Comments on: The World Economy, Part Two http://www.apogeecommunications.com/blog/2009/03/13/the-world-economy-part-two/ The Official Source Wed, 29 Dec 2010 04:12:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: The World Economy, Part One | Apogee Communications Blog http://www.apogeecommunications.com/blog/2009/03/13/the-world-economy-part-two/comment-page-1/#comment-11 The World Economy, Part One | Apogee Communications Blog Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:56:09 +0000 http://www.apogeecommunications.com/blog/?p=36#comment-11 [...] More reports are coming in from around the world. Part Two is located here. [...] [...] More reports are coming in from around the world. Part Two is located here. [...]

]]> By: Fong-chyi Wen http://www.apogeecommunications.com/blog/2009/03/13/the-world-economy-part-two/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Fong-chyi Wen Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:13:04 +0000 http://www.apogeecommunications.com/blog/?p=36#comment-10 Yilan County, Taiwan: I live in the countryside, so I don't really know what happened in Taipei. However, this economic downturn seems to gradually sink its teeth in some areas of my life. First, just last month (February) or so, one of my clients, a major "entertainment by-product" company, sent a message to their translators, including me, saying the rate will be slashed about 30% of the original number. I don't really work for them very often, but it came as a minor shock to me. Their manager also told me that some very experienced translators are finally willing to learn a subtitling system. This indicates these freelancers feel the heat now. One of my cyber pals already told me last October that her employer only had 30% of their usual orders. And recently the numbers aren't getting better. The chairwoman told them honestly that if the economy stays on this track for 3 more months, all managers will have a pay cut. And if the situation ain't improving for another 3 months, some of them will be fired. I went to Malang, Indonesia, to spend 2 weeks with my parents-in-law. Malang is a major city in Java. I forgot who said that, but I think my mother-in-law, or father-in-law, said the unemployment rate is kicking up. The crime rate in some areas are increasing because workers who don't have jobs are now wandering on the streets. People don't go out after 5 p.m. in that neighborhood, and there was a rape on the street. My father-in-law drove us around in the city center one night, and I saw some homeless people sleep along a street. It's quite a weird sight. As to myself, strangely, the jobs are pouring in like crazy. The size of jobs are getting bigger, and more potential clients are knocking on my mailbox door. Maybe freelancers are one of the few people who can benefit from this gloom. Yilan County, Taiwan: I live in the countryside, so I don’t really know what happened in Taipei. However, this economic downturn seems to gradually sink its teeth in some areas of my life. First, just last month (February) or so, one of my clients, a major “entertainment by-product” company, sent a message to their translators, including me, saying the rate will be slashed about 30% of the original number. I don’t really work for them very often, but it came as a minor shock to me. Their manager also told me that some very experienced translators are finally willing to learn a subtitling system. This indicates these freelancers feel the heat now.

One of my cyber pals already told me last October that her employer only had 30% of their usual orders. And recently the numbers aren’t getting better. The chairwoman told them honestly that if the economy stays on this track for 3 more months, all managers will have a pay cut. And if the situation ain’t improving for another 3 months, some of them will be fired.

I went to Malang, Indonesia, to spend 2 weeks with my parents-in-law. Malang is a major city in Java. I forgot who said that, but I think my mother-in-law, or father-in-law, said the unemployment rate is kicking up. The crime rate in some areas are increasing because workers who don’t have jobs are now wandering on the streets. People don’t go out after 5 p.m. in that neighborhood, and there was a rape on the street. My father-in-law drove us around in the city center one night, and I saw some homeless people sleep along a street. It’s quite a weird sight.

As to myself, strangely, the jobs are pouring in like crazy. The size of jobs are getting bigger, and more potential clients are knocking on my mailbox door. Maybe freelancers are one of the few people who can benefit from this gloom.

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