Last week's ATA conference reminded me how very intimidating and scary one's first few years as a freelancer can be. What's stressful? Basically everything. Everything you write or say to a client or a potential client; every translation you proofread and re-proof and re-proof, worrying that there's … [Read more...] about Six things every beginning translator needs to know
Freelance Translator
The importance of being intentional
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
How to decide if a translation specialization is viable?
A student in my online course asks: How do I decide if a translation specialization is viable? Hmm, interesting question, and one that nearly all freelancers have to grapple with at some point. Short answer: nearly any specialization is viable, depending on your marketing zeal and income needs. … [Read more...] about How to decide if a translation specialization is viable?
Shouting and moaning about bad clients: productive, or not?
This post is inspired by something Ted Wozniak posted on Facebook, linking to Sébastien Devogele's blog post "The Rate Rant." The issue: translators who complain about bottom-feeding agencies that pay low rates, endlessly try to drive down prices even further through fuzzy match discounts, treat … [Read more...] about Shouting and moaning about bad clients: productive, or not?
New podcast: Beyond the basics of freelance marketing
Tess Whitty's Marketing Tips for Translators podcast is a great resource for freelancers, and Tess recently interviewed me for an episode called Beyond the Basics of Freelance Marketing. We talked about how to market your translation services to higher-quality agencies and direct clients, how to … [Read more...] about New podcast: Beyond the basics of freelance marketing