Not related to Berlin, although I’m sure a lot of Berliners are laughing about it…

I have finally developed my translation business to the point where I am completely self-sufficient, i.e. I’m moving out of my Wohngemeinschaft (can’t stand my roommate any longer), and into a much larger, prettier apartment in Wedding. Wedding itself is an interesting place, and I’m looking forward to the independence and freedom. As a good friend of mine put it, you just can’t put a price on being able to walk around naked in your own place!

The details: 70 square meters at 427 euros per month, large bedroom, large living room, bathroom, kitchen, and ample storage (large Abstellkammer, etc.), central heating via radiators, cable TV, and more. I had to install my own kitchen cabinets and provide my own fridge, but that’s fairly normal. Plus, I inherited the kitchen stuff from my girlfriend’s mom’s boyfriend, so it was free of charge! Not bad…

I also rented a small moving van from Robben & Wientjes, and they are by far the cheapest rental moving vehicle outfit in Berlin. I paid a total of around 20 euros for three hours.

Well, it went off without a hitch. I went in, showed them my documents, explained my situation, and I got my residency and work permits extended two years!

Time to celebrate!

Happy new year, and all the best for 2008! I am very excited about what the coming year holds for my business, and I’ll tell you why:

First, globalization continues to march on, the Internet continues to grow, and English is still the world’s choice for a lingua franca. Even though the North American economy is in the dumps right now, I’m not too worried, since the bulk of my business actually comes from foreign (non-native English speaking) companies who are trying to reach other foreign companies in the world…

Second, the German economy may not be growing, but it is stable, and since Germany is the world’s largest exporter of goods, many of its companies require English translations.

Third, my network is continuing to expand because of great sites like proz.com, translatorsbase.com, etc. I have contacts all over the world and they are sending me work regularly!

Last of all, I have a special surprise planned for 2008 which I think will be a valuable resource for translators, agencies, and clients all over the world! Stay tuned….