| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Direct clients Thread poster: S_G_C
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:50
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Kay Denney wrote: Sorana_M. wrote:
I've been living at my current address for almost 13 years now but never heard of trade fairs having anything to do with the translation business. Maybe because the area is ranked as poor.
Would be interesting, though.
[Edited at 2022-02-04 11:34 GMT] OK, I live just outside Paris which obviously is not poor. But I didn't mean translation trade fairs, I meant trade fairs in your specialities. If you're specialised in aerospace, for example, you'd go to an aerospace trade fair. If there are no aerospace trade fairs in your area, but there are some aerospace companies nearby that you would be interested in working with, you might want to look out for events they'd be attending. Your local chamber of commerce might organise meet and greet events, or even job fairs. You're not looking for a salaried position, but they might still be interested in your skills.
Sounds like a lot of effort for a questionable or indeed, a non-existent return.
| | | | S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 23:50
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER
Kay Denney wrote:
But I didn't mean translation trade fairs, I meant trade fairs in your specialities.
No such thing here.
This place is consuming, not producing.
Plus, the pandemic is still raging in my country, affecting especially children now. Our government is aiming for mass immunization and keeping schools open at all costs.
| | | | Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 14:50
Dutch to English
+ ...
I would suggest adding Romanian to English as another language option and possibly one or more specializations that might attract clients to that combination. Look around you, you say your country is consuming, not producing, but do all those consumers speak English? Don't companies that sell their products in Romania need marketing texts, product manuals, websites, etc. translated? What language is on your cereal box?
[Edited at 2022-02-04 16:40 GMT]
| | | | Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
Although it MIGHT just work in specific highly centralized places that are undisputed capitals of major languages (Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, Moscow), it generally doesn't apply anywhere else.
Well...maybe also if you're sitting on top of an industry cluster like San Fran or Houston.
Tom in London wrote: Kay Denney wrote: Sorana_M. wrote:
I've been living at my current address for almost 13 years now but never heard of trade fairs having anything to do with the translation business. Maybe because the area is ranked as poor.
Would be interesting, though.
[Edited at 2022-02-04 11:34 GMT] OK, I live just outside Paris which obviously is not poor. But I didn't mean translation trade fairs, I meant trade fairs in your specialities. If you're specialised in aerospace, for example, you'd go to an aerospace trade fair. If there are no aerospace trade fairs in your area, but there are some aerospace companies nearby that you would be interested in working with, you might want to look out for events they'd be attending. Your local chamber of commerce might organise meet and greet events, or even job fairs. You're not looking for a salaried position, but they might still be interested in your skills. Sounds like a lot of effort for a questionable or indeed, a non-existent return.
[Edited at 2022-02-04 16:55 GMT]
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S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 23:50
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER
Tina Vonhof wrote:
Look around you, you say your country is consuming, not producing, but do all those consumers speak English? Don't companies that sell their products in Romania need marketing texts, product manuals, websites, etc. translated?
[Edited at 2022-02-04 16:40 GMT]
Not my country.
The town I live in (the discussion concerned trade fairs).
It used to be poor before, with the pandemic it got even poorer. Businesses vanished, shops and stores closed down for good, some areas look like part of a ghost town.
Prices went up. Significantly up. Week by week.
No idea whom they use for their marketing texts, product manuals, websites. Some clearly use Google translate. Others... no idea. I didn't get any reply to my emails.
[Edited at 2022-02-04 19:25 GMT]
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:50
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| The fact remains..... | Feb 4, 2022 |
...that direct clients are the best clients and all your effort should be focussed in that direction.
| | | | Mihai Badea (X)
Luxembourg
Local time: 22:50
English to Romanian
+ ...
| Eastern Europe vs West | Feb 4, 2022 |
Direct clients in Eastern Europe countries might actually pay less than Western translation agencies.
There are two important advantages in working with agencies:
- increased likeness of regular work;
- better security of payment.
| | | | Metin Demirel
Türkiye
Local time: 23:50
Member (2018)
Italian to Turkish
+ ...
philgoddard wrote:
When I worked in the marketing department of a bank, we used to regard a one percent response rate as good.
Also, you'll sometimes find that you contact someone, get no reply, but then get a job offer months later.
[Edited at 2022-02-02 15:59 GMT]
Several years ago, I had contacted hundreds of agencies, and my expectation was 10% of them would reply (less did) and 1% would be my actual clients (which did happen). My currently biggest client had started sending me jobs 2 years after our initial contact.
I don't know about direct clients. But I prefer working with agencies. They know how it is to be a translator, so they don't have unrealistic demands. They are trustworthy. And they do the most difficult part of the job, that is finding clients.
However, dealing with direct clients, which I don't have many, entails efforts beyond merely translating texts. And they cannot really be satisfying when it comes to volume. Because you having a direct client means them having a direct supplier, that is you. And that direct relationship has its quirks. Imagine you're Microsoft. You wouldn't cooperate with a Romanian translator directly. Because your products/services need translations into hundreds of languages, that means you would have to deal with hundreds of translators, and you -Microsoft- don't have that much time. So you'd better find an agency to deal with all of the translators.
And from the translator's perspective, a direct client might pay double the rate of an agency, and even more. But I believe it is very rare for a direct client to offer such high volumes to make a drastic change in your workload on a regular basis. I am sure there are translators out there, who receive high volume jobs regularly from their direct clients, but I doubt that is the case with most of us. Well, agencies exist for a reason.
I believe there are hundreds of global companies offering products/services in Romania, and they need translators like you. If you focus more on your marketing, I am sure something will come up. Remember, when you are an agency, you don't change your translator so often. Because nobody fixes something that isn't broken. Unless there is a problem with their existing team or they need to expand their team or they have a new prospect in the horizon, they will not be seeking to work with you. But when they do, they will find you, and that will sure take some time.
Good luck!
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 23:50
Member
English to Turkish
Metin Demirel wrote:
Imagine you're Microsoft. You wouldn't cooperate with a Romanian translator directly. Because your products/services need translations into hundreds of languages, that means you would have to deal with hundreds of translators, and you -Microsoft- don't have that much time. So you'd better find an agency to deal with all of the translators.
But, apparently the OP isn't very keen on working with agencies and wants that elusive holy grail (direct clients).
Marketing is important, but so is the language pair (even more so than expertise). If she were translating from a major language (German, French, Spanish or Dutch!) into English and were expert in a certain niche/field she might get/attract direct corporate clients from Western Europe. But translating into Romanian, her best bet is to get individual clients (most likely academics, small business owners, students etc.) from Romania, who probably won't paying any more than what the agencies in France are willing to pay for her target language.
I tried pursuing direct clients from abroad, it didn't work. I'm sick of getting diploma translation requests from Turkish clients through my website at ridiculous prices (they still think translation is a profession performed by university students to earn their pocket money here). I don't think I'll renew my hosting plan... let it die a slow death.. a lot of good it did me over the years..
| | | | Metin Demirel
Türkiye
Local time: 23:50
Member (2018)
Italian to Turkish
+ ...
Baran Keki wrote:
But, apparently the OP isn't very keen on working with agencies and wants that elusive holy grail (direct clients).
The OP states her frustration with not getting real jobs in spite of wearisome boarding practices by agencies, which I find reasonable. So she intends to find direct clients so that she can find real jobs, not just prospects. As far as I can understand, her case is one requiring finding clients at all rather than choosing what kind of clients to work with.
Baran Keki wrote:
Marketing is important, but so is the language pair (even more so than expertise). If she were translating from a major language (German, French, Spanish or Dutch!) into English and were expert in a certain niche/field she might get/attract direct corporate clients from Western Europe. But translating into Romanian, her best bet is to get individual clients (most likely academics, small business owners, students etc.) from Romania, who probably won't paying any more than what the agencies in France are willing to pay for her target language.
As for the language pair, I don’t think you or I are more fortunate than Sorana. Out native language isn’t English and we cannot change that, I think. But we can change at what part of the market and how we are going to position ourselves. I see Sorana has much more experience in the market than I do. I've floundered for almost a decade, and only 4 years ago things started changing for me. That was when I decided to have a more professional marketing strategy.
Baran Keki wrote:
I tried pursuing direct clients from abroad, it didn't work. I'm sick of getting diploma translation requests from Turkish clients through my website at ridiculous prices (they still think translation is a profession performed by university students to earn their pocket money here). I don't think I'll renew my hosting plan... let it die a slow death.. a lot of good it did me over the years..
I'd humbly advise you to keep your website. It's what's showing you're seriously involved in this profession (other than the ProZ membership). I have a website too, and it has brought me zero clients But it's not costing much, so I keep it.
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
| Seek regulated industries | Feb 5, 2022 |
EU = regulation and bureaucracy = lots of localized and bilingual paperwork.
Consuming vs. Producing isn't as much of an issue as you might think for you, since the same EU regulation and bureaucracy would mandate a bunch of consumer-facing paperwork - contracts, manuals, warranties, terms and conditions, disclaimers, etc., as well as various local paperwork for foreign businesses.
| | | | S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 23:50
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER
Metin Demirel wrote:
I don't know about direct clients. But I prefer working with agencies. They know how it is to be a translator, so they don't have unrealistic demands. They are trustworthy. And they do the most difficult part of the job, that is finding clients.
Good luck!
I've lost count of the number of worldwide agencies having my CV and contact details in their database. Europe, the US, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Asia...
I'm trying to get back on my feet, not entering the market now.
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S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 23:50
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER
Baran Keki wrote:
But, apparently the OP isn't very keen on working with agencies and wants that elusive holy grail (direct clients).
Like I said, many agencies across the world have my CV and contact details.
I've passed written tests and online interviews.
Few of those turned into actual work.
At present, I haven't heard from any of them in a very long time.
| | | | S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 23:50
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER
Adieu wrote:
EU = regulation and bureaucracy = lots of localized and bilingual paperwork.
Consuming vs. Producing isn't as much of an issue as you might think for you, since the same EU regulation and bureaucracy would mandate a bunch of consumer-facing paperwork - contracts, manuals, warranties, terms and conditions, disclaimers, etc., as well as various local paperwork for foreign businesses.
True. But I have NEVER heard of any business being fined for using Google translate instead of real translators.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:50
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Don't give up | Feb 6, 2022 |
Sorana_M. wrote:
At present, I haven't heard from any of them in a very long time.
That doesn't mean you won't ever hear from them. Sometimes clients I'd completely forgotten about contact me out of the blue, years later.
[Edited at 2022-02-06 22:21 GMT]
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