When it comes to marketing your freelance business, it’s important to cast a wide net. Taking an “if you build it, they will come” approach, for example by putting up a website and waiting for the work to start flowing in, is definitely not the way to go. But how wide should that marketing net be? Specifically, should you be on websites such as Yelp, Craigslist and Upwork? Let’s look at some of the pros and cons.
In my opinion, here’s the main argument for being on these types of websites: many direct clients know nothing…zero about translation (and as I’ve mentioned before, that’s not their fault). So, when they want to hire a translator, they’re likely to look in the places they’d look to hire other kinds of service providers. We may not love the idea of a client thinking, “Wait, I found my lawn guy on Yelp…maybe translators advertise there too,” but if the client puts those two things together, you want to be the person they end up finding.
Additionally, the fact that Yelp and Upwork allow/encourage reviews is likely to inspire trust in a potential client. I think that increasingly, when we ask the question, “How do you find a service provider (whether that’s an orthopedic surgeon or a landscaper) who you feel is trustworthy?” the answer is “I read online reviews before I contact them.” It’s a good idea to put testimonials on your website, but the potential client knows that those are cherry-picked from your favorite clients; online reviews tend to portray a much more realistic picture.
Finally, there’s the fact that you can piggyback on these sites’ very high search engine rankings and advertising power (this is also the reason I think every freelancer should be on LinkedIn). It’s free to create a basic account, and when someone Googles “Italian interpreter Detroit,” these sites are probably going to rank ahead of any individual freelancer’s site.
Then, there are the negatives. Chief among these (and this also applies to LinkedIn, and to online translation marketplaces) is that these sites advertise the competition right alongside you. And when the client is buying something they don’t really understand, like translation or interpreting services, and there are lots of people offering that service, they’re likely to gravitate toward the less expensive people. Encouragingly, I’ve recently read several online posts by translation clients who have used these services (specifically Upwork) and specifically said that they did not go with the cheapest person, but rather with the person who seemed the best fit for the job. That’s very positive. But still, having 15 different translators to choose from is very different from attracting a client to your own website, which features only you.
These types of sites have a few other negatives: they may be a “closed system,” where you are prohibited from communicating with clients outside the platform. They may take a commission on any work you find via the site. They may encourage reverse auction-style bidding on jobs. They may force you to name a specific hourly or per-word rate and guarantee that any work you find through the site will be done for that amount or less. They also may attract clients who have very small budgets or are looking for an absolute rock-bottom rate, and those are the clients you can do without.
In general, I would put these kinds of sites in the “worth a try” category, but I would not depend on them as a source of high-quality clients. However I’m interested to hear from readers who have found clients through these sites or other, similar ones. Any thoughts?
I have been translating on a freelance basis for just over a year, and I would say around 80% of all my clients in that time have come through Upwork.
When I started I had no idea how to break into the industry or what I should charge, and initially I was being paid an extremely low rate for my work, but as I have built up a good reputation for myself (because of the reviews left by my previous clients) I have been hired for better paid jobs.
Upwork does take a cut, but I build that in when I quote meaning that I am not out of pocket.
They do prevent you from working with those clients outside of Upwork, but I take the view that if the client is willing to pay my rate plus the Upwork fee then I’m all for it – Upwork guarantees the payment, which is definitely a weight off my mind!
I would say that it’s a good way to gain experience and some regular clients, but be prepared for it to take time to make it work financially.
Thanks Susie, very interesting!
I’ve never even heard of Upwork, but I’ve certainly had a number of approaches via LinkedIn, including one agency which has become a regular client.
Thanks, Alison! Great to hear!
I’m not very enthusiastic about Upwork. Got a profile over there, sometimes quoted on a job, but never even got an answer in return. As an experiment, I quoted really low, and even then, no answer. Even the ProZ jobboard is better than that, I think (while that, in no way, is fantastic). But in the meantime I have found quite a regular base of translation bureaus paying decent rates (agency rates, still) – mostly through Paymentpractices.net – and a few very well-paying direct clients, so I erased Upwork from my browser URL history.
Thanks, Edith! That’s interesting; and I agree that Payment Practices is the best way to find agencies to apply to.
Hi there. This was a very interesting post. Thanks for sharing this information ; )
Thanks, Chiara. Glad you enjoyed it.
I used to have an Upwork account too, but I only had one client find me through it, who paid extremely low rates. Being a novice, I took his offer, but this PM was the worst I have worked with. I have tried different platforms to find clients, and I agree with you that having a wide exposure is a great thing. But there are a lot better platforms out there than Upwork, where the lowest of the low is still not low enough…
Thanks, Krisztina! Very interesting; I was hoping to hear from some people who had actually used Upwork!
HI, could you share some of those platforms for seeking direct clients? Thanks in advance. CA
Hi Corinne, Ive been reading your blog and couldn’t really find an answer to this question, granted I know it’s a tough one, however I would love to pick your brain on this: I am 24 years old and I am considering either getting a Masters in Translation or doing a Certificate program. The difference between the two programs is a year and $20,000 more or less. I was wondering if you could help direct me: which would be better? A Masters in Translation or a Certificate program? I am leaning towards the Masters because 1) the University told me a masters would look better on a resume and I would be more marketable with a Masters in Translation. 2) A masters degree is a masters degree. I’m wondering if you could help me out, maybe give me your opinion and/or story on becoming a translator. Thanks,
Thanks, Daniel! I actually wrote a post about this a while ago, here it is: https://www.trainingfortranslators.com/2013/10/09/translation-credentials-what-are-they-and-do-you-need-them/
Daniel, I have my MA in Spanish Language and Translation from NYU and it is the worse decision I have ever made. It has been such a financial burden and is absolutely not worth the investment. I will be paying on it for years to come, and, so far, it has not really benefited me professionally. There may be better MA programs out there than the one I did, but I just do not see the benefit in investing that amount of money for a Masters in Translation. If I had it to do over again, I would do a certificate program, get my feet wet with some freelance work, and then think about subject-area degrees, classes, training, etc. so you can specialize in a certain type of translation work. In short, I agree with what Corinne writes in her post, but I thought I would give my two cents, being someone who chose to take the Master’s route. I wish someone would have been there to make me think twice before going through with it.
Interesting, thanks Leslie!
This doesn’t relate to your post, as I wasn’t able to read it… When I first clicked on this post, I was able to see it, but then it disappeared and I can only see the comments now. I tried using Firefox but it cannot access your blog at all, just shows the generic ‘Hello world’ etc.
Thought you would want to know. I’m not sure what is wrong, whether it is about the browser or not, but I hope one day I will be able to read your blog again.
Thanks, Elina and sorry about that! It’s probably some sort of server error; I would try hitting F5 (hard refresh) if that happens again.
I have found some clients on Upwork who are willing to pay more than I have been offered by translation agencies. I never accept ridiculously low rates, but I do sometimes agree to work for less than my standard rate if I have a compelling reason to do so (it’s particularly interesting, it’s on a topic I’d like to learn more about, or it will look good on my resume, for example). I am trying to get away from using Upwork, though, because they now charge as much as 20% of my earnings for jobs with new clients. I know they need to make money too, but 20% is a bit much!
Thanks, Beth! Very interesting!
Some other websites are even greedier when it comes to commissions. For example, I also teach Russian on the side in addition to my translation business, and some students have found me on Wyzant.com, which is a marketplace for tutors. At least initially, they charge a whopping 40% commission.