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Poll: Do you find working for clients outside your country more lucrative than domestic clients?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jun 7, 2017

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you find working for clients outside your country more lucrative than domestic clients?".

This poll was originally submitted by Amar Nath. View the poll results »



 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:50
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Jun 7, 2017

I have very few Portuguese clients, mainly because I lived abroad for half my life and when in 2015 I decided to move back I had already a solid client base. I can say from experience that end-clients pay more or less the same, but this does not apply at all to translation agencies (at least those who have been contacting me over the last two years).

 
EvaVer (X)
EvaVer (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 18:50
Czech to French
+ ...
Depends where you live Jun 7, 2017

As I live in Eastern Europe, yes. I expect the answer will be no for German or Danish colleagues for example. I never work for Chinese or Indian companies, things are still worse there.

 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 14:50
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Two sets of countries = two sets of answers Jun 7, 2017

1. All people in the southern hemisphere will answer yes. We look for clients in the countries of item 2 below.
2. People in the UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, etc. will answer no, of course.
3. People in other European countries will be devided between yes and no.


 
Thomas Pfann
Thomas Pfann  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:50
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
It depends Jun 7, 2017

Generally, I charge my clients the same regardless of which country they are based. However, when I invoice in a foreign currency it depends on the exchange rate, and fluctuations can make invoicing in another currency more (or less) lucrative than invoicing in my home currency.

 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 18:50
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
Yes Jun 7, 2017

and I live in Denmark. It probably also has to do with the fact that most of my clients come via Proz.com and I have done no serious domestic marketing.

 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:50
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
It's hard to say Jun 7, 2017

The bulk of my work comes from international organizations, which are country-neutral (their documents can come from anywhere in the world). I have worked for clients in my country (the U.S.) that value quality and are willing to pay for it, but we also have a sea of agencies that pay as little as they can get away with, and I suspect that that's the case in a lot of countries. I have had good luck with clients in Europe. Japan, and Israel.

When I lived and free-lanced in Mexico, I
... See more
The bulk of my work comes from international organizations, which are country-neutral (their documents can come from anywhere in the world). I have worked for clients in my country (the U.S.) that value quality and are willing to pay for it, but we also have a sea of agencies that pay as little as they can get away with, and I suspect that that's the case in a lot of countries. I have had good luck with clients in Europe. Japan, and Israel.

When I lived and free-lanced in Mexico, I worked mainly for clients outside the country. (The exception was on-site translation at conferences, which was lucrative work back in pre-Internet days, even when the clients paid in pesos.)

[Edited at 2017-06-07 08:45 GMT]
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Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Yes Jun 7, 2017

Mario Freitas wrote:
2. People in the UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, etc. will answer no, of course.


Actually, I'm in the UK and I answered yes...

Scandinavian agencies are willing to pay 50% more than UK agencies, most of which are price-dumping bottom-feeders, although the Scandies are increasingly headed that way too.

Direct customers, on the other hand, have no real price expectations and just pay what they're billed, wherever they happen to be, which opens up all kinds of possibilities.


 
Dušan Ján Hlísta
Dušan Ján Hlísta  Identity Verified
Slovakia
Local time: 18:50
English to Slovak
+ ...
exceptions Jun 7, 2017

Work for China and India are the only exceptions - thery have "slave" (the lowest) payment for the translation jobs. No interest for them. Asia is Asia....

[Edited at 2017-06-07 09:17 GMT]


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 18:50
Spanish to English
+ ...
No Jun 7, 2017

Almost all of my clients are based in the same country as me, Spain. I had one other client who was based in France, but they haven't sent me anything since January. I prefer to work within the EU, and no longer accept jobs from the US due to excessive billing charges and banking commissions etc which I find too tiresome to deal with.

 
Bora Taşdemir
Bora Taşdemir  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:50
Member (2012)
English to Turkish
+ ...
+ Switzerland ^_^ Jun 7, 2017

Mario Freitas wrote:

1. All people in the southern hemisphere will answer yes. We look for clients in the countries of item 2 below.
2. People in the UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, etc. will answer no, of course.
3. People in other European countries will be devided between yes and no.


If you live in Switzerland, you'll say definitely "No" too ^_^


 
DianeGM
DianeGM  Identity Verified
Local time: 19:50
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Yes ... Jun 7, 2017

I am based in Europe (Greece). Rates in the domestic market are dropping. I am unsure whether that is the actual result of economic life in a crisis-stricken country or just opportunism, plain and simple.
Anyway, I have a few Greek clients that I continue to work with. They continue to pay the same rates as my clients abroad do.


 
Catherine De Crignis
Catherine De Crignis  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 18:50
Member (2012)
English to French
+ ...
Yes, definitely Jun 7, 2017

For this reason I'd say only about 5% of my business is in France.

 
Jennifer Forbes
Jennifer Forbes  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:50
French to English
+ ...
In memoriam
Yes, at the moment Jun 8, 2017

I live in the UK. Working for clients in the Eurozone (invoiced in euros) is slightly more lucrative for me at the moment because of the exchange rate. However exchange rates change constantly so this situation may not last.

 
Ventnai
Ventnai  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 18:50
German to English
+ ...
Source language Jun 8, 2017

Most of my work comes from agencies in the largest country for my main source language, German, which pay quite well. Agencies in my adopted country, Spain, and my home country, the UK, tend not to pay well.

 
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Poll: Do you find working for clients outside your country more lucrative than domestic clients?






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