A short but important thought about freelancing (and maybe about life in general, but that's beyond the scope of this blog!): whatever you do in your freelance business, do it intentionally, not because you're a) being passive or b) letting some external force dictate your decisions and then blaming … [Read more...] about The importance of being intentional
Marketing
Reader question: how do I find good agencies to apply to?
A reader asks: I'd like to apply to more translation agencies, but how do I find good agencies to apply to? This question applies to a lot of people who want to work with agencies, so let's talk about it. There are various online databases of translation agencies; for example I launched my … [Read more...] about Reader question: how do I find good agencies to apply to?
Warm e-mail marketing: a success story
In 2014, I listened to two episodes of Tess Whitty's podcast Marketing Tips for Translators that got me thinking about the whole "warm e-mail marketing" idea. Tess interviewed Joanne Archambault about marketing to direct clients that you can't meet in person and then interviewed Ed Gandia about his … [Read more...] about Warm e-mail marketing: a success story
Marketing by e-mail, on paper, or both
In marketing your freelance services, you may wonder (or at least I do!) whether it's better to market to direct clients by e-mail, on paper, or both. I don't have a succinct answer to that, but here are a few thoughts. For a long time, I was a devotée of marketing on paper: writing out a full-page … [Read more...] about Marketing by e-mail, on paper, or both
Using clients' names: OK or not?
A reader asks: On my website and resumé, is it OK to use my clients' names? Does it matter if I worked for them directly or through an agency? Short answer: To be safe, never use a client's name without their permission. If you're "sure that the client won't mind," then why not take two minutes and … [Read more...] about Using clients' names: OK or not?