Tag: industry insider

Tips for building a successful freelance career in translation and interpretation

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

Whether freelancing is your full-time job or a side hustle, it takes more than just time to build up a network of clients, partners, and contacts. Working as a freelance translator or interpreter can be extremely rewarding – from cherry-picking the projects you take on to working at your own pace and building stronger relationships with clients. A freelance translation job can expand your expertise and open the door to new markets and experiences, not to mention the potential income.

At the same time, freelancing can sometimes spell financial instability, irregular hours, and a fluctuating workload. Therefore, before your freelance life starts spinning out of control, review our tips and tricks to stay on track and thrive.

Become an expert in your field. Be it court interpretation or medical translation, it is imperative that you master the ins and outs of your field. Learn the specific terminology and know the minute differences between synonyms. Apart from that, what can really help you stand out from the competition is an insightful and comprehensive grasp of your focus area. Be the translator or interpreter who goes beyond the realm of the language and context and can enjoy educated conversations with the lawyers, doctors, and social workers they work for.

Stay open to new up-and-coming trends. Staying current in your field and constantly honing your skills shouldn’t get in the way of exploring adjacent areas. If you focus on legal translation and court interpretation, why not read up on business and management? While it might not be realistic to branch out to a completely foreign territory, identifying the areas that you can build on with your existing knowledge will diversify your linguistic repertoire and clientele.

Let your talent shine. From social media to a personal blog, workshops, conferences, journal papers, presentations, and educational sessions, the avenues for revealing your passions abound. Do you specialize in interpreting at agricultural conferences? Share the hardest terms you’ve encountered or tips for taming interpretation nerves.

Another great way to pass your experience on to fellow translators or interpreters is by joining a professional organization or association such as ATIA. Not only do we run conferences and workshops, but we also offer mentorship opportunities so you can contribute your expertise to others in the field.

Go an extra mile for your clients. Don’t just send off another assignment or project: build relationships with your clients, anticipate their needs, and find out how else you can make their lives easier. Although you will most likely juggle multiple projects and aggressive deadlines, don’t just wall yourself off from the world. Take the time to get to know your clients. Use translation and interpreting to learn about their business, services, competition, and clients.

Follow the market. The demand for translators and interpreters has constantly been in flux – the top fields for translation and interpreting of today might succumb to nascent new areas of tomorrow. Stay abreast of the news and updates pertinent to your field, sign up for newsletters, attend conferences and workshops to better plan your career trajectory. Keep an eye out for emerging new industries that might need your services and develop the skills to match their needs.

The Art of Exceeding Client Expectations: Why customer service should matter to freelancers

Posted on by drawingboarddesign in Industry Tips

As a freelance translator or interpreter, you’ve dedicated years to learning your craft, building a portfolio and mastering certifications. You may want to believe that your specialized knowledge and experience will speak for (and sell) itself, but succeeding as a freelancer takes a whole host of other skills. A freelancer has to be his or her own sales and marketing team, accountant, office administrator and maybe even web designer. Among all the roles that freelancers play, it is easy to see why the importance of customer service is sometimes overlooked. It should not be that way, though. Effort put into customer service saves double that effort in seeking and securing clients.

What is customer service? It is about more than fielding complaints and practicing good email etiquette. Customer service is the art of exceeding customer expectations. Success as a freelance translator or interpreter relies on being able to build strong relationships with clients. You are not just a representative of a business, you are your business. Customer service based on communication, responsiveness, and integrity will help secure new clients, build long term relationships with existing clients, and will contribute to a positive reputation.

A freelance professional who communicates clearly is easy to hire and easy to work with. You are the expert, so give potential and new clients the information they need to understand your services and value as an expert. Good communication builds rapport and connection, setting you apart from the competition. You are not just trying to secure a contract. You are establishing a relationship that may lead to repeat contracts and recommendations. Good communication is also essential to ensuring that you deliver the service that the client expects, or better yet, a service that fulfills their needs and priorities so well that it exceeds their expectations. Ultimately, this is what generates repeat business and good word-of-mouth.

Clients will also return to a freelancer who demonstrates that they are responsive to the client’s needs. This may mean being flexible to changes of direction and being open to unique requests. It also means being able to resolve problems and rectify mistakes with a positive, solution oriented attitude. Flexibility and responsiveness to requests will garner new clients. To existing clients, it will demonstrate your ongoing dedication to their satisfaction. Being able to effectively respond to problems and mistakes, which will inevitably occur, demonstrates reliability and integrity.

Like most relationships, the most successful, long term client-freelancer relationships are based on trust. Integrity is fundamental to establishing and maintaining this trust. This is can be as simple as delivering work by agreed upon deadlines, or as challenging as resolving conflicts or rectifying mistakes in a fair and constructive manner. Becoming a trusted name in your industry will also generate new business.

A strong portfolio and certifications are fundamental to establishing a career as a translator or interpreter. Customer service, however, is what will set a career as a freelancer into motion.  Prioritizing customer service from first contact with a potential client and throughout the entire project pays off in a positive professional reputation, long-term, repeat clients, and new business.