One of the most important questions asked by freelance translators, and above all by newcomers to the profession, is: where do I find clients?
The fact is that clients won’t start knocking on your door out of the blue on your first day. You can’t just sit in front of your computer and hope that miraculously they will find you and swamp you with lucrative contracts. Getting clients and most importantly, getting regular clients that are pleasant to work with and willing to pay good rates, is not an easy task. For most freelance translators, it takes between six months and a year, sometimes more, to get established and build a reliable clientèle. Even experienced translators with a steady work-flow have to continue working on their marketing, because they might lose clients for a variety of reasons (companies go out of business, agencies might hire an in-house translator in their language pair, they found somebody else to do it cheaper, etc.). It is therefore important to constantly market your professional services to attract prospective clients. Here are some tips to help you get started:

- Get listed in the Yellow Pages or other local business directories in the “translator” category. Even in the Internet age, a lot of people (and local businesses) first turn to the Yellow Pages if they need to find a translator and they often prefer to work with somebody in their area rather than somebody on the other side of the planet. Over 90% of my direct clients (businesses or private clients as opposed to translation agencies) are located within 50 km of where I live.

- Print professional business cards and hand them out to everybody you know and meet. Make sure everyone in your family, your friends, acquaintances, neighbors, etc. know that you are offering freelance translation services. They might need your services one day or refer you to people who do.

- Network with other translators. Getting to know other freelance translators is always a good idea. You will certainly make new friends and they might also refer clients or potential clients to you, either when they are on holiday or too busy to take on any new work or when they are offered work in language pairs or specializations they don’t work in. You can even build a network or a team with other freelance translators you know and trust.

- Register on online translator directories. The most well-known sites are ProZ and TranslatorsCafe, but there are many other translator directories on the Internet. (Click here for a list of online translator directories). While the jobs that are posted on such sites tend to be rather low-paying (with some exceptions), it is the fact that these websites allow you to have an online profile to showcase your skills that makes them interesting. Many translation agencies and also some companies browse those directories to find translators. The more solid your profile, the higher your chances of getting contacted directly by prospective clients. Make sure you list all relevant details, such as your language pairs, specializations, your educational background and previous experience, etc. to make you stand out from your competition.

- Get a professional website. It doesn’t have to be expensive and very fancy, a simple, well-built website with the most important information (who you are, what you are offering, your language pairs and specializations, your qualifications, contact information, etc.) will do. You might not get a lot of clients directly via your website (unless your website gets top results in Google and other search engines), but you can include it on your business card, link to it from other online profiles and refer potential clients to it. A well-designed website conveys an image of professionalism and makes you look more trustworthy in the eyes of potential clients. Be sure to get your own domain name instead of a free website and use a professional email associated with your domain. Tip: I have found that a website is especially useful if you work with a rare language or a very specific and rare specialization, as there are much less websites with those keywords and you can stand out more easily. My professional website is currently ranked by Google on page 1 for the keywords Luxembourgish translation. I couldn’t achieve such visibility for French translation for example, as there is much more competition and many more websites with those keywords.

- Become a member of a translators’ association. One of the many benefits of being a member of a translators’ association is that most associations have an online member directory where prospective clients can search for freelance translators suited for their projects. Being a member of a recognized association also adds to your credibility and image of professionalism. (Click here for lists of translators’ associations around the world).

- If you are a sworn or certified translator (a translator who has the authority to translate and certify official documents), get in touch with embassies and consulates of countries where your source or target language is spoken and let them know that you are offering your services as a sworn translator. Most embassies and consulates have lists of sworn translators that they will distribute to people who need a certified translation for immigration or visa purposes.

- Offer your services to translation agencies. You can easily find the addresses or websites of translation agencies in the yellow pages or on the Internet. Make sure that the agency works with the language pairs and specializations you offer and that they accept to receive applications from freelance translators. Many have online forms to fill out or indicate an email address to send your application to. Before contacting an agency, make sure that they have a good reputation and won’t suddenly disappear without paying you (see also my post on how to avoid non-paying clients).

- Offer your services to companies in your area. Make sure that the particular company you are targeting actually needs translation services in your language pairs and specializations (for example a company that does business with a country where your source or target language is spoken or a subsidiary of a foreign company). Bear in mind that many companies probably already have their regular translators or prefer to work with translation agencies, so you might not be immediately successful with this approach. However, if you are a recognized expert with experience in the field the company you are targeting is active in, it is certainly worth a try and you might win an interesting client.

The most important tip and the one that summarizes all of the above is: BE VISIBLE! If you want to attract clients, let them know where they can find you and what you can offer them.

No related posts.