Learn From Other Professional Translation Service Providers

What are the deciding factors in how successful a translator can become in the freelance world?

A degree or any related education in a translation related field certainly gives you an edge in terms of your qualification and credibility.

Experience helps you deal with clients and different situations, and it allows you to attract more sophisticated projects.

But education and experience alone don’t ensure a thriving business, nor does it guarantee a bright financial future. Translators are ultimately responsible for their own well-being, professionally or financially.

To keep your practice sustainable, you obviously have to invest a lot more into your business – time, effort and money.There are no shortcuts – but you can improve your translation business by learning from the experiences of others. This includes how to sell, sales tips, income ideas and job search tips.

I’ve interviewed a number of seasoned translators who discussed how they established their own careers and attracted quality translation jobs. What these professional translation service providers have in common is a entrepreneurial spirit!

Keep reading to hear what they have to say!

Everybody has their advantages and preferences based upon their own background, personal experiences and circumstances. Don’t be discouraged if your education or experience is not as prominent as others.

We all start from somewhere. The key is to find and embrace your own niche. Combined with your translation skills, a niche-based professional translation service often gets more job requests and therefore gets paid more.

Many translators are proud of their work and what they do, but very few consider themselves business owners. They may invest a lot of time and money in updating professional skills, but fail to prepare for running a profitable business.

I’ve even heard comments like, “I don’t want to spend time marketing. What if I get more clients than I can handle?”Unfortunately, that attitude will cost you a lot in the long run unless you are in this profession for charity or hobby.

My answer to that question would be, “what a nice problem to have!”

The business portion of this profession is as important as the academic side. You wouldn’t aim for mediocrity in your translation work, so why would you want to settle for anything less than success in your business life?

Your success as a skilled and valued professional translation service provider is all about results. And being able to deliver the goods – whether to your client or to your family at the end of the work day – depends upon treating your professional goals as a business.

The bottom line is being happy, and whether we are setting financial or personal goals, the end result depends upon clear defined targets. Knowing how to build a thriving business is all about that.

Read more on related topics here:

legal translation - Interview With Lawyer-Linguist Suzanne Deliscar

Power of language translators - Interview With A.M.Sall (part 1)

Power of freelance translators - Interview With A.M.Sall (part 2)

Entrepreneur - Interview With A.M.Sall (part 3)

Importance of marketing - Interview With A.M.Sall (part 4)

Interview With a Chinese English translator

Interview with Aya Takasuna, a Japanese to English translator (part 1)

Interview with Aya Takasuna, a Japanese English translator (part 2)

Interview with Clint Tustison, a Spanish language translator(part 1)

Interview with Clint Tustison, an English-Spanish translator(part 2)

Interview with Glenn Cain, a French language translator(part 1)

Interview with Glenn Cain, an English French translator(part 2)

Interview with Joanna Scudamore-Trezek, German to English translator (part 1)

Interview with Joanna Scudamore-Trezek, a German English translator(part 2)

Interview with Medio Azadi, a Persian to English Translator

A translator turned entrepreneur shares her tips on opening a small business

A translator turned entrepreneur reveals her secrets to sell from home successfully


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