Marketing Tips for Freelance Translators
Posted on June 13, 2007
I hope that this article may be of use to freelance translators from different countries marketing their services around the world.
If you are a freelance translator and want to get more clients, there are several guidelines that I can recommend you.
First of all, you should understand, if you can’t sell your services, you won’t earn any money.
1. Make a proper planning. Sit down with a pen and paper and think in the following:
a. Objective public: agencies, companies…
b. How to reach them? Do you have a database with their e-mails?
Today email marketing is one of the easiest, most convenient ways to market your services.
After several weeks of Internet searching, I found and bought three databases of translation agencies email addresses. One of them is SkyLink Translation Agencies database http://translationagenciesemaillist.com. It now includes more than 4800 email addresses (the biggest and the most up to date one on the net). I would rate this database as the most valuable one, since it was the only one that actually brought me clients. The second database of translation agencies (www.macroconsulting.com) is also not bad; it now includes over 800 e-mail addresses. The third ( www.translatortips.com) one is out-dated.
Dear colleagues, don’t waste your time. Using a ready list you will save months of your time.
When to send the e-mails? Fridays are not a good day. The best days to send an e-mail are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
2. Translate your CV in several languages. If you are going to send your CV to different countries, please, send it in their own language. The person who sees your CV doesn’t necessarily speak English.
3. Write an impressive and concise e-mail. Say what they want to know, not what you’d like them to know. Things an agency/company cares when receiving a CV in an e-mail:
a. Languages you translate
b. Your fees
c. Expertise
d. Experience
Of course you would like them to know that you are fantastic and that you have studied abroad, you have several courses…. But they don’t read. If you gives them in a snapshot a clear image of what you are, they will probably open your CV. Don’t forget to state your full name and your working pairs!
4. Some computer-virus-aware agencies are quite harsh in saying that absolutely no e-mail attachments will be accepted, that any messages containing them will be promptly deleted before opening. They ask for the CV to be pasted onto the message body instead. So you shouldn’t send any attachments. This is really important.
5. References–This is really a very delicate matter. Some agencies won’t let an applicant upload an online form unless three (never fewer, never more than 3) references are given, with name, company, telephone and/or e-mail address.
6. Send and check. Once you have sent your e-mails, check regularly your inbox and answer your messages straight away.
7. Create your own website. Don’t worry, you don’t need to pay hundreds of euros to have your own website. It is very likely that your Internet Service Provider (the company you pay to get connected to Internet), offers you a domain and a hosting (space to load your website). It is also very likely that they offer you a template. Otherwise you can find hundreds of “free templates” in Internet.
8. Include a photo of yourself. When agencies or companies receive your e-mail with your CV, they need to put a face to that CV. It is very important that your photo looks professional. Wearing a suit will give a very impressive image of yourself.
9. Never quit marketing. Once you have steady work, it’s tempting to think that agencies will keep contacting you, freeing you from the hassle of contacting new prospective clients and touching base with previous contacts. However, this is a bad assumption. Work flows go up and down, agencies go out of business, the project manager who loves you quits and is replaced by someone who brings in his/her own person, etc. Plus, you never know when an “out of nowhere” project offer will be perfect for you, and/or allow you to raise your rates. Even though I usually have about as much work as I can handle, I still send my resume to 3-5 new agencies per week just to keep the ball rolling. Recently, one of these agencies (in Europe) contacted me with a multi-thousand dollar project because I was the only U.S.-based French to English translator in their database, and a client wanted a project translated into U.S. English
10. Remember, the only way to survive as a translator is to do a good job. …
These tips reflect my experience as a translator and my own opinions. Feel free to use them in your own work
Freelance Writer and Translator
Igor Orlov, Phd igororlovtranslation[at-symbol]gmail.com
Filed Under Internet Marketing |
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