Poll: To make my business more resilient I have mostly... Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "To make my business more resilient I have mostly...".
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| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 21:53
Spanish to English
+ ...
I reached official retirement age a few years ago, but just kept working. That's about as "resilient" as my "business" gets, So the industry decline affects me less than it will younger translatoirs.
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I try to be prepared, adaptable, collaborative and trustworthy but risks are inherent to any business activity and some are out of our control…
| | | | Mario Chávez
United States
Local time: 15:53
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Business or profession sides | Feb 16, 2025 |
In a country like the United States, with a patchwork of health care plans that are always dependent on a geographically fixed job, it's not just maintaining savings for emergency situations (car repair, fixing a roof or HVAC problem, a toothache that becomes a crown repair) but also saving money for health needs. As we age, most of us acquire some chronic condition that may or may not be expensive to manage (it IS expensive here). Never mind setting aside money to “grow your business.�... See more In a country like the United States, with a patchwork of health care plans that are always dependent on a geographically fixed job, it's not just maintaining savings for emergency situations (car repair, fixing a roof or HVAC problem, a toothache that becomes a crown repair) but also saving money for health needs. As we age, most of us acquire some chronic condition that may or may not be expensive to manage (it IS expensive here). Never mind setting aside money to “grow your business.”
Unfortunately, some of us may realize we don't have much room to grow, given the paltry per-word rates being offered across the board. If we have been successful in a position as employees (translators, localization or project managers) and lose our jobs...in America, that is, unemployment will not be of much help, it's a joke, an insult to anyone who has held a decent job in any field. So, savings are even more important.
I see a problem that will further limit us translators: to remain in the “business” mindset. Being a business owner, a CEO, your own boss, etc., is always touted as the best social status, the prosperity goal that is dangled in front of our eyes. It is a false sense of freedom (whatever “freedom” means to the average American) that you can achieve anything if you are your own boss, if you can dictate your own working hours. It is a mirage for the majority of people, not just for translators.
Clients come and go, even the best direct clients. U.S.-based translators are faced with a dilemma: to continue to own a business or to work for someone else (which the average American is brainwashed into thinking of as unworthy, or at least, not very profit-generating as an activity). Different professionals embrace different strategies, so there's not a universal right answer. ▲ Collapse
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Lieven Malaise 
Belgium
Local time: 21:53
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
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Can a fulltime freelancer working alone have a resilient business? Hardly, I think.
I have still not a single reason to complain (besides the unpleasant feeling I'm having the last few years due to the constant stream of doom and gloom on these and other forums), but I would be finished (as a fulltimer, that is) after a few months of no work at all or hardly any.
| | | | Chris Spurgin
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:53
Russian to English
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| Some of the options have nothing to do with business resilience | Feb 17, 2025 |
Setting aside emergency funds and cutting expenses related to personal finances, not business resilience.
I think that fitting in training and marketing is a real challenge.
| | | | IrinaN (X)
United States
Local time: 14:53
English to Russian
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Did my best to do a good job.
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