| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: The secret of my success in finding translation/interpreting work, if I had to choose just one, is: Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "The secret of my success in finding translation/interpreting work, if I had to choose just one, is:".
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Probably a combination of the above, but no client of mine has ever said what exactly led them to me (unless when recommended by another client or a colleague), nor have I ever asked them. Anyway, as important as finding them is retaining them and the key is continuing to do a good job. When you prove to your clients that you can always be relied upon, they'll return to you...
P.S. Most of my long-standing customers (some are translation agencies) are not on Proz.
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the secret of translator's success are connections. the secret of translator's failure is the lack thereof
if you try to correct a sheer mistake of another well-connected translator, you'll certainly end up on the wrong side
[Edited at 2023-11-19 08:43 GMT]
| | | | Ana Vozone 
Local time: 11:32
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I think that my many years in the business (which is not the same as "my vast experience") are the main justification for new client acquisition.
(I have worked with many agencies in the past, and friends and people I know also know that I am a translator, so a lot of my (new) clients come from recommendations and referrals.
A profile on Proz plus qualified membership in a professional association (ITI in the UK) have also contributed, I think.)
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:32
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| I'm extremely good and professional | Nov 19, 2023 |
"The secret of my success in finding translation/interpreting work, if I had to choose just one, is:"
I'm extremely good and professional at my work. I find that this attracts clients.
[Edited at 2023-11-19 12:27 GMT]
| | | | ferreirac
Brazil
Local time: 07:32
Member (2013)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| A combination of factors | Nov 19, 2023 |
In my case, receiving invitations from clients is due to a number of factors, such as the satisfaction of clients I have already served, my previous professional experience as a business consultant and my solid academic background, which includes a doctorate, and my many years working as a professional translator. But the most important thing has been God's blessing and mercy on my life.
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 13:32
Member
English to Turkish
ferreirac wrote:
But the most important thing has been God's blessing and mercy on my life.
I've always maintained that luck plays a greater part in the success of one's freelance business than some people here seem to give credit for, but never put God into the equation...
Judging by the options, I'd say there's something misleading/wrong about the way this question has been formulated. It's as if it's asking 'what makes clients find you', and on that basis how would they know if you're 'extremely good and professional'? They will obviously go by your ranking in the directory, WWA feedback etc. rather than 'word of mouth' (as if the agencies would go and recommend each other the translators they've worked and been satisfied with).
| | | | | Word of mouth | Nov 19, 2023 |
Baran Keki wrote:
They will obviously go by your ranking in the directory, WWA feedback etc. rather than 'word of mouth' (as if the agencies would go and recommend each other the translators they've worked and been satisfied with).
That's not incorrect, but it rather misses the point.
The first three or four agencies I worked with all came through word of mouth. My name was suggested not by other agencies but by colleagues. I myself have passed on the names of colleagues to dozens of agencies - at the turn of the century, I was one of the few IT>EN translators with a website, so I had no end of requests, and I passed on the names of the translators I knew. And I still get asked today. I fairly soon stopped working with agencies and, since then, as far as I know all my direct clients have come through other direct clients or, in some cases, from colleagues.
Slightly off-topic, or maybe not: I had a conversation once with an agency to whom I'd given a list of about 20 translators, telling them I had no idea who was good and who wasn't. Some years later, I still hadn't seen the work of these colleagues but I'd got to know many of them through their messages to the various forums and I had formed a fairly clear impression of each one. I was not surprised to find that the agency and I agreed entirely in our opinion of almost every one. The one who writes useless messages is quite likely a useless translator. The one who sounds knowledgeable and professional is probably the one to work with. The loudmouth, the one who breaks the house rules, and the one who is disrespectful to others are all best avoided. It's obviously not a hard-and-fast rule, but if you get to read enough of people's messages, you hardly even need to see their work to know what they'll be like as translators. Often better than a CV, and certainly better than what they say about themselves.
ciao
Simon
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 13:32
Member
English to Turkish
Simon Turner wrote:
The one who writes useless messages is quite likely a useless translator. The one who sounds knowledgeable and professional is probably the one to work with. The loudmouth, the one who breaks the house rules, and the one who is disrespectful to others are all best avoided. It's obviously not a hard-and-fast rule, but if you get to read enough of people's messages, you hardly even need to see their work to know what they'll be like as translators. Often better than a CV, and certainly better than what they say about themselves.
You hear that Chris? We're walking a fine line here. Our very livelihoods depend on our posts! As if AI wasn't bad enough...
| | | | | Word of mouth | Nov 19, 2023 |
Direct clients will happily pass on your name, Baran, and people move from job to job and agency to agency.
None of the options listed has helped me.
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Baran Keki wrote:
You hear that Chris? We're walking a fine line here. Our very livelihoods depend on our posts! As if AI wasn't bad enough...
I always assumed agencies were too busy devising ways of reducing rates and quality to bother monitoring the forums for miscreants.
| | | | Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 04:32
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I think it's a mix of 2 main high scores: my position in Kudoz and my WWA.
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Rita Utt
France
Local time: 12:32
English to German
+ ...
Collegues, PMs you know personally. Very important if you want to work for direct clients.
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 12:32
French to English
Christopher Schröder wrote:
I always assumed agencies were too busy devising ways of reducing rates and quality to bother monitoring the forums for miscreants.
We can include messages to the client. When I was a PM at an agency, I was always astounded at how rude some translators could be, and I avoided them at all costs. One sworn translator refused to make any changes to his translation before stamping it, even when I pointed out that one of the mistakes he'd made was leaving the word "not" out of one sentence. He was struck off our list pronto!
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 12:32
French to English
You'd have to ask my clients of course, but I would say that they keep coming back because they know I'll deliver a good translation on time. They also know that I'm amenable to explaining my choices and brainstorming other ideas when necessary.
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