Instructors
How to Sell Your Services as a Freelance Translator
Introduction
Class overview
When we decided to pursue a career as translators, perhaps we didn’t anticipate that the majority of translators work as independent contractors —freelancers. We might not have been prepared in school for running our own business; for finding the right clients. By sharing personal experiences and using a little humor, this course will offer translators practical tips and recommendations for selling their services as freelance translators.
Structure
- Lesson 1: Your journey
- Lesson 2: What types of clients should you go for?
- Lesson 3: Preparing your online presence
- Lesson 4: Your CV and presentation letter
- Lesson 5: Associations
- Lesson 6: Conferences and events
- Lesson 7: Keeping clients
- Lesson 8: Setting yourself up for success
By taking this class, you will have an opportunity to
- Help you identify which clients might be the best fit for you
- Provide more information about your online presence and drafting your CV and presentation letter
- Get a clear picture of events and conferences you can attend
- Learn more about associations and organizations you can get involved with
Who this class is for
This course is intended for anyone who is a translator, is a student of a translation program, or is currently pursuing a career as a freelance translator.
Certificate of Completion
When you complete all the lessons, you will receive a certificate of completion! In order to do so, you will need to get at least 80% of your quiz replies right. Best of luck!
Books:
How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator, Corinne McKay
The Prosperous Translator, Chris Durban
The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation, Judy Jenner and Dagmar Jenner
Marketing Cookbook for Translators, Tess Whitty
Marketing for Solos, Jeanna Pool
Blogs:
http://translationtimes.blogspot.com/
http://www.thoughtsontranslation.com/
https://enlalunadebabel.com/about/
Podcast:
https://speakingoftranslation.com/listen/podcast-archives/
https://www.atanet.org/news/the-ata-podcast/
https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/
Other reference materials:
https://www.atanet.org/client-assistance/getting-it-right/
Marina Ilari 
Fields of expertise: Sales Strategy, Marketing, Writing for Translation/Global English/Content Internationalization, Customer Success Management
Marina Ilari, CT is an ATA certified English>Spanish translator with over 16 years of experience in the translation industry. She has worked as a translator, editor, and quality assurance specialist for many companies around the world with a special focus on creative translations and video game localization. She is the chief executive officer of Terra Translations and co-host of the podcast about translation, En Pantuflas. Contact: [email protected].
