Off topic: Average income of freelance translators and average life expenses in Spain Thread poster: Ömer Maraş
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Ömer Maraş
Türkiye
Local time: 22:34
German to Turkish
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Hi folks,
I'm wondering what the average income of freelance translators and the average life expenses in Spain are... What do freelancers earn per month, and what is the average monthly costs of living in Spain (rent included and excluded)...??
Just wondering....
Any answers???
Thanks in advance!
regards
Omer
| | | | Daniel Frisano 
Italy
Local time: 21:34
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
| Cheap as hell | Jan 25, 2022 |
When I lived near Alicante I estimated ca. 1200 € a month for basic expenses (rent, food, electricity, gas, essential services), and I lived alone. Your first 16,000 to 20,000 words translated each month are for survival, meaning that with the right skills and client portfolio you'll work about 1 week per month (or less, if you work fast) to survive, and the rest is all extra.
I also remember a couple being satisfied with making 800 € a month each, with a rent to pay, and extras... See more When I lived near Alicante I estimated ca. 1200 € a month for basic expenses (rent, food, electricity, gas, essential services), and I lived alone. Your first 16,000 to 20,000 words translated each month are for survival, meaning that with the right skills and client portfolio you'll work about 1 week per month (or less, if you work fast) to survive, and the rest is all extra.
I also remember a couple being satisfied with making 800 € a month each, with a rent to pay, and extras such as gym subscription or eating out every once in a while. Just to give you an idea.
Up north (Catalunya, Euskadi, etc.) it's somewhat more expensive, but still quite affordable. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | No, not as cheap as hell | Jan 25, 2022 |
I live in Catalonia. I paid off my mortgage several years ago, my children have left home and now have their own families, and I live with my retired husband, who receives the maximum retirement pension as a former secondary school teacher. He pays for all the food and council taxes.
I like to earn a minimum of €2,000 a month (before tax). I could, and often do, earn more but it means giving up my free time, which I don't like. The money I earn covers income tax and VAT, the phone... See more I live in Catalonia. I paid off my mortgage several years ago, my children have left home and now have their own families, and I live with my retired husband, who receives the maximum retirement pension as a former secondary school teacher. He pays for all the food and council taxes.
I like to earn a minimum of €2,000 a month (before tax). I could, and often do, earn more but it means giving up my free time, which I don't like. The money I earn covers income tax and VAT, the phone bill + internet connection, electricity, gas, water, the car (petrol, maintenance, etc.), insurance policies, pension scheme payments, my tax accountant's monthly fees and personal expenditure (hairdresser's, dentist, birthday and Christmas presents for six grandchildren and their four parents, clothes, household goods, etc.).
I would say that one person living alone could survive on €1,000 month (depending on where they live) and enjoy life on €2,000. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 22:34
Member
English to Turkish
| What about Spaniards? | Jan 26, 2022 |
Can a Spanish (native to Spain) translator translating from English make a decent living in the face of competition from South and Central America? Surely the standards of living in Honduras should be a lot cheaper than the cheapest part of Spain?
Btw, I remember chatting with a Spanish PM living in the UK who told me she was better off living in the UK as far as taxation was concerned. Apparently she had had to pay a huge chunk of her income in taxes in Spain, which kind of stands to reas... See more Can a Spanish (native to Spain) translator translating from English make a decent living in the face of competition from South and Central America? Surely the standards of living in Honduras should be a lot cheaper than the cheapest part of Spain?
Btw, I remember chatting with a Spanish PM living in the UK who told me she was better off living in the UK as far as taxation was concerned. Apparently she had had to pay a huge chunk of her income in taxes in Spain, which kind of stands to reason, as the only agencies that showed a keen interest whether I was a taxpayer in my country of residence (which is outside the EU) were those in Spain.
[Edited at 2022-01-26 11:30 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:34
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Ömer Maraş wrote:
Hi folks,
I'm wondering what the average income of freelance translators and the average life expenses in Spain are... What do freelancers earn per month, and what is the average monthly costs of living in Spain (rent included and excluded)...??
Just wondering....
Any answers???
Thanks in advance!
regards
Omer
You've been asking this same question in many different language forums. Are you trying to identify which country in the world is the most profitable for a translator to live in?
| | | | | Taxes in Spain for freelancers | Jan 26, 2022 |
I live in Madrid and the costs of renting a flat, even a small one,+life expenses for one single person are unaffordable here, in my opinion.
Live expenses can be very different from one region to another one. I come from the Canary Islands and renting a flat there is like around 500€ as maximum in a normal quarter. In Madrid, the same flat can cost around 800 or 900€.
My mother still lives in the Canary Islands and she has always told me that one person needs aroun... See more I live in Madrid and the costs of renting a flat, even a small one,+life expenses for one single person are unaffordable here, in my opinion.
Live expenses can be very different from one region to another one. I come from the Canary Islands and renting a flat there is like around 500€ as maximum in a normal quarter. In Madrid, the same flat can cost around 800 or 900€.
My mother still lives in the Canary Islands and she has always told me that one person needs around 110€ a month for buying food in the supermarket. Although I usually go to a restaurant with my girlfriend once a week, I think you need at least 150€ here for food and basic stuff.
In addition, as in the whole EU (I think), the costs of everything are increasing: food, petrol, electricity...
Moreover, the government is planning a new law to tax the freelancers that will do that any kind of freelancer earning around 1,000€ or more after VAT and so on, has to pay more in taxes every month as before to keep on working as a freelancer.
Unless things change in 2023, with the national elections, there are coming even harder times for freelancers.
In Spain, we always say that being a freelancer (in any kind of business), is like being the last one in a queue.
I don't know how to say the last sentence in English but I hope you can understand the meaning.
I have got the opinion, and even more with the treatment the freelancers received from the government during the lockdown because of the Coronavirus (although I was not a freelancer yet. It was only a plan), that no government in Spain takes care of freelancers, but only to get our money in taxes.
Unless you are well established as a freelancer and has got a enough and well-paid workload, it's hard here.
Greetings. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Regarding the Comunidad Valenciana | Jan 29, 2022 |
Daniel Frisano wrote:
When I lived near Alicante I estimated ca. 1200 € a month for basic expenses (rent, food, electricity, gas, essential services), and I lived alone. Your first 16,000 to 20,000 words translated each month are for survival, meaning that with the right skills and client portfolio you'll work about 1 week per month (or less, if you work fast) to survive, and the rest is all extra.
I also remember a couple being satisfied with making 800 € a month each, with a rent to pay, and extras such as gym subscription or eating out every once in a while. Just to give you an idea.
Up north (Catalunya, Euskadi, etc.) it's somewhat more expensive, but still quite affordable.
I can confirm, not sure about Valencia town, but in Denia, (between Valencia and Alicante) I can confirm for sure and nowadays.
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Helena Chavarria wrote:
I would say that one person living alone could survive on €1,000 month (depending on where they live) and enjoy life on €2,000.
I live in Comunidad Valenciana, before I lived in Italy, I can assure you that the difference is huge (just to name a European Country I know).
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:34
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Helena Chavarria wrote:
I would say that one person living alone could survive on €1,000 month (depending on where they live) and enjoy life on €2,000.
Only if you think you need more money to enjoy life more. All you need to enjoy life is to have *enough* money so that you can get on with more important, more interesting, more rewarding things than making money.
[Edited at 2022-01-30 11:56 GMT]
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