This is post #2 in my ongoing series of questions from the webinar on “Getting started as a freelance translator” that I presented for the American Translators Association earlier this month. A participant asks: As a self-employed freelance translator, should I operate as an LLC, an S-corp or a sole proprietorship? Short answer: If you [...]
Archive for November, 2010
Webinar question: Should I incorporate?
Posted in Freelancing, Money, Webinar questions on November 29, 2010 | 7 Comments »
Some interesting links
Posted in Freelancing, Links, Translation industry news, Translation technique on November 22, 2010 | 1 Comment »
As Thoughts on Translation wraps up for the holiday week (U.S. Thanksgiving is Thursday), here are some websites and blog posts that you might enjoy looking at: Eve Bodeux is giving away some SmartPlay language-learning products for kids on her blog; see the end of the post for how to enter. Writer Michelle Rafter has [...]
What to send clients and colleagues for the holidays
Posted in Clients, Freelancing on November 17, 2010 | 28 Comments »
Since we’re on the topic, it’s also time to think about your end-of-year greetings/thank you plans for your clients and colleagues. Obviously these plans will vary depending on your country, customs, budget and time limits, but here are a few suggestions for spreading some cheer, gratitude and name recognition. Holiday greeting basics: Send something. OK; [...]
Thoughts on 2011
Posted in Freelancing, Money, Productivity, Rates on November 16, 2010 | 7 Comments »
If you’re a freelancer, it’s time to start thinking about your business-related tasks for wrapping up 2010 and starting 2011 on a positive note. A few thoughts: Are you going to raise your rates? If so, think about how to raise them effectively. Are you going to raise your rates for new clients and keep [...]
Webinar question: Does age matter?
Posted in Freelancing, Webinar questions on November 10, 2010 | 9 Comments »
Yesterday I had the pleasure of presenting a webinar on Getting Started as a Freelance Translator as part of ATA’s ongoing series of online educational sessions. I think that it went well, with huge thanks to Lucy Brooks of eCPD Webinars and Mary David and Naomi Sutcliffe de Moraes of ATA. Lots of participants submitted [...]
Upcoming session of “Getting Started as a Freelance Translator”
Posted in Announcements, Getting started as a translator, Professional development on November 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
The next session of my 6-week online course Getting Started as a Freelance Translator starts on Monday and I still have a few spots left. This is a ground-up course for people with little or no translation experience; we cover topics such as writing a translation-targeted resumé and cover letter, finding and retaining well-paying clients, [...]
Why you need good web hosting: a cautionary tale
Posted in Technology on November 9, 2010 | 8 Comments »
This post could also be titled “Making web hosting easy versus making web hosting cheap” (to follow up on a previous post) and it’s mainly intended to express my undying gratitude to the people at Front Range Internet (FRII). Ever since I launched my new professional website about a month ago, I’ve been meaning to [...]
ATA conference wrapup
Posted in Professional associations, Professional development, Translation industry news, Translation quality on November 5, 2010 | 2 Comments »
I know that this post will show my local bias, but this year’s ATA conference in Denver was just fantastic. I didn’t actually take any photos, but you can see a few on Jill Sommer’s blog and look at the daily conference slide show on the ATA website. Thanks to Jeff Sanfacon of ATA for [...]
Upcoming ATA webinar
Posted in Announcements, Getting started as a translator, Professional associations on November 2, 2010 | 3 Comments »
I’ll be posting a wrapup of last week’s ATA conference soon; in short, it was fantastic. Enlightening sessions, enlightened colleagues and that unmistakable Colorado energy. I feel like the French sessions get better every year, and every year I come away with a long list of new ideas to improve my translations and my business [...]
