Any translator/interpreter working from home? Running own business - hard!

[Paula30CWR]

Hi!! I think the title says it all.

I run my own translation/interpreting business from home and would like to know if there is anyone out there who does the same.

I have a 5mo baby boy and I find it hard to think that I might have to send him to nursery at some point. Not that I want to but I may have to.

Has anyone have any tips for this?

THanks!

Hi,

I'm a freelance translator and was before I had my two children, now 7 and 5.

I managed until my son was about six weeks old before resorting to childcare. To be honest, you've done well to get to five months but there is a kind of inevitability to it if you want to be able to work more than very sporadic hours.

Check out the forums on www.proz.com

Hi I am a freelance translator working from home too. I have a DS who is 3 and started part time nursery (8-12) and things are working out pretty well. However I am due to have another baby in November, and its going to be a big challenge keeping things going. My "maternity leave" (unpaid) is going to be one week - and then after that it will be back to work or have no income although I will be reducing the amount of work I do.

Its encouraging to hear you are managing it with a five month old. Would you say its getting easier or harder the older he gets?

Sorry I cant provide much in the way of tips, I will say though that nursery isnt always a magic answer, my DS has loads of holidays, with those and working his way through all the new germs he is coming into contact with he ends up spending a lot more time off school than I ever imagined. However when he is there I get more done in 15 mins than I do in the whole day when he is in the house!

Mummyabroad Thanks for your message.
I manage what I can I guess. It's hard though. You can't say to the client 'I have a baby and I can't help you' because you lose the client but I guess with a patient we will get there.
I understand what you say about going back to work quite soon.. Can you husband/partner help you financially?

My husband helps me a lot. I just want to do it because it's my business. And also, contributions are great. :)

But I'm also very selective when it comes to projects. They have to be quite straight forward translations, long deadlines and easy-going clients hehehe!

However, I got a message from www.Mumplusbusiness.co.uk to find a partner for your job. The idea is to partner with a mum that has the same work ideas as you have and is in the same situation as we are. So have a look at it... it's quite good. I posted one - I'm LoisLane there.

It can be quite helpful.

Have a lovely day and enjoy your son, the sun and the last months of pregnancy.

Love,

Paula xxx

Hi there,

I'm in a similar boat, a translator working from home, 2 kids and back to work at least 5 hrs /day within 2 mths after each one.

Luckily I live abroad and the system here tends to be that the childminder comes to your home, so I guess more like a nanny, so I've been the envy of all my friends - working and being able to hear what my child is doing in the next room with the childminder, and being able to down tools and BF whenever necessary.

Now I'm pg with no. 3 (due Jan.) and I would kind of like to spend a little more time with the baby before I start working again, especially as both my others are now at school, which finishes around 1 p.m. and then there's homework to do, but I know that for my own mental health as much as anything else I'll probably need to work.

As for clients, I'm extrenely lucky in that most of my clients are long-term ones, who've been with me for nearly 10 years, institutions with rolling projects (exhibition catalogues, books etc.), so if I'm not available to do one, they find someone else and check with me for the next one.

With nursery, mine "graduated" from childminder to nursery at around 15 mths (due to costs) and I found the same as MummyAbroad, that over the first year or so they spent more time at home being ill than at nursery.

Nice to hear from others in the same situation! What languages are you all?

abeautifulbutterfly you are the envy of all of us I guess :)

I do English into Spanish and Spanish into English, you?

Polish into English

I know I am late coming onto this thread, but just rejoining the world of translation as DS2 turns 6 months & DS1 goes to nursery for 2 full days each week (private so no holiday issues).

I have done bits of work here & there since DS2 was about 3 weeks old, but now hoping to get serious again, hence DS1 going to nursery a couple of days a week. I am lucky enough to also have lots of family nearby who are more than happy to step in if I need childcare for a few hours or even the odd day

My only problem now really is drumming up business again, as I have been away from the game for a fair while! Any tips or help would be appreciated!

I do French, German & Spanish into English.

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I'm just starting out translating from home (having done it off and on as an employee), but I have no idea about invoicing clients that are abroad...I'm in the UK but I'll be working for clients in France. Can you give me any pointers? Thank you so much!