as it feels obvious to me that most people would want an increase of income.
Actively has degrees... Sure.
You can be sat at your desk and be lucky to receive offers of job because you have developped a good 'cred' over the years. Is this being active? The 'active' effect of being thought of as someone professional I suppose.
But maybe I am facetious. Actively is willing to do something about it. I do, when I go through down times. That's when I actively do something to increase my income, i.e. multiply my communication efforts until I get what I was looking for in the first place.
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Barbara Cochran, MFA
Barbara Cochran, MFA  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:59
Spanish to English
+ ...
Earned A Master's Degree Oct 19, 2020

After earning a Master's degree in Creative Writing/Literary Translation, I raised my rates for all prospective new clients, one of which turned out to be a very important repeat client. They all seemed to think it was within reason (have had no problem with it).

Abdelrahman Nabil, MA
Katarzyna Skroban
expressisverbis
 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 12:59
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Oct 19, 2020

Working hard, being honest, playing fair, and always doing my best to make my clients happy.
This is what matters to me: if you improve yourself in these aspects, you can improve your income.
It is through improving ourselves that we can get the most out of our lives, professionally, personally, and financially.


Barbara Cochran, MFA
Philip Lees
 
Philip Lees
Philip Lees  Identity Verified
Greece
Local time: 14:59
Greek to English
Professionalism Oct 20, 2020

expressisverbis wrote:

Working hard, being honest, playing fair, and always doing my best to make my clients happy.



My two main ongoing projects at the moment were both referred to me by other long-standing clients. So I would say the best way to guarantee a satisfactory income is to maintain a high level of professionalism, with the expectation that some of the rewards for that may come later and not always in a predictable form.


expressisverbis
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:59
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Oct 21, 2020

Not right now. I'm more focused on getting some quality time and taking care of matters that I have been neglecting for a very long time. I'm happy when I have work, but I'm not trying to push the envelope.

 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:59
German to English
+ ...
um, I translate? Oct 21, 2020

That's how I earn, therefore increase, my income. (Didn't understand the question)

Tom in London
 
finnword1
finnword1
United States
Local time: 08:59
English to Finnish
+ ...
Lower your rates until your schedule is full Oct 26, 2020

If you are already getting all the work you can handle, then improve your efficiency, hone your skills, update your tools, organize your day, until you can handle more work than before.

 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:59
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Or rather Oct 27, 2020

finnword1 wrote:

Lower your rates until your schedule is full


Shouldn't that be "lower your rates until your stomach is empty" ?

[Edited at 2020-10-27 10:01 GMT]


P.L.F. Persio
 


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Poll: Do you actively do something to increase your income?






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