Let's just dive in to this one: bad habits that may be putting the brakes on your freelance ambitions. Feel free to add your own in the comments! And for the record, I'm not getting all superior here...I culled many of these bad habits from my own experiences! Waiting for the big block of time … [Read more...] about Bad habits that hold freelancers back
Freelancing
You as a businessperson: in one word
Here's a question, prompted by a fellow tenant of my co-working office. If you had to choose one word that you hope is used to describe you as a businessperson, what would it be? When he (the fellow tenant) originally asked me that question, I drew a bit of a blank. But then yesterday, after I … [Read more...] about You as a businessperson: in one word
You need a freelance sanity routine
In my Beyond the Basics of Freelancing class, a student asked a really good question: how to stay sane while working on an insane project. No matter how carefully you manage your work flow and your routine, everyone has "one of those weeks" once in a while. A good client needs 15,000 words in a … [Read more...] about You need a freelance sanity routine
Rates: think green zone, yellow zone, red zone
Let's look some more at the "How much should I charge?" question, since it's such a source of stress and speculation for most freelancers. You might also be interested in these previous posts--What is the right rate for your translation services, and How and why to raise your translation rates. If … [Read more...] about Rates: think green zone, yellow zone, red zone
Bad translations as a marketing tool
A reader asks: I come across lots of bad translations in my language pairs. How can I use these to pitch my freelance services to new clients without sounding like a hyper-critical tattletale? This is a regular topic of conversation among translators who work with direct clients, and bad … [Read more...] about Bad translations as a marketing tool