Author: drawingboarddesign

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Healthy Freelancing Boundaries

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Industry Tips, Professionalism

When you are a self-employed as a freelancer or contractor, being on the lookout for potential clients is a way of life.  When we find new potential clients, or when there are new inquiries into our work, it is certainly an exciting thing. This is especially the case when we are just starting out, are experiencing a lull in incoming business, or have recently wrapped up projects and are eager to start more.

However, it is important to not allow your boundaries to be crossed by potential clients, even when you are in need of new ones. There may be traps that we can fall into, such as more work required than was stated at the beginning of the contract and clients who assume you are available most times of the day. If we can set reasonable boundaries from the beginning, from the time the initial contract is made, this can prevent you from falling into any of these traps.  Here are some trade secrets for subtly setting boundaries in this line of work:

  • Set project management meetings
  • Get all documents needed before starting work
  • Consider rush fees, revision fees, and deadline missed fees

Set regular meetings to go over progress and any issues. This not only keeps you on task, but can also be very helpful for the client. All too often we are inundated with emails, texts, and phone calls from clients. If we can limit this correspondence to these meetings, it can cut down on the expectation (and overwhelm) of timely replies.

Gathering everything needed before work starts can eliminate the need to drag projects on past their expected deadline. If you find yourself waiting for necessary documents, this can potentially prevent you from working on other projects, as you are saving space for this client and perhaps have not taken on others. Assert this to avoid this potential set back.

A tight turn around time requires hard work in a short amount of time, with little room for maintaining work-life balance. You may consider raising your prices for this. On the flip side, you might also consider setting fees for projects that drag on due to the client’s delay. At times, you may come across clients who never seem to be satisfied – here you can charge a fee for going beyond a set number of revisions that you deemed to be sufficient from the get-go. Finally as a follow-up to number 2, charging for missing documents and missed deadlines on the client’s part may be helpful.

Pro tips:

Manage expectations with assertiveness

The best way to manage expectations, of course, is to set them at the beginning and be extremely consistent and diligent with these contracted expectations. However, in the case that these expectations aren’t respected or maintained, it is imperative to have assertive and direct conversations with clients about this.  In addition, in the very early stages of project discussion prior to contracts being drawn up, remember that you are under no obligation to take on the project if it’s not a good fit for you.  Just because you’ve entered into a dialogue about the client’s needs and expectations does not mean that you are then obliged to take the job on.

Use your intuition by listening to yourself

If you have a gut feeling about a potential client or an offer, then it may not be for you. Listening to your intuition takes skill, including an ability to listen to what your body and “gut” is telling you, an ability to read body language of others, and, of course, an ability to say no.  Sometimes we ignore these for the sake of incoming business, but the outcome could end up being less than beneficial. Always listen to what your intuition is telling you to avoid potential setbacks, negative outcomes, and individuals who may be trying to take advantage of inexperience or financial need.

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?How to Help Your Clients Achieve the Perfect Translation

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Client Zone, Inspiration, Professionalism, Translation

The first step to helping client’s get the translation they want is good communication between translator and writer. This is important so that you, as the translator, know the unique goals of the project and ensure the best possible translation project is created! Good communication starts with the basics – listening skills, and an ability to professionally and assertively state yourself both in written and verbal ways. Most translators possess these skills, some clients may not. Here are ways to encourage your clients towards the best outcome possible.

  • Encourage specific communication about budget and timeline.
  • Have your client state their main objective for the translation
  • Encourage your client to be organized with project documents
  • Communicate your own boundaries
  • Know your limits and communicate them

Stating or negotiating prices is often difficult to discuss yet it is fundamental when kicking off a project. Some clients come with a price in mind and some don’t know where to start. Encouraging your client to name a price, start a negotiation, or discuss this part of contracting can be a challenge when they don’t. Using language that is curious, open and inviting can help this process along. Equally important is the timeline of the project. Knowing when the project needs to be completed will help you in planning, but will also help the professional relationship as expectations will be set, maintained, and managed if this is all discussed up front.

Do you know what your client is trying to achieve with their translation? Did they communicate what the goal of the project is?  Once this is clarified with the client, it allows you as the translator to better integrate their voice with yours, producing a piece of work that aligns with the client’s needs.

You need things from your client in order to be effective and efficient for them. You need contracts signed, receipts, and of course, the documents to be translated. Missing documents, incomplete work, and late add-ons can result in deadlines missed and your additional work inaccurately reflected in the negotiated fee. The more organized and complete the source content, the easier it will be to ensure success.

Some clients assume you are available for them much of the time. Some expect emails returned within a few hours and may become persistent if this isn’t the case.  It is good practice to communicate to your clients your availability, such as when you spend time responding to emails, what a reasonable turnaround time is for correspondence, and what days you work and which you do not.  You can set an out of office email reminder that tells your clients you are not actively responding to emails at the present time. Being clear on your professional boundaries not only helps the progress of the project, but it supports your personal and self-care time, as well.

It is okay to be the person who doesn’t always say “yes”. Allow yourself to turn down projects if you have taken on too much, or the project isn’t a good fit for you.  In those rare occasions, it is okay to ask for a deadline extension, within reason and with good arguments as to why you need more time. Likely, your clients with respect and honor your ability to maintain your limits and will appreciate your dedication to ongoing communication and client – translator relationship building.

Digital Marketing for The World of Languages

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Field, Industry Tips, Professionalism

How do you market yourself online when you do not have specific goods to sell, but are selling your services?  The answer to this question is content marketing strategies. When you have a service to offer, generating content and an audience online can gather many potential clients. It is defined as the supply of relevant, informative and entertaining web content to the internet user. This content could take many forms, including blogs, tips, research and more.

When content is generated on a regular basis – credibility and trust grows. This is because it provides an opportunity for the service and the client to connect in the digital world. Relationships are built and maintained. It’s the next best thing to networking in person.

As a translator, how do you stand out among other service providers on the market? It’s a difficult thing to do – stand out and assert yourself among others.  However, with good content marketing, it is possible to gain an advantage over the competition through digital relationship building. Many translators seek contracts as sole proprietors, and do not operate with huge marketing budgets, and it becomes important to generate content in a productive, efficient and economical way. Here are steps in doing so.

 Create or refresh your website

The first step to content marketing is to ensure you have a website and that it is performing well.  You may consider hiring a web designer to assist with this process, however it is not necessary with some basic research into how to do this. If your website is already created, you could examine every page to ensure that your links are correct, and that there are no “dead ends”.  You may want to look for and delete content that is outdated, incorrect or repeats. 

 Write content regularly

New content is the basis of this type of marketing.  Websites that create new content often come up higher in Google searches, resulting in better rankings for the website. Thus, content marketing isn’t about creating website pages and being done – it is an ongoing project. Some individuals choose to hire marketing companies for this process, others update content alongside their translation work.  It is recommended that new content be created at least once a month, to allow for this relationship building and for clients to hear you voice through your writing style and skill.

Spread the word around

Now that content is written, it’s time to spread it around. Raising visibility can be done on websites like Linkedin that are dedicated to digital marketing.  There are free community platforms that can be posted to, such as Medium, Flipboard, and Hub Pages.  Social media can be invaluable for spreading the word about your new content. Social media can humanize a business by putting your face onto it and showing your qualifications, experiences, and personal style.  Building followers by engaging with your online community regularly is key to social media success.  This is called “seeding” – when you put your content in a place that your target audience is likely to read it,

Learn SEO

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is essential for content marketing. This is where your website comes up in search engines based on the keywords within your website. These keywords are the fundamental concepts that describe your website and any words that a client may use to type into a search engine, like google. Once you have compiled a list of keywords, then integrating them into your website in titles, headings, and descriptions is paramount for SEO. Caution must be used, here, because too many keywords can cause search engines, like google, to react negatively and lower the websites rankings. The goal here is to make your website high on the list of websites that come up in relevant searches – think page 1!

Marketing Strategies for Freelance Translators and Interpreters

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Industry Tips, Interpretation, Professionalism, Translation

?Understanding languages is a pretty good industry to get into. Globalization has increased the need for translators and interpreters to continue to break down language barriers. As such, it can be one of the most satisfying careers, as interpreters and translators have a direct role in bridging language and culture and breaking down barriers.

The translation services industry is growing rapidly, and the demand for effective translators and interpreters remains large. The industry is expected to increase to $38 billion by next year and $45 billion by 2020. Additionally, employment rates are expected to grow by 29 percent until 2024. Some of these rates will be within freelancing or contract work.  Many who are looking to freelance can benefit from marketing strategies that look at ways of gaining new clients and new contracts.  Making real life connections is key. Below are some marketing strategies geared to those who are in the business of language.

If you can commit to talking to at least three different people about your business everyday, you’ll be likely see some changes within your clients, your contracts, and your income.

Social media certainly has it’s place in the marketing world, as long as you are using it consistently in order to build an audience. However, not all marketing should be done on the computer, and meeting your potential clients where they are is equally as important. Do your research, find out where your ideal clients go to network, learn, and grow their businesses — and go there too!

Having a speech prepared that briefly describes who you are, what you do, and what you can offer is key during moments of networking. Whether impromptu meetings or planned networking events, preparing what you will say can help ensure you communicate the information and message you wish to convey. Remember to keep your tone level, your language positive, and use accessible, precise, and plain language. Be sure to tell them how to find you, whether it’s online or your physical work address, and be sure to do it within one minute so you don’t lose your audience. 

Now that you have met new contacts, a key piece to networking is following up, rather than relying on your potential clients to contact you. Following up quickly is key, within 24 hours is ideal. Ensure you mention meeting them, and offer to meet up again. If you follow up via written form, ensure you use professional language and edit thoroughly!

Referrals are the most effective, and cost-effective, way to generate new business, yet asking for referrals can feel awkward. It is important to know your client, so generally using the clients you have the best relationship with is important. You may need to be professional and direct, or more personal and out-of-the-box. You may offer incentives for referrals, and be sure to thank your clients afterward.

Anyone who freelances what they do can benefit from learning and practicing some marketing and network strategies. Freelance translators and interpreter, by nature, have careers that rely upon and build relationships. In fact, your very job includes building bridges between culture and language and deepening bonds between neighbours. Now that’s a great career. 

Self-Care for Busy Professionals

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Industry Tips, Inspiration, Professionalism

Self-care is often defined as anything we purposefully do to take care of our emotional, spiritual, and mental health. But there is much more to it than that. What we often don’t hear about is self-care defined as the opposite – things we don’t engage in because they are not good for our health. 

Additionally, self-care isn’t always planned activities, but it can be anything that helps you move toward either stillness or growth, such as playing with thinking patterns, exploring attitudes, purposeful reflections, and meaningful connections.  Perhaps one of the most well-known terms in mental health but also one of the most misunderstood, simply because it is difficult to define something that can look, feel, touch, taste, and smell differently for everyone.

Self-care for individuals who work as translators or interpreters may look the same or different from those who work in other fields. Translators, who often work in solitude and interpreters, who have high paced expectations, need to take care due to these special circumstances. Here are 5 ways in which any busy professional may consider for self-care. 

?Connect to Others

Connecting to others is important, especially when working alone is very important. As human beings, we are creatures who not only thrive through human connection, but require it for sustaining life. From an evolutionary perspective, we need each other to stay alive. This was especially true in the past, but our brains have not evolved as fast as society has. We are generally safe in solitude, but at times our brains will tell us that it is dangerous to be alone. In fact, being alone and lonely can trigger our fight, flight, freeze response. Connecting to others (or allowing others to connect to us) is key to mediating this response and may be the most important self-care work we can do.

?Fuel Your Creativity

Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” shows us that creativity is a human need that helps drive us towards “self actualization”, or towards fully knowing our potential and talents, which furthers us towards fulling knowing ourselves. Luckily, as translators and interpreters, you are often working within the realm of creativity. Of course, there are countless other ways to be creative, and integrating more into your life can be an important act of self-care.

?Live in the Moment Using Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a phrase that most people have heard of. It is defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations”. This helps us understand, tolerate, and live with our internal experiences. There are many resources available for mindfulness, and finding a few practices you enjoy doing can be integrated into your repertoire of self-care.

Create Full Sensory Experiences

Our five senses have a direct pathway to our brain, and thus can help soothe and calm us, or can help us better integrate our learnings. Creating situations during which each of your 5 senses can explore, integrate, and experience can facilitate new brain connections, new behaviors and habits, or can simply produce stillness and calm.  

Validate, Appreciate, and Celebrate Yourself

Finding ways to validate yourself, which means to tell yourself that your inner experiences are all important and okay, is key to self-understanding and self-growth. Equally important is finding time to infuse appreciation in your life, whether it’s from big successes or from simply finding gratitude in the fact that you have the ability to take breaths. Recent research has shown us that gratitude can actually help with integrating learning and helps with decision making, as these areas tend to be more active during grateful moments. Finally, celebrating yourself through purposeful ceremonies and traditions, such as a weekly time to watch your favorite tv show, or a monthly get-together with validating friends, is a lovely tool for self-care, because it shows self-love.