How to Find Your First Translation Work. Finding your first translation clients: three ideas - Thoughts On Translation. “I know I can do this job, but clients don’t want to hire me without experience.
So how do I get experience without experience?” This chicken/egg dilemma stymies many beginning freelancers, and it’s admittedly hard to find a way out. High-quality agencies often require at least three years of experience, and they’re the clients that many translators prefer to work for, so they receive lots of applications and can afford to be choosy. However, there *are* lots of other options, most involving excellent language skills, creativity, perseverance, and being able/willing to outlast the competition. La chasse est ouverte : comment trouver des « bons » clients ? - Trëma Translations - English to French translation. Lorsqu'elle a évoqué cette démarche dans une présentation à la Journée mondiale de la traduction de plein champ de la SFT, Chris a employé l'image de la chasse, que je reprends ici (avec son autorisation) pour résumer les bonnes pratiques qu'elle partage volontiers avec ses collègues traducteurs.
Comme un sportif, un bon chasseur doit consacrer du temps à se préparer. 11 tips for new freelance translators on the hunt for their first assignments. A while ago a new colleague on a translators’ forum asked for advice on how to secure those all-important first assignments and set up shop as a freelance translator.
I think we’ve all been there when we started out and know how frustrating it can be to look for your very first clients. Here are a few things that were suggested by me and other colleagues at the time: How I Built My Direct Client Base (without Using Translation Portals) Many years ago (as some of you might recall), there was a huge debate as to whether certain translation portals were directly decreasing translation rates through their bidding systems.
Many of us raised serious objections to changes to their job boards and a lot of longstanding and well-respected members fled some of these sites –one site in particular took the most heat. But in that debate, I also remember many translators claiming that without such portals, we would not be able to find clients or get work. Of course, most of these claims came from newbies who could not account for how anyone made a living as a translator before the internet age. But even among those of us who had been around for a few years at that point, there were those who still depended on these sites for work. I was one of them. The impulsiveness of my twenties made me immediately take sides on the debate and, of course, I sided with the notion that these portals would ultimately result in a rates crisis.
Ways to Find Your Ideal Translation Clients. There are two strategies to find your ideal clients and market your translation services.
As a freelance translators, the most important questions we should ask ourselves are: 7 ways for a newbie freelancer to get clients - Freelance Parents. You are here: Home / Blog / Start Freelancing / 7 ways for a newbie freelancer to get clients It’s the crunch point.
The moment when you might give up. How much marketing is enough? When you’re actively looking for new clients, how much marketing is enough?
I hear this question frequently, from beginning and experienced translators alike: beginners need more work, while experienced translators need better work. I’ll admit that I often give subjective answers, such as “Until you have as much work as you want,” or “Until you’re consistently meeting your target income every month.” Those answers aren’t wrong, but they dodge the issue: “enough” marketing is more, or way more, or waaaaaaaay more than most freelancers are doing. Like many people who give business advice to freelancers, I frequently hear from people who are discouraged that their marketing efforts aren’t yielding better, or faster results. What is niche marketing and how can expert translators use it? I can’t really talk about experts and specialists without mentioning niche marketing.
This concept has been gaining popularity over the past few years, with marketers trying to find the right term to cover marketing to narrow, specific segments of clients. This is what niche marketing really is, and by large it uses the same strategies and tools as “normal” marketing, but the target market is much more narrow. Get More Work from Translation Agencies. So you’ve decided you would like to work for agencies.
Good idea, it could turn into a regular income stream, without the stress of having to constantly find new customers. Let me confirm straight away a painful truth, which I’m sure you are aware of by now: we get hundreds of CVs every day. The good news of course is that with a large enough agency, there is enough work to go around for good translators.
On the other hand, it’s not just the competition that’s high – it’s also the level of noise in our inboxes. “Ok, we get it, you are busy, but how do we get you to notice us?” Fear not, my fellow language-loving professionals, because I am going to show you the laziest AND best way. “Agencies won’t pay my rates, and I can’t find direct clients”: what to do? Here’s a conundrum that I hear frequently from freelancers at all experience levels: agencies won’t pay my rates, and I can’t find any direct clients.
What should I do? Well, let’s see: First, adjust your mindset. Winning clients who already have a translator. What To Do When You Lose An Anchor Client - Technology Content Marketing Writer. Note from Jennifer: Huge thank you to Ed Gandia for having me on his High Income Business Writing podcast recently to talk about my Audience First method of brainstorming clients. You can listen to the podcast episode here. If you aren’t listening to Ed’s podcast, you are missing out on some of the best advice for freelancers that is out there. His podcast episodes are inspiring, practical and give you the tools (and ideas) to help grow your business. And if you just found my blog from Ed’s podcast – Welcome!
Be sure to subscribe to the blog so each new post is delivered to your mailbox and join us at the Freelance Content Marketing Writer Facebook group, which is a wonderful and supportive community of blog readers. Three weeks ago, I lost an anchor client due to no fault of my own. A Tale of Two Book Fairs. I apologize in advance for the long post, but I had a lot to say and share on this topic. I have tried to break it up with some photos, so hopefully that makes it more bearable. Having made the decision over the last year to be more pro-active about pursuing my dream to translate more books (fiction and non-fiction), I figured it was time to visit one (or two) of the international trade book fairs. The two most logical and geographically fortuitous events to appear on my radar were the London Book Fair and the Frankfurter Buchmesse, so I vowed to try to go to both.
The London Book Fair (April 12 – 14, 2016) Held in April this year, the London Book Fair (LBF) worked out well schedule-wise and logistically. Luckily, a good friend of mine who had previously worked for many years in various positions in publishing decided to go too, and she was a huge help in terms of insider info on book fairs, what to see, what to look for, what not to waste my time on, and how to approach publishers. Agora. When a client says,“Geez…that's really expensive!” A student in my online course asks, “What do I respond when a client comments that my rates are really high?” Good question, student! Because if you’re running your business the right way, someone, someday, and maybe even lots of people almost every day, will think that you’re too expensive.
Which leads us to rule number one of pricing: If no one ever thinks that your rates are too high, that means that they’re too low. Or at least that you could be charging more. Also remember that numerous wise people who have gone before you (in my case, my accountant) have commented something like “Your rates should make people sit up and take notice, but not jump across the desk at you.” Move up in the translation market. This post originally appeared as a newsletter to my mailing list; I’m reprinting it here while taking some time off from blogging this summer! Lots of us have heard the advice that “it’s time to move up in the translation market,” in response to changes in our industry brought about by–among other factors–technology and globalization.
“Move up in the market” is great advice, but what does “moving on up” entail? Six Small Actions that Make a Big Difference with Direct Clients. One of the great things about working with direct translation clients is that following news and new developments across your areas of specialization is part of your job. However you digest news, organizing information you come into contact with can be a great way to stay on top of clients’ industries and to identify new potential clients for your business.
Télésecrétaires, comment démarcher les avocats ? - Croquefeuille. Périodes creuses - Les Recettes du traducteur. Fiche pratique périodes creuses. Need More Work? It’s Not Them, It’s You…and That’s the Best News You’ve Heard All Day. If you don’t have work, the most likely reason is not them, it’s you. Before you start raging at me through your computer, keep reading. Six steps to a bare minimum freelance brand - Freelance Parents. Peaufinez vos outils promotionnels - Trëma Translations - English to French translation.
J’ai déjà abordé la question dans d’autres articles, mais je la remets sur le tapis aujourd’hui, car c’est un élément important de votre stratégie de développement. Pour résumer, les outils promotionnels du traducteur sont les suivants : Une identité visuelle à décliner partout Des profils sur les sites d’associations professionnelles et les réseaux sociaux (Facebook, Twitter et surtout LinkedIn) Un CV à jour Un site web ou une brochure Une carte de visite Si vous travaillez exclusivement avec des agences, vous avez sans doute concentré vos efforts sur votre CV et remis le reste à plus tard. Quelques mois ou années plus tard, vous avez une demande régulière de clients satisfaits et toujours pas de carte de visite.
Est-ce grave docteur ? On recruiting freelance translators – angelabenoit.com. This year, I worked on a recruitment project. L’offre de services: convaincre en un coup d’œil ! — Ma Voisine Millionnaire. Recevez les nouveaux articles par RSS ! Translation Ethics: Business tips for translators #1: CV vs Service offer. This week, our guest Alain Marsol is giving a few tips on freelancing for translators, focusing on how to approach clients and collaborators in a professional manner, showcase your skills and protect your business and reputation (Part 1) A native speaker of French with a background in computer science, Alain Marsol has been developing his skills according to his desires and goals by working and providing services in computer programming, information systems design, corporate communications, marketing, copywriting, and translation. Besides his activity as a translator, Alain has created the Guerrilla Marketing for Translators group on LinkedIn, where language professionals can find ideas and advice to do better business, and ask questions to solve specific marketing issues.
What does the perfect translator CV look like? How to Write a Job-winning Resume for Freelance Translator. Making your freelance translator CV zing: the easy step-by-step guide. How to protect your translator CV from scammers? — Wantwords 61. How to create an effective translation portfolio - MTM Translations. What to put in a translator's portfolio? — WantWords TV 12.
Branding Yourself: Create a Professional Portfolio — ATA Chronicles. Faut-il créer un site Internet dès le début ? — Les Recettes du traducteur. Faire son site Internet : commencer par une bonne page d'accueil — Les recettes du traducteur. Créer un site web pour votre société de traduction. How to Start Wordpress Website in 5 Minutes. A Translator's Guide to Building a Website. 4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Blog – Tranix Translation & Proof-Editing Services. Why Your Translation Business Needs a Blog + a Free Planning Guide — MADALENA ZAMPAULO. Build your personal brand with a good photo. Une photo pro. Grow your Freelance Translation Business with Twitter tcm125 73175. How to find and approach your ideal clients through LinkedIn. ¿Cómo calcula LinkedIn tu Social Selling Index (SSI)? How to write cold emails to entice more clients from now on. Warm e-mail marketing: a success story. Client Satisfaction Surveys for Freelance Translators.