"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 … [Read more...] about Finding your first translation clients: three ideas
Clients
Can you give us a quote and a turnaround time?
"Can you give us a quote and a turnaround time?" As freelancers, we hear or read those words a lot: a client, or prospective client, has a document that they need translated, and they want to know about how long it's going to take, and about how much it's going to cost. So, when you're on the … [Read more...] about Can you give us a quote and a turnaround time?
Speaking of Translation: translating outside the box
Eve Bodeux and I just released a new episode of our podcast, Speaking of Translation; here it is! We are also on iTunes if you'd like to subscribe to us there. In this episode, Eve and Corinne discuss how to identify, market to, and successfully work in non-traditional translation … [Read more...] about Speaking of Translation: translating outside the box
Yelp, Craigslist, Upwork: should you be there?
When it comes to marketing your freelance business, it's important to cast a wide net. Taking an "if you build it, they will come" approach, for example by putting up a website and waiting for the work to start flowing in, is definitely not the way to go. But how wide should that marketing net be? … [Read more...] about Yelp, Craigslist, Upwork: should you be there?
“Agencies won’t pay my rates, and I can’t find direct clients”: what to do?
Here's a conundrum that I hear frequently from freelancers at all experience levels: agencies won't pay my rates, and I can't find any direct clients. What should I do? Well, let's see: First, adjust your mindset. Tough love tip: if you truly believe that *zero* agencies will pay your desired … [Read more...] about “Agencies won’t pay my rates, and I can’t find direct clients”: what to do?