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Why Your Website Needs a Contact Form and How to Get It Right
January/February 2021 Issue
Contact forms on websites are nothing new these days. But not all freelance translators or interpreters take advantage of them. There are a lot of good reasons to use a contact form. It doesn’t have to be totally impersonal if you set it up well. Done right, you can make a contact form that’s beneficial […]
Query Sheet Management for Project Managers and Translators
September/October 2020 Issue
Everyone will probably agree that one of the most important aspects of a successful translation project is communication—with the client, project manager, and linguistic team. To facilitate organized and effective communication between everyone involved in a project, a query sheet will sometimes be provided. These sheets are especially important in large, complex projects where there […]
How to Plan for Big Changes in Your Freelance Business
November/December 2019 Issue
Do you ever feel like you need to make a change in your business, but you’re not sure when to pull the trigger? Or maybe you know you’ve needed to make a change for some time but just keep putting it off. If you aren’t sure when the best time is to make a change […]
Glossaries for Translators: Why You Need Them
September/October 2019 Issue
If you haven’t made your own translation glossaries yet, you need to create one right now. You’re not just missing out, you’re doing yourself a disservice. The benefits of creating and maintaining your own glossaries cannot be understated, from increased productivity to better translation quality. They are essential tools for all translators that can be […]
Three Myths about Who Should Edit Your Translation
July/August 2019 Issue
(The following originally appeared on The Savvy Newcomer blog, https://atasavvynewcomer.org.) Some translation projects involve a lone translator, while others allow the translator to choose an editor. My own experience comes from working for direct clients, where I almost always choose an editor to work closely on a translation with me, or we switch roles and […]
Take Charge of Your Rates
March/April 2019 Issue
There’s been a lot written recently about raising rates. I’ve even seen it said that it’s impossible to increase them for existing clients. So, having just raised mine for a large group of clients—something I’ve done many times in the past—I thought I would offer a little inspiration and encouragement for those being put off […]
I’m a Translator, NOT a Machine: When It’s Time to Say Goodbye to a Client
January/February 2019 Issue
I’ve written previously about parting company with clients. Sometimes this happens over time, maybe because you’ve raised your rates, or said “No” too often and they’ve looked elsewhere. Or perhaps they’ve imposed unreasonable demands on you as a freelancer, or you just don’t want to work for them any more because the relationship has become […]
Work Smarter, Not Harder
November/December 2018 Issue
I remember when I got my very first freelancing job. I was sitting on the bed in my tiny apartment in Luxembourg, where I had been living for a few months while an intern at the Italian Translation Unit of the European Parliament. It was late afternoon, and all of a sudden I heard my […]
When Should We Apply Extra Charges to Translation Projects?
July/August 2018 Issue
For some, the answer is obvious. For others, it’s not that easy. I personally think that it’s a case-by-case decision that is not only dependent upon you, but also on the client and the specific project. So, let’s try to analyze this sensitive issue. People usually believe that extra charges should apply for overtime hours, […]