Posts Tagged ‘freelance translators’

The news these days is full of market reports, minute-by-minute updates on the stock market and countless stories of small businesses being driven into bankruptcy. There is a general sense of tension especially for small business owners, and rightly so! So, what does this mean for the translation industry and how will it be affected?

Glancing at any timeline of the financial crisis is proof alone that all of our markets are interwoven, and what happens in one market will affect others on a global scale. As the translation industry largely depends on these global connections, to what extent will our services be affected? Across the globe, many freelance translators have been forced to find other sources of income and countless translation agencies have closed up shop as a result of the recession. While the demand for translations is undeniable, the resources to pay for them are now limited. Clients are struggling with their payments to the agencies, and in turn, payments to freelancers are delayed. As a result, more agencies have begun to enforce more rigid policies for clients regarding payment options, since the word “credit” nowadays is enough to strike fear into small business owners worldwide. However, many clients cannot afford to pay up-front and thus turn to the competition. Some agencies have increased their prices to compensate for overall losses, which places translation services out of the reach of many potential clients. On the flip side, other agencies have decreased their prices in an attempt to attract new clients. For many, the volume of work has slowed down, increasing competition for projects and thus driving down the prices of translation services.

So how will translation agencies and freelancers pull through this crisis? There is no easy solution to the problem, and much of the success of one business over another will be determined by their responses to the crisis and the whether or not the international relief packages will actually trickle down to small business owners.

As freelance translators, it is at times difficult to start your own business and increase your work flow and client contacts. Here are some helpful tips to help get your business up and running.

First, it is important to have a clear idea of the services you offer, your target market, and area of expertise. For example, if you only translate from English/Spanish, concentrate on finding potential translation buyers who also share the same target markets within your field. Later on, you can find other freelance translators to work with you on projects outside of your languages and expertise.

If you want to include services outside the translation process itself, such as Desktop Publishing or Transcription services, think about partnering up with other specialized providers to complement the services you lack.

Next, get your name out on the market. Consider developing your own website and publishing material about your services, whether in brochures, business cards, etc. There are also many freelance translator databases where translators can network and post jobs such as Translators Café, or Go Translator. Joining these communities will help you see what those around you are doing as well.

Recruiting clients directly can be difficult, especially since you will be competing with larger translation agencies. However, being consistent with the rates you offer, turnaround times and quality will all help to build a long-lasting relationship with a client and will encourage your clients to recommend your services as well.

If you haven’t already done so, consider investing in workshops or seminars within your area of translation to make sure you stay current in your field. Some other common workshops that are helpful for freelance translators are in the areas of CAT tools and office management skills.

Good luck!

Many times clients will request what is called a back translation which is essentially a way to verify the accuracy of a translation. The most common areas for back translations are science and medicine, whether they are medical forms, informed consent forms, research study protocols, etc. For instance, let’s say a client submitted a document in Spanish for translation into English. A back translation would involve using the translated text in English as the source document and translating it back into Spanish. The client would then compare the original Spanish text with the translated Spanish to make sure the English text was a correct translation of the original. For medical and science translations, it is especially important that all information is accurately represented in both languages.

Back translations can also be a helpful tool for freelance translators, especially when wanting to ensure absolute quality of a translation. Although it implies an extra cost, it is worth it to know that the document you translated represents the original text to the highest degree.