Episode 4 of Speaking of Translation, the podcast that Eve Bodeux and I host, is now live! For this episode, we interviewed Judy Jenner during her recent visit to Colorado and talked to her about marketing pitfalls and best practices for freelance translators. The episode is 23 minutes long and you can either listen to it right from the site or download the audio file and listen to it later. Thanks for listening and please feel free to submit your comments or suggestions!
Links: two excellent marketing posts
If you’re looking for some coffee-break reading, I highly recommend:
- Riccardo Schiaffino’s post over at About Translation, on last weekend’s Colorado Translators Association marketing seminar. We had some weather-related drama associated with this event (a foot of wet snow in mid-April!) but fortunately it went off very well and we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Thanks to all of the presenters, they’re listed and linked to in Riccardo’s post.
- Abigail Dahlberg’s post on finding work as an environmental translator on her blog The Greener Word. Even if you’re not an environmental translator, I think that Abigail’s post offers a very helpful overview of how to profile and find your potential clients. I think that many people could save a ton of marketing time simply by following her advice to look for clients who a) are likely to need your services and b) can pay your rates.
Happy reading!
Some thoughts on rush charges
Recently, the e-mail list of our local translators association erupted with posts on the topic of rush charges, and I’m assuming that the level of interest on this topic isn’t restricted to translators in Colorado. I was really intrigued by the variety of ways in which people handle rush jobs; some charge as much as 100% extra while others don’t charge extra at all; some people apply rush charges to all of their clients while others waive rush charges for repeat clients; some consider rush jobs to be anything requiring more than 2,500 words of translation per day while others charge rush for anything due in less than 24 hours.
There are a few issues underlying the question of rush charges:
- What constitutes rush? Is a rush assignment one that requires the translator to translate more than x number of words per day (and if so, is x 1,500 words, 2,500 words, 3,000 words or something else entirely…)? Or is a rush assignment one that requires the translator to rearrange his or her schedule in order to meet the deadline? Or is a rush assignment anything that has to be turned around in less than 24 hours?
- Is there a difference between rush and overtime? When we receive a rush assignment, do we really translate faster or do we just work longer hours?
- What kind of rush charge should a translator levy? Some sort of minor inconvenience surcharge like 10% or something cataclysmic like 100%? And if many workers who are paid by the unit (normally the hour) get at least time and a half for overtime, why not translators? Should the rush charge be applied to the whole project, or only to the portion that requires the translator to work extra?
Obviously, few of these questions have hard and fast answers, but it’s interesting to find out what other people’s pricing methods are. In addition, most people admitted that subjective factors (someone mentioned “tone of desperation in the client’s voice”) enter into the rush charge equation as well. In my own case, I try to avoid nickel and diming regular clients with rush charges when the job in question is a short one. If a regular client calls me and needs a few hundred words by the end of the day, I try to squeeze it in without charging extra. On the other hand, if an infrequent client or a new client calls and needs a big project done on a rush basis, I quote at least 50% more than my regular rate and often refer to it as “time and a half” to put it in perspective.
I’ll also go on the record as saying that I really dislike rush work. Everything about it, from the need to respond with a yes/no and a firm quote immediately to the pressure of having to skip steps in my normal research and QA process, stresses me out. However, rush jobs are in some ways unavoidable. Many times, clients don’t want to have their things translated on a rush basis but there’s no way to avoid it. In addition, a rush job that I do at 50%+ more than my normal rate can be a good way to work a few hours in the evening and take the next day off. Any other thoughts on the rush rate world?
The Alicia Gordon Award for Word Artistry in Translation
A fellow ATA member wrote to let me know that she is on the committee for the Alicia Gordon Award for Word Artistry in Translation, and that the committee is actively seeking submissions for this year’s award. The deadline is June 1 and the submission guidelines are available on the award’s web page. The Alicia Gordon Award award recognizes individual solutions to a challenging passage or project. Send a sample of 750 words or less (From French or Spanish into English, or from English into French or Spanish). This award is by no means limited to literary translation, but rather, it’s open to all areas of translation, e.g. medical, legal, technical, advertising, etc. Judges will look for imaginative and creative solutions to a particular translation challenge. Award: $250 and certificate of recognition. Winner will be announced during ATA’s 50th Annual Conference in New York, NY (Oct. 28-31, 2009). Open to ATA members in good standing.
Link: Sales Caffeine
I’ve been incommunicada for a few days due to the Colorado Translators Association‘s marketing seminar which we held over the weekend. Judy Jenner of Twin Translations did a fantastic job as the featured presenter, and we had a really interesting panel in the afternoon with people from various sectors of the industry: Adam Asnes of Lingoport, Japanese to English translator Chris Blakeslee and Beatriz Bonnet of Syntes Language Group.
I’ll write a more complete post about the seminar later (let’s just say that the marketing to-do list inspired by the seminar is a mile long!), but I did want to pass along a really interesting site that Adam and Beatriz both recommended: Sales Caffeine. Written by Jeffrey Gitomer, it’s a free e-newsletter featuring “fresh brew for your brain.” Admittedly the author’s material is, well, salesy. However, I really like the fundamentals of his outlook on entrepreneurship: in a bad economy you have three choices about how to handle your business. You can a) do nothing b) complain or c) do something. And he’s correct, right? The issue of Sales Caffeine that I just received (#389) focuses on how to create the best scenario for you and your clients in a down economy. Some of these tips are definitely for people who are more on the direct selling end of things, but even for those of us who are peddling words and ideas instead of siding or cars, I think that they hold true. Gitomer advises that in order to keep your business strong in a weak economy, you need to “be the person that others talk about in a positive way when you’re not there,” and “help your customers find customers and resources,” which I heartily agree with. Check it out!