| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Where are most of your clients from? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:08
German to English
+ ...
All my customers (bar one) are from Europe. The highest percentages are from the UK and Germany, but there are also contingents from a fair few other European countries.
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All my customers (but one: Japan) are from Europe: Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Portugal, UK.
| | | | | I must admit I am relieved | Nov 4, 2011 |
that the majority of translators have most of their clients in another country than their own. Although I started my business exclusively online, with no "real" contacts, I always thought it could grow faster or better if I would live in one of the countries where my languages are spoken.
Actually I only have 2 clients in Romania and Moldova (one for each country, Romanian is my target language), they tend to have very low rates there.
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Simon Bruni
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:08
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
99 % of my Spanish-English work comes from Spain. The other 1 % from the UK, Mexico and Japan.
[Edited at 2011-11-04 09:37 GMT]
| | | | DianeGM
Local time: 05:08
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
I have few and an ever decreasing number of clients in Greece, where I live. I guess approximately a third my clients are from Europe and the UK, another third from the US and the remainder mainly from the far east: Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Phillipines, and a few more from other random geographical locations.
Adding clarification: my answer is based on 'my country' meaning the country where I currently live and where my business is based, not the country which I am fr... See more I have few and an ever decreasing number of clients in Greece, where I live. I guess approximately a third my clients are from Europe and the UK, another third from the US and the remainder mainly from the far east: Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Phillipines, and a few more from other random geographical locations.
Adding clarification: my answer is based on 'my country' meaning the country where I currently live and where my business is based, not the country which I am from, its doesn't affect my 'other' vote though.
[Edited at 2011-11-04 12:17 GMT]
[Edited at 2011-11-04 12:17 GMT]
[Edited at 2011-11-04 12:18 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 19:08
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Define: Your country | Nov 4, 2011 |
The country where you are from and where your target language is spoken, or the country where you live?
| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 04:08
English to French
+ ...
Where shall I locate this direct client (NGO), whose main office is in Canada, with branches all over the world but whose translation coordinator is now based in South-Africa?
And what about the different bodies of this other international organisation for which I work through an agency based in my own country?
What does "most" mean in this case? Individual clients, different end clients through an agency, turnover, volume?
What time frame shall I conside... See more Where shall I locate this direct client (NGO), whose main office is in Canada, with branches all over the world but whose translation coordinator is now based in South-Africa?
And what about the different bodies of this other international organisation for which I work through an agency based in my own country?
What does "most" mean in this case? Individual clients, different end clients through an agency, turnover, volume?
What time frame shall I consider? Last year, for instance, I worked 90% for 2 clients: one in South America and the other in Canada/South Africa. This year, I worked 85% for 2 bodies of an international organisation through an agency in my own country. ▲ Collapse
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Georgia Morg (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:08
Portuguese to English
I agree with Nicole. What do you mean? I imagine a lot of us work in the country of our source language, not the country where we were born. I answered the question as "Brazil" being my country, but only because the other option wasn't given.
| | | | Simon Bruni
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:08
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
Only if you over-analyse the semantics, as we translators tend to do.
The meaning is quite clear: "My country" is the country where I am from and "most of my clients" means "the largest numerical proportion of my clients". Sorry but ascribing any other meanings here is a bit pedantic!
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 19:08
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | It is indeed ambiguous. | Nov 4, 2011 |
Simon Bruni wrote:
The meaning is quite clear: "My country" is the country where I am from and "most of my clients" means "the largest numerical proportion of my clients". Sorry but ascribing any other meanings here is a bit pedantic!
Especially when you have obtained the citizenship of your new country. So, which one is "your country" again? 
However, my largest and main clients are US-based, the others are located in 11 countries all over the planet.
| | | | Patricia Charnet
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:08
Member (2009)
English to French
| yes a bit ambiguous | Nov 4, 2011 |
I must admit that I don't know if my country is my country of origin or my country of residence
Most of my clients are UK based but I've got a lot from France, and to a certain degree from Africa and the Middle East. Sometimes one region takes the lead in term of inflow of work over the others for a quarter or two. I've got regular work from 2 continents i.e. Europe and Asia but sometimes the work relates to Africa!
Difficult to quantify, also when I do interpreting, w... See more I must admit that I don't know if my country is my country of origin or my country of residence
Most of my clients are UK based but I've got a lot from France, and to a certain degree from Africa and the Middle East. Sometimes one region takes the lead in term of inflow of work over the others for a quarter or two. I've got regular work from 2 continents i.e. Europe and Asia but sometimes the work relates to Africa!
Difficult to quantify, also when I do interpreting, where do I base the work? When a Luxembourg agency calls me to urgently fill a vacancy for a conference in Brussels for a French client?
Moreover some of my major clients although being British have also offices in France. At one stage an interpreting in the Middle East gave me a huge amount of work after the conference, so the Middle East was my main income for a few months although all of it was for African companies and bidding of Middle East companies into French speaking Africa.
I think I understand the question as being most work from one country as opposed to several countries but quite a few translators live abroad so is it the country of origin or residence to start with?
Difficult to vote on this one ▲ Collapse
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Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 04:08
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
I have a few European clients, yet most of them are from the USA, the Middle East, Asia and New Zealand. And there is actually only one from my home country.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 04:08
Spanish to English
+ ...
= the country I live in, Spain. I have one client in France and one client here in Spain who sometimes asks me to bill their London office.
I prefer to keep things close to home in case I ever have to physically visit the client. All the offers of work I have ever had from outside Europe (i. e. USA) have been very demanding in terms of CVs, qualifications, references and test translations, usually coupled with low or derisory rates, hence my zero uptake.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 04:08
Spanish to English
+ ...
| East west, home's best | Nov 4, 2011 |
Simon Bruni wrote:
Only if you over-analyse the semantics, as we translators tend to do.
The meaning is quite clear: "My country" is the country where I am from ...
Well, as a Scottish UK citizen having lived and worked in Spain for over 20 years, I didn't know what to answer, since it really is my adopted country now, and even the family back in Scotland ask when I'm going "home" to Valencia. It all depends on how you see it - some people will always be from their birthplace, where others are more itinerant souls.
I tried translating in Glasgow and found it very hard to find any work, and the agencies I contacted came across as snooty, bossy and demanding, so I came back to Spain and I don't regret it one bit, warts an' all.
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