The individual client market–working directly with people who need anything from a birth certificate to a book translated–is a legitimate segment of the direct client market. But still, lots of translators avoid it. Let’s take a closer look.
I do quite a bit of work for/with individual clients; mostly certified translations of official documents, but I’ve also translated business plans, real estate purchase and sale documents, and yes, even a book, for individual clients. I like this kind of work because (in no particular order):
- It’s gratifying; people need the service and appreciate it. Sometimes they really, really appreciate it–I once received a lovely bottle of wine from an individual client who needed a translation in a pinch!
- It’s usually very straightforward. For certified translations, I charge a flat fee per page, I do not negotiate that rate at all, and I do not do the translation until the person pays via PayPal. So there’s zero quoting or haggling, and zero risk of non-payment.
- It’s lucrative as compared to the time investment. These small, one-off projects are generally projects that agencies don’t want, or for which agencies would have to impose a very high minimum charge in order to justify their overhead. As a freelancer, you can also create templates for the kinds of documents that you translate over and over again, to further streamline the process.
- Not that many freelancers are interested in the individual client market, so you can generate quite a bit of business simply by putting up a dedicated web page for this kind of service.
My sense is that most freelancers avoid the individual client market for two reasons: they’re afraid of not getting paid, and they don’t want to spend a lot of time negotiating a rate and turnaround time for a $100 job. I would argue that the solution is simple: require that individuals pay in advance, and don’t negotiate. If they don’t want to pay your rate, they can look for another translator; or if they don’t want to pay in advance, they can look for another translator. And for the record, even the individual for whom I translated a book did pay in full, in advance.
I do agree that when you work with individuals:
- You have to have some patience with people who know nothing about translation. Can you also translate my Lithuanian driver’s license? Can you convert my grades from the French to the US system? Can you just leave out the classes that I failed? You can’t blame people for asking, so you have to be willing to explain these things.
- A fair number of people will ask if you can “just certify” the translation that they already did. “I already translated it, so how much would it cost to just put your certified translator stamp on it?” My response to this is always “The certification statement requires me to certify that I translated the document, so for liability reasons, I cannot certify a document that I didn’t translate myself.”
- You need a way to take payments online, and that costs money. Lots of people love to gripe and moan about PayPal, and I agree that their fees are annoying on large amounts. But I’m willing to pay $3.50 to collect $100 from someone, and I’ve never had issues with things like chargebacks (where the client complains to PayPal and then gets a refund). Additionally, lots of people already have a PayPal account, so it’s easy for them to send you money. You could also try Square, Stripe, etc. My sense is that the fees for all of the online payment services is about the same.
Readers, any other thoughts on this?
Hello Corinne,
This article reflects my situation very well. Sworn translations account for more than 50% of the projects I work with, and they are mostly for individuals. It’s true that sometimes you need to be patient and educate clients about how Sworn translation work, but I feel happy that my work is helping people (to get married, to receive a scholarship, to move abroad).
I also charge (at least part) in advance, although I prefer receiving payments by transfer (quick, easy, and free to receive within the country).
Not sure why some translators may not want to work for individuals, but it’s a good way to get recommended. I am targeting expats on my website and blog and, as they are part of a community, I get more and more projects due to personal recommendations. Keep them coming!
Cheers,
Irene
Thanks Irene! Yes, I’ve found that too, that individuals I work with often know many other expats from their country or region, and will refer me to them. Glad to hear this is working well for you!
I do it a lot, and like you, never had a problem getting paid (well only once). I only ask for upfront payment for big amounts and I couldn’t do without PayPal. What’s not to like?
I agree!
Great read and so true!
Thank you!
I normally do not do translation for individuals. From my culture background, people need to have a cup of tea to establish a “relationship” before formal discussion of business, and I do not have the time or energy to deal with it (and I guess I probably no longer “fit in” with my original culture :)).
Moreover, most projects I work with are of descent size, and small (minimum) projects often feel like “the last straw on a camel’s back.”
On the flip side, I think this market should work well for other translators.
Thanks Ying, that’s very interesting! I guess that the transactional nature of this kind of project works in some cultures and not in others!
Personally, I just intensely dislike doing those small personal documents. I have a stock email that reads something like, “I’m sorry, but I do not specialize in personal documents. I would suggest that you contact my colleague Corinne McKay, who has a specialty in this area. Her website is…” 🙂
Crack me up! Thank you very much for your trust!
I, too, find working with individuals rewarding in ways that an agency project can never be, though slightly more time-consuming. I’ve never had problems with payments (prepayment required with PayPal). Wish I could get more of these.
Thanks Claudi! Couple of questions: do you have a dedicated page on your website just for these kinds of projects? Have you sent your marketing materials to credentials evaluation services and diplomatic facilities?
‘Can you just leave out the classes that I failed?’ … hilarious 😀 Having said that: I’m curious to see what you have put on your dedicated website for this target group. What is the URL?
Thanks Edith! Here’s the page I use: http://translatewrite.com/?page_id=18
Now to be found at http://translatewrite.com/official-document-translations/ since your website refresh 🙂
Hi Corinne, with high numbers of migrants coming to Australia from all over the world, there is plenty of demand for this kind of translation and I get the impression that for many colleagues this makes up the bulk of their work. I don’t do a lot of this as I mostly work on corporate communications and technical translations for agencies in Germany and other countries but like you I have templates, a minimum non-negotiable charge and require payment in advance by paypal or bank transfer. And yes, have the same kinds of problems trying to explain to people why I cannot just certify it or leave things out or be creative with what their qualifications really are. Many callers end up spluttering on the phone when they hear the cost – “but it’s only a few words on a page”. I then point out that I am charging them far less than a plumber would charge even to come and look at their leaking tap. It doesn’t help that some colleagues in my city do this kind of work as a kind of hobby and so charge peanuts for these documents, about a third of what I charge I have been told. To which my retort: “Well I guess you had better go with that translator”. What I like about this kind of work is the personal contact with the German-speaking clients. They often come to me because they live in my area and so pop in to drop off or pick up my documents. So I get a chance to chat a bit in German, and as others have said they are grateful for the help in getting their visa/residency or whatever. As I have a background in technical translation I often end up doing quite large jobs when people are submitting their qualifications to the authorities for recognition. And the authorities want a lot of evidence, including course curricula etc. This is very satisfying as there is much discussion with the customer about the right terminology. There was one young electrician for whom I translated everything over a period of years, first to get his working visa, then permanent residency. When he came to pick up the final document he brought a bottle of wine and gave me a hug and he still keeps in touch. And he keeps recommending other German ex-pats to me. With another client, a German engineer, I subsequently ended up translating all the documents relating to his subsequent marriage, birth of children etc. And I was on his mailing list for the updates he sent around when they were travelling round Australia as a family. So it is satisfying to feel you are helping someone make a new life here.
As a sworn translator working with individuals adds variation to my translation work. Since I live on a smallish island most clients come and pick their translations up so I’ve met some interesting people, and have rarely had payment issues or haggling but I do experience the following problems:
– clients who deal with their need for sworn translators in the evenings and weekends and expect me to be available by phone/e-mail then (e.g. e-mail sent at 4pm on a Sunday, followed by another at 8pm asking why I haven’t replied to the first. Or calling me at 7pm and expecting me to complete a translation for 7am the next day). Clients like that probably think translation is my hobby and that I do it outside of office hours;
– voicemail messages asking me to call back, without stating a phone number in the message;
– I often request to see documents before quoting a price, but some clients believe asking me the price again and again will elicit an answer;
– clients not understanding I actually need to read the document to translate it! I accept to work off scanned copies of documents to save the client time (they bring me the original when they come to pick the translation up), but I receive an incredible number of blurry and/or illegible scans and photos;
– clients saying they have the original document then turning up with a photocopy;
– I have a map I send to clients, but almost half forget it or don’t seem able to read maps and end up ringing me – I sometimes end up spending twenty minutes before they arrive giving them directions. Not to mention clients who don’t know their left from their right;
– clients not respecting the appointment time we’ve fixed.
Thanks Catherine! Very interesting! I’ll add that I do not meet with clients in person unless there’s a compelling reason to do so; honestly it just takes too long. So I send everything through the mail or by e-mail. But if you live on an island that might be tricky 🙂
I work part-time, which extends the turn-around time I can offer for larger projects considerably. Short jobs aren’t affected by this. I enjoy the personal nature of working with individuals; being able to use my language skills to help others was a big motivator in my language-learning years, so it’s very gratifying to be able to see the impact of your work first-hand. You don’t have time to have ‘had enough of’ a short project, and you can try out new technology/tools on a real job, without the risk of wasting hours or days’ worth of work if something goes wrong. I can see how they might seem a pain to organise if you’re working full time and also undertaking/negotiating larger projects, but I think they’re generally quicker to get agreed anyway. They’re definitely a big part of the job satisfaction for me!
Yes, that’s a great point and one that I didn’t think about: if you work part time or irregular hours, small jobs are perfect! Thank you!
Hi, Corinne, my name is Lavinia Nanu and I am a certified /sworn translator of Romanian, English and French. When reading both your article and the others’ comments here, I was so surprised (and delighted) to see that sworn translators basically deal with the same kind of issues pretty much all over the world!… Usually we tend to believe that clients in other countries are more educated, more well-behaved or more serious when requesting a translation service, but it seems that they are the same and all think alike:)….I own a translation agency myself and work directly with both individuals and companies/public institutions. Certified and notarized translations cover up to 99% of our work and we translate everything from a birth certificate to a bidding documentation, tender book or user’s manuals. At the end of the day, no matter how much stress and responsibility we have to deal with, no matter how somewhat stupid or hilarious the clients’ questions or requirements may seem sometimes, I still enjoy doing what I have been doing for the past 16 years in this line of business. I strongly believe that if one works according to certain well-determined principles, this job is rather interesting, challenging and fulfilling. I never take up on a translation order/ project without a minimum down payment or even full payment upfront and I have always avoided clients that were not willing to make at least a down payment when requesting for a service. It’s just a sign of client’s lack of respect and seriousness. Just the same, I never issue a translation to a corporate client without proof of invoice full payment. Working with individuals provides direct contact with various typologies, it gives the possibility of knowing so many people in town. In 16 years I kind of translated everything there is when it comes to individuals -related documents, so the work is something of a repetitive sort. But it is also an exercise of diplomacy, patience and anger management/calm, not to mention that it is a waste of energy and time for explaining why your work costs “that much”, why the translation cannot be performed “on the spot, now!”, why you cannot stamp other people’s translations, why you cannot accept a translation order without down payment etc etc. Working with companies, on the other hand, gives you the possibility to improve at a professional level because corporate documents are always challenging from the terminology perspective and I am always inclined toward permanent professional evolution. So it was nice reading your article and the comments to it…
Great, thank you!
Hi Corinne,
Thanks for this interesting take on working with individuals! I’m wondering how these clients normally find you. Through your website? Have you ever advertised through other mediums? For example, I recently took out an ad in my local Spanish-language newspaper as sort of an experiment to see if people in my neighboring area needed document translation like the type you’re talking about, but so far no luck. Worth a shot, though!
Jamie
Thanks Jamie! People mostly find me through my website (it’s around the third non-ad result if you Google “Certified French Translator”). And I don’t do any extra SEO (other than what is included with WordPress). I just think not many people have this kind of page. I would also send your information to credentials evaluation services and consulates/embassies for your language, and then move on to immigration attorneys. That should be a good start!
Great article! Like many translators, I was initially put off by doing one-off projects but later realized the benefits of individual translations through the flow of referrals I was getting. As you’ve mentioned it’s quite lucrative because of the minimal time investment. I now have templates for many of these translations. Something else I’ve done is reach out to immigration lawyers that work with my target market for individual translations. They’re always looking for qualified professional translators to help them out on official documents and it saves them the time it would take to search for one.
Awesome, thanks Maryam!
Great article. Thanks for the interesting information.
Thanks Corinne! I do translate documents for individuals sometimes, but it is not my favorite thing to do, i.e. “fun”. I recently removed my information about translation of official documents from my website, but the interesting thing is that I have received more requests for it since then. Perhaps it coincides with my certification too. You have motivated me to increase the rates for certified translations though. Thank you! However many that write include this sentence in the email “I do not have much money, and it is only a few sentences… or I used Google bu it still needs to be certified.
Thanks Tess! Very interesting!
Hello,
I found your article interesting and useful, but there seems to be some confusion between the meaning of “sworn translation” and “certified translation”.
Your article entitled Certified Translations, to which you provided a link, also adds to the confusion about the meaning of “certified translation”. You write that:
“As an ATA-certified French to English translator, I provide certified English translations of French official documents such as birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates…
Starting the sentence with “As” implies a relationship of necessity between being certified by the ATA and providing certified translations, which is of course is not true, since any translator or representative translation company in the United States can provide a certified translation by simply attesting that they believe that the translated text is an accurate and complete translation of the source document. This attestation does not even have to be called a “Certificate of Accuracy.
Other than that, great article.
Have a nice weekend
Great, thanks.
Hi Corinne,
Thank you for your view on this type of translation in the US.
I am also a sworn translator (we took an oath before Court), as they are called in Belgium. Most of the time people come to me and bring me their original document and they pay when they pick up the translation. No payment problems there. I love meeting these people, who often have quite a life story and are usually very grateful.
I cannot really work with templates because a birth certificate e.g. from India is quite different from one from Zambia.
I have also started to charge by page, but I often feel guilty asking what it really takes in terms of time spent because these people are often refugees or otherwise people who are far from wealthy. And the sworn translation is a step in a long process full of problems.
And although making a translation from hardcopy, and having it legalized by court, takes a lot more time than a usual translation in Word, the amount often looks like a lot for a page with perhaps only 20 lines on it. I am aware that what I charge them is much harder to bear for them than for many a company.
I end up asking somewhere between what it really takes me and what seems reasonable to me in view of the document and the client. Perhaps not very professional, but I really cannot leave out my empathy.
My point of view in my specific situation.
Kind regards,
Els
Hi Corinne, thank you for this post, a very interesting debate.
In my opinion the best solution is to do both, for me I use the individual market only from time to time just to spice things up, in a sense I feel closer to the client, being a very sociable person this works amazingly for me. On the other hand I always try to be in the “good books” of a translation agency is it confrims that I will get paid a sufficient amount. If you do the job well you will stay in their contacts and the better you do the job the more translation propositions you will get. Translation agencies like http://www.bigtranslation.com only use native translators it therefore limits your market whereas you can nearly always find indivudaual customers that don’t require to be a native speaker.
When you say : “You have to have some patience with people” I find that a part of the thrill, the communication with my customers is always something I have missed, explaining why certain translations are not possible or trying to find a solution to be able to do it.
Looking forward to more of your posts
Thanks Alonzo, glad you enjoyed it!
I don’t work with individuals, but concerns about payment don’t play any role in that. First, I’m not a sworn translator and don’t do any legal translation, which seems to make the bulk of this segment. Then, for me and I would guess for many translators, the very things that some might find appealing in that type of work are the things that put me off! I don’t want to deal with the constant interactions with new clients. Either I work with agencies and the contact is pleasant but minimal or I work with companies and I build a relationship with my point of contact over the years. Most translators are introverts, so having to talk to new people is a minus! I also find the perspective of working from a template less than thrilling. I’d rather deal with something more creative.
Thanks! Very interesting!
Good article! I don’t *often* work for individuals. Translating CVs and school/course certificates is boring and laborious; technical and medical translations are outside my expertise; and official documents often require sworn translations, which for Polish office use would require me to pass a difficult exam that also involves interpreting, something that I avoid like the plague.
That said, I have translated some stuff for individuals – an e-book, a chapter from an academic book and some sweet wedding vows. And that sort of work is right up my alley! 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Corinne,
I’ve found your book and website to be so incredibly useful; thank you! Just wanted to ask a question about what a “certified translation” is. I’ve done translations for agencies that require a statement attesting to my competence as a translator and also had these to official document translations I did for a relative. In neither case did anyone request any kind of proof of my competence (like an ATA certification number, etc.), nor was it made explicit what “certified” meant. These documents were about as weighty as they get too. Is the statement of competence and accuracy all that’s required in your experience?
Thanks Alyssa and I’m glad you’ve found the information helpful! I agree that in the US (because we don’t have the sworn translator designation), there is no iron-clad definition of a certified translation. Sometimes it means a translation done by an ATA-certified translator (or a translator certified by another entity such as a consulate), and sometimes it means a translation accompanied by a certification statement that nearly anyone can sign, as long as they’re willing to say “I certify that I am competent in these languages and that this is a true and accurate translation.”