posted 16 October 2002 15:38            

So I would say that it definitely can be done without the "who you know" factor.

But, having said that, if you do have contacts it can help a lot. This is one of the reasons why people often recommend working as an in-house translator first.
It allows you to build up a bit of a network of contacts and also valuable experience.

I do not recommend it myself because I think it takes longer that way. But if you are one of these people who dislikes taking risks, it could present a slightly safer route into the profession.

But, in-house positions are relatively few and far between these days. Many of the companies that went bankrupt in the last few years were ones that had in-house staff and no work for them to do.

Most agencies these days rely very heavily on freelancers. That is why there will always be plenty of work for those who get it right with the right agencies.

posted 16 October 2002 15:50            

That's why networking -- in person and face-to-face, not just via e-mail -- is so crucial to a freelancer in building his/her client base. Networking is vital to ALL freelancers, no matter what industry they're in, because they don't have the luxury of allowing their company's sales and marketing department to go out there and get the business for them; they have to go out and do it all themselves. Yet you would be surprised at how few freelance translators have a grasp of this. They go into freelancing thinking that all they have to do is get on the Internet and somehow, magically, clients will find them and come knocking on their door in two shakes of a lamb's tail. Life and business are just not like that.

posted 17 October 2002 02:18            

Interesting to see some slight differences in opinion, too. I suppose in a perfect world we could all just let our skills do the talking for us, but the reality is that there are a small nation's worth of skilled translators out there, and you've just got to get yourself noticed.

Traditionally, I suppose I've considered "networking" to be a euphamism for schmoozing - you know, "Dah-ling, you're looking simply deviiiiine! Mwah mwah!" and all that - but now I'm starting to regret it a tad.

It's encouraging to know that it's possible to get things off the ground without knowing everyone in the world - thanks Alex.

> Many of the companies that went bankrupt
> in the last few years were ones that had
> in-house staff and no work for them to do.
Hahaha! That's my company! We started off with quite a few in-house people, but our boss soon saw the error of his ways, and now I'm the only one left. Apart from me, we use freelancers exclusively!

But I digress...

My next question is this: given that translation is now very much computer based, and it's not feasible to pop in for a visit to an agent on the other side of the world, what, if any, are the best ways of touching base apart from e-mail?

posted 17 October 2002 09:58            

quote:

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Originally posted by gareth:
My next question is this: given that translation is now very much computer based, and it's not feasible to pop in for a visit to an agent on the other side of the world, what, if any, are the best ways of touching base apart from e-mail?

---

I had a lot of success with sending real paper letters by post. This was to agencies - doing it with direct clients is a heck of a lot harder.

A web site is essential. The great thing about it is that it is reverse marketing. If they see your site, they are already interested by the time they contact you, so there's very little selling to do.

Just a few quick thoughts.

posted 17 October 2002 15:22            

quote:

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Originally posted by alex:
I had a lot of success with sending real paper letters by post. This was to agencies - doing it with direct clients is a heck of a lot harder.

---

Thanks again, Alex. And well said! There's a lot to be said for handwritten letters on nice paper, personal OR business.

This site is a wealth of information; I hope one day I might just qualify to be one of the people on the helping end of things.

posted 17 October 2002 23:22            

quote:

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Originally posted by gareth:
There's a lot to be said for handwritten letters on nice paper, personal OR business.

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Absolutely. Some people think it's clever to use bright orange paper or whatever, but it's not!

Mind you, when I worked for an agency I found time and time again that if I was short of a translator for a particular language combination, the hard-copy applications were the last place I looked for inspiration.

My first port of call was always a quick phone round contacts to see if any of them knew anyone who might fit the bill. Back to who you know...

So I suppose one piece of advice might be to get your name known. Go to translators' get-togethers, write to magazines, just make sure your name appears all over the place. Then when project managers run through hard-copy applications, your name will leap out at them and they'll look at your CV and think "I've heard of this guy, might be worth a call".

Just a thought.

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posted 18 October 2002 01:56            

quote:

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Originally posted by Apollo:
My first port of call was always a quick phone round contacts. Back to who you know...

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Hi Apollo, and thanks. Yes, back to who you know, but on a more subconscious level, eh? I suppose that's the very goal of advertising.

posted 24 October 2002 08:20            

quote:

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Originally posted by gareth:
Is the "who you know" factor a major part of setting up as a freelance translator?

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I think I just stumbled onto answer to my own question.

I got an "introduction" to the owner of a local agency from an old colleague I bumped into recently. So I gave him a call and he's asked me to send in a profile.