| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Can Translators Make a Dollar a Day Blogging? Thread poster: OG Pete
|
|---|
OG Pete 
United States
Russian to English
+ ...
| EvaVer (X)
Local time: 22:25
Czech to French
+ ...
| Yes, they can, | Jul 7, 2013 |
but do you really consider it an efficient use of your time?
| | | | OG Pete
United States
Russian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Short-term inefficiency | Jul 7, 2013 |
EvaVer wrote:
but do you really consider it an efficient use of your time?
I'm delighted to hear that translators can indeed make a dollar a day blogging. My plan is admittedly inefficient in the short term as devoting an hour a day to it would mean an effective rate of one dollar per hour for blogging, assuming ad revenue ever hit $1 a day in the first place.
However, if $1 a day snowballed into $10 or even $100 a day, it would mean early retirement.
| | | | Charlotte Farrell
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:25
Member (2013)
German to English
+ ...
| Why earn $1 per day | Jul 7, 2013 |
when translating pays significantly more than that? If you've not got much work coming in and want to do something during your quiet periods then maybe, but until you're getting the $100 per day or whatever I really don't see the point.
| | |
|
|
|
OG Pete
United States
Russian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Great Idea! Let's Just Shoot for $100 a Day | Jul 7, 2013 |
Charlotte Farrell wrote:
when translating pays significantly more than that? If you've not got much work coming in and want to do something during your quiet periods then maybe, but until you're getting the $100 per day or whatever I really don't see the point.
Well, at worst you'd simply be driving more and more traffic to your translation blog. Hopefully some of that traffic would convert into profitable translation orders and tide you over until you hit $10 a day on your way to the vaunted $100-a-day early retirement on the beach. And it would give you something to keep your mind busy with on that beach
And $100 is only 20 ad clicks at $5 per click, right? Are large translation agencies already paying amounts like that for their pay-per-click (PPC) context ads?
Is anybody buying pay-per-click ads? What do you pay?
| | | | | Other Ways to Earn | Jul 7, 2013 |
As someone who writes multiple blogs in my spare time, I would say that it is possible to make significantly more than a dollar per day through ad revenue. This is not why I blog, though. For me, it is a creative outlet as well as a way to sell products and services, including my translation services. If a business owner happens to like my blog, he or she may ask me to write or translate for his business. I have gained some good clients this way and believe that's where the pay-off comes in blog... See more As someone who writes multiple blogs in my spare time, I would say that it is possible to make significantly more than a dollar per day through ad revenue. This is not why I blog, though. For me, it is a creative outlet as well as a way to sell products and services, including my translation services. If a business owner happens to like my blog, he or she may ask me to write or translate for his business. I have gained some good clients this way and believe that's where the pay-off comes in blogging. Although I don't deal in interest as it is against my religious beliefs, I was curious about the figure you quoted but could not find any reference to it in your link. If you really wanted to set aside a dollar per day for investment purposes, though, there are easier ways to do it than blogging. You could, for example, just set aside the dollar from your regular earnings from translation or another source.
Amel
One of my blogs-----> www.marketsforwriters.blogspot.com
[Edited at 2013-07-07 15:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | OG Pete
United States
Russian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for Sharing! | Jul 7, 2013 |
Amel Abdullah wrote: As someone who writes multiple blogs in my spare time, I would say that it is possible to make significantly more than a dollar per day through ad revenue. This is not why I blog, though. For me, it is a creative outlet as well as a way to sell products and services, including my translation services. If a business owner happens to like my blog, he or she may ask me to write or translate for his business. I have gained some good clients this way and believe that's where the pay-off comes in blogging. Although I don't deal in interest as it is against my religious beliefs, I was curious about the figure you quoted but could not find any reference to it in your link. If you really wanted to set aside a dollar per day for investment purposes, though, there are easier ways to do it than blogging. You could, for example, just set aside the dollar from your regular earnings from translation or another source. Amel One of my blogs-----> www.marketsforwriters.blogspot.com[Edited at 2013-07-07 15:54 GMT]
Thanks for the confirmation that a dollar per day is not only possible, but is just the start. It's also great to hear that what I called "secondary benefits" are actually the primary ones. I really like your blog and look forward to reading through it - I can see why it nets you clients.
The figure I quoted was one that I calculated myself based on the US savings account interest rates listed by Forbes magazine:
"At an average of 0.87%, Ally offered the highest savings account rates of any bank during the past year."
Basically what I did was divide 365 (the number of days in the year) by the effective annual interest rate. For example, to earn a dollar a day (which is $365 per year) at one percent effective annual interest (which seems pretty good these days), you would need $36,500 in the bank [365 / 0.01 = 36,500], $365,000 to earn $10, and $3.65 million to earn $100 a day, etc. By that logic you would otherwise have to be a multimillionaire to have $100 a day come your way each morning without getting up and "working".
You're right, I could set aside a dollar a day from my translation income for investment purposes. Letting it stagnantly collect 1% interest doesn't appeal to me either - maybe I should buy pay-per-click ads with it.
Maybe it's better to measure success at blogging by number of visitors instead of ad revenue?
Thanks for sharing your experiences, it's so nice to see others doing so well in this field.
| | | |
I'm not a brilliant mathematician, but a dollar a day gives you 365 dollars a year.
In Europe, you'll have starved to death before you can bank 50!
| | |
|
|
|
It's probably less effort to save a dollar a day by spending a dollar less a day than by striving to make a dollar a day blogging.
| | | | OG Pete
United States
Russian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Saving vs. Sweating | Jul 7, 2013 |
Saving vs. Sweating
Nikki Scott-Despaigne wrote:
I'm not a brilliant mathematician, but a dollar a day gives you 365 dollars a year.
In Europe, you'll have starved to death before you can bank 50!
Nikki Scott-Despaigne wrote:
It's probably less effort to save a dollar a day by spending a dollar less a day than by striving to make a dollar a day blogging.
Thanks for the feedback!
Yes, a dollar a day in Europe means freezing or starving - unless the safety net catches you, I suppose. Agreed: it's less effort to save a dollar a day by spending less than by earning it blogging, that's for sure. But, but - with interest rates for savers at under 1%, what's the point of saving a dollar a day once debt has been paid off?
Isn't it better to have 100% sweat-equity in your own blogging venture? Aren't the odds of "early retirement" or a lucky break much higher that way?
| | | | | I don't know that much about blogs, and especially them being a means of making money | Jul 7, 2013 |
It has never occurred to me somehow, and I thought blogs were more for self-expression. However, there is a proverb in one language, I forgot which one, but I can tell it to you in English. "If you save every penny, you will never be rich". (and most likely you will starve to death -- either literally or figuratively before you see any benefits from your saved pennies).
| | | | OG Pete
United States
Russian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
LilianBNekipelo wrote:
It has never occurred to me somehow, and I thought blogs were more for self-expression. However, there is a proverb in one language, I forgot which one, but I can tell it to you in English. "If you save every penny, you will never be rich". (and most likely you will starve to death -- either literally or figuratively before you see any benefits from your saved pennies).
Yes, I don't think saving $365 a year has ever made anyone rich - especially adjusting for purchasing-power parity and inflation You are right - trying to do so might even be a really bad idea.
Yes, exactly - this is blogging for self-expression as a means of making money
| | |
|
|
|
Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 23:25
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
| No earnings from me at least | Jul 8, 2013 |
The logic of advertising on the net is viewers seeing your product and (mostly unconsciously) preferring the product when shopping. Contrary to what most of us believe it is not the clicking of ads that is needed, just people seeing the ad. On television it is the same, you see the ad, like it or not, but it will influence your decision later.
I have been using Adblock since years and never see any ads on the net, so this logic does not apply to me.
If Google thinks your blog is wor... See more The logic of advertising on the net is viewers seeing your product and (mostly unconsciously) preferring the product when shopping. Contrary to what most of us believe it is not the clicking of ads that is needed, just people seeing the ad. On television it is the same, you see the ad, like it or not, but it will influence your decision later.
I have been using Adblock since years and never see any ads on the net, so this logic does not apply to me.
If Google thinks your blog is worth a buck a day why not take it. Indeed it is comparable to having 40k on a usual bank account, but nobody keeps so much money on a bank account but invests in shares or funds and should so get at least 5/d.
How many blogs on translation the net can support? I don't follow any blogs but get the free edition of Jost Zetzsche's newletter. I have no need for more info, as I read this forum on Proz.com regularly.
Successful bloggers will get money straight from advertisers, as long as people don't learn to use Adblock.
Google receives about 10 cents from me every month from my use of GT. I don't know where the rest of Google's money comes from. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 01:55
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Why should they? | Jul 8, 2013 |
When they can make much more by just translating?
I have tried my hand at making my pot of money by blogging and have got nowhere with it. In fact, I have not earned a single penny from my blogs. I have several blogs and I was very active on blogosphere for sometime, until I realized that it was a major distraction to my translation activity, which is my main source of income, and I weaned myself out of the habit.
Technically it is possible to make money out of blogs. B... See more When they can make much more by just translating?
I have tried my hand at making my pot of money by blogging and have got nowhere with it. In fact, I have not earned a single penny from my blogs. I have several blogs and I was very active on blogosphere for sometime, until I realized that it was a major distraction to my translation activity, which is my main source of income, and I weaned myself out of the habit.
Technically it is possible to make money out of blogs. But if you are a translator, then that is not for you, for business level blogging is a full-time activity requiring skills that are far removed from the skills required for translation. For example you should know how to write using keywords that are most popularly looked up by major search engines. This kind of writing is soul-killing and no self-respecting writer or translator will take it up.
Only those for whom earning money is the sole end in life would want to make a career out of this kind of blogging.
The true joy of blogging comes when you are free to write as you want, without the pressure of having to earn x dollar a day. You do it because you feel you want to express yourself, and the only reward that you would like to have is like-minded readers making intelligent comments on your posts. This kind of blogging too can promote your translation business, but that is an indirect fallout. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Yes, I agree with Balasubramaniam | Jul 8, 2013 |
The real joy of blogging, or posting, is to be able to write whatever you want (without offending anyone personally) -- something that you feel it is important, and that comes from the bottom of your heart. If you have to think who will like it, whether some customers will remove their adds after you write something, seems like real bondage.
Otherwise, I don't see any purpose in writing at all -- it is better to take the vow of silence.
[Edited at 2013-07-08 09:16 GMT]
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Can Translators Make a Dollar a Day Blogging? | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
