As a career, the translation industry can be both a tough nut to crack and a very rewarding one; both financially and personally.
You’ve decided on a career as a freelance translator, so welcome to our world! As a career, the translation industry can be both a tough nut to crack and a very rewarding one; both financially and personally. The truth is that there’s some pretty tough competition out there, and there are many translators who are either as qualified as you are, or even more qualified. But, you’ve chosen translation as your career path, and eventually your talent and skills will make you as competitive as other translators. By making some smart decisions and marketing yourself and your skills in the right way, you’ll certainly be awarded your fair share of translation work.
Diversifying Your Translation Business
You need to start creating a strong client base, and many translators do this by working locally. Generally, though, local clients won’t sustain your business for very long, so you’ll need to diversify and look for clients beyond your comfort zone. And this is where the Internet comes in because it’s through the medium of the Internet that you’ll be able to market your skills to the outside world.
Start by designing and building a website focused on attracting prospective clients, because we know there are always clients out there who are seeking good quality translation services. Learn how to market yourself and your business properly in order to attract traffic to your website. Because it takes time to market your services through your website and build your own direct client base, you might want to consider approaching translation agencies or language service providers in the meantime. Like everyone else, you still need to make a living and pay your bills while you’re in the process of building your client base.
Reaching out to New Clients
One way of attracting new clients is to use your current client base is a resource. Ask every new client how they heard about you, then capitalize on this information. Alternatively, if you meet a client through a networking event, seek out other networking events to attend. Perhaps a client found you through one of your Twitter posts, so keep Tweeting! Many new clients can be discovered simply by utilizing your existing resources.
Retaining Your Current Clients
Of course, it’s vitally important to your translation business that you attract new customers, but what’s probably more important is that you win their loyalty, ensuring they come back to you whenever they need translation services. As in any other industry, customer service is vitally important, and you need to ensure that all your customers feel like they are the only customer you have, and certainly the most important one! Without this, you won’t be able to maintain a continuous stream of clients. The old saying: ‘It costs less to retain existing clients than it does to find new ones’ is so very true!
