Originally published: 12 September 2007. Updated: September 2023 (Original German version below)
Most of us have chosen our profession because of a passion for languages and communication. However, whenever I ask freelancer colleagues whether they also wanted to make a living on conference interpreting, most of them say they wanted to earn at least as much as if they were employed.
So: How can we be profitable and make a living as conference interpreters?
The perspective presented in this article is inspired by Mr. Andreas Schiemenz, an economist by training, who – for translators –developed an entrepreneurial, comprehensive approach which takes account of fixed costs, variable costs, productive time input and unproductive (“overhead”, non-billable) time input.
The figures and calculations in the following article are to be understood as models. Depending on the way you work, you might find some of the figures inappropriate or unrealistic. The reader is invited to use the calculations as examples and fill them in with their own numbers.
One aspect that has not been covered sufficiently in earlier publications is coverage for risk (sickness, disability and – yes – old age).
Since there is no obligation whatsoever in Germany for freelancers or self-employed people to pay into a public pension scheme, and there is hardly any independent advice or consulting on the issue for those who need to make up their own “pension schemes”, and since you do not feel like thinking about what happens when you are 64, it tends to be forgotten altogether or at least neglected. Since it makes up a big chunk of your expenses and since things get worse the later you start thinking about it, old age provision must be accounted for realistically in any business calculation.
Another neglected topic has been marketing and selling our services (and ourselves) to clients. It is a business necessity and – in the end – something that is immediately related to what we end up having in our own pockets to spend, in other words, our very standard of living.
Assumptions – the cost and time budget
In the cost and time budget we distinguish
• costs and input (time) related immediately to specific jobs (job-specific costs and job-specific input (time)
• costs and input that are not related to specific jobs (overhead or fixed costs and overhead input (time) that is non-billable).
We further assume that all job-specific costs – like travel expenses (mileage allowance for using our own car, taxi, train, air) and other travel expenses (for food, hotel etc.) which arise in connection with a specific job are reimbursed by the client (through a flat amount – per diem – or actual costs documented by receipts) so that this parameter equals 0.
Therefore, with our fee revenue we need to finance three items:
• job-specific or “productive” time input (time spent for work related directly to a specific job, i.e. preparation time, travel time, time spent at the job …)
• overhead time input (time spent on building and maintaining our professional resources, and on managing our business)
• fixed or “overhead” costs (i.e. operating costs which arise whether we have jobs or not)
Let us first turn to the two time input items of our budget.
Job-specific or “productive” time input
Apart from the time that we spend interpreting on site, this category includes the time required for the bidding and negotiating phase, obtaining information and preparation material from clients, managing/passing on this information (if applicable), RSI test calls, coordinating the team (if applicable), and the preparation and post-job processing of the material (prepare speeches and presentations, detailed subject research, production of glossaries or terminology etc.) plus a post-job business calculation.
We assume that 8 hours (or one work day) per paid conference day is required for job-specific time input. It might be less for a job where the subject is less difficult or familiar and where we only interpret between two languages (a bi-active booth is frequent on the German and some other private markets). However, if we have to prepare the subject in more than 2 languages and where the subject is unknown or difficult, where we need to coordinate a larger team or deal with a “difficult” client, we definitely need more time.
Overhead (non-billable) time input
This is the time we spend as entrepreneurs and managers of our own business as professional conference interpreters. Apart from all the tangible assets that we use as professional interpreters (PC, RSI equipment, office furniture etc.), we draw on highly intangible, immaterial assets to be successful and competitive with our product: our abilities and talent, our knowledge and expertise which have to be maintained, enhanced and kept up-to-date on a permanent basis.
As knowledge workers, our product consists in the ability to have the right knowledge available and ready to use at the right time and in the right place. That is why intensive knowledge management is extremely important:
• Keep general knowledge up to date in all our working languages and corresponding cultures
• Read the current press in all our working languages
• Read other literature/publications in all our working languages
• Update technical knowledge in areas of specialisation on a regular basis by reading technical magazines, industry publications – in all our working languages
• general terminology management
Furthermore, it is necessary to continuously improve our job-specific, professional knowledge and skills, to know the interpreters’ market and be known in it:
Continuous professional learning: obtain professional information, read and learn.
CPD
Network with colleagues, network with other professional fields, for example by being a member of an association, being active in an association or doing pro-bono work.
As Solopreneurs, we are usually our own accountants, secretaries and business managers:
Accounting, invoicing, tax returns
Apart from that we are our own marketing managers, advertising specialists and client relationship managers:
Social media, website, advertising, brochures, mailings, content
Client relations management, or CRM: call existing clients, visit and keep in touch with clients
Cold calls: define target client groups, develop a strategy, make calls or contact via social media, follow up
Overhead time input also includes time spent on unsuccessful bids or offers, often a black hole where a lot of work disappears without any remuneration:
Draw up an offer/quotation
Place and/or cancel options with colleagues
Negotiate on the phone or on site with the client.
All these activities are necessary and important for our solopreneur business, but they are non-billable, nobody pay us for them, except we ourselves. This time input needs to be considered and refinanced with our paid conference days. So, in fact we spend a lot of “unpaid” time on preparing and managing jobs, managing our business and keeping our resources up-to-date. For the purposes of our budget, we therefore need to ask the question of how many paid conference days we can actually do per year.
How much of our time / how many days do we have available to make money?
The fee revenue we can attain per year is limited by the number of days on which we can actually generate such revenue. Limiting factors are, among other things, our own mental and physical capacities (we need time to recover) and, sometimes, our families. You might deny that by saying that this applies for anybody who goes out to work, and that weekends and holidays are there to recover. However, there is an increasing trend in our market where we could (if we only could!) work many days without interruption during the busy season, while outside that season the market is in the doldrums. Therefore, mental and physical capacity and recovery phases are in fact an issue. We need to account for them just like for demand fluctuations and seasonality. However, the most significant limiting factor is the non-billable time input as described above!
The crucial question therefore runs: “how many paid conference days per year are feasible, how many of them make sense professionally – how many paid conference days should actually give us enough money to decently live on?”
There are various ways of substantiating that, on average, conference interpreters work 75-85 paid conference days a year. General freelancer or solopreneur literature proposes that the non-billable, overhead time input of a solopreneur amounts to about 30%
Here are the maths:
365 days – 104 weekend days – 29 holidays/bank holidays = 232 workdays
232 workdays available – 30% ”non-billable“ days (70 days) = 162 „productive days“
According to our assumption that per conference day we spend one day for job-specific work (mainly preparation), this results in a possible 81 paid conference days.
Earlier AIIC statistics also corroborate that, on average, freelance interpreters work 85-90 days; note that this figure includes freelancers working, among others, for the EU, so that this figure could be rather high. The VKD (Conference Interpreters Chapter of BDÜ, Germany) quotes similar figures.
Thus, if we were to account for the same number of days for job-specific work as for conference days (80/80), there are 72 days left for non-billable, professional/entrepreneurial time input. So, it seems as if a split into three (1/3 at conferences, 1/3 job-specific work (mainly preparation) plus 1/3 general, non-billable activities (knowledge management, administration, marketing, general learning) is both realistic and allows us to be professional in our job as interpreters and entrepreneurs.
Now that we know the number of paid conference days, we can take our daily fee and calculate our net fee revenue (daily fee x number of paid days).
However, for our budget we are missing one factor: the general, non-job-specific, fixed cost.
Cost to be financed by our fees – overhead/fixed costs
As professional interpreters there are two types of “general costs“ we must account for: fixed (operating) costs and provisions for risk (old age, sickness, disability).
Model calculation of fixed costs
Cost items
EUR
Office: rent, electricity, cleaning, furniture
3.000,00
Advertising: letterhead, business cards, website, christmas cards / gifts, Flyer, SEO
Literature: (digital) dictionaries, specialised literature
1.500,00
Coms: mobile, internet, phone, office material
3.000,00
CPD
1.500,00
Tax, legal advisor, data protection
1.500,00
Memberships in associations
1.000,00
Total costs
16.500,00
This is merely a model calculation, and it is mainly based on experience in Germany. What is more, conference interpreters tend to focus on different things, and spending also tends to depend on areas of specialisation.
From gross to net
In order to calculate net income, the following calculation starts from 3 possible/realistic annual fee revenue levels that result from the number of conference days per year multiplied by the daily rate (for your own calculation, always take amounts net of VAT)
Deductible portion of health and daily benefits insurance
2.800,00
2.800,00
2.800,00
Taxable income
23.180,00
30.180,00
43.180,00
Tax
3.335,00
5.291,00
9.930,00
Net
19.845,00
24.889,00
33.250,00
Non-tax-deductible portion of health insurance
2.600,00
2.600,00
2.600,00
Non-tax-deductible portion of pension contrib.
480,00
480,00
480,00
Other old-age savings, after tax
2.000,00
2.000,00
2.000,00
Annual net income available for spending
14.765,00
19.809,00
28.170,00
Monthly net income available for spending
1.230,42
1.650,75
2.347,50
Please note: according to the statistics provider Statista, the average monthly net household income in Germany in 2021 amounted to EUR 3,800. The average net wage in Germany in 2022 was EUR 2,250.
Provisions for risk seem to diminish our available household spending considerably. Int A is not very likely to actually invest EUR 10,000 for their pension.
Also, the calculation above does not account for any reserves for periods of low demand (entrepreneurial risk, loss of a major client, pandemic…). Freelancer/solopreneur literature recommends we should have put money aside for rainy days in the amount of an annual income.
The German tax and social security system also shows a significant difference in how it treats solopreneurs vs. employees: employers pay up to 50% of social security contributions – incl. healthcare – for their employees pre-tax. This means that employees have to spend much less on pension and risk contributions out of their net income than solopreneurs/freelancers.
Conclusions
So how can we achieve our aim of generating an income, i.e. a standard of living, which corresponds to our level of education and job experience now and when we are old while keeping occupational stress at tolerable levels, i.e. without compromising our health and our resources?
Cut costs?
Cost reduction is truly a buzzword nowadays. However, we should put this option in perspective. It might be possible to save costs (fixed costs) in the amount of EUR 1,000 (before tax). However, we can achieve the same effect by increasing our daily rate by only EUR 15 (Example: for 80 paid conference days a year we can increase our annual fee revenue by € 1,200 by increasing the daily rate by € 15). Does it not seem much easier to raise your daily rate by 2% instead of trying to reduce costs – probably spent on meaningful things – by 6%?
Try to work more days?
In order to increase our fee revenue, we could simply try to work more conference days than the assumed 75-85 days. We should, however, not forget that more conference days will necessarily be at the expense of either the job-specific time input (preparation), the overhead/non-billable time input (required for managing our business, CPD, marketing, admin – all necessary and meaningful for a businessl!) or at the expense of recovery periods.
Working more conference days therefore seems to be realistic only if we can save on preparation time without compromising the quality of our work, which is possible if we have regular jobs from the same client on the same subject, if some of our jobs are short (like the odd 1-hour press conference), or if we manage to acquire jobs lasting several days where the content or agenda is the same every day. These kinds of jobs are getting rarer. What is more, in times of RSI there is increasing pressure to bring down our minimum billing unit from 1 day to a half day or even hourly billing.
Translate?
Quite frequently we are told: “but you can also translate”. However, from our time budget, the time that we spend on non-billable activities is not simply available for translation. Because if we also do translations, the time that we need to spend on learning, knowledge management, marketing, administration etc. does not diminish. On the contrary, despite all synergies that may exist between interpreting and translating, additional (non-billable) time input is necessary for marketing and positioning ourselves in the translation market and for handling corresponding tools.
The same is true for other diversification options such as subtitling, content writing, professional speaking, teaching.
However, colleagues working with languages that are in less demand quite frequently do both. Time-budget-wise this means that, if the market does not provide sufficient conference days, the time that they thus do not spend at conferences or for preparation is available for translating. If, according to our assumptions, one conference day requires one day of job-specific input, we can say that the equivalent of one daily conference rate has to be generated by two productive translation days, i.e. half a daily interpreting rate per translation day. Quite a realistic figure, and in fact I have met a number of professional translators who work fast enough to generate much higher daily turnovers. Translating might be more profitable than interpreting after all.
Get paid for extra services?
Extra services that we render in the course of interpreting projects (i.e. consulting, RSI test calls, team management, travel time …) require a lot of time and, on the other hand, create tangible benefits for our clients (the services reduce the client’s effort, save the client time, deliver high quality output thanks to consulting, give the client absolute certainty that the interpreters will arrive at the conference on time if they arrive the day before).
The added value of such services is plausible to clients, and we should therefore not hesitate to invoice them in the form of fees for time spent on travelling or consulting. The degree to which we are successful in doing so depends on our negotiating skills.
The “day” as a billing unit was established when interpreting assignments had a different kind of structure. Unlike then, when interpreters very often travelled with delegations for several days or supported sessions that lasted a week or longer, today much of our work is technical and complex and requires reading and preparation input which sometimes takes more time than the actual meeting lasts. There are cases where it could be justified to bill extra for reading and prep time or think about new structures of how to bill for interpreting projects, especially for RSI or hybrid events that involve consulting, test meetings and added support on the part of interpreters.
Raise the daily rate?
The effect of an increase in the daily rate on our net income (standard of living) is quite impressive: the available income in example 2 is 30% higher than the net available income in example 1 while the fee revenue is only 14% higher.
This does not mean that we should increase our rates by 30% over night. It just shows how great the impact of fee-increases is, and it also illustrates what it means to accept a job for a higher (or lower) fee!
The great thing about fixed costs is that they are fixed. In other words: once you have earned enough to cover your costs – i.e. once you have achieved the break-even point – any amount that exceeds it has a disproportionate impact on your available income.
Conclusion:
Negotiation skills and a convincing way to pitch the added value and benefits of our services to clients are indispensable skills for us.
Better perfect your negotiating skills than try to save money penny-wise!
DIGRESSION:
How much should we save for our pension?
Retirement planning is a highly individual matter. Aspects such as age, marital status, children, whether you own a home, must be taken into account. Paying up a mortgage may be part of risk provisioning, assuming that rent-free living in old age reduces the need for purchasing power. However, don’t neglect the necessary maintenance expenses for your home, also in old age.
According to the preceding considerations, however, the amount of EUR 10,000 plus health insurance for a younger solopreneur might not be completely wrong. It should always be taken into account here that there is no natural increase in income with increasing seniority, as is the case with salaried employees or civil servants.
Example interest calculation:
With uninterrupted contributions of EUR 10,000 per year over a period of 35 years until retirement assuming an unchanged interest rate of 2%, one can arrive at a capital stock of EUR 500,000.
When planning the desired retirement provision or pension, inflation and loss of purchasing power must be taken into account.
The Author
Julia Böhm, freelance conference interpreter, consultant interpreter since 1996. Translator, subtitler, live captioner.
Author and speaker at events and seminars on entrepreneurial aspects of conference interpreting for AIIC, VKD, BDÜ, ASTTI since 2004.
Kosten und Aufwand der professionellen Berufsausübung: Wer wird Millionär?
Julia BÖHM.
Veröffentlicht: 12. September 2007. Letzte Aktualisierung: September 2023
Die meisten Konferenzdolmetscher wählen den Beruf aufgrund der Leidenschaft für Sprache und Kommunikation. Wenn man Kollegen jedoch fragt, ob sie mit einer freiberuflichen Tätigkeit als Konferenzdolmetscher ebenso viel verdienen möchten, wie angestellte oder verbeamtete Kollegen, erhält man oft die Antwort, dass man sich mindestens so viel oder mehr erwartet hat.
Wie können wir als Konferenzdolmetschende also so profitabel sein, dass wir ein angemessenes Einkommen erwirtschaften?
Die hier vorgestellten Überlegungen sind inspiriert von einem Verhandlungsseminar mit Andreas W. Schiemenz, der vor einigen Jahren ein Zeitaufwands- und Kostenkalkulationsmodell für Übersetzer entwickelt hatte und in einem Verhandlungsseminar für den BDÜ präsentierte.
Die im Folgenden aufgestellten Zahlen und Kalkulationen sind nur als Beispiel zu verstehen. Manche dieser Zahlen mögen dem einen oder anderen unrealistisch erscheinen. Lesende sind eingeladen, die Beispielkalkulationen mit eigenen Zahlen füllen.
Zentrale Punkte in den Überlegungen sind die Berücksichtigung einer angemessenen Alters- und Risikovorsorge in der Honorarkalkulation sowie Möglichkeiten der Rentabilitäts- und Einkommenssteigerung für soloselbständige Konferenzdolmetschende.
Annahmen
Dieser Artikel unterscheidet
auftragsabhängige Kosten und auftragsabhängigen Aufwand (Zeit) einerseits
auftragsunabhängige Kosten und auftragsunabhängigen Aufwand (Zeit) andererseits.
Dabei wird angenommen, dass alle auftragsabhängigen Kosten – wie Reisekosten (also Kilometergeld, Taxi, Bahnkosten) und Spesen (also Kosten für Essen usw.), die im Rahmen eines Auftrags unmittelbar anfallen, vom Kunden getragen werden (entweder als Per Diem oder gegen Belege).
Mit dem reinen erwirtschafteten Auftragshonorar sind deshalb drei Posten zu finanzieren:
auftragsabhängiger oder «produktiver» Zeitaufwand (Zeitaufwand, der direkt im Zusammenhang mit Aufträgen anfällt, u.a. Vorbereitung, evtl. Reisezeit, wenn nicht vergütet, Einsatzzeit)
auftragsunabhängiger Zeitaufwand (Zeitaufwand der professionellen Berufsausübung, auch als Unternehmer bzw. Unternehmerin)
auftragsunabhängige Kosten (z.B. Betriebskosten, die immer anfallen, ob wir Aufträge haben oder nicht)
Wenden wir uns zunächst den beiden Zeitaufwandsposten zu.
Auftragsabhängiger Aufwand (Zeit)
Unter diese Kategorie fällt nicht nur die Einsatzzeit selbst, sondern auch die Angebotsphase, Verhandlungen mit dem Kunden, Reiseplanung und -buchung, die Beschaffung von Material vom Kunden, eventuell die Weiterleitung an Kollegen, Team-Koordinierungsaufgaben, die inhaltliche Vor- und Nachbereitung (Bearbeitung erhaltener Unterlagen, weitergehende Recherche, Erstellung von Glossaren usw.) sowie die Nachbereitung und Nachkalkulation.
Im Schnitt lässt sich für den auftragsabhängigen Zeitaufwand ein zusätzlicher 8-Stundentag pro bezahlten Auftragstag ansetzen. Bei bekannter Thematik bzw. wenn nur zwischen der A-Sprache und einer weiteren Sprache zu dolmetschen ist, mag es weniger sein, doch Faktoren wie eine zusätzliche Konferenzsprache, eine dichte Tagesordnung mit verkürzten Pausen oder ein besonders schwieriges Thema erhöhen den Aufwand beträchtlich.
Auftragsunabhängiger Aufwand (Zeit)
Hier geht es um den Aufwand, den wir betreiben, um unseren Beruf professionell auszuüben – auch in unserer Rolle als selbständige Unternehmer. Das Betriebskapital zur Erbringung dieser Leistung besteht, neben Sachanlagen (PC, Büroeinrichtung etc.), im Wesentlichen aus einer höchst immateriellen Anlage, nämlich uns selbst mit unserem Wissen und unseren Fähigkeiten. Um mit unserem Produkt wettbewerbsfähig zu bleiben, müssen wir uns stets auf dem aktuellen Stand halten bzw. unser Wissen und unsere Fähigkeiten ausbauen:
Für uns als Wissensarbeitende besteht unser Produkt darin, zum richtigen Zeitpunkt am richtigen Ort das richtige Wissen parat zu haben und nutzbar zu machen. Unverzichtbar ist daher ein intensives Wissensmanagement:
Pflege der Allgemeinbildung in allen unseren Arbeitssprachen/Kulturen
Lesen der aktuellen Presse in allen Arbeitssprachen
Lesen sonstiger Publikationen/Literatur – in allen Arbeitssprachen
Lesen von Fachmagazinen, Branchenpublikationen – in allen Arbeitssprachen
Terminologiemanagement
Es gehört ebenfalls dazu, sich berufsspezifisch fortzubilden, das Branchenwissen zu entwickeln und in der Branche bekannt zu sein:
Professionalisierung: berufsspezifische Informationen beschaffen und lesen
Fortbildungsteilnahme
Networking mit Kollegen oder auch mit anderen Berufsfeldern, z.B. Verbandsmitgliedschaft, Verbandsarbeit, ehrenamtliche Tätigkeit
Als Soloselbständige erledigen wir meist unsere Verwaltung selbst:
Buchhaltung, Steuererklärung
Ebenfalls sind wir unsere eigenen Marketing-Manager, Werbefachleute und Customer-Relationship-Manager:
Social Media und Website pflegen, Content erstellen und veröffentlichen
Kundenpflege: mit bestehenden Kunden telefonieren, Kunden besuchen, Kontakte pflegen
Kaltakquise: Zielgruppen ermitteln, Strategie entwickeln, kontaktieren, ggf. auch Akquise über Social Media
Unter den auftragsunabhängigen Aufwand fallen zudem erfolglose Angebotsphasen, die häufig mit erheblichem Zeitaufwand ohne Gegenleistung verbunden sind: Schreiben des Angebots, Optionierung von Kollegen, telefonische Verhandlungen.
All dies sind notwendige und wichtige Tätigkeiten in der Soloselbständigkeit, für die uns niemand (direkt) bezahlt. Der erhebliche Zeitaufwand dafür ist in einer seriösen Kalkulation zu berücksichtigen, denn er muss durch bezahlte Arbeitstage mitfinanziert werden.
Es drängt sich daher die Frage auf, wie viele bezahlte Auftragstage wir demnach eigentlich bewältigen können.
Wie viel Zeit steht uns zum „Geldverdienen” überhaupt zur Verfügung?
Die Höhe des jährlichen Honorarumsatzes ist beschränkt durch die Anzahl der Tage, an denen wir diesen Umsatz überhaupt erwirtschaften können. Als einschränkende Faktoren sind grundsätzlich die eigene persönliche geistige und körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit (Erholungsphasen sind unabdingbar) und eventuell familiäre Verpflichtungen zu berücksichtigen. Man mag einwenden, dass das auf alle Berufstätigen zutrifft und dafür ja Wochenenden, Feierabend und Urlaub da sind. Als Soloselbständige sind wir aber abhängig vom Markt und seiner Saisonalität: in manchen Monaten könnte man „durcharbeiten”, während in anderen Monaten Flaute herrscht. Zu berücksichtigen sind also die endlichen persönlichen Ressourcen, Nachfragefluktuation und Saisonalität -vor allem aber der oben beschriebene erhebliche auftragsunabhängige Zeitaufwand!
Die entscheidenden Fragen lauten also: „Wie viele bezahlte Konferenztage im Jahr scheinen im Schnitt machbar bzw. sinnvoll? Und: Von wie vielen sollte man eigentlich angemessen leben können?
Die These, dass man als Freelancerin unter Berücksichtigung aller Einflussfaktoren im Schnitt 75-85 bezahlte Konferenztage arbeiten kann, lässt sich durch informelle Umfragen unter Kolleg/-innen, frühere AIIC-Statistiken und die einschlägige Existenzgründer- und Freelancer-Literatur untermauern. Im Allgemeinen wird davon ausgegangen, dass bei Soloselbständigen rund 30% der eingesetzten Arbeitszeit für «unproduktive» bzw. auftragsunabhängige Tätigkeiten eingesetzt wird.
Daraus ergibt sich folgende Rechnung:
365 Tage – 104 Tage Wochenende – 29 Tage Urlaub und Feiertage = 232 Arbeitstage
Entsprechend unserer Annahme, dass pro Einsatztag 1 Tag für auftragsabhängigen Aufwand (im Wesentlichen Vorbereitung) anfällt, ergeben sich 81 mögliche bezahlte Einsatztage.
Laut früheren AIIC-Statistiken, die leider derzeit nicht aktualisiert werden, absolvieren freiberufliche AIIC-Mitglieder 85-90 Tage, wobei die Statistik z.B. auch die für die EU tätigen Freelancer enthält, womit diese Zahl eher hoch gegriffen wäre. Die VKD-Statistik nennt ähnliche Zahlen.
Setzt man die gleiche Anzahl Tage für auftragsabhängige Tätigkeiten an, wie man im Einsatz verbringt (z.B. 80/80), verbleiben 72 Tage für auftragsunabhängige Tätigkeiten. Ausgewogen scheint also eine Verteilung der 232 jährlich verfügbaren Arbeitstage zu grob je einem Drittel auf Einsatztage, auftragsabhängige Tätigkeiten (hauptsächlich Vorbereitung) und auftragsunabhängige Tätigkeiten (Wissensmanagement, Fortbildung, Verwaltung, Marketing, Akquise etc.).
Nachdem sich aus den bezahlten Einsatztagen pro Jahr und dem dabei erzielten Netto-Tageshonorar nun der Jahreshonorarumsatz errechnen lässt (weitere Überlegungen hierzu folgen), sind der nächste bedeutsame Posten die auftragsunabhängigen Kosten.
Kosten, die unser Tageshonorar finanzieren muss: auftragsunabhängige Kosten
Als Kosten der professionellen Berufsausübung fallen einerseits fixe Betriebskosten und andererseits Kosten für die Risikoabsicherung des Unternehmers (Altersvorsorge, Krankenversicherung, Berufsunfähigkeit) an.
BETRIEBSKOSTEN-Beispielrechnung (jährlich)
Diese Rechnung dient nur als Beispiel dienen, da die Schwerpunkte oft unterschiedlich gelegt werden.
Vom Brutto zum Netto
Zur Errechnung des Nettoeinkommens werden im Folgenden beispielhaft drei mögliche/realistische jährliche Honorarumsätze angesetzt, die sich aus der Multiplikation aus der Anzahl der Einsatztage und dem erzielten Tageshonorar ergeben (sowohl beim Honorar als auch bei den Kosten sind Beträge ohne Umsatzsteuer heranzuziehen).
Vom Brutto zum Netto
Dolm A
Dolm B
Dolm C
Honorarumsatz (eigen)
50.000,00
57.000,00
70.000,00
Kosten (auftragsunabhängig)
16.500,00
16.500,00
16.500,00
Bruttogewinn
33.500,00
40.500,00
53.500,00
Rürup-Rente (22: 94 % der Beiträge (v. EUR 8.000) vor Steuer absetzbar)
7.520,00
7.520,00
7.520,00
Priv KV+Pflege, BU – Freibetrag
2.800,00
2.800,00
2.800,00
zu versteuerndes Einkommen
23.180,00
30.180,00
43.180,00
Steuern, Soli, Kirche (Grundtab. 22)
3.335,00
5.291,00
9.930,00
Netto
19.845,00
24.889,00
33.250,00
Rest KV und BU aus dem Netto
2.600,00
2.600,00
2.600,00
Rest Rürup aus dem Netto
480,00
480,00
480,00
Weitere 2000 EUR f. AV aus Netto (entspr. “Riestern”) oder Rücklage
2.000,00
2.000,00
2.000,00
verfügbares Jahresnetto
14.765,00
19.809,00
28.170,00
verfügbares Monatsnetto
1.230,42
1.650,75
2.347,50
Zur Orientierung: Laut Statista betrug 2021 das durchschnittliche Nettoeinkommen eines privaten Haushalts in Deutschland rund 3.800 EUR. Der durchschnittliche Nettoverdienst im Jahr 2022 lag bei EUR 2.250.
Die Alters-/Risikovorsorge schmälert das verfügbare Einkommen erheblich. Realistisch betrachtet wird Dolm A kaum die Möglichkeit haben, tatsächlich zusätzlich zur Krankenversicherung noch EUR 10.000,- in Vorsorge zu investieren.
Auch bleiben in der obigen Kalkulation Rücklagen für Nachfragetiefs (unternehmerisches Risiko – z.B. Verlust eines Großkunden oder Pandemie etc.) unberücksichtigt. Dabei wäre es sinnvoll, stets flüssige Rücklagen in Hohe eines Jahresgehalts zu haben.
Hier zeigen sich auch deutlich Unterschiede in der steuerlichen und sozialversicherungsbezogenen Behandlung von Soloselbständigen vs. Angestellten. Da bei Angestellten der Arbeitgeber von der Sozialversicherung vor Steuern teilweise 50% übernimmt, muss ein Angestellter erheblich weniger private Vorsorge aus seinem Nettoeinkommen bestreiten. Die Rürup-Rente stellt zwar eine während der aktiven Tätigkeit steuerlich vorteilhafte, sichere Absicherung dar, jedoch unterliegt die Rentenauszahlung dann im Alter der Steuer.
Schlussfolgerungen
Wie erreichen wir also unser Ziel: ein unserer Ausbildung und Erfahrung entsprechendes Einkommen und ein finanziell sorgenfreies Berufsleben und Alter bei tolerierbarer beruflicher Belastung?
Kosten sparen?
Man kann vielleicht jährlich EUR 1.000,- (brutto) an Betriebsausgaben sparen, doch derselbe Effekt ergibt sich durch Erhöhung des durchschnittlichen Tageshonorars um nur EUR 15 ! (Beispiel: Bei 80 bezahlten Tagen im Jahr ergibt sich eine Umsatzsteigerung von EUR 1.200,- durch eine durchschnittliche Tageshonorarerhöhung um nur EUR 15). Es erscheint doch leichter, das Tageshonorar um rund 2% zu steigern, als 6% an eventuell sinnvollen Ausgaben zu sparen.
Mehr Tage absolvieren?
Zur Steigerung des Honorarumsatzes könnten wir natürlich grundsätzlich mehr als die angenommenen 75-85 Einsatztage anstreben. Hier sollten wir jedoch berücksichtigen, dass mehr Einsatztage notwendigerweise auf Kosten des auftragsabhängigen Zeitaufwands (Vorbereitung), des auftragsunabhängigen Zeitaufwands (zur Erhaltung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit unseres Produkts, also unseres Wissens und unserer Fähigkeiten sowie für unternehmerische Aufgaben) bzw. der notwendigen Ruhe- und Erholungsphasen gehen. Sehr viel mehr Tage sind daher nur dann realistisch, wenn sinnvoll Vorbereitungszeit eingespart werden kann, also bei Wiederholaufträgen oder Kurzaufträgen, bzw. bei mehrtägigen Einsätzen mit identischem Tagesprogramm oder Inhalt. Solche Einsätze werden jedoch zunehmend rarer. Noch dazu steigt der Druck vom Markt, die Abrechnungseinheit «Tag» auf halbe Tage oder gar Stunden zu verkürzen.
Nebenher übersetzen?
Häufig kommt der Einwand: „Man kann ja auch noch übersetzen”. Hier ist jedoch zu beachten, dass zum Übersetzen die Zeit, die man mit auftragsunabhängigen Arbeiten für das Dolmetschen verbringt, nicht zur Verfügung steht. Durch zusätzliches Übersetzen verringert sich ja nicht der Zeitbedarf für Professionalisierung, Akquise, Fortbildung, Wissensmanagement usw. Im Gegenteil, es ist sogar, trotz aller Synergie, zusätzlicher Aufwand nötig, um sich auch für das professionelle Übersetzen „fit” zu halten bzw. am Übersetzungsmarkt professionell präsent zu bleiben.
Das gilt in ähnlichem Maße für andere Diversifizierungsmöglichkeiten, z.B. Untertitelung, Content Writing, Lehre etc.
Kollegen mit weniger stark nachgefragten Arbeitssprachen sind allerdings aufs Übersetzen angewiesen. Wenn nicht ausreichend Dolmetschtage anfallen, steht die Zeit, die man sonst im Einsatz oder bei der Vorbereitung verbringen würde, fürs Übersetzen zur Verfügung. Wenn ein Vorbereitungstag und ein Einsatztag zur Erwirtschaftung eines Dolmetschtageshonorars angesetzt werden, kann entsprechend gelten, dass pro Übersetzungstag ein halbes Dolmetsch-Tageshonorar erzielt werden müsste, was realistisch erscheint.
Zusatzleistungen in Rechnung stellen?
Zusatzleistungen, die wir für unseren Kunden erbringen (Beratung, Testsitzungen oder Referentenchecks bei RSI, Teamorganisation, Anreisezeit), bedeuten häufig einen erheblichen Zeitaufwand, andererseits aber auch einen fassbaren Nutzen für den Auftraggeber (geringerer Aufwand, Zeitersparnis, Qualität der zusammengestellten Leistung dank Beratung, absolute Sicherstellung der Anwesenheit der Dolmetscher durch Anreise am Vortag). Der Wert dieser Leistungen ist für den Kunden plausibel, sie können daher durchaus als Anreise- bzw. Beratungs- oder Organisationshonorar veranschlagt und in Rechnung gestellt werden. Oft ist auch dies Verhandlungssache.
Der Tag als Abrechnungseinheit stammt aus einer früheren Zeit in unserer Branch, als Dolmetscheinsätze oft aus der Begleitung von Delegationen oder der Unterstützung über Sitzungswochen hinweg bestanden. Heute dreht sich unsere Arbeit oft um technische und komplexe Inhalte und relativ kurze – ein – oder zweitägige – Konferenzen oder Meetings erfordern eine längere Vorbereitungs- und Einarbeitungszeit als die Veranstaltung selbst dauert. Da könnte es gerechtfertigt sein, Vorbereitungszeit separat in Rechnung zu stellen oder gar über ganz neue Abrechnungsstrukturen im Rahmen von Dolmetschprojekten nachzudenken, insbesondere im Kontext von RSI und Hybrid, wo oft zusätzliche Leistungen wie Beratung, Testmeetings, Proben, Referentenchecks usw. zu absolvieren sind.
Tageshonorar steigern?
Der Effekt einer Honorarsteigerung auf das Nettoeinkommen ist ganz beträchtlich. Das Nettoeinkommen aus Beispiel 2 ist um gut 30% höher als das Nettoeinkommen aus Beispiel 1 und das bei nur 14%iger Steigerung des Honorars.
Selbstverständlich soll das nicht bedeuten, dass wir nun das Tageshonorar auf einen Schlag um 30% erhöhen sollen! Das Beispiel verdeutlicht aber, wie erheblich die Auswirkung einer Honorarerhöhung ist, bzw. was es bedeuten kann, einen Auftrag für ein höheres (oder aber niedrigeres) Honorar anzunehmen.
Wenn man einmal die Fixkosten gegenfinanziert und den Break-Even-Point erreicht hat, hat alles, was darüber hinausgeht, einen überproportionalen Einfluss auf das verfügbare Einkommen.
Fazit:
Geschicktes Verhandeln und eine überzeugende Darstellung des Nutzens und Wertes unserer Leistung gegenüber dem Kunden sind Fähigkeiten, die wir exzellent beherrschen müssen.
Lieber gut verhandeln als am falschen Ende sparen!
EXKURS
Wie viel soll man jährlich in die Altersvorsorge investieren?
Die Altersvorsorge der Unternehmerin ist eine hochgradig individuelle Angelegenheit. Zu berücksichtigen sind Aspekte wie Alter, Familienstand, Kinder, aktueller oder zu erwartender Grundbesitz (Haus). Eventuell können auch Zinsen und Tilgungen für privates Wohneigentum als Teil der Risikovorsorge angesehen werden, wenn man annimmt, dass mietfreies Wohnen im Alter den Bedarf an Kaufkraft senkt. Dem gegenüber stehen aber notwendige Erhaltungsaufwendungen für das Haus, auch im Alter.
Entsprechend den vorausgegangenen Überlegungen dürfte aber der Betrag von EUR 10.000,- zzgl. Krankenversicherung für einen familienlosen Alleinunternehmer jüngeren bis mittleren Alters nicht ganz falsch angesetzt sein. Immer zu beachten ist hier, dass bei uns nicht – wie etwa bei Angestellten oder Beamten – eine natürliche Einkommenssteigerung mit wachsendem Dienstalter gegeben ist.
Beispiel Zinsrechnung:
Bei einer Einzahlungszeit von 35 Jahren bis Rentenbeginn kann man bei einer Rendite von 2% mit EUR 10.000 jährlich einen Kapitalstock von EUR 500.000 ansparen (Achtung: keinerlei Einzahlungspausen in den 35 Jahren!).
What can a code of ethics do for you, and how can it help you in your interpreting work?
These were questions that were asked of a panel gathered by Multilingual Corporation, on April 10th, and Julia was asked to be part of that panel!
Julia was the only speaker who was not a representative of an interpreter’s association or an LSP, and spoke as an individual freelance interpreter.
Here is the link to the entire panel discussion; Julia’s portion starts at 1:14:05.
Here is the transcript to what she said:
Thank you for having me!
And it’s a great honor to be a member of this panel. I would have attended this entire event, even without being a panel member, it’s been so interesting! I seem to be one of the only ones here representing myself, and freelancers in general I guess, and those who also came through my hads and KYW as well, because I did turn to my Know Your Worth community to get a few tips on what I might tell you today.
So what I’ll talk about is the very practical side of codes of ethics. And in my view, a code of ethics – especially among freelancers – is what separates the professionals from the amateurs. It shows that you actually take your profession seriously.
For example, for me, of course since I’m a member of AIIC, I abide by the AIIC Code of Ethics, and I use that quite a bit in my work. But I even pointed to it when I wasn’t a member of AIIC, for a couple of reasons:
First of all, I truly believe in what AIIC stood for, and this was a practical way of showing it. And I was pretty much the only one among my colleagues who had ever heard that there was a code of ethics for interpreters.
Having a code of ethics – and recommended working conditions – from a larger association is something you can point to as an individual freelancer. So if your client is trying to ask you to do something that you feel is unethical or that you feel is just completely wrong, you can point to these codes of ethics that belong to these larger associations and say, “Look, it’s not just me. It’s a large group of people that says that this is wrong.”
And really, codes of ethics – as we just heard from Janis – is a good way of familiarizing yourself with a new-to-you area of work. When I first started working as a court interpreter back when I lived in Washington, DC, really we didn’t have a lot of criteria there, and with Russian there wasn’t even a test other than the one I used to get into the State Department. So what I did was look at the codes of ethics for legal interpreting, for court interpreting, and for the various associations, so that I could find out how to behave professionally.
So, in my case, what I have is a personal code of ethics. And I think that that personal code of ethics helps you to stand out among your colleagues. Let me give you an example:
If I commit to doing a one-day job for a client who knows, likes and trusts me, and then another of my clients who also knows, likes and trusts me comes and offers me 5 days, I will stick with that 1-day job because I made that commitment. And to the second client I’ll say, “Look, let’s work around it, if you wish to, or I can recommend somebody to you. But the way that I’m sticking with what I obligated myself to with this first client is exactly what I would do for you if you came along firstand somebody offered me a longer job.” So it’s one way of making sure your clients know, like and trust you.
So I turned to my Know Your Worth community and asked them if they had personal codes of ethics, things that they followed that were not written down by associations that they might belong to. And they broke down into 2 categories:
The first category is the behavior “on the job” or “in the booth.”
Be on time, or really, early.
Stick around to help your partner (and don’t zone out)
Stick around to listen, and to incorporate your partner’s vocabulary, so you are presenting a united front.
Prepare well so you know what is going on and can help your colleague
Don’t steal clients
Don’t head out shopping for an hour or so, and then come back saying “It’s your turn now!”
Whom to work for.
Many of my colleagues emphasized that they wouldn’t work for people or organizations whose values don’t align with their own.
So no working for far right wing parties for example, or for businesses that promote unhealthy behaviors or animal testing.
Obviously, this doesn’t mean that if an unannounced speaker from a far right party, for example, ends up taking the floor at a meeting you have agreed to interpret at
Another area where a universal code of ethics would come in handy is in remote interpreting. Since practitioners are so scattered around the world, and are not all members of a single association. Which means that you can find people ready to:
Work overlapping jobs,
Work alone for ages
Working for fees that are not a living wage, just to get the job
But we are all so happy to have work, or so scattered so there is no centralized information available, that we end up taking things online that we would never do in person.
And even if we were to extend a code of ethics, like for example AIIC’s code of ethics, to remote work, the other interpreters won’t necessarily be following it, so you end up with a situation where the person behaving ethically ends up bearing the burden of most of the work because the interpreter who is not behaving ethically, who is taking overlapping jobs or simultaneous jobs, obviously can’t show up on time for either of the jobs…
So remote interpreting seems to be a fertile ground to promote a good code of ethics to!
There are a couple of things on the negative side about having and working to a code of ethics.
You can’t really police them. As Christiane said. And even more so if you are an individual with a personal code. You can only see consequences in how your colleagues and your clients treat you afterwards.
Having a code of ethics can hit your bottom line. You won’t be the one taking overlapping jobs, thus earning more. You won’t work alone, so may lose that job. Etc. etc. etc.
On the other hand, your clients will know you, like you and trust you, rehire you, and refer you. And I can ask for what I consider to be an appropriate fee, so I don’t have to work overlapping jobs.
That’s it for me! Thank you again for having me.
If you are interested in this topic, Julia has been invited to give a webinar on Ethics in Remote Simultaneous Interpreting for the American Translators Association, on 10 May 2023. Keep an eye out for the announcements!
After having started the Smart Consecutive Interpreting class in person in Kyiv a few years ago, we’ve now moved to an online format.
We held our first online class last December, and it was a great success!
So, we’re going to do it again! 😁
Announcing:
Know Your Worth presents Smart Consecutive Interpreting
February 25-26, 2023 online
⭐ Saturday 25 Feb, 10am-12pm ET / 16:00-18:00 CET Module 1 – Thinking
⭐ Saturday 25 Feb, 2pm-4pm ET / 20:00-22:00 CET Module 2 – Memory
⭐ Sunday 26 Feb, 10am-12pm ET / 16:00-18:00 CET Module 3 – Mechanics
⭐ Sunday 26 Feb, 2pm-4pm ET / 20:00-22:00 CET Module 4 – Note Taking
😟 Have you ever worried that your speaker will go on too long? 😟 Have you ever blanked on what your notes mean in the middle of a speech? 😟 Have you ever become confused, and didn’t know how the speech fits together?
This two-day online course will give you all the tools to be able to successfully interpret consecutively for any audience, for any length of time, comfortably and with confidence.
What you will learn:
On the first day, we will start by understanding the thinking and analysis underlying any interpretation, and how it can help you to follow any speech.
On the second day, we will move to all that goes specifically into consecutive interpreting.
By the end of the course, you will be able to interpret increasingly lengthy interventions using memory, analysis, and notes.
Course format:
The course includes lecture, demonstrations and some exercises, small group work, and practice.
Training is in English, and is not language-specific.
Who may come: practicing interpreters who wish to improve their consecutive interpreting skills, as well as graduates from interpreting courses at any university or training center.
Fees: 275.00 euros payable upon registration
Please note that your place is only guaranteed following receipt of payment.
It’s September, and a chance for us to re-start our year after having recharged our batteries this summer!
With an eye to giving you new tools to understand how to manage your business, we are offering the Know Your Worth Online Seminar on Marketing and Negotiating for Interpreters.
Our next edition will be held September 24-25, with two 2-hour modules per day, timed for Europe and points East (unless you are a supremely early riser!). We are very much looking forward to working with you so you also become a more confident, more successful and happier interpreter!
For more details, please see here. To register, please go here.
Lockdown happened so quickly – and in the Fall of 2021 we aren’t fully out of the woods yet!
This photo shows the beginning of 2020. KYW had been to 5 countries (plus our staff were in still other countries for other meetings) all before mid-March, and then boom! 💣
Or should I say Zoom! 🤯
As of March 2020, Know Your Worth seminars pivoted online, targeting what we as freelance interpreters could do to keep earning money when both we AND our clients were scared about the future.
We have run online seminars since April.
Our community started meeting regularly on Zoom, both to keep in touch and to help each other out by exchanging ideas and information. And we’re still going!
We even have a Whatsapp group for the hardy few who want to stay in closer touch!
We’ve all become even more supportive of each other through thick and thin, on multiple platforms. In fact, we can say confidently that we’ve become even better friends with each other since the pandemic began.
So we can’t really say that those crazy lockdown times were all bad!
Given the kind of year this one has been, you would be hard pressed to find someone not making a comment – or two – about it. Believe us, we tried. Which is why we have decided to break with what has become the typical 2020 modus operandi, and not delve too deeply.
Yes, this has been quite the year, one like no other. It has been hard on many, tragic for some. But we would hate to make our last post of the year all about that pain, and that hardship.
That would be too sad, and not our style.
Yes, it was anything but easy. We have had to learn to live and deal with a completely new reality, and to adapt our lives to it, both on a personal level, and on a professional one too. KYW here being a living example of that very process.
But there have also been good things. Positive changes. New opportunities.
And we would like to focus on that.
Our community has grown, more than we could have imagined, and we have welcomed new members from all corners of the world, including some that we were not yet even planning to visit. It has been an exciting transformation, and you have all contributed to making the Know Your Worth course richer, and more dynamic. We have had to compensate for taking so much of it online, and find new ways of doing many things, but we feel like we rose to the challenge, and – thanks to you – were able to succeed. Needless to say, none of this would have been possible without your help, your trust, and your support, and for that we are eternally grateful.
Thank you for trusting us with your time, and your energy – we all know that traditional laws of physics don’t apply online – and thank you for being with us every step of the way.
We have learned much, and worked hard, and now we have come to the time where we can all enjoy some well-deserved rest.
Raise a glass, have something sweet, and let us all meet again in the new year. And please remember, you have been there for us, and KYW will always be there for you.
This year, the Troublesome Terps invited me to be a guest on their podcast (tagline: The podcast about things that keep interpreters up at night) – and what fun we had!
The four Terps themselves come from all walks of life: three freelancers, one staff interpreter for an international organization, two researchers. All speak English, though not all are native speakers. And their podcast talks about all things interpreting.
This year, their episodes discussed starting out as an interpreter; how to deal with bullying; issues of mental health in interpreting; interpreting in conflict zones; new ways of working as interpreters; websites for interpreters; taking care of our voice, body and mind; tech for interpreters; and meeting the American Translators Association – as well as an episode on the Know Your Worth: Understanding Marketing and Negotiating for Interpreters seminar by yours truly.
Just to be chosen to be on the podcast is great! You can see from the non-exhaustive selection I just mentioned that the guests broaden our knowledge and topics of conversation. And the ability to get the Know Your Worth conversation out to a wider audience was fantastic.
But this year, they held their first ever Episode of the Year and Guest of the Year contest, based on votes from their listeners – and the Know Your Worth episode won both categories!
I knew the podcast was still being listened to – my interpreting students periodically ask me to explain an expression in English, or to write out the Big Mac jingle… But the episode obviously brought all the interpreter listeners information they could use, and that could help them – especially during this crazy year.
So I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Troublesome Terps for inviting me, and to the listeners for voting!
After browsing through social media, listening to our colleagues working on all sorts of different markets, and taking part in numerous discussions both online and offline – when that was still a possibility, that is, – Julia Poger and KYW have realised that the interpreting world was ready, and, in fact, much in need of, a new campaign: #clientauthorized.
One hashtag along the same lines of treating our posts with more care already exists: #1ntHUSH. The idea behind this one is that we shouldn’t show off our work on social media to the detriment of our clients’ confidentiality.
After all, confidentiality is one of our profession’s most basic and sacred rules.
But what about when we ask the clients for permission to post something about a project or an assignment, and they give it to us?
Or when they themselves ask us to post about their events from our point of view?
Both have happened to countless colleagues of ours, and many more have found themselves in situations when it would seem that posting about our work would be not only pardonable but, mind blowing as it is, quite welcome.
Hence the rather pressing need for a distinction, made even more urgent by the changing times and the fact that everyone seems to be simply beside themselves to be finding their booths and more traditional consoles once again after what has felt like an excruciatingly long break.
So, to differentiate between all those times interpreters just decide on their own to post about their work and those that really have the permission from their client, we have decided to come up with a way that would show the client’s support.
Which is why we are proud to introduce a new hashtag to the world:
#clientauthorized
Do you agree?
This way #1ntHUSH and #clientauthorized could work hand in hand, and this all-important premise of our profession would still be upheld.
Let us know what you think in the comments below, or better still, share your own examples.
Stay healthy, stay in touch, and #uncrownthevirus.
Sometime earlier on in the pandemic, when we were still on lockdown, and our future seemed even more uncertain than it is now, the four wonderful people behind the Troublesome Terps podcast invited our instructor Julia Poger for a cozy fireside chat about marketing, business, and the art of negotiation.
We all know that sometimes some good ol’ shop talk is in order, and this turned out to be an exciting hour and a half that covered everything from pricing models, to negotiation tactics, and everything in between.
To listen, please follow the link, and let us know what you think!
Know Your Worth: Understanding Marketing and Negotiating for Interpreters 