Episode 117: WordFinder as a productivity tool for translators – Interview with Ola Persson
01/16/2017
Basic and magnetic marketing tools for your freelance translation or interpretation business
01/23/2017
Welcome to another episode of Marketing Tips for Translators – the place to be to learn new tips and tricks for a successful freelance business. I know that some of my listeners are quite new to the translation business, so today I wanted to cater more specifically to them. I am joined by two translators, Sarah Puchner and Meghan McCallum, and we’ll be looking at tips for a smooth and efficient transition from student to translator.
Important things covered in this episode:
- Translation studies and the professional world
- No work without experience, but no experience without work! Solutions
- Presenting ourselves as professionals
- Creating an online presence
- Where to find work
- CAT tools – do you need one, and which to choose?
- Setting rates
Useful links mentioned in this episode:
- CalPro
- Freelance translator rates calculator
- ProZ.com community rates
- Quick Start Guide– 10 steps to an optimized website
It’s been a pleasure chatting to Sarah and Meghan, and I’m sure many of you got some great tips this episode. Don’t forget to check out all the links and resources mentioned today. Thanks for joining us; remember you can easily subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Have a great week!
Meghan McCallum is a French>English freelance translator specializing in corporate communications, human resources, marketing and financial documents. She has an MA in language, literature, and translation (concentration in French>English translation) from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Before going freelance, she worked in-house for several years at a global language services provider, serving as a project manager and quality manager. She is the coordinator of ATA’s School Outreach Program and serves on the board of the Midwest Association of Translators and Interpreters (an ATA chapter). Website: www.fr-en.com.
Sarah Puchner is a French>English translator with Anglocom. Prior to that she worked as an in-house translator for an agency with offices in the USA, France, and Canada, an in-house quality reviewer for a language services provider in Milwaukee, and a freelance translator. She has a degree in French and Hispanic studies from the University of Salford (UK), and earned a graduate certificate in French>English translation from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2011. In 2010, Sarah was the winner of the ATA Student Translation Award.
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4 Comments
I really wish I had heard something like this before I decided which MA in Translation I wanted to do! I assumed all MA’s were the same, but they’re really not.
I chose my MA with SOAS in London because they’re a prestigious language school in Europe, but they didn’t teach me ANY of the business side of translation. They didn’t even teach ethics in translation! They barely taught me how to translate between my languages (Japanese-English). For the last 2 years since graduating have struggled because of everything I felt they should have included in the program but didn’t.
I wrote about this more in my article What an MA in Translation doesn’t teach you (http://j-entranslations.com/ma-in-translation-doesnt-teach-you/).
But long story short, if you’re interested in studying translation at a college research the modules they teach and ask graduated students what they thought and if they found it useful!
I am now signed up with an evening course in Bellevue that focuses on VOCATIONAL translation and interpreting skills. It’s no an MA program but I think teaches a lot more than my MA ever did. I hope no other students make the same mistake I did.
Thanks Jennifer for your input and for sharing it with others.
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for listening to our interview! I agree that business skills are SO important to launch a career as a freelance translator, but unfortunately not all translation programs offer them.
Hopefully we will see a change in this to provide more students the skills they need not only to translate, but also to run a successful freelance business.
Best regards,
Meghan
Impressive post. Thank you so much for sharing this post with us. Great Job!