Top Ten Networking tips

Photo Credit jessicafm http://tbreb.com/2008/03/10/the-art-of-networking/ The Art of Networking March 10, 2008 by Golf Girl I found this article and thought I would share it. There are some good tips to remember when you are at a networking function and also some good tips on how to be prepared. Enjoy! Top 10 Tips to “CLICK” Quick By George C. Fraser, Founder and CEO of FraserNet, Inc and author of of “CLICK: Ten Truths for Building Extraordinary Relationships” Doesn’t it feel good when you CLICK with someone? Wouldn’t you like to know how to do it more often and enjoy the benefits of extraordinary relationships in your business and life? The following Top 10 Tips to CLICK will give you the tools you need to build extraordinary relationships in business and in life….quickly. 1. Be Authentic: Be who you really are. Have an agenda, know why you’re there, what you want and need. Be on your best behavior-but always be yourself. 2. Be in the Moment: Please….shut up and listen with your eyes and ears. Ask good questions. Roaming eyes is an instant turnoff. Your task is to understand the other person first. 3. Find a Need and Fill It: Help someone with their child, health or wealth and you will CLICK quick. Using the paradigm of ONENESS, pretend you’re in a contest with the other person to see who can genuinely give, serve and add value first. Always look for the win-win. 4. Follow-up or be Forgotten: Attention spans are short these days. Following up demonstrates you care and helps build the connection. It also will impress people, because 98% won’t do it. 5. Give Credit and Take the Blame: This is especially true when you lead a team. 6. Make Others Feel Significant and/or Important: Give sincere compliments. Appropriateness is the key, be it the hair, suit, tie, jewelry, accomplishments or ideas. 7. Done Be Boring: Talking only about sports, weather and/or business can be boring. Read! Lead with your passion/purpose. 8. Have a Great Soundbite: It’s like having a hit record. Prepare a short 15-20 second statement that says A.) who you are, B.) where you’re from, C.) what you do, D.) how you add value and E.) a quantifiable evaluation of your value. A great soundbite should pique people’s interest and give them something substantial from which to establish a connetion. 9. Smile Please: You’ll attract more people. A gentle smile while standing, listening and/or talking is infectious. It signals openness, warmth, energy and interest. 10. Pay Attention to Appearance and Hygiene: Yes…..how you look matters. First impressions stick for a long time, so make a great one!

Recession and its effect on Freelancing

Photo Credit darwinbell Recession and an economic crisis hitting the U.S. has become a huge concern for many businesses all over the world. There is a lot of dependency for various people all over the world on the U.S. for smooth running of their enterprise and any crunch in the economy is sure to hit their business interests too. But, does recession have an influence on the work of freelancers is the apprehension that many freelancers are being faced with. As of now, there is no huge change seen in the amount of workload that freelancers are currently finding themselves with even though many of them have U.S. based clients as a major source for projects. But, this may not hold on for long if the state of economy continues for a long time to come. Another thing affecting the people depending on U.S. based clients is the dropping value of the dollar in comparison to other currencies. This has made it difficult for people located outside the U.S. as the dollar when converted will fetch a lesser value than before. This has made it necessary for many freelancers to raise the fees that they charge the clients based in the U.S. But, the amount that freelancers have been able to hike to keep it within reasonable limits may not be enough to close in the gap. To keep yourself from getting affected a lot from the recession, it is better to look for a wider client base if you already do not have one. Improvise on marketing efforts and get more new contacts, probably paying in a different currency such as the euro, to be able to compensate for your loss in earnings. Developing a bigger client base from multiple countries should also be helpful if the situation worsens. This should enable you to have a softer landing during tough times and be able to surpass the difficulties posed due to the falling economy.

7 Useful tips in Managing Kids While Freelancing

Photo Credit angelamcdonald 7 Useful tips in Managing Kids While Freelancing There are many freelancers who have to either give up the profession or need to tone down the amount of work they take up because they get busy with managing their young kids. Yet again, there are few who have taken up freelancing as an option away from their regular job thinking it is a good option when they have had a baby. But, is it really possible to do justice to both your kids and to the job you have undertaken? Yes, it is definitely possible for you to be managing your kids yet doing a very productive job if you plan your schedule in a proper manner. Also, it needs a strong will on your part to be able to handle this tough job of balancing both the parts of your life effectively. Here are some useful tips in helping you in managing your kids while freelancing: 1. The first and foremost thing is to understand your limitations in taking up work. Do not overburden yourself by taking up more than you can handle. 2. Plan your schedule ahead. Try to accomplish most of your work when your little one is asleep. But, keep a small window of free time to allow for changes in schedule. 3. Learn to get things accomplished with your kids around. Even though productivity is best in serene atmosphere, learning to adapt will help you get your job done. 4. Be calm at all times and do not snap at your child if he/ she is being a pest and not allowing you to get your job accomplished. Remember, they are children and they will not be able to comprehend that your work is important and you are not ignoring them. 5. Try to involve your kid in all the activities they like. This will make it an enjoyable experience for both of you. 6. Take the help of a baby sitter if you are not able to handle everything by yourself. You can even ask your spouse to help you out. 7. Once your child is old enough to go to daycare or school, you will have more time to devote for your work schedule. Learning to balance your life is the key to handling the responsibilities of your family and work together.

Overcoming Pricing Issues as a Newcomer

Photo Credit bbalaji http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbalaji/560844967/ Overcoming Pricing Issues as a Newcomer A dilemma that is most definitely faced by every person that comes into the translation field is to decide upon what rates to quote while taking up projects. The difficulty lies in not knowing whatever the price you have zeroed upon is too high, too low or the right one. So how does one go about fixing a price for the services offered such that it is not too high or too low? One method to know more is to become a member of the various translation websites that are available. Being a member helps you access details about other members in the website and can give you some know-how about the average pricing of the others. There are even some tools on certain websites that will help you calculate the price that you need to quote keeping in mind some important factors while deciding. Some even suggest you to think of a figure that you would like to earn in a month to which certain expenditure like taxes that need to be paid are added. This figure is then compared with the amount of work load that you can complete in a working day of around 8 hours. This comparison can help you arrive at a rate that you need to charge per word to reach your dream figure every month. But, some argue that the above method could not be a right indicator for pricing the services offered as it is valued at expected monthly earnings which may or may not be at realistic levels. The following url http://www.translatorsbase.com/statistics/rates.aspx contains a big list which shows rates for many languages. Another factor to be remembered while taking up work through translation websites is that many a times there is a chain of outsourcing of work before it reaches you. So chances are high that the price at which you are offered work may be very low. Also, another point to remember is that agencies generally offer work at much lower prices than when you get work from clients directly. So, a good option to get good pricing for your services is to look for direct clients to provide you work. But, this may be easier said than done for which you might need to compromise and not be too rigid in selecting work initially.

Why translation rates are under pressure?

Photo Credit Thiru Why translation rates are under pressure? 1. Very high competition- more and more translators in the field due to internet 2. Poor negotiation tactics of freelance translators(They are poor in doing business negotiations). 3. Tougher stand of project managers to squeeze more and more at the cost of translators. 4. Declining rates of dollar. 5. Globalisation leading to single marketplace. These are my views. Do you agree? More on rates in future posts. Bookmark this blog and leave your comments. Factors Influencing Freelance Translation Rates Freelance translation rates Why translation rates are under pressure? Rates: Do you have a strategy for rates highly complicated texts? What are the Factors that Influence rates? Basic question for fixing rates

terms of payment

Photo Credit Thiru During the last 10 years since I am working on internet my clients came mainly from 3 sources 1. Agencies 2.Direct clients like Institutions/Organisations/companies/business entities 3.Individuals, one man agencies, lesser known entities/people without web presence/scanty contact details After a translation is submitted these 3 types behave diffrently. And very often I was not paid for jobs which I completed after spending my time, energy and money(for infrastructure) I started to follow the following procedure now. My approach is different for these 3 groups. They are : 1. Translation Agencies 1.1 Payment should be made within 30-45 days from the date of first invoicing. This means if the job is prolonged for further corrections, additions, deletions the date of first invoicing should be counted. 1 2 Any charges associated with the payment shall be incurred by the agency. In some cases if the agency is helpful I offer to share 50% bank charges to facilitate bank transfer(faster mode) 1.3. The translator shall receive the money in full as agreed in the begining of the job. 1.4 I dont accept the logic that the end client has not paid so my payment will be delayed. 1.5 I offer different modes of payment which once agreed should be respected by the agency 2. Direct clients like Institutions/Organisations/companies/business entities: 2.1 Payment shall be made within 20 days since the date of invoicing. 2.2 Any charges associated with the payment shall be incurred by the client 2.3 The translator should receive payment as per the invoice. 2.4 No part payment accepted 3. Individuals, one man agencies, lesser known entities/people without web presence/scanty contact details 3.1- I ask for full contact details before starting the job 3.2 PO or job no is must 3.3 Payment due on delivery If you follow any other method which is effective please let me know. Send your comments.

Useful Tips while Generating an Invoice

Photo Credit-dirgeelucidatr Useful Tips while Generating an Invoice Being a freelancer, you are forced to look into the other details of your work such as managing your money yourself. Most agencies would want you to submit an invoice that will give descriptions to enable them to make the payment that is due to you. But, if you are a newbie to freelancing, you might not know what details you need to include in the invoice to enable trouble free payouts. Though there is no specified format to the invoice, every agency that is asking for it would like you to put in some details for reference. You can also refer to the payment terms and conditions that were discussed with you at the time of providing you the work for useful information such as tax liabilities, special clauses if any, etc that will be useful while generating the invoice. Having all the background information ready is the first step to successfully readying up the invoice. You will need to include relevant information like your complete name, address, the price agreed upon, VAT number, the payment details that were agreed upon (such as Bank account, paypal or moneybookers, etc) and the VAT amount that needs to be paid, etc. A few details about the project too need to be included to enable the agency to know which project the payment is due for. This can have a column which provides the title of the project and another two columns that include details such as start date and end date. It can also include the dates that had been determined as deadline for the completion of the project. All these details will not only help as a reference for payment but will also help at a later date for reference. If you have difficulty in generating an invoice by yourself, you can even create an invoice by using some software such as Practicount and invoice, TO 3000, etc. There is also some freeware available on the internet that will help you in generating the invoice.