All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy - Part 1

When people work non-stop, without allowing downtime for family and friends and personal solitude, the natural rhythm of life is violated.

When people work non-stop, without allowing downtime for family and friends and personal solitude, the natural rhythm of life is violated. If you’re a person who’s competitive, a perfectionist, mission-driven, then you’ll know that these traits make it very difficult to define healthy and realistic boundaries between your translation work and your private life. Unfortunately, these traits can affect not only your life but the lives of your family and also the people you work with.

Many people have been raised knowing that the key to productivity is hard work, and yes, hard work is essential to success. Now add in laptops and smartphones, and these tendencies are compounded in driven people, so they simply work non-stop and expect everyone else to follow suit. Logically, these people know there are limits to how much work is useful, and most are aware that research suggests that working longer and harder doesn’t necessarily mean getting more work done.

What Have We Learned about Downtime?

A study published in the Harvard Business Review demonstrated that downtime can have a more positive and larger effect on both organizational and individual productivity than more hours on the job. During designated periods of this study, employees were required to take one day off during the middle of their work week (including other time-off experiments): initially, they were anxious and resisted the changes, but the results of the study were extremely positive – including improved communication, greater job satisfaction, increased learning and self-development, greater respect and trust for colleagues, and a better work-life balance. Another study showed that 94% of professional people work a minimum of 50 hours per week, with half of these working more than 65 hours per week. And all of these translation professionals monitored their smart phones at home!

Give Your Body Time to Rest

You must resist the impulse to work constantly. It won’t be easy at first, and you may even feel like you’re neglecting your responsibilities. However, over time, you’ll end up achieving more than you did previously.

We need to understand that we all have a limited reserve of energy; and willpower, focus, and the ability to deal with stressful projects all draw from this limited reserve. When these reserves are depleted through either working on too many projects or through sleep deprivation, we lose the pleasure of working on something important, we lose our creativity, and we lose the quality of our work. We can’t afford to skip rest, and the way to restore our quality of work is to take time off.

Take a Short Nap

One great way of tackling an energy deficit is to take a nap. Many experiments have shown the value of sleep, and this includes brief naps, as a way of improving memory, learning, and creative thinking. Some forward-thinking companies actually encourage their employees to take a short nap during their work day because they understand the added value to job satisfaction, productivity, and the good health of their employees.

Take Time off on a Regular Basis

The most feasible approach to achieving the greatest benefits of downtime is to take time off on a regular basis.

Marketing Yourself and Your Translation Services to Agencies

Marketing Yourself and Your Translation Services to AgencieS

If you’re just starting out in the translation industry, you may be trying to determine the best types of clients to get your business off the ground – translation agencies or direct clients.

If you’re just starting out in the translation industry, you may be trying to determine the best types of clients to get your business off the ground – translation agencies or direct clients. Of course, this is all a matter of personal preference and many translators have determined that working with both translation agencies and direct clients provides a good mix of interesting projects while keeping their work volume and income levels up.

Here are some helpful tips for promoting your translation business to agencies –

Personalize Your Application

There’s probably no bigger turnoff for an agency than when a translator sends a generic carbon-copied email requesting work. You must target your marketing, and ensure that the email you send is personalised towards the recipient. Do some prior research and learn a little about the agency you’re applying to. Now, with that information you can comment on something that caught your eye. You must ‘act’ interested in the agency you’re applying to! Anything personalized you say in your email will be much more effective than the traditional: To whom it may concern: I’m writing to offer my translation services’, and so on.

All Agencies Are Not the Same

We know that, generally, agencies pay less than direct clients, and they add a layer between the translator and the client – which, depending on the project and the client, can be a plus or a minus. But don’t discard agencies altogether because there are many top-quality agencies out there who pay well, plus you save a heap of administrative overheads that you’re responsible for when you work for direct clients. Like all other industries, there are great business models out there and there are the ones that leave a lot to be desired!

Don’t Sell Yourself Short

Charge appropriately for your translation work; then earn that money. Many translators avoid working for agencies because they think they’ll be underpaid and/or overworked, but that’s not true. There are many great agencies out there who understand that using quality-conscious translators means that their work requires less editing, thus saving the agency money: it also means that the agency’s client’s become loyal clients.

Prove That You Provide Quality Work

Provide metrics showing the agency the quality of your work. This might include:

• You compile and send a list of queries all at once, meaning that issues can be resolved before the deadline is reached.  This means no rushed emails to a Project Manager who’s already rushed off their feet; no file submitted right on the deadline with questions still unanswered;
• You’re always either on time or ahead of your deadlines: The Project Manager will never have to make excuses to the end client.

Actively Seek High-Margin Projects

It’s quite acceptable to advise the agency that you’re most interested in medium to large projects – (say) $500 or more. Remember that high margin projects can often be found in unusual places. For example, translating individual clients’ official documents, such as diplomas, educational transcripts, birth certificates, drivers’ licenses, and so on can be interesting work, and very lucrative.

Use Data That’s Available to You

Direct your marketing to agencies that mesh with your own business goals. One    suggestion is to search the database of Payment Practices for agencies that other translators rate highly.

Target Small-Medium Size Agencies

This is a generalization, but large agencies are often geared toward the high-volume low-margin market. You’re more likely to find small and medium translation agencies that work either primarily or exclusively in your own specialization.

How to Handle Rush Translation Projects

It’s not realistic to expect that a translator can do their very best work when they’re put under pressure, and by this we mean the pressure of time constraints.

It’s not realistic to expect that a translator can do their very best work when they’re put under pressure, and by this we mean the pressure of time constraints. However, translators do work in an industry whereby often the deadlines can be very tight. So how can a translator ensure that their output as good as it can possibly be when one of their major clients call with a rush job?

• Perhaps the first thing to acknowledge is that there’s a big difference between an impossible deadline and a rush deadline, and every translators’ interpretation of this will be different. Whatever your distinction is between a rush translation and an impossible translation, you need to be very clear with your client when what they’re asking is impossible. You have the right to refuse work if the client is expecting too much, and of course, once you convey this to the client there’s every reason to believe that they’ll understand your explanation and extend the deadline.
• Be very clear with your client that rushed translation work is not going to be your best quality work. Perhaps you could use the terms ‘for informational use’ or ‘draft quality’ when describing the finished quality of work that’s rushed. It’s very important that the client understands that publication-ready translation work demands several rounds of proofing and a reasonable deadline.
• Get rid of all distractions. You’re on a rush job, so the last thing you need is other distractions. These will come by way of your personal email, your home phone, and your feed reader. It’s a simple matter of disabling these distractions until you’ve completed the rush job. If you work from home and you have a family, ask them to give you space and privacy in order to complete this work. If you’re going to do this rush job, then you need to do it to the best of your ability.
• Before commencing the translation, have a quick look at the document. There’s nothing more annoying than working hard in the first couple of hours, only to find out that the last few pages of the document are a translation of the first few pages, or that there’s already an existing translation of what you were rushing to translate.
• You’ll still need to do some sort of quality assurance on your translation. Because time is of the essence, at the very minimum you can check for spelling errors and ensure that the document is complete. For example, make sure that there are the correct number of subheadings under each heading and you have the correct number of bullet points on the list.

Probably every translator out there has been asked at some time to do a rush job and there’s no doubt that this kind of work can be very stressful. In addition, you don’t get to produce the high-quality translations that you’re used to producing. However, if you can prove that you’re able to work under stressful conditions, like time constraints, it’s highly likely that you’ll be asked to do rush jobs in the future, and also that the work you do under pressure will improve in quality as time goes by.

Translators: To Look Professional You Need Your Own Domain Name - Part 2

Prior to logging on to a registrar make a list of domain names that you would like for your translation business.

Follow the advice in this article and don’t take any chances: prior to logging on to a registrar make a list of domain names that you would like for your translation business; before you search for your domain name choose the registrar you want; don’t discuss your potential domain name with anyone; and once you find that your chosen domain name is available for purchase – buy it immediately!

• Purchase Your Domain Name

Purchase the domain name from a domain name registrar. There are several very good articles on how to go about registering your own domain name, so we strongly suggest you read up on this topic before you go any further. We’re certainly not endorsing any particular domain registrars over others. We should also mention here that your Internet service provider may also provide domain name registration services.

Registration of your domain name is not expensive, and this is not an area where you should try to save a couple of dollars.

• Purchase an Email Hosting Package

You may prefer to purchase an email hosting package so that your domain name can be used for email. Email access will probably come with your web hosting package if you want to put a website at your domain. You need an email hosting package if you’re just wanting to use your domain name for email. These packages are not expensive at all, and even the most expensive packages give you unlimited storage with up to 10 email addresses.

• Don’t Forget to Renew Your Domain Name

The most important thing to remember about having your own domain is that you must remember to renew your domain name. This is especially important if you decide to purchase your domain for only one year at a time. Make sure you understand how the domain name registrar will be contacting you regarding renewal – the last thing you need is to try to check your email and find that you’ve been locked out because you didn’t receive a renewal reminder. Of course, there is a way around this problem: simply purchase a multi-year domain name subscription, but you’ll still have to remember to renew the subscription when the due date arrives.

• Follow Instructions from the Domain Name Registrar

You’ll receive instructions from the domain name registrar on how to use your email, so follow these instructions carefully. If you choose to, you could probably use your registrar’s webmail if you purchase a hosting package with unlimited storage; or you may choose to use an email program on your computer. We believe you should be able to get instructions on how to do this from your domain name registrar.

So there you have it! If you want your freelance translation business to look professional, our advice is that you really should have your own domain name.

Translators: To Look Professional You Need Your Own Domain Name - Part 1

Translators: 

To Look Professional You Need Your Own Domain Name - Part 1

Domain names are very important, particularly for freelance translators who are running their own businesses and are dependent on email.

Domain names are very important, particularly for freelance translators who are running their own businesses and are dependent on email. Basically, there are three options when it comes to email, and these are –

• You can use your own domain name, like yourname@yourdomain.com;
• You can use a domain name provided by your ISP (Internet Service Provider, like yourname@EarthLink.net; at comcast.net, and so on; or
• You can use a domain name provided by a fee-based or free email service, like yourname@yahoo.com; at Gmail.com, and so on.

There are certain disadvantages to having your professional email attached to a domain that you don’t own –

• To start with, the domain owner can do whatever they please and you have no say in the matter. And if the domain owner decides to merge with another company or change its name, it could well affect your translation business.
• It makes you look professional when you have your own domain name. Somehow, receiving business emails from a Hotmail address invokes the same reaction as when someone hands you a business card with the printers advertising on the back. Remember that being successful in business has a lot to do with creating a professional image, and having cheap business cards and a Hotmail email address just doesn’t look professional.
• You don’t want to risk having to change your email address whilst you’re running your freelance translation business. When you work in a business like we do, probably 90% of our contact with clients is done by email, so it’s really important that we avoid having to change our email address - even more so if the old address were to become inactive. This could be devastating to our business.

Regardless of how professional we may be with our translation knowledge and skills, there are still many of us out there who are not very tech-savvy. Today we still see freelance translators who don’t understand just how easy it is to purchase and run their own domain, so below we’ll give you a very brief lesson. Perhaps after this, you’ll be able to get rid of your Hotmail account!

• Do Your Homework First!

The first thing you need to know is that you must do your homework prior to determining whether the domain name you really want is available. Don’t assume that a domain name is available just because there’s no website at a given URL (web address). There are several very good articles on precautions you should take before buying a domain name, so we strongly suggest you read up on this topic before you do anything.

Small Translation Projects or Large Translation Projects?

Some translators prefer to work on small projects, while others prefer larger ones.

Some translators prefer to work on small projects, while others prefer larger ones. Of course, there are issues associated with different project lengths, such as job satisfaction, income potential, and quality control.

Income Potential

When it comes to income potential, it’s up to you personally whether you decide to offer a discount due to the volume of the translation project; but, if you’re always pretty busy with your translation work then it’s not necessary to offer discounts. And perhaps that’s the greatest advantage of working on a large project; that you’re guaranteed to earn a large amount of money in one hit, rather than earning different, smaller amounts for smaller projects. With large projects, you also have some economies of scale; such as one client, one invoice, one glossary for the project, and so on. However, it seems that when the word count is high, there’s also a greater chance that your client will suffer from sticker shock when they discover the total price of the translation. It doesn’t seem to matter what the per-word rate is; for larger projects the final figure seems to shock some clients. For that reason, it’s sometimes easier to work on short documents and charge higher rates, than to work on larger documents and be forced to deal with clients’ reactions to the amount being invoiced.

Job Satisfaction

There’s nothing more exciting than landing a huge project on a topic that’s really interesting. You wake up in the morning knowing what your day’s agenda is and you’ll probably find there’s a little spring in your step because life looks pretty good. On the other hand, however, if you land a big project and things don’t go well, your days can be excruciatingly painful. Your project won’t be over in a day or two, or even a week or two, and you have to face this manual, or book, or another project that you wish you’d never heard of for the next month! So the job satisfaction aspect of winning a big contract could go either way.

Quality Control

It’s not always easy to manage quality control on large projects. Regardless of how great your memory is for terms, if you’re using CAT tools and you’ve been working on a project for a few weeks, you’re probably going to get that feeling of ‘haven’t I read this before’, and it can be difficult to locate the section of text you’re thinking about. And when it comes to abbreviations, like (say) PO or Purchase Order, which way did you decide to go? Did you decide on abbreviations or was that just something you were thinking about?

So, large translation projects can be really great if they’re interesting, they generate a decent invoice, and they’re not so long that you get bored and lose the enjoyment of your work.

The Secrets of Highly Paid Translators

The Secrets of Highly Paid Translators

The translation industry is certainly not suffering, and that’s largely due to the fact that we’re living in such a connected world today.

If you’ve been struggling to get your freelance translation business off the ground, or perhaps you’ve been away from your business for some time and now you’re trying to revive it, or maybe you simply just don’t have enough work, there are various ways to get your business up and running again. These methods will range from applying to every translation agency you can find right through to preparing some really creative marketing materials and making sure you attend every trade fair for your target industry.

The translation industry is certainly not suffering, and that’s largely due to the fact that we’re living in such a connected world today. Most translators will say that they’re very busy. For the purpose of this post we’ll assume that you’re interested in increasing your marketing efforts because you really want to attract some high-paying direct clients, so let’s have a look at some ideas on how you can achieve this –

Approach Potential Clients and Request an Interview

We understand that this sounds very daunting, and there will be those translators out there who won’t have the confidence to take this step. However, asking potential clients for an informational interview on their particular business and how translation fits into their industry, can provide some interesting leads. Businesses you might contact include local translation agencies, association presidents, direct clients and so on. Suggest that they may like to join you for a cup of coffee and remember that this is an informational interview – it’s not meant to be high-pressure sales. These kinds of people are decision-makers, so go to them direct – don’t depend on meeting them at networking events.

Offer to Write Articles

You’re looking for direct clients, so offer to write articles for publications associated with your target industry. Of course, writing articles for translation industry publications is extremely worthwhile as well. A simple article titled ‘Best practices for purchasing translations in the legal/financial/pharmaceutical/automotive/building/whatever industry’ could well place you in the position of being an expert in that field, and we all know that there are publications out there for every imaginable area of specialization so your target industry will almost definitely have their own publication.

You’re the One Who’s Always Available  

Market yourself as the translator who’s always available during those times when no-one else is: by this, we mean weekends, nights, holidays (particularly the period between Christmas and New Year’s) and so on. We know that international business never stops, and people of different countries and religions observe different holidays, so there will always be an opening for translators who are prepared to work the hours that no-one else wants to.

Visit Your Source Language Country

Put this one down to ‘a marketing trip’ - there are various services, such as Payment Practices, that can assist in finding good overseas clients. Contact the agency’s listed on these sites by email requesting an informational interview (this means a coffee or lunch at your expense), find yourself a cheap airfare, and set yourself up to achieve!

So the point here is, if you’re trying to grow your business you need to try something that other translators aren’t doing, and you’ll definitely reap the rewards. Yes, we understand that some of these strategies cost money, while others don’t. Some take a lot of courage, while introverts will have to find different ways of attracting new clients.

Escaping the Low-Rate Translation Market - Part 2

Don't continue searching for work in the same areas where thousands of other translators are searching for work.

Changing Your Business Skills

If you continue searching for work in the same areas where thousands of other translators are searching for work, you’re going to break your heart. When a translation client has such a wide choice – let’s say between you and 500 other translators - the decision is obviously going to boil down to ‘Who can do this work the cheapest and quickest’? Unless you’re translating a very unusual language or you have an unusual specialization, forget about translation job boards. What you need is an attractive, professional website! It only needs to be very basic, and you can create your website yourself on SquareSpace or WordPress.

Tips for Finding Better Clients

• No longer will your selling point be low rates. Seriously, would you trust the cheapest surgeon or accountant? Of course not!
• Don’t have business cards with ‘Free business cards available at…’ on the back: and don’t use ‘print-at-home’ business cards. And don’t alter old business cards – get new professional business cards made specifically for your business.
• Respond to inquiries from potential new clients immediately, and make sure that people find you easy to work with. Keep in mind that price is not always a client’s main concern: there are many good clients out there who are happy to pay good money for a translator who’s responsive, competent, constructive, pleasant, and all the other positive traits that you possess.
• Look for translation work where other translators aren’t looking. Make sure you attend conferences for your specialization. Even more, be the translator who asks a really clever question during the Q&A session. If finances don’t allow for you to attend these types of conferences, make sure you’re at least on their LinkedIn group.
• Start hunting! Actively search for the kind of work that you not only like to do, but the kind of work you know you’re good at: work LinkedIn, send warm emails, follow your prospective clients on Twitter, and attend conferences. When they’ve achieved something great, send them a short email with your congratulations – basically, just get in their game!

Improving Your Translation Skills

• Help your clients out! Help them say what they really meant to say and not what was actually written. There will be many times when you read something in a client’s document that’s utter nonsense, so don’t simply accept that and translate it. Flag the error for the client and make your suggestions for alternatives. Your client will really appreciate your help!
• We also strongly suggest you enroll in one or more continuing education classes for your specialization: this will help you understand the concepts you’re translating, in addition to how to translate them.
• Make sure you’re open to constructive criticism of your translation work. If and when an editor finds an error in your work, remember that your goal is to become a better translator. This means that whenever your work is edited by a good translator, it’s just another opportunity to improve your skills. Accept criticism gracefully, because it’s just another opportunity to learn and grow.
• Slow down! No-one can produce engaging, dynamic, flowing translations by consistently translating 4,000 words each and every day. Perhaps you might get 4,000 words of meaning across, but it’s not going to be high-quality work. You need your client to say ‘That’s exactly how I wanted this translation to sound,' so ‘quality, not quantity’ is the order of the day!

Being A Self-Employed Translator - Part 2

When you become a freelance translator, your job description will be somewhat limited.

You must meet (or beat) every translation deadline. 

If you want to develop a base of regular clients, then this is a must. Sometimes it’s not enough to simply meet the deadline. If there are questions you need answering or you require clarification on a certain portion of text, then, prior to the deadline and allowing plenty of time to still meet the deadline, send your queries together with the file and asked for clarification.

Our advice is that you only translate into your dominant/native language. This is very important when you’re trying to produce a translation that’s linguistically accurate and doesn’t sound like a translation. Translators should not translate into their second or third language unless, of course, there’s no other option available.

All translators should have top-notch source language comprehension skills. In fact, your source language comprehension skills will ideally be near-native. You should not be launching a translation business based on average comprehension of your source language.

Make sure you stay with subjects that you’re really familiar with. If there’s a subject in your own language that you’re really struggling to understand, then it’s going to be even worse in your source language.

Don’t become overwhelmed by taking on too much work.

We know it’s difficult to say no to a current client or a prospective client that you’d love to work for, but it’s very important that you avoid the trap of working too much, too fast, or too late. We know that any of these scenarios will result in poor quality translation work.

And finally, your customer service must be second-to-none. Every client should know that they are your top client, that they’re important to you, and that you’ll do everything within your power to solve their problem – which means to complete their translation to the very best of your ability. Because let’s face it, translators are problem solvers! Your client wants you to do something they’re not capable of doing themselves, and that is to translate their document into another language. So go above and beyond when it comes to your customer service because we know that in the business world it’s not always about price – it’s about making your customers feel important and giving them the service they believe they deserve.

Being A Self-Employed Translator - Part 1

When you’re self-employed, the entire success of your business depends on how well you do your job.

When you’re self-employed, the entire success of your business depends on how well or how badly you do your job, and we’re talking about every single aspect of your job; whereas when you work for someone else, there’s inevitably those few people within the business who work really hard while the rest sit around waiting for retirement.

An average employee in the corporate world will probably not be promoted, but they won’t be fired either; whereas a freelance translator putting in the same amount of effort will probably fail in their freelance business. Obviously, employees can’t be fired from their full-time position simply because they’re not brilliant at what they do. Also, people working for large corporations generally contribute skills beyond those that apply to their jobs; however, the expectations of freelance translators are more quantifiable and more targeted.

Employees in the Business World Often Wear Many Hats

Let’s look at the job of a teacher, for example. Any teacher will tell you that they do a lot more than simply teach their students certain subjects at school, so they’re not being judged solely on their teaching skills – they’ll also be judged on their communication skills with students, staff and parents, volunteer work, and their general ability to perform at many levels.

A Translator’s Job Description Is Limited

When you become a freelance translator, your job description will be much more limited. You’ll be required to take a source document in a foreign language and translate it into English, or perhaps proofread a document that another translator has already put into English. Obviously, translation clients enjoy working with translators who are generous with their time, friendly, flexible, and get along with other translators as well as their project managers, but if a translator is just ordinary when it comes to the process of translating, they’re much less likely to escape the consequences than an employee working in the same situation in the corporate world.

Your Clients Are Looking for the Best!

There are many really good freelance translators out there, and when clients have a choice they’re obviously going to choose the best translator they can afford. So what does it take to become a top-quality freelance translator –

You must have excellent writing skills in your target language. This is probably the most important issue when it comes to freelance translation because it’s definitely a serious handicap if you’re not a really good writer in your dominant language.

Translators: Using Dictionaries to Improve the Quality of Your Work

Translators just starting out in the industry will soon discover that dictionaries can be your best friend.

Translators just starting out in the industry will soon discover that dictionaries can be your best friend: they’re a way of ensuring that you produce an accurate and high-quality translation. In the past, translators were required to use hardcopy dictionaries and glossaries, but today it’s all available online so the time involved in research has been greatly reduced. However, it seems that some translators are not using the resources available to them – well it certainly looks that way when we see some of the inaccurate and poor quality translations produced by some translators.

Below we’ve listed our advice for translators on how to ensure that you’re using the appropriate word or expression –

Check, Then Check Again!

In most cases, experienced translators are generally able to guess the meaning of a word when it’s used in a certain context, but even in this case our advice as that you still check with a dictionary. And if there’s any doubt in your mind at all, then you need to check again, then check again using a different dictionary. We know that words can have many different meanings and that’s why it’s important that translators choose the most suitable meaning for that particular text.

Use Glossaries and Specialized Dictionaries

If you’re a translator who works on specialized translations, perhaps in the field of IT, law, or medicine, it stands to reason that you must have easy access to glossaries and specialized dictionaries. Obviously, you need access to these resources in order to produce a high-quality translation, but in specialized fields such as (say) medicine, an inaccurate translation could prove fatal: a diagnosis could be mistranslated, the wrong dosage or treatment could be administered, and numerous other serious or fatal errors could occur.

Cross-Referencing Is Important for Accuracy

Don’t be limited to using just one kind of dictionary; for example, Spanish to English. Use also Spanish to Spanish and English to English dictionaries so you can cross-reference the definitions of expressions or words you’re trying to translate. And again, check the meaning in a glossary or dictionary, if necessary.

Ask for Help!

Don’t ever be afraid to ask for advice. If you’re having doubts about a certain translation, or aspects of a translation, don’t hesitate to ask your peers for advice. There are forums and websites dedicated to professional translators and you’ll find that, not only are translators happy to offer advice to other translators, they’ll also be able to answer any questions you may have. Although the translation industry is growing, it’s been our experience that professional translators are always happy to assist their colleagues, in particular people just starting out in the industry. So, use these forms to your advantage, because there is so much to learn and there are many professionals out there willing to help.

Job Hunting Tips for New Translators - Part 1

Spend as much time as possible marketing yourself to as many direct clients and translation agencies as you can find.

This post is dedicated to helping new translators get their business off the ground, because we know first-hand just how overwhelming getting started can be. We hope that the following advice will perhaps reduce stress and help you grow your translation business.

Start Marketing!

Spend as much time as possible marketing yourself to as many direct clients and translation agencies as you can find. Understand that these businesses don’t know you’re available if they don’t know you exist. There’s no right or wrong number here, but the right number would be when you’ve completely exhausted your list of contacts! What is it about you and your translation skills that makes you stand out from other translators? This information is what you need to be marketing and highlighting to potential clients. And of course, with translation, you never stop marketing yourself – ever!

Become Active at Local, National and International Levels

You have to put yourself out there, so aim to join as many associations as you can. Join your local Translator’s Association and become active in the organization; get to know both the agencies and the freelance translators. In addition, attend some of the smaller regional conferences that specialize in fields that you either work in or that you want to work in. Use social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, and keep these sites updated on a regular basis. Become active on translation listservs, or create a blog on your website. You do have a website, right? Make sure your website is easy to find, and that the information contained on your website is up-to-date. Unless you’re an absolute newcomer to the translation you may consider writing articles for your local translation newsletters and, perhaps even if you are new to translating, an article in these newsletters would still be appropriate (maybe explaining the trials and tribulations of entering the industry, and/or asking for advice).

Read as Many Articles and Books as You Can

Have you read Judy and Dagmar Jenner’s book titled The Entrepreneurial Linguist, or Corrine McKay’s book titled How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator? There’s a lot of very valuable advice for both new and experienced translators in both these publications; and, of course, there are hundreds (perhaps thousands) of posts and articles online on various different sites giving advice and answering other translators’ questions.

Upgrade to a Full Version of Your CAT Tool

If you’re using a trial version of a CAT tool, then our advice is that you upgrade to the full version. There are some really great tools out there like OmegaT and Fluency that don’t cost a lot – in fact, OmegaT is free. Then, once you’re earning more you might want to consider purchasing one of the more expensive translation tools if you believe it’s necessary. Check out sites like Proz.com because they sometimes offer group buys which make certain software, such as a MemoQ, more affordable to translators.

Be Confident in the Price You’re Charging

It’s important that you stay strong on your per-word rate. It can be quite stressful advising current clients that you’ve decided to raise your rates because you simply have no guarantee that they’ll stay with you; but if you’ve been providing your customers high-quality translations and great customer service, then you must assume that they’ll accept your new rate.

Starting out as a Translator or Interpreter

The first thing to recognize is that there’s a big difference between translation and interpretation.

The first thing to recognize is that there’s a big difference between translation and interpretation. If you’re wondering which might be the best career path for you, the answer will depend on your individual preferences and skills. Some people are into communication and the challenges that come with face-to-face human interaction, and if this is you, then perhaps you should consider a career as an interpreter; while others would prefer to sit at their desk in their office or their home for a few hours every day and do translation work. There are others, though, who are both a translator and an interpreter, and they manage both these professional jobs very well.

Get the Right Education

Perhaps you’re a college graduate of mixed ethnicity who grew up into a proficient bilingual speaker, or maybe you have a Bachelor of Arts with a foreign language major, but once you’ve made the decision to become a translator or interpreter you’ll need further education in that field. It’s also advisable to obtain a degree because your degree provides proof of your level of skills and knowledge to potential employees. Next, you need to analyze both your strong and weak points, in addition to the area you believe would make translation fun and rewarding for you.

Stay with Subjects You’re Familiar with

While you’re learning, ideally you’ll be tackling all different kinds of texts and language areas until eventually, you’ll realize that there are certain fields where you feel more comfortable. Once you have this realization, stay in this field until you’re ready to expand. You’ll achieve better results by dealing with a subject you’re familiar with, and it will also boost your self-confidence.

To Freelance – Or Not!

When you’re just starting out you may decide to start by translating a wide range of written material, so you can always advertise your translation services online and accept whatever challenges may come your way. On the other hand, you’ll probably develop your skills much quicker if you work in-house with a team of translators. The policies of the company concerned and the daily routine of members involved with the company will be a great boost to your translation career. Generally, each member stays within a specific field, ultimately increasing their opportunities for advancing their knowledge and skills. Perhaps you’ll choose to translate legal documents, which means that other members of your team will cover technical, literature, medical, and other types of translations.

There’s Money to Be Earned!

The financial rewards for translation and interpretation depend entirely on the amount of work that’s completed, the quality of the work delivered, and sometimes even the turnaround time. If you’re just starting out you’ll obviously take more time to complete a page of translation but, over time, your speed, knowledge, and skills will increase dramatically. You’ll also become more adept at using CAT tools, which are a valuable tool for translators. If you’re considering a career as an interpreter, this may sound a more challenging move for a beginner, because interpretation involves a lot more than just language knowledge: it requires good diction, assertiveness, spontaneity, speed, in addition to anticipation – all of which can be developed and perfected by practicing.

In-House or Freelance?

If you’re working in-house at a translation agency, your professional expertise together with the good name of the agency will result in both more work and better-paid work for you to complete. On the other hand, if your dream is to become a freelance translator, then make sure you develop a top-notch website together with a powerful CV and some of your high-quality, accurate supporting work samples. Then just be patient, because it won’t be long before you land your first translation job!

Translators: Dealing with Rejection - Part 2

Something that you may not have considered is how the person faced with the job of rejecting you actually feels.

Of course, you’re only human, and it may be wise to take a short break for reflection, but don’t stop just because some client you’ve never even met slammed the door in your face. Do you know why your proposals are being dismissed? Do you consider a 50% rejection rate too high? If the answer to this question is yes, then turn the question around and ask yourself this question: Do you consider a 50% success rate acceptable? Doesn’t sound so bad, does it!

Always Be Gracious and Respectful

Something that you may not have considered is how the person faced with the job of rejecting you actually feels. For some people, this will be a terrible experience, and certainly, no client or recruiter would actually enjoy it. Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to choose between candidates, particularly when the quality is so high; so there’s no point in making their job more difficult by acting out. Be gracious, and always be respectful: you might decide to add them to your social network account, and it’s always a good idea to keep in touch with people that you’ve previously applied to. The person they chose instead of you may fail to produce the goods, in which case you could well step in and take their place; and they may even decide they need another translator, so why not you? If you’re unpleasant on receiving their rejection, you can be sure they’ll never contact you again.

Form Relationships with Your Clients

All we’re really looking for, after all, is for one client to accept us because that one approval makes up for all the previous rejections. So, with that one client, your job now is to ensure that your new client remains your loyal client. The advice we offer all translators is to underpromise and over-deliver: always be accessible to your client, meet (if not beat) all deadlines, and go the extra mile in any way you can. All clients are very appreciative when a freelance translator demonstrates a genuine interest in their translation project, and it’s in this way that you start developing a genuine relationship with your clients.

Everyone Has to Deal with Rejection

Everyone, even the best freelance translators, has to deal with rejection at one time or another. No-one ever said that rejection is easy, in fact, it’s really difficult, but rejection should never be the reason you stop pursuing your career. Any self-employed person who puts their product or their service out there is going to face rejection. Famous authors, the greatest entrepreneurs, actors, web designers, and yes, even professional freelance translators, have had to face rejection, but that doesn’t hold them back. Rejection doesn’t make you a failure: rejection is simply a part of life. Success, on the other hand, comes to you when you least expect it; so continue focusing on your work, improving your translation knowledge and skills, and never stop applying for jobs until you get exactly what you want!