This month, I’m celebrating my 24th freelance-iversary. It goes without saying that things have changed a lot since 2002.

One massive shift: when I started out, the vast majority of freelance translators and interpreters made the vast majority of their income working for a small stable of loyal agency clients. It wasn’t unusual to make 70% of one’s income from two to five agencies, which made our work a lot like a regular job where we set the hours, and to some extent the rates. 

For most of us, those days are gone, for two reasons:

1. Agencies’ own work is less stable
2. For translation, agencies are probably offering rates that you can’t live off, especially if that’s for MTPE (machine translation post-editing) 

A big shift: When part of your business falls off a cliff

In the before-times (pre-COVID, pre-ChatGPT), I don’t recall talking to many freelancers who were suddenly dumped by a major client. It definitely happened, but these days it’s happening a lot. I wrote about this phenomenon (Help! I lost my biggest client with no warning!) in July, and I’ve since talked to a freelancer who lost 80% of their income with no warning, and several people who lost more than 25% with no warning. 

In my opinion, the risk that part of your business falls off a cliff is greater than ever. Here’s how this has played out in my own business in the past year and a half:

• In 2024, I made a good chunk of money interpreting in U.S. immigration court. I really love that work, and it was a pretty long and demanding process to pass the interpreting tests and do the paperwork to obtain the certification. At the time, they paid around $500 per day for in-person work and I was hopeful to start doing at least two assignments per month for them. I’ve gotten zero work from them since February 2025.
• About a year ago, a good interpreting agency client approached me about a large project, around $30,000 for multiple weeks of on-site interpreting. After some back and forth about the details, I never heard from them again. 
• Another good interpreting agency client mostly used me for one end client, and it was a big one (also around $30,000 per year). They recently lost that client to AI. 

These situations are specific to my business, but they prove a point: the business world in general is a lot less stable than it used to be. 

The real question: How to handle this new reality?

Your specifics are going to be different, but in a big-picture way, we’re all facing similar situations. I’m going to talk about this in more depth during our Training for Translators Plus “Behind the Business” session on October 22, but here’s my advice:

• Don’t ignore the writing on the wall. Sometimes, things really do fall off a cliff out of nowhere. This happened to me with one of my first good direct clients. After two or three years of steady work, they hired a half-time marketing employee who also had translation experience, and I was outta there with one e-mail. But it’s more common that the loss of the client is somewhat foretold, you just choose not to see it. For various reasons that I won’t go into because of client confidentiality, I honestly wasn’t that surprised when my interpreting agency client’s end client decided to discontinue live interpreting and switch to AI captions. The advantage: I felt it coming, so I was at least somewhat mentally prepared. 
• The business savings account: more important than ever. I’ve long championed the importance of a business savings account, so that you’re earning the money today to pay the bills in three months, or six months, not the bills that are due next week. These days, I think you need savings that are proportional to the risk of losing your biggest client. My guideline: one month of savings per 10% of your income that this client represents, and round up. If your biggest client represents 25% of your income, you need three months of savings in case they drop you. 
• Face the numbers. Data always tells a story, and sometimes it’s a different story than what exists in our heads. That goes both ways: sometimes we tell ourselves “it’s fine” when it’s actually a train wreck, and sometimes we tell ourselves “my business is circling the drain” when it’s really not. Enter: numbers, and two questions. 1) Are you in financial danger? 2) Are you still on track to meet your income goals? In my case, last year was my highest-earning year in 20+ years of freelancing ($145K) and I rapidly acknowledged that I worked too hard for that money. My numbers this year are definitely down, due to the interpreting client that switched to AI, and a large, one-time translation project last year that didn’t happen this year. By this time last year, I had earned $118K after paying my subcontractors (primarily T4T guest instructors) and as of today I’ve earned $95K; the drop is roughly proportional to what I earned from the interpreting client that switched to AI. And yet, I don’t feel financially strained and I’m on track to meet the minimum income goal ($125K) that I’ve set for myself. 
• Identify what is working. When you dig into your numbers, is it all bad news, or are some categories, or some types of clients, doing well? For me, legal interpreting is up. I’ve gotten remote work from a number of new states, and I just did an in-person trial in another state. Content writing for translation and interpreting companies is way, way up, and I’ve gotten a couple of really interesting new direct clients for both interpreting and translation. Things are far from bleak, but I need to follow my own advice and Always Be Marketing. 

A few takeaways 

If your business feels like a bit of a rollercoaster these days, here’s what I’d suggest:

• Back to Boring Basics: If your main challenge is that you need more work, you should be marketing every second that you don’t have paying work. This is totally un-glamorous advice, but in my experience it’s critical. 
• Follow up, follow up, follow up. Lately, when I talk to language folks who are finding good work, it’s almost always after more than two follow-ups. Sometimes it’s after eight follow-ups (no kidding, actual example). My own new policy: once a potential client has expressed an interest in working with me, I follow up with them until I get a yes or a no. I do it politely, and I never demand a response. I never say, “I’d appreciate you getting back to me either way.” I say something like, “In case my previous message got buried, I just wanted to check in and see where you’re at on the project we talked about.” 
• Avoid emotional waffling about whether freelancing is still for you. This is a mindset tip, but I think it’s important. About a year ago, I made a decision: unless something truly amazing falls into my lap, I’m sticking with freelancing for the long haul. I’ve also talked to people who are quitting translation and interpreting to either go back to school or take an in-house job in an unrelated field: radiology technician, government report writer, paralegal. You don’t need my approval for either of those things, but you do need to avoid expending emotional energy on whether you’re sticking with freelancing or not. Freelancing, especially at a high income level, is hard enough when you’re fully committed to it. It’s almost impossible if you’re constantly thinking, “If I had started applying for in-house jobs six months ago, I wouldn’t be in this position.” In, out, it’s your decision, but it needs to be an intentional decision. 

I hope these tips are helpful!

If you’d like more T4T in your life (accountability, support, training) without a huge financial commitment ($9/month, cancel any time), you should think about joining Training for Translators Plus. 

You’ll get a monthly goal-setting exercise, monthly training opportunities (this month there are actually three things: a recorded training on marketing to direct clients, a live Behind the Business session, and a co-working session), and early access/discounts on T4T offerings!

Description

Instructor: Bex Elder is a copywriter, translator (French and Spanish to English) and brand strategist who helps businesses work out what they actually want to say  while sounding like themselves. She’s the creator of Honest Brand Communications, which helps small businesses build clearer, more distinctive brands around three things: purpose, positioning + personality.Through copywriting, brand strategy and training, Bex helps businesses find the reason they exist beyond making money, the seat at the table only they can fill and the vibe no one else can copy — then turn that clarity into better marketing.

Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 12 noon to 1 PM New York time

Registration: Free! Everyone who registers will receive the recording. Registration is open only to Training for Translators Plus members through October 6; public registration opens on October 7. You can join Training for Translators Plus here ($9/month, cancel any time).

Description: Purpose, Positioning + Personality

Why do some businesses seem to know exactly what to say, while others end up second-guessing every bit of marketing they put out?

A lot of it comes down to three things: purpose, positioning + personality.

In this practical workshop, copywriter and brand strategist Bex Elder will unpack the three foundations of honest brand communications: what your business stands for beyond making money, the seat at the table only you can fill and the vibe no one else can copy.

You’ll learn why all three matter, how they work together and what happens when one of them is missing. We’ll also look at how getting clearer on your brand can help you make better marketing decisions, communicate your value more clearly and create consistent content without becoming formulaic.

You’ll come away with a clearer understanding of your own purpose, positioning + personality — and how to put them to work in your marketing.

For a while, I’ve been thinking of offering a subscription tier for freelancers who want additional accountability, support, and training without a big financial commitment.

Training for Translators Plus is here, with a good group already registered, and room for everyone who wants to participate! Registration is $9 per month, cancel any time, and includes:

• A monthly accountability component where you commit to getting one important thing done in your business; I’ll check in with you mid-month, then you’ll report your results at the end of the month
• A monthly training component, alternating between
  • Beyond the Business sessions where I talk about what’s going on in my business and how it applies to you
  • Open question and answer sessions (attend live or watch the recording)
  • Recorded trainings on topics such as the fundamentals of direct client marketing
• Other events, including co-working sessions
• Advance registration for Training for Translators free events, and discounts on paid events

The T4T newsletter will still be free! This paid subscription allows me to create more resources for people who want them. I hope you’ll come join us!

Reader question roundup: Digging into the mailbag

It’s been a while since I’ve done a reader question roundup! Here are three interesting topics that came up lately during my online course alumni calls. 

Who’s doing well right now? 

Question: “Based on your recent survey and your own experience, which translation specializations seem to be doing well at the moment?” 

Answer: In my opinion, and from talking to other people who talk to lots of translators, “who’s doing well right now” has almost nothing to do with your language pair(s) or specializations, and everything to do with who you work for, and your clients’ attitudes toward MT and AI. 

The only specialization that I see as being truly untouched by AI (unless you choose to use AI for the translation): certified translations of official documents, because ChatGPT can’t sign the certification statement. 

Otherwise, I think that most specializations have corners that are doing well and corners that are doing less well, but the real variable is the client. For example, I’ve heard multiple pronouncements that, “Legal translation is dead: DeepL did a huge marketing push to big law firms and they all bought in.” 

This is categorically not true. A couple of weeks ago, I got a project offer from one of my long term law firm clients. They’ve never mentioned technology in the 8+ years I’ve worked for them. They just want a good translation, and they don’t really care how I do it.

This week, I got a project offer from a boutique legal translation agency that I like a lot, and with whom I’ve worked periodically for at least five years. The offer was for a large MTPE project (and indeed, a DeepL translation!). I responded and told them, I don’t do MTPE but thanks for the request. They immediately replied and said the whole project wasn’t MTPE, and how much “from scratch” translation could I take? They sent what I requested, and it was really interesting to work on. 

The hard part: there’s really no way to tell how a client feels about AI and MT unless they say so on their website. Otherwise, you really have to poke around and find out, if post-editing AI translations isn’t your preference. But I can assure you that non-MTPE work is out there! 

How to prepare for the ATA exams? 

Question: What’s the best way to prepare for the American Translators Association certification exam? 

Answer: Take the practice tests!! I can’t stress this enough. The real test costs $525. The practice test costs $105 for members and $155 for non-members. Plus, you get your graded practice exam back with the errors marked, which you don’t on the real test unless you pay for a review. It’s amazing to me that so few people take advantage of this opportunity; go get it! 

How to avoid competing with your agency clients, if you’re marketing to direct clients? 

Question: If you’re doing direct client marketing, how can you avoid working with your agency clients’ end clients and potentially violating your non-compete agreement?

Answer: I’m a real stickler for abiding by my agency clients’ non-compete clauses, because agencies work incredibly hard to land and retain their end clients, whose work they then pass on to freelancers. 

For example, if I’m on an interpreting assignment through an agency and someone asks for my contact information because they want to hire me, I tell them to contact the agency I’m working through, because I wouldn’t be there without the agency.

If I were at an in-person networking event or trade fair and a potential client mentioned that they currently worked with one of my agency clients, I would do the same thing: move along, and don’t try to work with them directly. 

However, things get trickier when:

• You work for a huge company through an agency. Like if you work for the marketing department of Microsoft in Belgium through an agency, and you’re approached to write UX content by Microsoft in the U.S., should you refer them to the Belgian agency? Would that even work? That’s a situation where I think you have to use your own ethical compass because there’s not a clear answer. 
• Likewise, you can only avoid working for clients who you know to be clients of an agency you work for. The only way to completely avoid competing with your agency clients is to have them send you a list of all of their end clients, which they’re never going to do. This can get awkward if you start working with a direct client, and later find out that they jumped ship from one of your agency clients to work with you. Should you then stop working with them? Tell the agency? Again, this is something you have to work out if it happens, because I don’t think there’s a clear right or wrong answer. 

Have a great week, I hope these questions and answers are helpful!!

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LinkedIn: We love it, we hate it, it helps us network with clients we can’t e-mail and can’t meet in person, we fantasize about buying LinkedIn for the sole purpose of shutting it down…it’s complicated!

And if you want to completely quit LinkedIn, Amelia Hruby of Off the Grid will help you do it! I don’t even want to completely quit social media, but I find Amelia’s ideas creative and her opinions refreshing. Plus, she herself runs a six-figure business with only placeholder accounts on LinkedIn and Instagram (“Find me on my website because this account is dormant”). Remember: you’re a freelancer. No one “makes” you do anything in your business. Clients work with you or don’t, but if social media is making you nuts, get off!

The pluses of LinkedIn 

That being said, LinkedIn has some definite advantages:

• You don’t have to find anyone’s contact information
• You don’t have to worry about e-mail privacy
• You have access to endless amounts of information about who works where, where they used to work, who replaces them when they quit, it’s all right there 
• You can nudge people or companies on LinkedIn without worrying about what to write in a 150-word e-mail besides, “Do you have any work for me??? How about now???” 
• You can repost other people’s posts if you don’t want to write your own
• You can comment on other people’s posts in addition to or instead of writing your own 
• You can write your own posts and maybe get found by people who don’t yet know you and might be in a position to hire you or refer work to you
• You can look for full-time jobs and pitch yourself as a freelancer while they look for a full-timer or instead of a full-timer 

Despite the (many) annoyances of LinkedIn, I think these advantages (and probably others you’ve thought of) make it worth your time and attention. 

Forget the stupid algorithm 

Sorry for not finding a more professional way to say that. People have all kinds of theories about LinkedIn’s algorithm. Posts from personal accounts should always say “I” while corporate accounts should say “We.” Always use an image, never use an image, put your link in the post, put your link in an image, put your link in the comments. Comment on someone else’s post before you post so you don’t look like a lurker. 

I say life’s too short and my brain is already too overloaded to worry about this. Just get a little more active on LinkedIn and let the algorithm live its bot life without you. I *do* often put a “subject line” at the start of my posts. Here’s an example, where I posted about last week’s T4T newsletter. This makes it easier for people to see what the post is all about, but I think it looks formulaic if you do it all the time. 

 

The lowest-commitment way to start

The problem? When most of us think “networking on LinkedIn,” we think of the spammy messages we get all the time. “Offering you a paid Board position.” “Train AI and put yourself out of a job.” Or we think of the people whose every post is an “I’m So Great, don’t you wish you could be me???” or the people who post in an overly aggressive manner on potential clients’ posts. “Sounds like a disaster! Next time hire me and this won’t happen!” 

If you’re terrified of this, start here:

• Go on LinkedIn and follow some current or potential clients. Just go to their company page and click Follow. I know, some people worry that this gives away their business secrets or people will know who they work for. Personally I say, people really don’t think about you as much as you think they do. They barely think about you at all. Just follow some companies or NGOs or publishers or film studios or whatever, and if people want to be weird, leave them to it. 
• Get super-brave and just click the “Like” button on the post of a freelancer, corporate leader, or company you admire. Just that: one click. You can do this! You won’t die, I promise! 
• Repost someone else’s post (individual or company) that you like/agree with/want to support, just by clicking “Repost.” Don’t add any thoughts. I know, I know, the algo supposedly hates that, but here we’re training you, not the algo. 

Do those three things, then if you survived that (of course you did), keep going. 

Three ways to comment on someone else’s post 

Lots of stats and anecdotes show that commenting on LinkedIn is one of the best ways to get on the radar screen of a current client you’d like more work from, or a potential client you’d like to work for. But how do we do this? What do we say? How to not come off as too pushy or only commenting for the sake of commenting? Try this!

• Just be supportive and encouraging. It’s really OK to not say something pithy. The world needs more people who are just kind and positive and make other people feel good about themselves. It’s 100% OK to comment something like:
  •  “I really appreciate the information in this post, thanks for writing it up!” 
  • “Such great information, I’m making a note of this for the next time I’m thinking about/dealing with [topic of post]” 
  • “Great insights about [topic of post], thank you!” 
• Add a simple idea of your own to what the person/company said. Such as:
  • “I love how you talked about clients who specifically want a human touch instead of pure AI. I recently noticed this when a client came to me asking for…” 
  • “You’re so right that the AI transition has been a lot to deal with, but has also forced us to rethink how we want to work. I was pretty devastated to lose a client to machine translation, but I then found a replacement client who explicitly wants their writing to sound human.” 
  • “That’s interesting that you’re having trouble finding freelancers who do multilingual audio description. I wonder if any audio description training courses provide referrals to people who’ve taken their classes?”
• Ask a question that builds on what they said or encourages them to say more. Such as:
  • “I really appreciated your comments on XYZ trend. Do you think we’ll see more of that in the future, based on what you’re observing now?” 
  • “That’s interesting that you’ve gotten so many requests for multilingual clinical trial support. Do you think international trials are expanding? Maybe it’s getting harder to run trials in the U.S.? I’d love to read more about that.” 
  • “I really enjoyed this NGO trends report, it’s so hard to get good information on what’s happening post-USAID. Do you have any plans to release another study like this, maybe focusing on francophone Africa?” 

Posting on LinkedIn is its own topic, one that I’m not going to cover in this issue. But if you’re feeling tentative or even terrified about networking on LinkedIn, in any way, I hope these tips are helpful!