The basic requirements - Stop hiding your
light under a bushel
(Translation by Heather McCrae)
A computer should not be the only component in the basic set-up that a professional freelance
translator or interpreter needs for business.
You are a highly competent translator, no question about that. Great! But you say you are not
getting enough work.
One question: Does the world know you exist?
No? Then do something about it and optimise your professional presence! For example:
1. Create a mail signature in your mail system with your contact data.
A mail signature doesn’t feature in the e-mails of 50% of our colleagues. This is not good.
There is no legal need for one for freelance translators, but it makes absolute sense. You
should ideally ensure that the signature is separated from the message text by a signature
delimiter. This means that e-mail programmes and newsreaders automatically detect the
signature and do not cite it in replies. More information here.
2. Create an e-mail address using your own domain
You just need to register a domain to do this. A mail address with "@t-online.de",
"@web.de",”@gmail.com”, etc. is not really a very professional address for a freelancer.
They make larger companies think along the lines that such people are just "side-liners" –
similar to the effect seen by people trading under the German small business regulations
(Kleinunternehmerregelung) or sole traders in English-speaking countries, etc.
Having an e-mail address tailored to reflect your company will put you in a particularly solid
and trustworthy light. This is a very decisive factor for companies and freelancers, one that is
often underestimated. By the way: an e-mail address that is based on your own domain will
last you a lifetime. The advantage: if you ever need to change your service provider, you will
not have to change your e-mail address.
3. Set up a website.
The Internet has turned into another virtual economic area. How will a potential customer
know you exist if you cannot be found? Larger companies do not look for translators on
Facebook or LinkedIn, they use Google. You don't need a clever website with 43 subpages
and lots of text: Just one page, ideally with the right SEO, containing your language
combinations, specialist-subject areas and, of course, your contact data will suffice. Only then
can you say you're online… because you can be found. Creating a website is child's play and
free if you use a host like, for example, Wordpress. Another advantage of having your own
website is that you can add references, testimonials and any positive feedback your customers
give you to it.
4. Get a generally accessible telephone number.
The technical options available today mean it is easy to set up an office number in addition to
your private number. This allows you to ignore phone calls to your business telephone after
hours or at weekends if you do not want to accept them.
An absolute no-go is to have an unlisted/ex-directory telephone so that you don't get calls
from "irritating people" at ridiculous hours. If you do this, don't be surprised if no new
customers call you. The moral of the story is that no-one can find you under a bushel, no
matter how bright your light is.
5. Set up a representative and legally-compliant template for your business
correspondence.
Both digital and printed where applicable. Many colleagues simply send their offers,
invoices, etc. as basic Word or PDF files on plain white backgrounds. There is nothing easier
than creating a little logo – even if it just consists of your initials. It simply makes a better,
more professional impression and does not conjure up the image of a housewife translating in
her spare time at the kitchen table.
Don't forget to add the obligatory data that needs to be included, for example, on invoices. A
relevant article about this has already been published on Wissenswinkel: here.
6. Be available by phone or use your secretary.
Secretary? Yes, your answering machine! A useful article was recently published on this
topic on Wissenswinkel: here.
7. Get yourself some business cards.
Professional and without any bells and whistles. You should always have some with you,
because you never know when you might meet a potential customer.
8. Do some marketing.
From advertising letters to flyers to press articles – (almost) anything is possible, and most
ways and means are useful and generally practical. There is one main rule: it does not always
have to be expensive, but it must look professional.
Think about creating your own blog, which of course needs to be maintained, or talk about
your topics as a guest author on another blog. Hold presentations in forums, specialist
congresses, etc. Create a business page on Facebook, set up an account on Xing, particularly
if you are based in Germany or work with Germans, and/or LinkedIn. Tweet as much as you
can, go to trade fairs, maintain your (appropriate and professional) networks – all of the
above are useful methods for preserving your personal PR. More about marketing here soon.
And always remember: making a noise is part of your business. Birgit Golms wrote the
following in her excellent book "Marketing für Dolmetscher und Übersetzer", published by
the BDÜ Fachverlag:
"Results from research on success underline the significance of self-marketing for business
success. The researchers found out that specialist knowledge alone is no guarantee of success.
Instead, the ratio for success is actually "10 – 30 – 60", based on the following aspects:
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10 percent of business success is related to specialist knowledge and the quality of the
work.
30 percent is based on successful marketing and good communications.
60 percent of business success is directly related to contacts and successful
networking."
(Quote published with the kind permission of Birgit Golms – thank you)