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.

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.