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Direct client marketing is a hot topic right now, with a lot of translators looking for their first direct clients. A common question: “What do I do about QA/editing/proofreading, when there’s no agency in the mix??”

And, it’s true…to be successful in the direct client market, you need at least one trusted colleague, who can:
-Edit/proofread/revise for you
-Share large projects, if the client needs them faster than one person can work
-Fill in for you if you’re sick or on an extended vacation

Let’s look specifically at the issue of QA, because, although many agencies do not do a full review of every translation, they should. And it’s an advantage to have your translations reviewed by a skilled colleague.

Most importantly, you make the decision as to whether the client’s project needs a secondary editor. For direct clients, hopefully you’re pricing per-project. So you would simply say to the client, something like, “Since this project is for publication/distribution, it will need to be reviewed by a second translator, and that is included in my quote.” In my opinion, it’s really important not to frame secondary editing as optional, or an add-on that the client can include or exclude. If you feel that the client’s project requires a secondary editor, that should be included in your quote and the client has to pay for it.

In my opinion, not every project absolutely requires a secondary editor. I typically do not use a secondary editor for:

• Official documents
• Translations that are for in-house use only, and will be read once or twice by one or two people; for this type of document, I do text-to-speech proofreading and then a final review of a PDF or hard copy
• Translations where the client has a good in-house editor, who often knows their projects, programs, and terminology better than I do

But for any direct client project that is for publication or distribution, I include editing, by an editor of my choice, in the quote, the client has to pay for it if they want to work with me, and then I pay the editor out of what the client pays me.

I hope this is helpful, if you’re working with, or considering working with, direct clients!

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In episode 8 of the T4T podcast, I discuss a reader’s question: Is translation even worth pursuing as a career? Is it a dying profession? And if not, where does that stereotype come from, and who’s doing well right now?

This episode is based on a blog post that I wrote back in 2023, and on two LinkedIn posts that I recently wrote: this one, about clients who are looking for a translator who cares, and this one, about the effect of AI/MT on translators in various markets.

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Next up on the Training for Translators calendar is a two-hour master class, Breaking Into the Subtitling Market, with guest instructor Molly Yurick. The live class is on November 14 (this coming Thursday), and registration ($75) includes the recording. We have a good group signed up, and there’s still room for you! Join us and learn:

📣🎬🎥🎞 The basics of the subtitling market, and the most popular free and paid subtitling tools

📣🎬🎥🎞 Subtitling pricing systems

📣🎬🎥🎞 The role of AI/MT in subtitling

📣🎬🎥🎞 A step-by-step plan for breaking into subtitling: where to pursue training, how to find your first clients, and the essential resources you need

We hope to see you there!

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In episode seven of the Training for Translators podcast, I take a look at freelance translator and interpreter income: what I earn, and my thoughts on what “the average freelancer” in our professions earns. This podcast episode draws on three posts from the T4T blog:

My 2021 business expenses (I thought 2021 was the year when I started a full income wrapup, but I guess I was willing to write only about my business expenses??)

My 2022 income wrapup (the full deal!)

My 2023 income wrapup

You can subscribe to the podcast (Training for Translators) in Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or listen right here!

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This question came up in a T4T alumni question and answer session (“How do I join those??” You take a four-week class with T4T!). “I’m applying to agencies, and lots of them ask for references; it seems weird to provide references from agencies I already work for, because I’m not sure that my current clients would be thrilled to know that I’m applying for other work, and it seems odd for the new potential client to know who I already work for.”

I agree on all fronts, and direct clients ask for references too, so let’s break this down.

First: Make a habit of getting ahead of this request

The best defense is a good offense, and very few of us make a habit of asking clients for a testimonial or letter of recommendation, even when we know that they’re happy with our work. Get in the habit of doing this:

• Whenever a client says something complimentary about your work, or you get the sense that they really like you, act on it! Ask for a LinkedIn recommendation (always assure them that it’s no problem if they’re not able to do this), or a testimonial, or a brief letter of recommendation. Ask on LinkedIn only if you’re OK with it being public knowledge that you work with this client. Otherwise ask for a testimonial and anonymize it when you post it on your website (or elsewhere). Just list it as “Translation agency project manager,” or “Law firm paralegal,” or whatever the person’s title is.
• Ask clients ahead of time if you can list them as references. Again, this doesn’t get around the issue of other clients knowing who you already work for, but it gets around the issue of scrambling at the 11th hour when you need a reference and want to make sure it’s OK with them.
• Keep a running list of your projects/assignments and the subject matter. There’s nothing worse than being sure you’ve done work similar to what a potential client wants, and in the moment (“Tell us about your experience working with clients in XYZ sector”) you draw a complete blank. Again, be prepared before the request comes in!

Second: In my opinion, colleagues make better references

To me, here’s the heart of the issue. I have very few clients (not zero, but very few) who understand my source and target languages well enough to really comment on the quality of my work. Of course, there are tons of other factors involved. Is this person pleasant to work with? Do they meet deadlines? Are they reliable, do they follow directions, do they get along with the client’s other translators and interpreters, etc. etc. But I would argue that in general, colleagues make better references, because they can comment on the above factors, plus the actual quality of your work (what a concept!).

References from colleagues have a few other advantages:

• Your close colleagues probably already know who you work for, so there’s not really a confidentiality issue
• You can pre-emptively ask a couple of close colleagues whether you can list them as a reference if the need comes up. I always add, “You can also feel free to list me as a reference, and you don’t need to ask every time, it’s fine with me in general.“
• You can tell them what to say. Clarification: you don’t get to dictate what the person says about you; that’s the point of the reference. But you can give them some hints that might be weird to tell a client: “This potential client has high-volume projects, can you comment on how I’ve never missed a deadline.” “This potential client needs someone for bidirectional interpreting assignments, can you comment on that assignment we did together where we worked in both directions.” That kind of thing can be really helpful.

Asking for references is, in my opinion, reasonable. Clients want to know what other people say about you, not just what you say about yourself. And, being asked for references can be stressful! I hope that these tips can help smooth the process at least somewhat.