The pandemic is doing odd things to people’s freelance businesses: something I’ve discussed in a pandemic roundtable podcast, and a blog post. About all that can be said is that some things are up and others are down. I’ve heard from multiple freelancers (translators and interpreters) who’ve never been busier, and from others who are […]
Continue Readingtranslation rates
Should you post your translation rates on your website?
A reader asks: Should I post my translation rates on my website? I feel like this could discourage some of the low-balling clients I don’t want to work with, but I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do. Let’s take a look! Why might you WANT to post your rates? Posting your rates has […]
Continue ReadingTo break out of the low-rate market, change these three things
Stop me if this sounds familiar: I really needed work, so I decided to take whatever came through the door. I decided that applying to mega-agencies/advertising on Fiverr/racing to the bottom on translation job boards was the fastest way to get full-time freelance work. But now I’m stuck; I have to translate 10-12 hours a […]
Continue ReadingWhen a client asks for a discount
When a client asks, “can you lower your rate?,” you can respond in various ways. You could get defensive and belligerent (“For your information, I’m a serious professional whose work is worth real money”). You could offer some snarky feedback on the rate the client is proposing (“No serious professional translator would work for what […]
Continue ReadingTime management strategy: look at your rates
Here’s a time management strategy that, at first glance, doesn’t seem like a time management strategy. Make sure that you set your translation rates so that you have enough time for non-billable work. If you’re looking for the sound-bite version of this concept, you can stop reading! Otherwise: This came to me while I was […]
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