Poll: Roughly what percentage of your working time you get to use for work?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Aug 9, 2019

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Roughly what percentage of your working time you get to use for work?".

This poll was originally submitted by Gabriella Vento. View the poll results »



 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:58
Spanish to English
+ ...
100% Aug 9, 2019

Although I'm not sure I fully understand the question. As a freelancer, I claim to provide a service 24-7, but sometimes life gets in the way. I currently have plenty of work and am not looking for any more.

Josephine Cassar
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 22:58
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Aug 9, 2019

Me too, I can’t understand the question. I suppose it means what percentage of time do I devote to other work-related activities (marketing, invoicing, accounting, quoting, answering emails, etc.) but translation itself? Well, for me all these other things are an intrinsic part of the job…

 
Peter Simon
Peter Simon  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 23:58
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Gabriella, Aug 9, 2019

Could you perhaps rephrase your question in proper EN? I can't really answer it...

 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 15:58
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
I'm not sure Aug 9, 2019

I think this means "How busy are you relative to the time you want to make available to work?"

I'm as busy as I'd like to be, but it's also true that I could work more hours and make more money.


Liena Vijupe
Paul van Zijll
Thayenga
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philip Lees
 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:58
French to English
Other Aug 9, 2019

It varies so much, and it goes from one extreme to the other - sometimes more than enough work, sometimes no work at all.

By the way, I think the question is easy to understand, especially when you read the response options.


Gabriella Vento
 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 23:58
French to English
Other Aug 9, 2019

I take it to mean that if you intend to work 40hrs a week (for example), how many hours do you actually work for?

In my case, I really have no idea and it depends from one week to the next. I mostly have enough work, in fact I'm offered more than I can handle, I've had to turn down a fair bit this year. I could work more but I don't really want to.


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Paul Jackson
Paul Jackson
Germany
Local time: 23:58
German to English
The Brexit effect? Aug 9, 2019

[Hello all, first post from an occasional lurker]

Up until last winter I’d have answered with ‘80%’, but since then things have really gone downhill, to the point that I’ve just answered with ‘20%’. There could well be a number of factors at work, but since things dropped off a cliff edge in March (when the original Brexit date was delayed), I can only assume that’s the main reason.

German manufacturers of machines presumably don’t currently need their m
... See more
[Hello all, first post from an occasional lurker]

Up until last winter I’d have answered with ‘80%’, but since then things have really gone downhill, to the point that I’ve just answered with ‘20%’. There could well be a number of factors at work, but since things dropped off a cliff edge in March (when the original Brexit date was delayed), I can only assume that’s the main reason.

German manufacturers of machines presumably don’t currently need their manuals translating into English, and German businesses in general presumably don’t need translations of their websites, brochures or press releases…

Having said that, some of the things I translate are aimed at more general English-speaking audiences, not necessarily British, so who knows? It could also be the result of general trends in the industry (low rates, MT) or maybe just problems at the agency I’ve been too reliant on by far. (Yes, my own fault, but when times are good, which they were…)

Here's hoping things soon pick up! *gulp*
Collapse


Ventnai
Elizabeth Tamblin
Alison Moir
 
Wilsonn Perez Reyes
Wilsonn Perez Reyes  Identity Verified
El Salvador
Local time: 16:58
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Aug 9, 2019



[Edited at 2019-08-09 18:08 GMT]


 
Ventnai
Ventnai  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 23:58
German to English
+ ...
Until recently Aug 9, 2019

Until recently, I would have said 120% - I had more offers than I could handle - but like Paul above, I find that I am receiving fewer offers and I too am wondering if it is the Brexit effect.

 
Gabriella Vento
Gabriella Vento  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 15:58
Member (2015)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Sorry about the confusion Aug 10, 2019

although my question is correct. "To get to do" something means "to have the opportunity". It is a widely used expression in the English-speaking countries, but I understand, not everyone of you have met it, if you live somewhere else.

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/16104/get-to-do-something

[Edited at 2019-08-10 01:58 GMT]


 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:58
German to English
+ ...
My working time is when I work... Aug 10, 2019

..... so when I don't work, it's not my working time. In other words, not being an employee, I don't have set "work hours". If you are hired to work 9 to 5, and if half that time you sit around but you have to be "at work", then you use 50% of your time for work. But in a freelance situation, you work 100% of your working time since that's when you work. (If that makes sense )

Elizabeth Tamblin
 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 19:58
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
80% Aug 11, 2019

I could get a bit more work for sure.
On the other hand, I work late at night, on weekends, etc.
I think 80% is a reasonable estimate.


 
Gabriella Vento
Gabriella Vento  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 15:58
Member (2015)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
I can make it easier to understand with an example: Aug 11, 2019

Peter Simon wrote:

Could you perhaps rephrase your question in proper EN? I can't really answer it...


if you would like (plan, intend, be able to) to work e.g. 30 hours a week, but you get orders from the clients/outsourcers only for 15 hours work, then you are using 50% of your capacity on that week. I am trying to find out, what percentage of our capacity is utilized in average?


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 23:58
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
... Aug 14, 2019

...

[Edited at 2019-08-14 12:13 GMT]


 


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Poll: Roughly what percentage of your working time you get to use for work?






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