Ottawa, October 2022
Ottawa, October 2022

On September 1, I boarded the Nantes-Montreal flight with reluctance but without the sense of impending doom I was feeling in 2020 and 2021 when lockdowns, school and border closures, and other pandemic-related bad news were still very likely.

Sure, on the global scale, the big picture isn’t pretty—an ongoing pandemic, political instability, inflation, a likely recession, an energy crisis, ongoing wars and geopolitical conflicts… just to name a few concerns, read the news for further reasons to freak out.

Yet, at the local level, I was reasonably optimistic about the “new normal” this fall.

I already suspected the inflation had gotten worse since the spring so I proactively cut expenses and planned for a rather ascetic lifestyle. But COVID seemed to be more or less under control thanks to vaccination efforts, so I expected we were all getting back to business, a huge relief for me after two bumpy years. In fact, I had already been contacted on LinkedIn by various potential clients all summer long. Things were looking good.  

My life in Ottawa isn’t terribly exciting but it’s straightforward. I focus on practical things—work, Mark’s education, and long-term projects. I don’t aim for happiness, I settle for satisfaction.  

Basically, as long as things run smoothly, I’m okay.

I thought I was ready for fall 2022 in Ottawa.

Ah. Not quite.

For those who don’t know me—hey guys! —I’ve been working as a freelance translator, editor and copywriter for ten years. I specialize in media relations, communications, and marketing. I try to align work with passion, so three of my main clients are in the tourism industry.

Of course, I couldn’t have predicted that late 2019 would have been a good time to train as a medical translator. To use a trendy pandemic word, I pivoted and spent the last 24 months translating hundreds of COVID restrictions, public health orders, and guidelines instead of writing about wine tours in Europe and the best places to watch the Northern Lights in Canada. Basically, I spent the pandemic endlessly pivoting like a whirling dervish to somehow keep my head above water without free pandemic money.

Needless to say, I was relieved to see new clients reaching out and new projects being discussed. Not only do I love my job but making money isn’t exactly optional these days.

I was busy in early September. I went through my project list, invoiced all the work done, and created a new Excel spreadsheet for October 2022.

And then, nothing.

On the surface, it seemed like business as usual because clients kept on contacting me for projects. Emails were exchanged. Zoom meetings were scheduled, then rescheduled, then finally happened with the usual technical issues (is it me or in every meeting, one person will be on mute, another won’t be able to get the video working and a third one will have no sound??).

But projects and assignments never materialized.

I’m cursed.

If I type a reply and hit “send,” I’m 99% sure I’m going to be ghosted. If I don’t reply right away (usually because the project doesn’t feel like a good fit), the potential client relentlessly insists that I’m the perfect translator or copywriter until I finally give in and agree to a meeting… and then I’m ghosted.

I know I’m not blacklisted. My regular clients and other freelancers report it’s been very quiet for them as well. My rates aren’t an issue either, at least not yet—most clients ghost me before we even get to the “how much are you charging?” stage.

“I don’t get paid to fucking shuffle things around!” I complained to Feng. “Why are people wasting time scheduling meetings, sending emails, and sharing project details if they aren’t going to follow up?”

Maybe budgets are tightening. Chronic disorganization is also an issue—public servants aren’t happy with the Government of Canada hybrid work plans and many private sector industries are understaffed. I also feel the general resentment of employees whose pay rise, if any, is far from keeping pace with inflation.

The bottom line is, things are not moving.

And I’m frustrated because I want to work. I can’t give myself a pay rise because the market is very competitive. I’ve accepted the fact I have to work more just to keep up with the crazy inflation rate.

So I’m trying to stay optimistic and productive. If this is late capitalism, I’ll be happy to join a workers’ rights, ’revolution. Meanwhile, I can’t start quiet quitting—it kind of defeats the purpose when you’re self-employed.

Now I’m back to finding a way through this mess—it’s more constructive, and finding my way is my specialty as a traveller.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for November.

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5 Comments

  1. Kathryn October 31, 2022 at 3:11 am

    Holy Moly … I could have written this!!! Like you, I know I am not blacklisted … I have spoken to ALL of my regular clients and they are all saying the same thing … there is just no work coming in. The world climate? The political situation in Italy ? Whatever it is … I have finally come to the conclusion we just have to power through. Working in the technical sector, I feel like industry in Italy is just “sitting put” for the moment. I have decided to work on a few strategies… try to expand into other fields (in my case, financial)… keep busy (sewing in my case) ….. and have faith that things will pick up … but boy it is HARD!!!

    Reply
    1. Zhu October 31, 2022 at 11:17 pm

      I’m really sorry to hear you’re in the same boat, but at the same time, I find it a little bit comforting (sorry!), like, it’s not me. I have the “sitting put” feeling here as well. Getting anything done is a tedious process, which is unusual for Canada–people are usually efficient and quick.

      Funny enough, the only work I get is from European clients so I thought Europe was doing better. I keep on being contacted by European companies as well (not always a good fit, though). If you’re desperate, send me an email. I’ll be happy to share a few names. Not sure if it could work for your language pair but it’s worth a shot.

      Good luck! Let me know how it goes in November! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you 🙂

      Reply
  2. Christiane November 2, 2022 at 5:06 pm

    That’s so tough:(
    And no we can’t quiet quit, but we can decide what things we can and can’t put up with and be like f*** off.

    Reply
    1. Zhu November 3, 2022 at 3:53 am

      How is your business doing these days? Noticed any change?

      Reply

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