A Freelance Translator Website: Is It Worth Having One?

A Freelance Translator Website: Is It Worth Having One? Your freelance translation business needs include promotion, and an Internet website is an excellent way to provide a consistent method to gain exposure for your services. However, you need to review your options to taking your freelance translation services online, so that you will not become overwhelmed. Creating a simple website can be accomplished within a reasonable amount of time. There are many domain name/web hosting packages available to help you get your website online. In addition, the number of web authoring software packages that work from the “what you see is what you get” approach has increased tremendously in the last three years; you can design a five page website in one evening if you have all of your required information ready. However, what many people do not realize is that there is more to having a website than just the basics discussed in the last paragraph, websites require maintenance, which can be time consuming and you have to also keep your eye on the ball to make sure that your website is being indexed properly by the search engines. If designing a site is a task that you are not comfortable doing, there are many professional website designers for hire at reasonable rates that will do this work for you. The most important aspect of working with a website designer is to be sure that they are competent and that you give them a clear understanding of what you require from your site along with the budget you have to spend for the project. Some website designers will also work as webmasters; maintaining your site, fixing errors and listing your site with the search engines. Seeking a package of services from a website designer is the best way to stretch your budget and gain the benefits of website exposure.

Freelance Translators How To Get Jobs From A Client – Now And Always

Freelance Translators How To Get Jobs From A Client – Now And Always With the growing competition in the freelance translation market, you have to be aware of how the big picture relates to your situation and goals. There are some freelance translators who try to be all things to all clients, thinking that this will bring them future jobs or more direct referrals. However, although client types are as varied as freelance translators, it is to your advantage to develop a profile of your marketable skills and research the segment of the market where these skills are most in demand. With the creation of your profile, specialization is easier. If you concentrate your freelance translation on computer technology, with each successful project completion, you are adding to your knowledge and experience on the subject-one of the key factors most clients use when selecting a freelance translator. It is very important to be able to stand in the shoes of client. Many freelance translators devote a lot of their time and energy to finding and securing projects, but once the project is completed, they lose out on referrals because they fail to request feedback from the client and maintain contact with them. Develop a customer care strategy for each phase of the process and make your concern for customer satisfaction clear when you are promoting your freelance translator services. Make sure you focus on what the client needs from you in the work arrangement; some clients want daily updates and others are content to wait and review the project once it has been completed. Once you have delivered the freelance translation project to the client, remember to thank them for their business, ask them for their comments on the experience and suggestions to improve your service. Gaining a reputation as an experienced, skilled freelance translator who also provides excellent customer care will bring you the long term business relationships and referrals that you need to increase your income.

The Top 5 Freelance Translator Business Mistakes

There are many ways to operate a business as a freelance translator. Here are five common mistakes to avoid and increase your success. Failing to Work with a Strong Code of Ethics: There are some freelance translators that have confused their business activities with that of a non profit organization; if you do not price your services appropriately, this is not going to reflect very well on your business image when you cannot pay the electricity bill. Failing to Specialize: Operating a freelance translation business is more than having fluency in two or more languages. There are all types of materials that can be translated; medical, legal, technical, academic or business translations. Choose one area and become an expert on it. Failing to Respect Their Services: Some freelance translators complain that their work doesn’t receive the respect it deserves; client use their services like there are just a bilingual secretary. If this is true, then it is up to you to have the skills to create the image and produces the marketing materials that will support the fee you charge. Failing to Research the Competition: You are not the only freelance translator in the area you have chosen to offer as your specialty, and it is to your advantage to know what services your competition is marketing and how they communicate their advertising message. Failing to Provide Value Added Services: If simply translating some text was all that a person required, they have several options in addition to hiring a human freelance translator. Pricing is a subject of an ongoing discussion; what is a right price for freelance translation services? The value added services you provide as part of the translation you provide for the client provides you with the marketing edge over the competition and translation software packages that they can choose to use.

IS IT DIFFICULT TO GET JOB OFFERS IF YOU DO NOT LIVE IN THE SOURCE OR TARGET LANGUAGE COUNTRY?

IS IT DIFFICULT TO GET JOB OFFERS IF YOU DO NOT LIVE IN THE SOURCE OR TARGET LANGUAGE COUNTRY? As a freelance translator you have the opportunity to work with people from all over the world who need documents translated into or from languages that you know. Many freelance translators think that they will receive more offers if they live in the country of their source or target language however that will not make a difference if your expertise is not up to the expectations of the client. Certainly living in the country of your source or target language offers you many advantages to hone your language skills; the nuance and register of language continues to evolve as the world changes. If your target language is Spanish and you are living in Spain, a client who needs an advertising document translated into Spanish may give your profile closer inspection. To use your location to your best advantage, it is important to use your knowledge as it impacts the content of the translation. On the other hand, if the same client presents you with a technical document about the mechanics of computer software, the fact that you live in Spain will not have the same value, because the software has the same requirements in ever country. Translating documents for use in your source or target language countries are where your location can work in your favor the best however expertise, professional behavior and reasonable rates are just as important. When you are approaching clients outside of these countries, this is what they will consider first. To make the most of your freelance translator opportunities, join translator forums and see how translators in other countries handle the issues that you are facing. You will learn new techniques for locating clients, tools that make your work easier as well as individuals that you can work with for proofreading and editing work.

BEGINNERS GUIDE TO A TRANSLATION PROFESSIONAL WEB SITE

BEGINNERS GUIDE TO A TRANSLATION PROFESSIONAL WEB SITE What are the elements needed to create a professional freelance website? Beyond the aesthetic design of your site, having excellent technical support from the company that hosts your site is the key. Remember that while you are sleeping you site is supposed to be working and it takes skilled people to keep your site accessible. This is the first part of customer care; making sure that your site is available for them when they want to visit. Give your customers what they want; attention. Create a plan for how you will interact with your customers who visit your website, so that these elements can be built into your site. Having an easy to remember domain name is your main marketing tool. The second most important part of marketing your domain name is called a “tagline” or slogan. The main purpose of the tagline is to deliver the essence of what you have to offer-the main benefit your client enjoy by using your services. These two elements create the “theme” of your website. For instance, if you are a freelance translator that specializes in historical literary texts, portraits of some of the famous writers of the time immediately connects to the domain name of www.epochtranslation.com and the tagline of “communication for the ages”. Adding an overall design theme of colors, typeface and information gives your visitors a sense of what they will find on your site. In addition to the basic information about your services, you need to present content that relates to the audience you want to attract. There are articles being published regularly that highlight the increasing need for translation services in government and the private sector. Use market research statistics to show the difference between the profits of companies who use translated materials and those who are not using translation services.

7 Lessons From Experienced Freelance Translators

7 Lessons From Experienced Freelance Translators There are many aspects of being a freelance translator that you have to consider to be successful here are some of the most important points to keep in mind: 1. Respect your specialization; accept translation jobs into your native language. Whether you are translating or editing, it is most important to see the text in the source language to determine if it is within our scope of ability. 2. Use translation memory software. The value of using Wordfast or Trados software is to avoid some of the common omissions that can occur. The software helps you to see the text in sentence format it also helps to isolate text that the software cannot translate such as company names or titles. 3. When in doubt, ask the question. Don’t waste time struggling with illegible text. It is better to telephone and ask the question; it’s the clients’ responsibility to provide clarification. 4. Two heads are better than one-especially for translations. Arrange an exchange of proofreading services with another good translator. 5. Pay careful attention to language requirements. If the translation is tied to a retail brand with specific terminology, make sure that the client provides you with a contact person or reference materials to assure the proper context of the translation. 6. Know your reading audience. Always ask the client about the target audience for the translation, so you can use the most appropriate language. 7. Be sure you understand the objective of the material you are translating. The end use of the translated material is important to know so that you can use the correct terminology. Use these guidelines in your freelance translation projects and you will enjoy a higher level of recognition.

5 TOOLS TO ACCELERATE YOUR FREELANCE TRANSLATION ONLINE MARKETING

5 TOOLS TO ACCELERATE YOUR FREELANCE TRANSLATION ONLINE MARKETING There are several options to marketing your freelance translation business online, in price ranges to suit every budget. It is easy to find Internet marketing solutions that are geared to medium to large size businesses, but for the individual or small company, you have to be careful. There are many claims made to attract your business, but the results rarely live up to the claims. Here are few tried and true ways of marketing your business that works: 1. Publicity. Most people think that press release distribution is limited to newspapers, but you can also send your press release to other media outlets such as radio and television stations. Research the stations that cater to bilingual audiences. 2. Offline Advertising of Your Website. Online advertising works great when your prospective client is at their computer, but advertising your services offline reinforces your online message, enhancing your credibility. 3. Discussion Forum Posts. Joining a discussion group that is related to the area of your specialization is a good way to attract attention to your freelance translation services. It provides you with an opportunity to learn different ways you can approach your market. 4. Email Signature Blocks. This is a form of online marketing that many freelance translators fail to use to their advantage. Your email signature block should include all of your contact information; your website and postal address, website title and slogan, telephone number and instant messenger ID. Be sure to include your email address here as well so that it is easy for your contact to transfer your information into their database. 5. Blog Syndication. Creating a blog is the easiest way to spread the news about your services because they are distributed to thousands of news feeds.

5 Keys To Successful Internet Marketing For Freelance Translation Services

5 KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL INTERNET MARKETING FOR FREELANCE TRANSLATION SERVICES Let’s look at five important points to keep in mind as you use the Internet to successfully market freelance services: 1. seek quality exposure 2. know the goal 3. needs of your buyer 4. hidden opportunities 5. provide solutions When you are promoting your freelance translation services online, there is more to consider than whether you should use a banner or blog; for successful results, the focus has to be on where you can get quality exposure. The whole point of any promotion, no matter how inexpensive it may be, is to deliver a message to an interested party. You can have a huge budget and still not produce the results you want unless you pay attention to what your customer is doing. Who is the person who would most likely use your services and why? That is the main question you have to answer. Know this will make it easier for you find where their interests will lead them. Think about the business world; research the number of companies that either have branches in other countries or are thinking about which country offers them the best opportunities. These companies have translation issues. You have a freelance translator opportunity waiting to be developed. Now you can locate their forums and join. Learn about the company, begin to interact with them so that you can shape your message in a way that will strike a chord with them. Once you have this information, creating a banner or promotional article about your services will be easier to place, because it is tailored to a certain market segment, tied to their concerns and fills a need. Use these five keys in your Internet marketing and keep refining your technique until you get the results you desire.

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How to convert word documents to PDF ?

Just visit http://www.pdfonline.com and have the converted PDF file sent to your e-mail account.

9 reasons for the most simple, economical, fast and effective way of marketing by freelance translators

9 reasons for the most simple, economical, fast and effective way of marketing by freelance translators There is a debate among the freelance translators whether Translation agency databases – a good investment or waste of money? To me it seems the more relevant question is - Database of agencies-does it help? 1. In the beginning of a freelance translators career he does not have money or have limited money and he is willing to spend time to get into the field. There are translators who do not have much time but they can afford to buy a database. You need to invest your time or money or both. Nothing comes free. 2. Database helps. It’s a simple but amazing fact. Many people have different opinions. Some say it helps, some other say it does not help. My experience of 30 years shows that it helps if you use it cautiously and do your own research. 3. If you have money but no time, go and buy some database, may be smaller one of 1000 or 2000 agencies. 4. If you don’t have money, compile your own database. Visit sites. And collect email ids. Some sites provide its members with an 8k list free. PROZ has a blue board and you can visit websites of thousands of agencies from PROZ. 5. Do not spam. Send your CV to agencies once a year. Be polite. Explain that you are a freelance translator. Make a very good CV. Have look at CV’s of the PROZ platinum members and get an idea how a good CV can be written . 6. Do not send any attachments. No body reads them. Your mail will be deleted. 7. Look for agencies, which handle the language pairs you specialize. It is always better to search for agencies, which will need you. My experience is that some agencies evolve over a period of time. It means if a particular agency today is handling only East Asian languages, tomorrow it may like to cover other languages also. So if you send you CV and they keep the CV in their database, chances are that you will get a call. 8. Why it works? Agencies are always searching for new translators. There are new agencies coming up. Even if the particular agency does not need you now, they will keep your profile in their database. I often get enquiries from agencies that I have sent my CV 2-3 years back. 9. It’s amazing that when you have compiled a list and sent your CV, something will start happening very fast. Here are my tentative figures based on my experience. 60% of the agencies will not respond. 20% will respond saying they don’t need your language pair, 10% will instruct you to visit their site and enter the data. 5% will have jobs ready for you. Even if you purchased a database or invested your time your money and time will be recovered by only one/two jobs. I am not suggesting you buy a database; you can always create one yourself. I did not purchase any. I created my own. One last point: Database is not static. It is always evolving. This is a continuous job.

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12 point checklist before you deliver your job

Never change any file names, add an extra word Write Job number and the language in the email subject while submitting the job Check whether the translation has captured the original idea of the source file Look for missing Text Are the characters displaying properly ? Are there Spelling mistakes/Typos ? Missing symbols ? Grammatical mistakes? Punctuation mistakes ? Terminological mistakes ? Wrong or un-translated parts? Are there Texts positioned in wrong places?

Random Quotes

When a man has put a limit on whathe will do, he has put a limit on what he can do.- Charles Schwab All things are possible until theyare proved impossible - even the impossible may only be so as of now."- Pearl Buck 'The greatest tragedy in life is people with sight but no vision' - Hellen Keller Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing." -- Albert Einstein Success has nothing to do with education in the field, it's about the unique knowledge that you and only you have and you and only you can apply to any task at hand" The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. -Confucius Life is full of difficulties...Meet them,Greet them, Defeat them! Happiness always looks small while youhold it in your hands, but let it go, and you will learn at once how big and preciousit is"- Maxim Gorky Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right. - Henry Ford Change your beliefs and you change your behaviors.Change your behaviors and you change your results.Change your results and you change your life.Lisa Jiménez in her book Conquer Fear "Learn as if you were to live forever, live as if you were to die tomorrow".-Unknown "Don't count the things you do but do the things that count." Zig Ziglar "If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything." - Mark Twain People don't follow leaders, they follow courage." -Braveheart One should strive to make ones word impeccable. That way there can be no misunderstandings." author unknown "I was sorry for myself because I had no shoes.... until I saw a man who had no feet" "I need nothing; I want nothing; I am free" "Imagination is more important than knowledge for while knowledge defines everything we know, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create." - Albert Einstein Those people who say money can't buy happiness, don't know where to shop." Anthony Robbins"Money may not buy happiness, but it can buy you a yacht, and you can sail up real damn close to it." David Lee Roth "Obstacles are things that you see, when you lose sight of your goals" - Henry Ford Young's law= expenditures rise to surpass income. C. Young My richness consists not in the extent of my possessions, but in the fewness of my wants. J. Brotherton There is nothing to fear but fear itself! ~Winston Churchill You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however." -Richard Bach Failure is the path of least persistence. "Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every conceived notion, follow humbly wherever and whatever abysses nature leads, or you will learn nothing." Thomas Huxley It is not the obstacles we deal with in life that holds us back, it is our attitude towards those obstacles that cause us problems! Source-Internet, warrior forum -------------------------------------------- If you liked the quotes please Leave One in my blog for others!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------

How to get traffic to your website

You are a freelance translator and you have a website. You need more traffic to your site to get more visitors which in turn will bring more clients and more jobs for you. But how to get traffic. Here are 5 tested ways to get more traffic 1. Writing articles is an excellent way for generating traffic and backlinks to a website and it is also completely free to do. Write a short, 400 - 900 word article. and submit your articles to as many article directories as you can. 2. Search for websites that are related to yours and get links with you. 3.Use anchor text for your link 4. Join discussion forums and have link to your site in signature 5.Get pay per click traffic

How To Avoid The 5 Common Mistakes Of Freelance Translators

If you want to join the ranks of thousands of successful freelance translators in the marketplace it is important to know what works and what doesn’t. If you want to save yourself time and money, start by learning the lessons of these 5 mistakes: 1. SCATTERING YOUR ENERGY Know what you do best: Many freelance translators try to be all things to all people. Select an area of specialization so you can focus your time and energy effectively. 2. ADVERTISING TO EVERYONE Select your customer: For the freelance translator, the shotgun advertising approach is time consuming, expensive and ineffective. Match your skills to the marketplace, which industry are your technical translations best suited; engineering or construction? 3. TAKING SUCCESS FOR GRANTED If you are serious about your success, plan for it. Define the direction you want to take as a freelance translator. Outline what tools you need to get your business there and create an estimate of how much time you need to get the job done. 4. INCONSISTENT MARKETING It is better to post one article on your blog everyday about your experiences as a freelance translator instead of a banner campaign that you can only afford to run for a week. Your blog readers will be exposed to your marketing message each time they visit, and they will visit because they want to share their views with your audience. Once your banner campaign is completed, your blog will still be going strong. 5. IGNORING THE CUSTOMER Many freelance translators focus all of their attention on getting the client and completing the project. But once they deliver the project and collect their fee, they forget the customer exists. The best customer service continues after the sale is made, with a thank you note for the work, periodic contacts to keep your business in your customers’ mind and give you the opportunity to ask for a referral as well.

Freelance Translators: Benefits And Pitfalls Of Working From Home

Working from home as a freelance translator sounds very appealing, especially if you have worked in an office environment for a long time. If you considering making the move to work from home, be aware on the downside as well. The advantages of working from home are well known; your commute time is eliminated and you do not have to follow a dress code. However, if you currently perform all of your tasks in the office, you might have to purchase the tools you need to do your work at home. Setting up a freelance translator home office can be expensive; Trados computer aided translation software costs $900.00. In addition to your computer hardware and software, you may need fax machine, reference books and office supplies. Another factor that plays a large role in successfully making the transition to working from home as a freelance translator is your personal work style. Are you more comfortable working in a group with supervision or working on your own in solitude where you have to make all of the decisions regarding how your work is completed? Working independently as a freelance translator gives you the ability to create your own work schedule, but you must have self discipline about your time or you will begin to lose income. You may find that you miss the daily interactions with your coworkers; working in isolation challenges you to remain motivated. As a freelance translator working from home for a company or “telecommuting” can give you the best of both worlds; you are able to work according to your style with the input of a supervisor to provide support. Start by working from home 1 day a week and gradually increase the days as you work through the different situations that have to be resolved for you to successfully complete your projects as a freelance translator.

Effective Online And Offline Advertising For Freelance Translators

Advertising your freelance translator services is necessary, but it can also be expensive and time consuming unless you select the right combination of online and offline advertising methods. There are many ways you can market yourself as a freelance translator, but you need to be clear on what you are trying to accomplish; if you want to attract new customers, how many you handle? This is very important with online advertising, where your message has the potential to reach millions of people at the same time. Instead of aiming your message at the entire range of clients for your freelance translator services, create your advertising on a narrowly defined segment of the market, i.e., import/export companies. Online you can use graphics and text in a Weblog or blog to deliver your advertising message. The structure and format of blogs are more effective than the traditional website because they are designed for multiple users. This invites interaction and exposes your message to people who are interested in learning more about what a freelance translator services. On the other hand, a printed business card that includes your online information is one of the most effective advertising tools you can have as a freelance translator. You can encourage your contacts to visit your website by offering a discount to services ordered online. Press releases can be distributed on and offline as well. However, press releases must be newsworthy in order to make it to publication, i.e., you are offering a seminar about the value of freelance translator services for businesses. · organize a time and place for the seminar · print business cards with the information · post an announcement on your blog about the event · write a press release about the seminar for distribution You can use all of these tools together to create an effective campaign for marketing your freelance translator services.

5 Highly Effective And Profitable Habits For Freelancer Translators

To succeed as a freelance translator, takes time, effort and money. Make it easy on yourself by developing the habits that are essential to building a profitable business: Organization is more than having everything in its place; it is a matter of prioritizing your life and how your work as a freelance translator relates to it. This begins with setting the goal of what success means to you, creating a list of what is need to accomplish the goal and giving yourself the appropriate amount of time to get the job done. The list is important to keep you focused on your goal, but without consistent action, you will not accomplish it. Consistent action of the application of your plan in small steps helps you stay motivated. The best way to tackle the large goal of becoming a successful freelance translator is to divide each stage into several parts and work toward the goal every day. Keep multiple communication channels open helps you to be a more effective freelance translator and make your business profitable in several ways; you can provide better customer service and it gives you the advantage of having many ways to deliver your message, which can prevent misunderstandings. Cater to your customer by focusing on their needs instead of boasting about your career as a freelance translator. Present solutions to the problems that your customer may be facing in simple language, instead of technical terms that they may not understand.Continue to learn about your profession and industry as a whole. Keep your skills sharp and up to date. The business world is highly competitive; the most successful freelance translators are those who put value on learning how to use the new technologies and techniques so that they can provide the best service to their customers.

Why A Freelance Translator Needs An Email Signature ?

Beyond your freelance translator assignments, your communication through email makes the strongest impact on your work and you can increase its effectiveness by using a unique email signature after your text message. Think of your email signature as your electronic business card, and make sure it includes your complete freelance translator business message; · your name · business title · company name · phone number · fax number · mobile phone number · your email address, · your website address · company slogan or tag line Having all of your information in one place makes it easier for people to have a clear picture of you and the options they have to communicate with you. Be careful of adding graphics to your email signature; not all of your contacts may be able to receive HTML emails. In addition, many of the email spam filter programs are blocking emails that contain images because they can carry viruses. Using your email signature as a component in your freelance translator marketing strategy makes sense; you can create it once and it will be added to your emails automatically. Whether you are responding to an email or writing to someone regarding your work as a freelance translator, you have the perfect opportunity to deliver your marketing message without incurring additional advertising costs. Email that is sent to your contact list, are people that you know are interested in your business. Including an announcement about your products or services in your email signature can stimulate the reader to learn more. As a freelance translator, you can add information to your email signature that your contacts need to know, such as a new service or a way to use an existing service. Creating your freelance translator email signature with value added content such as links to articles, can result in more opportunities to increase your business presence and your income.

7 Tips For Using Blogs To Increase Your Freelance Translation Business Income

As a provider of freelance translation services, having your own Weblog or “Blog” can provide you with several ways to increase your business income and there are several free blog services that provide you everything you need to get started, all you have to provide is the content. Here are some ways that you can use a blog to build your freelance translation business: 1. Expand Your Reach: Having a blog allows you to take your freelance translation business and ideas to a global market. Provide your blog in a variety of languages to reach prospective clients in their native tongue. 2. Build Customer Trust: People want to know who is behind the freelance translation business. Post your picture, your CV online along with a mission statement-what your customers can expect from your business. Provide links to articles and resources that are relevant to your readers and their needs. 3. Create Partnerships: You may need help with a freelance translation project; there may be times when you have a project that you cannot handle alone. Post a notice to attract the support you need without paying extra advertising costs. 4. Interact with Your Audience: Surveys help you find out what your freelance translation customers think of your new idea or service. 5. Media Coverage: Members of the press use blogs to find newsworthy topics. Create a blog entry that outlines a unique aspect of your freelance translation service and gain media exposure. 6. Reach Publisher: Cross-cultural communication is more important than ever, you can reach publishers who are looking for freelance translation services; show them your writing style and knowledge in your field of specialization. 7. Testimonials: As your freelance translation portfolio grows, ask your clients to post their comments about their experience using your services – this is one of the best ways for prospective clients to see first-hand how you can help them.

Service tax on translation jobs in India

We are a company that undertakes translation work from various languages for our clients. Would our services attract service tax under `business support services'. As our services haven't been specified in the service tax list, we haven't charged our customers to date. If service tax is liable for us, whether the Service Tax Commissioner will consider our plea that tax be charged only after we register for the services as we haven't billed our customers for the same.Ashok Bagri Translation services do not fall directly under any of the specified 96 taxable services. One needs to interpret the two taxable services categories — business auxiliary services [Section 65(19)] and support services in relation to business or commerce [Section 65(104c)].For business auxiliary services, services may, inter alia, be in relation to procurement of services which are inputs for the client or provision of service on behalf of client. Clause (vii) of the definition covers services which are incidental or auxiliary to activities covered in the definition. Going by the definition, this is a service which is not being rendered for or on behalf of the client and also does not fall within the definition of business auxiliary services.For business or commerce support services, as per Section 65(104c), "support services of business or commerce" means services provided in relation to business or commerce and includes evaluation of prospective customers, telemarketing, processing of purchase orders and fulfilment services, information and tracking of delivery schedules, managing distribution and logistics, customer relationship management services, accounting and processing of transactions, operational assistance for marketing, formulation of customer service and pricing policies, infrastructural support services and other transaction processing.Business entities outsource a number of services for use in business or commerce. These transactions include transaction processing, routine administration or accountancy, customer relationship management and telemarketing. There are also business entities which provide infrastructural support, such as instant offices along with all types of secretarial assistance, known as business centre services.All such outsourced services shall be covered under business or commerce support services. Such services should lend support to business or commerce of service receiver. Services of personal nature shall not be covered. The use of service in commerce or business would provide the essential criteria for coverage in the scope of definition. The indicative limit is given in the definition which can be further expanded to cover all eligible services.Business support services are different from business auxiliary services as the latter are provided on behalf of a person. Support services are provided to the service receiver. While the first limb of this definition is exhaustive, its second limb limits the scope of first limb by restricting it to the inclusive part. Translation of text for communication from one language to another, say, from English to French, is not a business support service provided it is only for written text. If one translates software or patents etc. it may fall under service tax net.Under the principle of ejusdem generis, in a sentence, the succeeding words have to be read ejusdem generis with the preceding words. The Supreme Court and High Courts have followed this in various judicial pronouncements. The CBEC has itself followed this in one of the recent Circulars (No. 83 dated June 4, 2006) clarifying that the postal department is not covered under banking services.Translation also does not result in creation of any intellectual property right. One may, therefore, take a view that none of the present taxable services cover translation of text from one language to other. Once the service is a taxable service, invoicing is irrelevant to create or avoid liability. All taxable services shall be liable to service tax.Send in your queries to MentorAtYourService@gmail.comhttp://MentorQA.blogspot.comSource: Hindu Business Line - India Source: Hindu Business Line - India http://news4linguists.blogspot.com/2006/11/service-tax-on-translation-jobs-in.html

How To Build A Successful Relationship With Your Translation Client

The process of gaining the confidence of a client is only the beginning of building a successful business relationship. Once you've secured your first freelance translation client, your marketing moves to a new level. Now the emphasis is on providing excellent customer service; you must show your client that their satisfaction is your top priority. This will help open the door of repeat business and referrals for you. After the agreement is made for the translation work, start off on the right foot with a clearly written work agreement that outlines the nature of the work the translation client wants you to perform, when the work is to be delivered to the client, the format and the amount of compensation you will receive. Establish your communication channels, ask your translation client what method they prefer, i.e., telephone, e-mails, instant messenger and/or fax. Make note of your clients’ time zone and confirm with them what time is best for them to discuss or receive information about their project. You will find the World Clock Meeting Planner tool at: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html is an excellent coordination tool. Ask your client how they want to communicate about the project. Depending on the size of the translation project, some clients may want an update every day or every week. In addition, you need to know how they want to receive their updates, some clients want to drafts of their projects at each stage, others prefer to review the entire project at once. You should decide whether or not you charge for revisions to the translation and include this information in your work agreement. When you have received your payment, make sure to send a thank you note and provide a customer satisfaction feedback form that should include an area where they can provide referrals.

Marketing Art - How to Get Started as a Freelance Translator

The successful marketing your services as a freelance translator, starts with your curriculum vitae (CV) that you will need in order to pursue either registration at an agency for freelance translators or for direct referral clients. For an easy start, using an agency for freelance translators provides you with a number of resources; a large database of clients, and a project fee depository to ensure you are paid. You can register with translation agencies at no charge. Make sure that you understand the rules of the agency regarding accepting work and receiving payments before you register. The American Translators Association at http://www.atanet.org/ carries a list of agencies for freelance translators in the United States. For a list of European agencies for freelance translators, Translation Directory.com is an excellent source at http://www.translationdirectory.com/. In addition, they offer a newsletter and a listing of agencies to avoid. However, you with have to compete with hundreds of other freelance translators for the same project. Without project references, you will have to convince the client of your ability; provide sample translation or letters of recommendation. In addition, once you win the project, the agency will take a percentage of award fees, in some cases this can be as much as 50%. On the other hand, when your freelance translator services are recommended to a client directly, you have potential to earn more. However, you may be required to perform the type of tasks that agencies provide for clients; job quotes, editing, proofreading and formatting. Keep in mind that you also will be on your own in terms of ensuring payment for the work; make sure that you receive a written work agreement for your freelance translator services that outlines the terms of the project; the nature of the work you are to provide, the schedule for delivery and the compensation before you begin the project.

How to increase your freelance translator income?

As a freelance translator, you are facing the challenge of constantly being alert to methods that you can use to increase your freelance translation income. Here are five keys to successfully marketing your freelance translation services: Identify the problems that would be solved by using your service, i.e., I would seek the services of a freelance translator when I need fast turnaround on a project, or here some others: Problem: Client needs translation completed quickly. Solution: Your services are flexible, available on call. Problem: Client has never done a translation before. Solution: You provide personal service that educates the client in the process. Problem: Client needs a customized format. Solution: You create a list of format options based on their requirements. Problem: Client project is sensitive information, needs security Solution: Provide a “NDA” agreement with a Confidentiality clause. Create a chart that compares how your services are better for the client than the services provided by an agency is a very powerful way to establish your presence in the freelance translator marketplace. As a freelance translator, your reputation or image is created by your expertise and knowledge, but you have to build your clients trust. If your website visitors trust you, they will be more likely to hire your freelance translator services. You can establish online confidence by providing: · contact information, references · a privacy statement · client reference links Remember, in some of your prospective clients’ mind, translation is a service that can be done online or with a software program. The comparison chart will show them the advantages of hiring your freelance translator service instead of using translation software. Once you have secured and completed a freelance translation project for a client, send a note of appreciation along with a request for them to provide comments regarding their level of customer satisfaction with your services. It is easiest to get responses from a checkbox style questionnaire of 3-5 queries in the “yes” or “no” format.

HOW TO FIND FREELANCE TRANSLATION JOBS?

The first step in finding a freelance translation job is to assess your experience and capabilities; simply speaking two or more languages fluently is not enough. To find a job as a freelance translator your curriculum vitae should include: a bachelor's degree, qualifications and experience target language (mother tongue) source languages (the ones you translate) a picture of yourself contact information area of specialization, i.e., technical, legal, medical or literature real life experience in source language country The ability to write your own mother tongue fluently in regards to both style and context in relationship to the topic of the translation is essential. The real life experience of living or studying in a country where the language that you translate is spoken, will give you the realistic nuance of the language. Preparation and resources are the keys to finding work as a freelance translator. Preparation for being in business for yourself means having the basic tools to produce your work: an internet connection computer and appropriate software print and online dictionaries translation softwares and ideally a dictating machine If your budget allows, investing in Trados, the industry standard in Computer-Aided Translation will be invaluable. Your cover letter should describe how your will produced as well as all of your channels of communication; email, fax or instant messenger. With these tools you are now ready to start marketing your services. There are many freelance translator agencies/forums and where you can register for work and gain valuable exposure: Aquarius.Net: http://www.aquarius.net/ Language 123 Translators Marketplace: http://language123.com/s/freelance_translations_jobs.html Translators Base: http://www.translatorsbase.com/Forum/Forums/ ProZ.com at http://www.proz.com is an excellent resource for the art and business of freelance translation The International Forum: http://help.berberber.com/ English Spanish Translation Organization: http://www.english-spanish-translator.org/ Russian Translation Matters: http://www.russian-translation-matters.com/ German/Hungarian/English Translations Services: ATS Group - http://www.ats-group.net/job_en.html All Languages: Translation Services USA - http://www.translation-services-usa.com/jobs.shtml

How to Print Multiple Pages in one Sheet by MSWORD and Save Money

Beginning with Word 2000, Microsoft now includes a nifty feature that allows you to print multiple pages on a single sheet of paper. For instance, you can take two pages of your document and print them on a single side of a piece of paper. Word allows you to print 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 16 actual pages per printed page. This can save quite a bit of paper. Load the document you want to print. Choose the Print option from the File menu. Word displays the Print dialog box. Use the Pages Per Sheet drop-down list (lower-right corner) to specify how many pages should be combined on each printed page. Specify any other printing options, as desired. Click on OK to print .