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Mi novio trabaja en una revista, y allí llaman freelancers a aquellos que colaboran esporádicamente con la empresa. Además de estos freelancers, tienen también a un grupo de consultants, que colaboran regularmente con la revista pero sin estar en la plantilla; son externos igual que los freelancers, pero trabajan en contacto directo con el resto del equipo, incluso comen con ellos. La diferencia es que cobran por día de trabajo, mientras que los freelancers cobran por el material que entregan.

freelance

free·lance [fr làns]
noun (plural free·lan·ces)
1. free·lance (plural free·lanc·es) or free·lanc·er (plural free·lanc·ers) somebody working for different companies: a self-employed person working, or available to work, for a number of employers, rather than being committed to one, and usually hired for a limited period

adjective
working as a freelance: working or earning a living as a freelance

adverb
as a freelance: independently, as a freelance
worked freelance as a journalist

intransitive verb (past free·lanced, past participle free·lanced, present participle free·lanc·ing, 3rd person present singular free·lanc·es)
work as a freelance: to work independently as a freelance


[Early 19th century. From the idea of a medieval knight with a lance offering his services to whoever was willing to pay.]
Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2005. © 1993-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


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Note added at 23 mins (2008-03-02 20:49:16 GMT)
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It follows that just "freelancer" should be sufficient. If you know the type of contribution, you may add it: f.i. freelance writer, freelance designer,etc.


From Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry:
1free·lance Listen to the pronunciation of 1freelance
Pronunciation:
\ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)s\
Function:
noun
Date:
1820

From Merriam-Webster.
1 ausually free lance : a mercenary soldier especially of the Middle Ages : condottiere b: a person who acts independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization
2: a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer

If this 'colaborador' submits news, articles etc. for publication, then (s)he is a 'correspondent' - i.e. a freelance reporter.

But if the person is a photographer, or something else, then 'freelancer' or 'freelance xyz', as suggested by others.

Also, depending on context, it might best be translated as 'stringer'.

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Note added at 1 hr (2008-03-02 21:49:20 GMT)
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Example of 'stringer' to mean 'freelance reporter/correspondent': http://en.afrik.com/article12463.html