Getting started as a translator Archives - Page 9 of 9

Most beginning translators I talk to have similar goals for their nascent freelance businesses; they currently have a full-time job and they want to start freelancing part time, then gradually ramp up to full time freelancing as their work volume increases. Lately, I’ve come across a few beginning freelancers who have a different goal: they want to freelance very part time on a long-term basis. One of these individuals wants to freelance only in the summers (in combination with a teaching job), one wants to freelance only at night (in combination with being an at-home parent) and another wants to freelance only on the weekends. All of these people asked “is this possible?” and it would be interesting to get other translators’ takes on this too.

Here’s my take: I think that if you want to work on an “odd” schedule, you have to a) market to clients to whom this type of schedule would be an asset or a necessity and b) convince yourself that your unconventional schedule is a selling point, not a deficit. For example, it seems to me that many translation buyers (be they agencies or direct clients) struggle to find translators during the summer months, when many of their regulars are on vacation. Particularly in the month of August, when it can seem that every person who lives in or is originally from Europe is out on a beach chair somewhere, the translator pickings can be slim, which could open the door to a summer-only translator. However, I think that the challenge lies in reminding clients that you, the summer-only translator, exist between September and May so that come June, they’ll send you work. At a large agency, a significant portion of the project management staff could have turned over during this time, and even a small client will have handled reams of work during the winter months. So, I think that the summer-only translator has to keep up a steady flow of contact, even if he or she really only wants to work in June, July and August.

I think that people who work off-hours have it a little easier. For starters, these people can use time zones to their advantage and mount a “the end of your day is the beginning of mine” or “send me your documents on Friday afternoon and the translations will be in your in-box on Monday morning” marketing campaign. Translators who work off-hours might also do well, once they have some experience, to market themselves as “pinch hitters” for translators who work with direct clients. In my experience, translators are much more reluctant to turn down work from a regular direct client than from a regular agency client, because the direct client may find another option and stick with it. So, an off-hours translator could be a lifesaver when a translator needs some work done at the last minute; of course this involves a high degree of trust between the regular translator and the pinch hitter!

Any other ideas/experiences out there for translators who want to work while the rest of us are sleeping or playing?

For beginning and experienced translators alike, there is often no way around the need to cold contact potential clients. Beginners need to find those crucial first few clients, and those of us who are established in the industry may want to look for better-paying work, work with direct clients or work in a new specialization. As in any profession, a warm or hot contact is always the most attractive; a personal referral from a colleague or current client has a much higher success rate than an e-mail, phone call or letter out of the blue. However, there’s no denying that cold contacting works when you want to launch or grow your translation business. Here are a few cold contacting techniques and some tips on how to apply them.

Phone calls are of limited use as a first point of contact with a potential translation client. I think that a phone call is appropriate only in response to a job posting that lists a phone number, or if a potential client’s other contact information (e-mail, mailing address etc.) is not available and you’re simply making the call to get that information. If you make a phone call to a potential client, be like e-mail: introduce yourself, get to the point (“what would be the best way to send you my resumé?”), and then let the client go.

Mass e-mail campaigns are another cold contacting technique that I would discourage. Although it’s tempting to write a “dear agency” e-mail, attach your resumé and blast it off to a few hundred translation companies, this technique may a) be perceived as spam and simply deleted and b) appeal to the type of clients you don’t really want to work for: low payers or clients who do not focus on quality.

Personalized e-mail forms the backbone of most translators’ initial marketing campaigns. Most translation companies have application instructions right on their website (look for a link to “contact,” “freelancers” or “employment”), whereby you use either the agency’s online form or send your application materials to an e-mail address that the agency provides. If you are sending a cover letter by e-mail, keep it very brief. Something along the lines of “To the attention of X translation company: I am a freelance X to X translator, and I am interested in offering my services to your agency. My specializations include X, X and X, and I have X years of experience working with X types of clients. In addition, I (am certified by X translators association, have a PhD in biology, am a CPA, worked in international trade for 10 years, etc.). My resumé is attached for your consideration and I look forward to speaking with you about how we might work together in the future.”

Postal mail is a technique that I think can work well with direct clients. When you’re applying to a translation company, you don’t have to convince the company that they need your services, but with a direct client you may. So, you may want to give the client more information than is appropriate to send in a cold e-mail; for example samples of your work, a brochure about your services, etc. Online printing services have also made it much easier to create professional-looking marketing postcards, and these are fast and inexpensive to create and send out to potential clients.

One element of cold contacting that translators often overlook is requesting a personal interview with local clients, or with clients who are in a city that you will be visiting. Especially if you are just starting your business but present yourself well in person, I think it can work very well to e-mail a potential client and ask if you can “stop in for a few minutes to learn more about their business and how you might fit in.” Take a small gift and treat the meeting as an informational interview, where you are not so much trying to sell yourself as to find out what the client’s needs are.

Very part-time freelancing

The basics of cold contacting