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Freelancing in the USA
Thread poster: A. Carolina Melo
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:27
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Context Jan 25, 2021

Chris S wrote:
To be fair, Dan, I didn’t read Baran’s comments as being negative towards Vanda the way you did.

I may have appeared a little harsh, but context matters.

When we have friends come and visit us in Pembrokeshire in May, for example, it's understandable that they squeal "Gosh, how lucky you are to live here!". Well, actually it's about thinking deeply about where you want to go, and then having the courage to take the hard decisions required to get there. Nevertheless, it'd be downright rude to interrupt such friends with a curt "No, it's nothing to do with luck and a lot to do with careful life choices".

But when it comes to work, I'm not at all convinced that we need to deal so gently with those who are quick to invoke Lady Luck. Maybe Baran didn't mean to give offense, and maybe Vanda hasn't taken any. Even then, I think it's worth calling out because it's indicative of the more general problem we have, in what I will for the sake of convenience call the translation industry, with pessimism, passivity, fatalism and lack of self-belief.

There are people in this forum who won't accept that some people just do a better job than others. If you fail, it's not your fault, it's those nasty agencies / ignorant clients / unethical competitors. And conversely, if you succeed, it was a fluke. You can't take the credit because you were just lucky, in the right place, in the right time, or in the right language pair. I must say that I hadn't until today perceived Baran to be a card-carrying member of this group, but his comments above are congruent with this attitude.

TL,DR: life is short, the art is long, and listening to people trying to explain away success is soul-destroying.

Dan


Arjan van den Berg
Maciek Drobka
 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 12:27
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
A happy client is a loyal client Jan 25, 2021

Vanda Nissen wrote:

I had to disappoint them but it just proves that clients do not really care about where you live if they are happy with your work.


My clients and translation agencies I work with are mainly based in Europe.
I have been working with an American company for a number of years now and I have never had problems.
I have worked for two clients in Hong Kong and China before, and we have always been synchronised in terms of time zone.
Even now, they still send a few jobs, and I have never lost a project for another translator.
If your European clients or others already know how you work and they are happy with translation services you provide, the time zone will certainly be the least of your problems.
I believe a happy client is a loyal client.
If I were you, I would try to find out more about the tax system in the United States. This would be one of my main concerns.
I wish you the best of luck

[Edited at 2021-01-25 20:48 GMT]


Christopher Schröder
 
Baran Keki
Baran Keki  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 15:27
Member
English to Turkish
Whatever floats your boat Jan 25, 2021

There is really no point in arguing with someone who reads into things the way you do. So I should be wary of congratulating a colleague who's just landed a 100k word job by saying 'wow you're lucky!' lest I sound 'fatalistic' and appear to insult his years of 'hard work', calling into question his 'skills' and 'business acumen'? What about congratulating a friend who's just had a baby boy by saying 'you're one lucky dude'? Then I'd sound sexist, right?
Anyway, let's agree to disagree wit
... See more
There is really no point in arguing with someone who reads into things the way you do. So I should be wary of congratulating a colleague who's just landed a 100k word job by saying 'wow you're lucky!' lest I sound 'fatalistic' and appear to insult his years of 'hard work', calling into question his 'skills' and 'business acumen'? What about congratulating a friend who's just had a baby boy by saying 'you're one lucky dude'? Then I'd sound sexist, right?
Anyway, let's agree to disagree with each other then.
I was hoping to get an answer to my question from the person who thinks time difference is an 'asset', but apparently it's not forthcoming. I believe I've highjacked the OP's thread long enough, I'm sincerely sorry about that. I won't be replying anymore. If Vanda is offended I'll make an apology.
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gauloise
gauloise
United States
Local time: 13:27
Member (2020)
Italian to English
+ ...
Make sure to set up a paypal wallet in GBP and Euro Jan 26, 2021

Set up a your paypal to have separate wallets for GBP and Euro, you will save a lot on fees.

The USA has a really high threshold before you have to pay customs, so I buy clothes and shoes from UK and Europe as they tend to be higher quality using my GBP and Euro.


 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:27
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Fair enough Jan 26, 2021

Baran Keki wrote:
Anyway, let's agree to disagree with each other then.

Agreed, this is usually the best approach when neither side can be persuaded of the merits of the other's argument.

Dan


 
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