MY ADVICE TO FREELANCE TRANSLATORS + A POLITE REQUEST NOT TO ASK FOR PERSONAL ADVICE Please don't contact me asking for advice, and ESPECIALLY not if I don't know you. Each request adds up, and I don't want to be rude, but I really do need a life and can't spend it repeating myself. Experienced translators and copywriters can of course keep throwing apples to less-experienced peers, but unless they figure out how to cultivate their own orchards, they will starve, sooner or later. So, rather than trying to answer everyone's questions, I'm going to write my stock response here, and hope some people will also read it before contacting me. ... Thank you for coming to me for advice. I am very flattered, but I don't have the time to give everyone personalised advice. Instead, you'll find a range of hints here that should help set you on the right track and ensure you have other sources of advice, training and education should you get stuck in the future. SOURCES OF ADVICE Groups on social media: If you're here on Facebook, you can get a lot of help from groups. If looking for general advice, a good place to ask is The League of Extraordinary Translators. By posting in a large established group managed by real professionals who do not count translators among their clients, you can acquire a diverse range of opinions without the problems of spam or commercial interests that conflict with your own. There are a range of groups on Facebook and LinkedIn and they're not hard to find - try a few and find the right one for you. Translation associations: Being a member of an association is a great idea, as you'll be able to take part in further training at reduced rates, gain exposure to potential clients, and network with fellow professionals both online through the associations' forums, mailing lists, groups, and so on. Choose an association that allies with your own vision for the translation profession, and you'll also be supporting lobbying and promotional activities to further the profession in the way you desire. The more-established associations are more likely to win you enquiries from potential clients, but the quality of such offers will vary just like any portal. In my experience, it is mostly agencies that approached me through the ITI with low bids, and I received no job offers through my previous memberships of the IAPTI and DVÜD. In-person networking and conferences: Meeting in person is important, especially for such a solitary profession. Try to attend local meetups and powwows, and befriend other translators. Regional, national and international conferences are also a great opportunity to learn more and meet translators from all over the world. (Conferences are also a great place to make friends!) Blogs: There are some great translation blogs out there. Mine: www.lingocode.com Marta Stelmaszak: www.wantwords.co.uk/school/ Kevin Hendzel: www.kevinhendzel.com Jayne Fox: www.betweentranslations.com Marian Dougan: http://www.wordstogoodeffect.com/ Corinne McKay: http://thoughtsontranslation.com/ Jenner Twins: http://translationtimes.blogspot.co.uk/ Jill Sommer: http://translationmusings.com/ ...and a load more I am bound to forget. You'll find a lot of interesting information, opinions and discussion on those blogs. SOURCES OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION Webinars: eCPD Webinars (a company to which I have no commercial affiliation, although I am friends with one of the directors) has a great number of excellent webinars and videos for translators and interpreters. Most notable here is Marta M Stelmaszak's Business School for Translators, which has helped several friends and respected colleagues hit the ground running when breaking into translation and interpreting. I can highly recommend it. Literature: Relating to translation business, Judy and Dagmar Jenner's "The Entrepreneurial Linguist" really helped me take my business up a notch. That's the one I read first. I also highly recommend Chris Durban's "The Prosperous Translator", Wlf Think Tank's "101 Things a Translator Needs to Know", and Marta Stelmaszak's "The Business Guide for Translators". Those are in no particular order - I'd suggest buying all of them, or if you must do things sequentially, read the descriptions and simply go for the one that appeals most first. You will receive a regular magazine as part of your membership of certain translation associations, such as the ITI, ATA, IoL or BDÜ. Also look into literature relating to the language and theories in the fields you wish to translate. Consider subscriptions to the journals your potential clients will be reading, to ensure you're abreast of current events and the latest practices. Seminars, conferences and courses: Specialist high-level seminars are particularly recommended in this regard. Also look at attending courses and conferences relating to your specialisations and not just translation. SOURCES OF WORK Networking: All networking opportunities, i.e. the sources of advice, are also potential sources of work either through outsourcing colleagues and agencies or referrals. Just don't go into things looking for work. The same sort of applies to sources of education and training. In all these cases, looking for work should be at most a secondary objective, otherwise you'll smell desperate, annoy people, and put them off. ProZ/Translator's Café/similar platforms: It can work for some people, in some combinations, in some specialisations. It doesn't work for me, my combination, my specialisations, and my rates. I'm on the expensive end and work almost exclusively with direct clients, so it holds very little value for me. I also find it cheapens my image to be on a site alongside multiple others with significantly less-professional profiles. The rates on the jobs posted on these websites are often very, *very* low, to the point most people would have trouble living on them. Better rates may be available on certain jobs or through agencies (or even direct clients) contacting you via the profile system. Agencies: Fine, just don't fall for scams (http://www.translator-scammers.com/) or get ripped off with rates you can't afford to live on. How to get such clients? Be active in places agencies will naturally come across you (see the other sections) and get in touch with agencies specialising in the areas you are interested in. Have an up-to-date CV, website or online profile that is geared towards not just translation, but your specialisation. Direct clients: Often better conditions across the board, and my personal preference, but you are also taking on greater responsibility. Be sure you're up to the task. How to get such clients? Make sure you can walk before trying to run - inexperienced translators with no ace up their sleeve (like working part-time in a bilingual advanced technical role or something) are best off learning the ropes with agencies. You'll come across them naturally if you're taking the training and education parts seriously. There's no recipe for success here, but if you network well with your target market, things will occur to you, and people will remember your name. OTHER MATTERS Specialise: Good clients don't want a Jack of all trades. They want a specialist. You'll find good advice elsewhere on specialising, but suffice to say that this is *very* important. See yourself as a business: Don't think of yourself as a poor, struggling freelancer. Realise what you're doing is running a business. Invest: Make the necessary investments to succeed. If you a tool could help you succeed, invest in it (maybe learn a bit about it first, but do invest in it). If you feel a course will teach you concrete strategies and background information that will help you to improve your work or do better in business, invest in it. Cover the business basics: - A website (consider: a professional designer, a professional copywriter) - Business cards (consider: a professional designer) - Specialised CV if working with agencies (consider: a professional designer, professional CV writer/copywriter) - Translated materials (*strongly* consider: a professional translator, proofreader, and/or copywriter) Consider: - Logo (only if professionally designed - otherwise you are better without) - Slogan (only if it makes sense, is unique, and is not cliché - good if it relates to your specialisation) - Flyers (even better if tailored to your specialisation, and better if professionally designed and professionally written) I think that's enough for now, without writing a book of my own. Good luck.