Michelle Vranizan Rafter's blog, WordCount, has an excellent post about ways to promote your freelance writing, most of which are applicable to translation as well. When it comes to things like blogs, e-newsletters, podcasts and even websites, part of the appeal for translators is that the market … [Read more...] about Tips for promoting your freelance services
Marketing
Paid by the word or paid by the hour?
At last year's American Translators Association conference in San Francisco, I overheard a few conversations about how the translation industry would be affected if translators started billing by the hour rather than by the word. In some cases and for some jobs, translators do bill by the hour, but … [Read more...] about Paid by the word or paid by the hour?
The art of saying no
Recently, several newly established freelance translators have asked me about how and when to say no to clients who are offering translation projects. It's a delicate topic, since as freelancers we need to accept work in order to stay in business, but we also need to decline work in order to … [Read more...] about The art of saying no
Strategies for sustaining a freelance business
Michelle Vranizan Rafter's blog has a great post entitled "Freelancers' Strategies for Prospering in Bad Times." Although my sense is that most translators are not feeling the hit of the economic downturn, this post has some very useful information for growing your freelance business under any … [Read more...] about Strategies for sustaining a freelance business
Using objective data to set your translation rates
Possibly the most anxiety-provoking aspect of launching or running your translation business is deciding how much to charge. Charge too much and you'll be priced out of the market; charge too little and you'll be working overtime just to make ends meet. The easiest way to remove the anxiety from … [Read more...] about Using objective data to set your translation rates