This is a guest post by Jennifer Nielsen. Jennifer is a freelance Spanish>English translator, interpreter and project manager specializing in law, business, cogeneration power plants and official translations. She recently returned to her home state of Colorado after spending the last seven years in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, during which time she obtained her master’s degree in translation and interpreting, served as president of the Organización Mexicana de Traductores (Mexican Translators Association), gave courses and workshops on translating, and started a family.
Twin preschoolers…and a thriving freelance business
As a freelancer and mom of twin boys turning three next month, I can say with certainty that it is possible to thrive as a freelance translator and mom. I would even go so far as to say that being a freelancer is one of the few career paths that allows moms the flexibility to grow our careers and not miss out on the precious time we have with our kids while they are small. Of course, it’s not easy, and the struggle to find balance (and even sanity!) is very real. Over the past three years I have slept less than I ever imagined possible, spent loads of wonderful quality time with my family, and succeeded in continuing to grow my business and income each year.
How have I done it? Well, aside from a lot of hard work and even more trial and error, here are some mindset shifts and practical tips that have gotten me through, and that I hope might help more than one of you achieve your definition of personal and professional success.
Mindset shifts for freelancing moms
– Don’t be afraid to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. As a mom you have superpowers that allow you to do things you never thought you could, so don’t be afraid to take on more than you think you can handle. That said, even superheroes have their limits, so it’s just as important that you find yours—even if it’s by going past them on occasion—and accept that it’s not possible to do everything (well), all the time.
– Focus like a laser-beam on your priorities. Decide to spend your time on what gets you closer to your goals (both as a mother and freelancer) and don’t apologize for it, ever.
– Take time to reflect on and celebrate your accomplishments. Being a freelancer and a mom requires that we focus so much energy on conquering the everyday tasks in front of us that we rarely take time to notice what we’ve accomplished. Recognizing this gives you the motivation to continue when you are sure you can’t.
– View work as a form of self-care. Working can help you to maintain a sense of self through a period where your time, and even your body are no longer yours, and most adult interaction vanishes from your life.
– Embrace the chaos. Balance (as most people would define it) as a working mom with small children is an unrealistic goal. The most you can hope for is to hit a stride right at the time when you are ready to give up. Enjoy this cautiously, and be ready for it to change, as something will happen to throw you back into chaos most likely sooner than later.
Practical tips for reaching a manageable level of chaos (i.e. balance for freelancing moms)
– Look for clients that need smaller jobs. This could include work like press releases, blogs, marketing texts, brochures, etc. Another less stimulating, but profitable, option is translating vital records, academic and official documents (this is a great option for freelancing mothers who don’t necessarily have the longer blocks of uninterrupted time longer projects demand).
– Split large jobs with a colleague or negotiate a long deadline. Taking on that 50,000 word assignment may be doable if you can split it with a trusted colleague or find a client that can accept a longer timeline.
– Focus on working with direct clients rather than agencies. I’ve accepted fewer jobs from agencies because they are almost always huge texts for yesterday, and you can’t get help from colleagues. With direct clients, you can establish a relationship that not only allows you to farm out projects to colleagues when you can’t take them on, but they will also potentially be more understanding when an emergency comes up and you need an extra day or two to finish a job.
– Plan on some late nights working. It’s not something you want to make a habit of, but sometimes it’s worth it, either because you need the money, because you want to get a new client, or because it’s the only way to make a deadline.
– Consider diversifying your professional activities. Look for non-translation work from clients or employers that can offer flexible deadlines or schedules. Depending on your skills and preferences, this could include project management, grading ESL exams, teaching, consulting, writing or reviewing.
– Invest time in unpaid professional activities. Volunteer with a professional organization or mentor a new translator. Participating in professional organizations and helping newbies is something you can do on your own schedule that allows you to expand your network of trusted colleagues who can help you in a pinch.
– Ask for and accept help from colleagues, friends, family, neighbors, daycare providers, and anyone you trust and is willing to lend a hand. Count on situations arising that will take you away from scheduled work time. It is inevitable, but also almost always manageable with help. Colleagues can allow you to take on more work than you are certain you can finish by doing part of a job or proofreading work you did at 2 a.m., and your personal network can give you a couple extra hours when a deadline is looming or allow you to take on an urgent job for an important client.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also want to take a look at:
Creating and managing translation teams, a guest post by Michelle Bradley
Being a freelancer and being a mom, a Speaking of Translation podcast featuring Jennifer (this guest post’s author) and Elena Langdon
Translating for individual clients, a post by Corinne McKay
Nice to see this tackled. My children were 1, 3 and 5 when I started and I definitely “escaped” to my desk to get some peace during the chaotic times. I agree with the “work as self-care” idea. I used limited preschool care some of the time in the early years, but was generally juggling the children and work during the day and like Jennifer, I grew my business year on year.
I had two different practical ways of functioning than Jennifer that were crucial for me: I had to get much done early in the morning before the children ever got out of bed. And I targeted getting piles of work from agencies and avoided direct clients, so that I could always say no.K
Thanks, Karen!
Thanks, Jennifer, for this great post! I love how you addressed both the mindset and logistical aspects of the topic, because I think that those are equally important. It’s so true that a) you can’t be a full-time mom and a full-time freelancer or you’ll have a nervous breakdown, or (perhaps more likely) do a terrible job at both of those roles, and b) you have to know your priorities, or other people will dictate them for you. Thanks for such a thorough and honest look at this topic!
Hi Jennifer. I found your post uplifting just at a moment when I’m beginning to have doubts on whether I’m going to be able to make a living out of translating and worrying about letting people down when something crops up with the children. I have 3 sons who all need me to run them about and I’m just just starting out having had a long career break. Your suggestion and examples of smaller jobs is a sensible one. Just knowing there’s lots of us out there who are successful jugglers is inspiration enough. Thank you.
Thanks, Elizabeth!
I really enjoyed this article: thank you both, Corinne and Jennifer! I fully agree on the mindset points. Often the work-parenting thing is framed as a hurdle to be overcome or a problem to solve or a nightmare stage to pass, whereas I’ve found that having kids has been one of the best things that has happened to me professionally. I get way more done in less time now (no time to mess around or for self-indulgence!), I am better organized, and I find it easier to say no to jobs that aren’t worth it. I hope you return to this topic every so often, Corinne. I loved the podcasts on working dads and mums and am particularly interested in hearing the nitty gritty of how people combine work and parenting both on a daily basis and also in exceptional circumstances like traveling to conferences.
Thanks, Victoria!
Thank you Corrine, for inviting me to write this! It’s been difficult for me to accept that I can’t do both full-time well, and then to find something in between that works for me, and to let go of feeling guilty for defining my priorities. That is such an important point you make!
Thanks for your comments Karen. Glad to hear I’m not the only one who uses work to stay sane in the chaos of life with kids. I also have worked early mornings, and late nights, depending on my kids’ schedule. I’ve had to switch back from nights to mornings now that they’re going to bed later with daylight savings. And that’s also a good argument for working with agencies, that way you can just say no instead of having to scramble to get something covered for an important direct client. Thanks again for your comments!
Thank you Elizabeth, you made my day! Knowing that sharing my experiences is helpful to others inspires me as well!
Thank you, Victoria! I completely agree that it can be good for your career. It forces you to get way more done in less time, and I couldn’t agree more that it makes it easier to say no to jobs that aren’t worth it because you value your time much more!