Training for Translators

Classes for translators and interpreters


Corinne McKay

Finding your first translation clients: three ideas

“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. Based on my own experience, and on advice that I’ve given to students over the years, here are three potential strategies:

  • Work the local market
  • Work for big agencies that base their hiring mainly on their own tests and are always looking for new translators
  • Develop a micro-niche and market yourself as *the translator* for that niche

With the caveat that all of these have their pluses and minuses, let’s take a closer look at each one.

Working the local market

Even in the online age, many clients are still more likely to take a chance on someone they’ve met in person. When I started freelancing in 2002, I knew I could do this job. I already had a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in French and had done a translation course and a translation internship during my study abroad year in France, plus some small translation jobs for friends. But I had pretty much zero real client experience. When you’re a beginner and you don’t have tons of work, one thing you do have a surplus of is time. So, I contacted every translation agency or other potential client (i.e. the local chapter of the Alliance Française) within an hour’s drive of my house and asked for an informational interview. I pitched it as, “I’m a new translator in the area and I’d love to learn a little more about your business and how I might fit in.”

Be prepared: the majority of your contacts may respond in a noncommittal or lukewarm way. “We’re not looking for additional translators in your language pair right now.” “We don’t have much work into English.” “We only use people with three years’ experience.” No problem; show up anyway if they’ll meet with you. I did this, arriving with business cards, a small gift (perhaps chocolate…now I can’t really remember) and a prop, in the form of a binder that I had loaded with printed copies of the few translations I had already done. I had a list of questions prepared, about the agency’s primary specializations, biggest growth areas, the best way to break in as a newbie, and so on. And, either surprisingly or not surprisingly, I ended up receiving work from nearly every agency I went to meet with. At some point, they landed a large project for French to English and needed to quickly add more translators. Or one of their stalwart French to English people wasn’t available, or raised their rates, or took an in-house job. Or they had a rush project on a Friday afternoon and their other regulars didn’t want it, and I was motivated (and hungry). Whatever the case, I probably visited six potential clients and ended up getting work from five of them.

If you’d like to pursue this route, look for agencies through the ATA corporate members directory, your local association directory, local cultural associations for your languages, etc.

Apply to large agencies

We all know the downsides of this one: large agencies tend to pay lower rates than smaller agencies do, they often require high-volume work with a fast turnaround, and they are often impersonal to work with. But large agencies have a few major pluses if you’re a beginner.

First, many large agencies base their hiring primarily or even exclusively on their own tests. The three years of experience, certification, Master’s in translation-type requirements are less likely to be a factor for big agencies, depending on your languages and specializations. Second, big agencies are always looking for new translators because people tend to work for theses types of agencies for a while and then move on. Third, big agencies are good “filler” clients because you can take work from them when you’re available and decline when you’re not available. A few recent students have told me that some of their large agency clients have even moved to assigning jobs through an online portal that you log in to and browse the available projects (even less personal than the old mass e-mails!). But these factors can make large agencies a good starter client or fill-in client for someone in their first few years of freelancing, or someone who combines freelancing with another job or with going to school.

If you’d like to pursue this route, Common Sense Advisory produces a yearly report on the 100 largest language services providers (their term: I prefer “agency”). The current year’s report is available only to their paying subscribers, but you can access the 2012 report for free.

Cultivate a micro-niche and look for direct clients

The direct-to-direct client route can work. I wrote about it here, and the comments were really interesting. It’s worth noting that one of the most common comments from experienced translators was, “I started that way, and I wouldn’t do it again, but it worked” (kind of how I feel about our fixer-upper house: never again, but it worked!).

But here’s my suggestion: if you’re a beginner, you can increase your chances of success and decrease your learning curve by targeting the direct client market in a micro-niche. Pick a topic you know a lot about, and/or that you love to research. Then, instead of “translator with minimal experience, now serving Fortune 500 clients with an enormous risk of failure,” you’re:

  • “Helping German companies craft outstanding press releases in English”
  • “Helping ski resorts welcome Latin American tourists with outstanding Spanish web copy”
  • “Helping US-based Airbnb hosts appeal to Japanese guests with engaging property descriptions in Japanese”
  • “Helping French universities expand their international programs with marketing materials in English”
  • “Helping Italian cooking schools attract English-speaking participants with YouTube videos in English”

By targeting a micro-niche, you do a few things. First, you cut down on analysis paralysis because you know who to market to. Rather than wondering where to start with companies that need pharmaceutical translation, you make a list of cooking schools in Italy, or hot spring resorts in Japan, or horse breeders in Kentucky, or whatever your niche is, and you contact them directly. Second, your translations will be better because you’re working in a small niche in which you can become an expert (and don’t forget to work with an editor for direct client work!). Third, it’s easier to market a niche business through techniques that pull clients to you, such as an SEO-optimized website, Google or Facebook ads, attending trade fairs for that industry, and so on. It’s almost impossible for a freelancer to budget for keywords like “German translator,” but niche keywords are a lot more affordable.

I’ve been thinking a lot about micro-niches lately, because one of my own micro-niches is helping French universities market their international programs in English. At the ATA conference, I was interested to see a few presentations on micro-niches (I went to an excellent one on translating for the cruise industry by Jeana Clark and Esma Gregor). Micro-niches can work well for experienced translators too, but I think that they are an especially appealing option for beginners who have some knowledge of, or interest in, a specific subject area.

I used all of these techniques (to a greater or lesser extent) when I launched my freelance business in 2002. But I’m also interested to hear from readers who have tried these techniques, or who have other creative suggestions for getting around the chicken/egg issue.


Corinne McKay

Links I like

On this pre-Thanksgiving Friday (and after Colorado’s first snowstorm of the season!), here are a few links to keep you busy if you’re taking time off next week:

  • If you’re an interpreter, note that ATA’s Credentialed Interpreter designation is now open for business. This is *not* an interpreter certification program, but it allows interpreters certified by other entities to have that certification noted on their ATA directory profile. The idea is to provide some level of parity in the directory for interpreters, since Certified Translators have that designation noted on their directory profiles. You can read all about the requirements and how to apply, using the link above.
  • Eve Bodeux and I just released the November episode of Speaking of Translation, and it’s on how to write a great translator resume. We discussed the key elements of writing a professional, attention-getting resume, some pitfalls and best practices, and some alternatives to a resume if you work with direct clients. Serious translator geekery, but we had fun with it.
  • If you missed this year’s ATA conference (or if you were there but want to relive it!), you can watch the highlights video on ATA’s YouTube channel. You can also read wrapup posts from some attendees: Claire Cox wrote about being a first-time attendee from outside the US, and Paula Arturo wrote about being a repeat attendee and presenter from outside the US.
  • And speaking of translator geekery, Grammar Girl has a great new post on the differences between i.e. and e.g. in English. I have a client that uses these a lot, so I found this very helpful!
  • And finally, if you haven’t had enough of translator conferences, I noticed that registration is now open for ITI’s 2017 conference, May 18-20 in Cardiff.


Corinne McKay

Some thoughts on freelance income

We all know that freelance income and salaried income are two different things. There are hard factors (self-employment tax, health insurance, paid time off) and soft factors (flexibility, enjoying your work, being able to live where you want). But at a certain point, you have to run the numbers, which you should do at least once a year.

First, come up with a number

If you want an actual freelance income needs calculator, I would recommend:

Those are not affiliate deals, and there are other ways to calculate how much you need to charge in order to reach your desired income, but they’re a good start.

Next, give up on “I earn more than my salaried friends, so I’m fine”

Lots of people get sucked into this trap: “I was making 65K at my last job and doing fine financially. I worked 40 hours a week with four weeks of vacation, so that’s 1,920 hours a year. So I only need to earn $33.85 an hour (65,000/1,920) and I’ll replace my income from my old job.” A couple of issues there.

  • If the salaried job provided paid time off (vacation time and/or sick time), you’re now funding that yourself
  • If you’re in the US, the salaried job paid the employer’s portion of certain taxes, and you’re now going to be funding those yourself
  • Most freelancers do not bill 40 hours a week (unless they work 55-75 hours a week)
  • If you’re in the US and the salaried job provided health (disability, life, etc.) insurance, you’re now funding that yourself
  • If the salaried job provided other benefits such as matching your contributions to a retirement plan, you’re now funding that too

Even established freelancers fall into this trap, in that they can’t help comparing what they earn as a freelancer to what their spouses, friends, and colleagues earn at salaried jobs. So, the first step is to get rid of that mindset and think only in terms of your freelance income.

Be honest about the soft factors
The second step is to assess how much the soft factors of being a freelancer mean to you. Perhaps that’s the ability to work from anywhere. Perhaps it’s that you can be home when your kids get home from school, or when your elderly parents need help. Perhaps it’s that you can take a month off and go trekking in the Himalaya, or just that you don’t enjoy having a boss, or that you want to live in a place where there are very few salaried jobs for what you do.

For me, the soft factors alone are a deal-breaker for most salaried jobs. I don’t want to move to a major city. I don’t want a boss unless the person is really, really awesome. And I want the flexibility of scheduling work around my family and personal time. So in a sense, I have no choice but to make freelancing work. I’m happy with how much I earn, but I would stick with freelancing even  if I earned less. Other freelancers might take the opposite angle. If the soft factors don’t mean much to you, then you need to earn *a lot* as a freelancer to make up for the financial hits of self-employment tax, no benefits, and no paid time off.

Don’t limit yourself
The longer I work as a freelancer, the more I realize the importance of mindset. In my first year as a freelancer (2002), I made $9,000. And I was really, really excited about that 9K, because I had a newborn baby and wanted to find a way to work from home while she was little. Then I thought, hey…what if I could actually replace my income from my old job as a teacher? Like actually make 35K? So in 2003, I made 18K, and in 2004, I made 36K, and that felt just amazing. The thought of earning a lot more than that wasn’t really on my mind, until my accountant said, “You’ve doubled your income three years in a row, which means you need to plan for a lot more growth.” Really? Really. And within another two years, I was making the part-time equivalent of six figures.

So, the first step in earning a higher income is to stop limiting yourself to “just getting by.” Hang out with freelancers who earn a lot more than you, and soak up their tips. Gradually start filtering in some higher-paying work, and some higher-paying clients, while keeping your bread and butter clients as your baseline income. Test out a new revenue stream. Invest in classes that make you a better translator, which will give you the confidence to market to better clients.

Readers, other thoughts on freelance income?


Corinne McKay

Links I like

As we wrap up the week, here are a few links I’d recommend!

  • Don’t quit your job to chase your dreams until you’ve read this, an excellent post from ProBlogger. I agree with ProBlogger on this one: whenever I have students who say, “That’s it! I’m giving my two weeks notice and failure is not an option!,” I feel equally excited and terrified for them. This article includes a really balanced look at how to decide whether to quit your job and freelance full time (just replace “start a blog” with “start a translation/interpreting business,” and this article applies to us too).
  • Tracking your freelance income and expenses, a very helpful article from Freelance Taxation.com. Horrifyingly enough, another tax season will be here soon, and this article includes some excellent thoughts on income tracking methods (Excel versus QuickBooks, for example), and emphasizes the need to completely separate your business and personal finances.
  • Pleasantly persistent, a great article on The Muse, about how to follow up without making people want to block your e-mail address. Following up with potential clients is both important and tricky; I agree with this article that I *hate it* when someone who sent me an unsolicited marketing e-mail then follows up by saying, “I haven’t heard back from you and would really appreciate a response either way.” Mmmm, sorry…when I didn’t ask for your e-mail, you don’t get to coerce me into responding. At the same time, there are *really useful and helpful* ways to follow up, and this article highlights a few of those.
  • I’ve talked before about the benefits of Do It Days (and I need to write a blog post about them!), and I noticed that the Get it Done Guy, Stever Robbins, is now offering free group Do It Days that you can sign up for online. It looks as if the fall series is now over, but you can sign up to be notified of future days, and that page also includes a great description of what Do it Days are.
  • How to build a six-figure translation business by increasing your productivity, an interview on Marketing Tips for Translators, where Tess Whitty interviews French to English translator Jenae Spry. Lots of great ideas here, especially if you’ve been toying with the idea of using speech recognition.
  • Lastly, my final online course of 2016, Getting Started as a Freelance Translator, starts Monday, and I have three spots left. The course price will increase from $355 to $380 after this, so it’s a good time to join if you’ve been considering it!


Corinne McKay

Six things every beginning translator needs to know

Last week’s ATA conference reminded me how very intimidating and scary one’s first few years as a freelancer can be. What’s stressful? Basically everything. Everything you write or say to a client or a potential client; every translation you proofread and re-proof and re-proof, worrying that there’s a horrific error hiding in there somewhere; every marketing effort you make, worrying that it will fail, or that it will succeed and you’ll have too much work. So, as a small step toward decreasing that anxiety, here are six tips (based on past blog posts) for those starting out in our profession!

You need to know, #1: How to find good agencies to apply to. That link leads to a post I wrote in 2015, and there are also some excellent comments on it. In a nutshell: use Payment Practices or a similar tool to vet the agencies before you apply to them, follow up on all responses you receive, and ask other translators for referrals.

You need to know, #2: Whether it might be viable for you to work with direct clients right away. That link leads to a post I wrote earlier this year, and the comments include lots of first-hand advice from translators who took the direct client route, or who decided not to.

You need to know, #3: How to decide how much to charge, other than by using fear, or vague speculation about what other people are charging. This post dates back to 2008 (not that I’m feeling old…), but the information in there is still the information I give students and consulting clients today, minus the part about the euro breaking the $1.50 barrier!

You need to know, #4: What not to include in your marketing materials. This post is from 2014, and again, make sure to read the comments. It’s really hard not to fall back on a) your life story, and b) the same marketing pitch every other translator uses, but this post includes some tips on where to start.

You need to know, #5: What might cause you to fail at this. This post is still one of the most-read on my blog, and its 112 (!!) comments are well worth browsing as well. Whether you’re just considering freelancing, or whether you’re in “failure is not an option” mode, it’s important to look at the pitfalls that swallow a lot of people.

You need to know, #6: How to break out of the low rate market if you’re stuck there. Lots of translators start out working for low rates; there are valid reasons for doing that in certain, time-limited situations. But you’ll definitely burn out if you stay in the low rate market for too long. This post and its comments offer some ideas on how to move on to better work.

I hope these are helpful to the newcomers who follow this blog!