The original how-to guide for people who want to launch and run a successful freelance translation business, fully revised and updated! With over 10,000 copies in print, How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator has become a go-to reference for beginning and experienced translators alike. The fully revised third edition includes nearly 250 pages of practical tips on writing a translation-targeted resume and cover letter, preparing a marketing plan, marketing your services to agencies and direct client, avoiding common pitfalls, and more! New in this edition: an all-new technology chapter by translation technology expert Jost Zetzsche, and more detailed information on ways to market to direct clients.
Freelance translation is fast growing to be one of the best opportunities for people who wish to work from home. A combination of an economic downturn resulting in a difficulty in finding new jobs, near-universal access to the Internet, and the ever-increasing globalization of businesses and organizations, leads to a perfect storm of opportunity for those who speak more than one language. According to Commons Sense Advisory, a consulting firm, the translation, interpreting and localization industry has revenues of $37 billion per year, and it continues to grow. Translators can now earn a great living in ways that were unimaginable just 10-15 years ago. You can get paid to translate documents for the clients you choose, during the hours you choose, and wearing the clothes that you choose. Unfortunately, many translators will miss this opportunity because freelance translation means an entire new process that no course or school teaches. Do you know where to find clients? How do you discern the useful clients from the wastes of time? How can you make sure they pick you as a translator? How will you get paid, and get paid in time? How can you avoid working for a pittance? You've learned your language, and this book concentrates on everything else. It walks you through the process of becoming a successful freelance translator, from preparation, to being chosen, to the translation process, to getting paid, and even to expansion - if you want to see how far you can take your translation business. PRAISE FOR BOOK: "Really great information in this book. Especially since most of it can be applied to other freelance categories such as proofreading." - Marley Gibson -Bestselling Author and Freelance Editor "This book is an absolute must for every new freelancer. Wish I had had it when I started!" - Beatrix Osterkamp - English-German Translator and Transcriptionist, Owner of Osterkamp Sprach & büroservice HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL FREELANCE TRANSLATOR is 28,000 words long. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert Gebhardt has been translating ever since high school, although he started making a job out of it in 2007. Since then he has lived in the US (Atlanta and Portland), Switzerland, Italy and is currently in Taiwan. Publications: * "Six Flags and Nukes: A look into the six party talks", The Current, Spring 2006 * U.C. Davis International Affairs Journal - Regular columnist, Spring 2006 * Books: "Bringing Sexy Back to Economics" and "Bringing Happy Back to Economics" (published as Ocean Gebhardt) Robert Gebhardt specializes in Italian-English and English-Italian translations. He is available for: Business and Commercial documents Marketing material Technical documents Legal documents Websites Literature For more information: http://about.me/Robertgebhardt
Use your language skills to earn a living Remember, your languages are your Competitive Advantage. Especially when times are hard, you can survive and thrive more than ever, if you do things your own way. Translators can now earn a great living in ways that were unimaginable just 10-15 years ago. You can get paid to translate documents for the clients you choose, during the hours you choose, and wearing the clothes that you choose. What you get with this book: Step-by-step instructions, from A to Z Detailed instructions (what to charge, where to find clients, etc.) Templates you can use (intro emails, invoices, etc.) Plenty of extra bonuses and tidbits Makes a great gift for an aspiring Freelance Translator! You've learned your language, and this book concentrates on everything else. Join other Freelance Translators and add this to your basket now!
Wonder how other freelance translators market their businesses? Effective marketing - of yourself, of your business - can help you reach the next level of success. The ideas and tools explored in this book have produced positive results for translators at every stage in the game and they will for you too. Each section of this book is adapted from a podcast interview with an established translator or other professional. I started my website and podcast Marketing Tips for Translators to connect with and share information the international translation community. We have many issues and concerns in common and the podcast is a meeting ground of sorts for those of us who spend a lot of time alone working on documents. The chapters in this book will help you discover the inspiration you need to market your translation services in an efficient way, as well as fresh ideas about productivity and tools for organizing your time and workday. We'll also cover proven methods and systems for marketing to your ideal potential clients, and strategies for maintaining a continuous marketing plan for finding new clients, keeping your existing clients, and getting the word out about your translation services. We'll show you how to get clients to find you, instead of you trying to find them.
Packed with useful advice on how to organise and leverage your freelance work and life to the full, avoiding potential pitfalls. This book deals with both the business and professional sides of translation, including visibility, organisation of work and how to improve the quality of services you give to your clients, guiding them through the translation process to meet their needs...and much more. For translators starting out or those who wish to make the leap to a more professional level of work and client base. Welcome to one of the best jobs in the world!
This book contains interactive exercises and self-assessment tools to help you reach your potential.Who is the author?Oana Maria Sofronov is a sworn English > Romanian translator & interpreter, mentor and successful entrepreneur based in London, UK. Who are you?-You want to pursue a career in translation -You are an experienced translator looking for ideas on how to find more translation clientsThis book is packed with practical advice which will help you to: -Write a professional CV-Contact translation agencies-Find more clients-Set your goals-Write a marketing plan-Become more confident-Track your success
Any linguist can become an entrepreneurial linguist, work with direct clients, and make a good living while maintaining a healthy work/life balance. This book by longtime translating twins Judy and Dagmar Jenner will teach you how to start your entrepreneurial linguist journey. Written in a purposely non-academic style, "The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation" will show you how to market your services to direct clients, build and nurture relationships, grow your client base in a structured way, use web 2.0 to promote your services, and much more. This book is intended for both beginning and established translators and interpreters around the world.
Corinne McKay's blog Thoughts on Translation is one of the web's liveliest gathering places for freelance translators...now available in book format Wondering whether to charge by the word or by the hour? How to receive payments from clients in foreign countries? How to write a translation-targeted resume? It's all in here, in chunks that take just a few minutes to read. Corinne McKay is also the author of "How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator," the original career how-to guide for freelance translators, with over 5,000 copies in print. Her practical, down-to-earth tips are based on her own experience launching and running a successful freelance translation business after a first career as a high school teacher.
A compilation of business advice columns for translators and interpreters published under the names Fire Ant & Worker Bee in online Translation Journal. Pithy tips and insights.
A must-have for high-aiming translatorsTess Whitty's 'Marketing Cookbook For Translators' is a simple and easy to follow guide that ensures any translator reading it will not get lost in the crowd. Whitty, herself a translator, shares over ten years of her experience, where she rose from being just-another-one to a renowned successful translator with a thriving business.The book, written in a friendly "cookbook" manner explores various aspects of marketing like "pantry", the basic assessment of requirements; "appetizers", where she lays stress on the ways to plan marketing; "main course", where the big guns come out: finding clients and winning over them, and retaining the existing ones with the best marketing practices. She even goes a step ahead and suggests the pricing models and effective marketing techniques commonly in use to give the reader a better picture on how marketing works.The book starts by giving an introductory perspective of marketing so that the newbies get an insight of the basic functioning. That way, they are prepared for the subsequent chapters which form the crux.Whitty turns the complex process of marketing which even the professionals find exhaustive into simple steps which are clear and action oriented.Learning from others' experience is a big step towards success. Having this book is strongly recommended whether you are a translator just starting out or an already established one.
