Proper Way of Contacting Translation Agencies Thread poster: Vlad Kotenko
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Vlad Kotenko
Russian Federation
Local time: 17:14
Ukrainian to English
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I have recently started contacting translation agencies and need to know what to write when contacting a translation agency in order to be added to the list of its freelance translators and be subsequently notified of incoming translation jobs. Is the following message correct, or does it need improvement?
[Subject:] Translation, Proofreading, Transcription
Hello,
I live in Russia and would like to offer my translation, proofreading, and transcription services in ... See more I have recently started contacting translation agencies and need to know what to write when contacting a translation agency in order to be added to the list of its freelance translators and be subsequently notified of incoming translation jobs. Is the following message correct, or does it need improvement?
[Subject:] Translation, Proofreading, Transcription
Hello,
I live in Russia and would like to offer my translation, proofreading, and transcription services in the following language pairs:
English-Russian
Russian-English
Ukrainian-English
Ukrainian-Russian
I have some translation experience in the fields of medicine, religion, ancient history, and archeology but am willing to work in other fields also.
My areas of expertise are history, religion, literature, information technology, archeology.
Best regards,
Vlad Kotenko ▲ Collapse
| | | | | A message like that would go directly to the spam folder | Jul 27, 2021 |
Vlad Kotenko wrote:
Is the following message correct, or does it need improvement?
[Subject:] Translation, Proofreading, Transcription
Hello,
I live in Russia and would like to offer my translation, proofreading, and transcription services in the following language pairs:
English-Russian
Russian-English
Ukrainian-English
Ukrainian-Russian
I have some translation experience in the fields of medicine, religion, ancient history, and archeology but am willing to work in other fields also.
My areas of expertise are history, religion, literature, information technology, archeology.
Best regards,
Vlad Kotenko
A message like that is probably never going to be even read by anyone. If it arrived at my company it would be intercepted by the rules I set to reduce spam (they include all message that start with "Hello," "Dear Sir,", "Dear Sir or Madam,", and so on and so forth, i.e. all messages not addressed personally to me.) I'm quite sure that most other translation companies also filter out e-mail message in similar ways.
A message addressed to "Dear Riccardo," (i.e., personally to me) on the other hand, has at least a chance, as it would end up in my inbox.
So: make sure you are sending your message to a specific person (and that person must be the right person at that company). Needs much more work on your part (you have to find out who to send the message to,) but the reward is that your chances of getting a client increase from zero to at least "not impossible".
your subject is way too generic
VERY BAD: Translation, Proofreading, Transcription
Bad: ENG>RUS translator
Better: ENG>RUS translator specialized in history, religion and archeology
Even better: ENG>RUS translator specialized in the medieval history of Russia and of the Russian Orthodox church (this is just an example, of course)
The more specific you can be, the more interesting you are going to be to someone who at that moment is looking for that specific skillset.
| | | | Eva Stoppa 
Germany
Local time: 16:14
English to German
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| Absolutely agree with my foreposter plus | Jul 28, 2021 |
do some Research if the Translation agency you want to contact provides translations in your subject fields. Emphasize how they can benefit from your Services.
| | | | | Don't expect too much response at first | Jul 28, 2021 |
Ricardo has made some good points, and you should definitely act on his suggestions.
However, in my experience, such messages to translation agencies very seldom result in immediate offers of work. Sometimes you might get no response and then, out of the blue, get a request from an agency two or three years later. Or they ask for your CV and perhaps for you to fill out a form, and you hear no more (or, as above, not for a long time).
I suggest you join ProZ and get your... See more Ricardo has made some good points, and you should definitely act on his suggestions.
However, in my experience, such messages to translation agencies very seldom result in immediate offers of work. Sometimes you might get no response and then, out of the blue, get a request from an agency two or three years later. Or they ask for your CV and perhaps for you to fill out a form, and you hear no more (or, as above, not for a long time).
I suggest you join ProZ and get your details up here. Earn Kudoz points. Apply to jobs posted here. Again, you may not get the job in question, but the agency will now be aware of you and place your details higher in their list than if you had simply sent them a message out of the blue. You may think that ProZ membership is too expensive, but my money was recouped very quickly from the first agency from which I got work here. After a while you may find that you get agencies contacting you, not the other way round. By all means keep sending out your details to agencies and to local companies which might need a translator, but be prepared to have a low response rate. Of course, having said that, the more effort you make the more likely you are to get work.
Good luck. ▲ Collapse
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Eva Stoppa
Germany
Local time: 16:14
English to German
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| Applying/bidding to jobs posted here | Jul 28, 2021 |
@Sarah Lewis-Morgan Do you succeed in doing this? In my experience, you never hear from such Translation agencies or they contact you asking to lower your rate. Would it not be better to actively contact agencies registered here?
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Eva Stoppa wrote:
@Sarah Lewis-Morgan Do you succeed in doing this? In my experience, you never hear from such Translation agencies or they contact you asking to lower your rate. Would it not be better to actively contact agencies registered here?
It is true that it is not a common occurrence, but I have got work through replying to posts here. Generally because they were looking for someone with my specialism. And I have applied and been unsuccessful for a specific job, but the agency has come back to me later with a reasonable offer. And it is also true that many of the job posts are looking for the lowest possible rate. However, many agencies do not wish to receive unsolicited messages from translators and anything you send will be binned immediately, so replying to a job post is one way of getting their attention.
| | | | | My two or three cents | Jul 28, 2021 |
[quote]Vlad Kotenko wrote:
I live in Russia and would like to offer my translation, proofreading, and transcription services in the following language pairs:
English-Russian
Russian-English
Ukrainian-English
Ukrainian-Russian
I have some translation experience in the fields of medicine, religion, ancient history, and archeology but am willing to work in other fields also.
1. In your place, I wouldn't advertise Russian-English and Ukrainian-English language pairs. You're not a native English speaker, and it shows. For instance, you don't use 'also' at the end of the sentence. Use 'as well' instead.
2. The fact that you have some experience is unlikely to blow the recipient's socks off If you are confident you can do a good job, say this confidently.
3. Your willingness to work in other fields per se will not get you anywhere. You need to spend a lot of time learning the subject domain you want to add to your areas of expertise. I spent about eight months reading up on how the oil & gas industry operated before I sent out my CV to some specialist translation agencies catering to the needs of oil & gas companies. One of them sent me a test piece. After I have passed the test, I worked for them for several years regularly until I had to limit my freelance business dramatically (I joined a major international law firm as an in-house legal translator).
[Edited at 2021-07-28 11:53 GMT]
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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His English is extremely good for a Ukrainian to English translator.
It is a surprisingly underserved market.
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Vlad Kotenko
Russian Federation
Local time: 17:14
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Contacting Agencies | Jul 29, 2021 |
Thank you for the explanations. I tend to avoid being too specific in order not to give the impression that I can translate texts only in the specified field and should not be given translation jobs in related areas.
Yes, I remember reading somewhere earlier that addressing a cover letter directly to a manager/ administrator of an agency can be more effective than sending the cover letter without specifying the recipient. But in many cases, it is impossible to know who receives mess... See more Thank you for the explanations. I tend to avoid being too specific in order not to give the impression that I can translate texts only in the specified field and should not be given translation jobs in related areas.
Yes, I remember reading somewhere earlier that addressing a cover letter directly to a manager/ administrator of an agency can be more effective than sending the cover letter without specifying the recipient. But in many cases, it is impossible to know who receives messages on the other end. So perhaps in order to save time, I can send messages in bulk to many agencies with the hope of receiving replies from some of them.
Apparently it takes a considerable amount of time to get sufficiently acquainted with a subject area in which one has never done translation.
you don't use 'also' at the end of the sentence. Use 'as well' instead.
I had thought that the adverb “also” can be used at the end of sentences, and I have seen it used in this way by native speakers of the language.
[Edited at 2021-07-29 14:35 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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For what it's worth, in my experience as a Brit living in the US, putting "also" at the end of a clause is perfectly OK in American English.
Vladimir: You say Vlad should not translate out of his native language, and your profile gives similar advice - and yet you do the same thing yourself!
| | | | | Language pairs shown in ProZ profile | Jul 29, 2021 |
philgoddard wrote:
Vladimir: You say Vlad should not translate out of his native language, and your profile gives similar advice - and yet you do the same thing yourself!
1. Phil, it's perfectly OK to list both language pair directions in your ProZ profile. For instance, I may answer KudoZ questions in the Russian->English language pair.
2. My spoken English is a bit rusty, but my written English is good enough. However, I don't advertise my Russian->English translations to clients (in cold emails and otherwise).
3. I do take on Russian->English translation jobs occasionally:
- My existing clients may ask me to translate something from Russian into English. If I agree, I advise them to have a native speaker review my translation.
- I can work in tandem with a native editor/proofreader.
- I can outsource Russian->English jobs to one of my trusted English-speaking partners, or refer the client to such partners.
| | | | | Be as specific as possible | Jul 29, 2021 |
Vlad Kotenko wrote:
Thank you for the explanations. I tend to avoid being too specific in order not to give the impression that I can translate texts only in the specified field and should not be given translation jobs in related areas.
I believe this is a bad mistake. When clients and agencies look for new talent, they look for specialists, not generalists. Often they have a particular client or project in mind and you have the best chances to get the job if your profile matches the necessary qualifications as closely as possible.
"I can translate everything" is about the worst way to sell your services. Even if it is true. Later, when you have already a good relation with an agency, and you have proven yourself a reliable and punctual translator, they will offer you projects outside your specialisms too, so that you don't limit yourself by specialising. But in the beginning, when you want to establish such a good relation, you need to stand out as a specialist between all the generalists.
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Vlad Kotenko
Russian Federation
Local time: 17:14
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Fields of Expertise | Jul 29, 2021 |
Kay-Viktor Stegemann wrote: Vlad Kotenko wrote:
Thank you for the explanations. I tend to avoid being too specific in order not to give the impression that I can translate texts only in the specified field and should not be given translation jobs in related areas.
... "I can translate everything" is about the worst way to sell your services. Even if it is true. Later, when you have already a good relation with an agency, and you have proven yourself a reliable and punctual translator, they will offer you projects outside your specialisms too, so that you don't limit yourself by specialising. But in the beginning, when you want to establish such a good relation, you need to stand out as a specialist between all the generalists.
I can see that this is good advice because at the beginning, a translator’s knowledge is restricted to few fields, and he has to work mainly in them in order to get established.
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