Pages in topic:   < [1 2 3]
Effective Marketing Strategies?
Thread poster: Gabriele Demuth
Gabriele Demuth
Gabriele Demuth  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:31
English to German
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Michael! Jul 1, 2015

Yes, this threat has made me aware that I need to organise and streamline my brand and methods.

It was originally my plan to focus on the areas I already have knowledge of or expertise in, and I jumped on jobs in my field, however, job posts and agencies gave me the impression that legal, technical, medical is generally high in demand. I know that many translators acquire specialisms by chance and keep working on it, this would give me a greater scope but, as you say, would never g
... See more
Yes, this threat has made me aware that I need to organise and streamline my brand and methods.

It was originally my plan to focus on the areas I already have knowledge of or expertise in, and I jumped on jobs in my field, however, job posts and agencies gave me the impression that legal, technical, medical is generally high in demand. I know that many translators acquire specialisms by chance and keep working on it, this would give me a greater scope but, as you say, would never get me to the top of the tree.

I again tried to find some agencies that specialise in Education, but as Sheila said, it may well be that approaching universities, education provider or any organisations that link in with that directly would be a better approach - however, to me this seems a big and daunting task.

Thanks for the links, Jeff!
Collapse


 
Maria S. Loose, LL.M.
Maria S. Loose, LL.M.  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 11:31
German to English
+ ...
One more aspect to consider Jul 1, 2015

Hi Gabriele,

I think Michael was very lucky because in Germany there seems to be a shortage of native English translators translating from German into English. So when he started marketing his services it was not too difficult to find clients. The vast majority of translators working with English in Germany have German as a native language and therefore either don't translate into English or, if they do, need a reviser to edit their translations. So, for a native English speaker liv
... See more
Hi Gabriele,

I think Michael was very lucky because in Germany there seems to be a shortage of native English translators translating from German into English. So when he started marketing his services it was not too difficult to find clients. The vast majority of translators working with English in Germany have German as a native language and therefore either don't translate into English or, if they do, need a reviser to edit their translations. So, for a native English speaker living in Germany it should be relatively easy to find direct clients in Germany by just marketing the fact that English is his/her native language. I don't know if in the U.K., where you live, there is a shortage of native German translators translating from English into German. In Germany, most direct clients would not search for a translator on platforms such as this one but would look in the phone directory or google words like "translator" plus "name of the city they live in" plus "target language". I don't know if direct clients living in the U.K. would look for translators on this platform but it should be relatively easy for you to find out how they go about it. If you are targeting direct clients living in Germany I think you would be much better off to translate into English, because there is a huge demand for translations into English, whereas for translations from English into German the competition is merciless, because this language pair and direction is offered by almost any translator living in Germany, even the ones who only have a passive command of English.

As far as translating only texts for which you have some credentials like University diplomas or work experience is concerned, I wholeheartedly agree with Michael. This is why I only do law and finance, I would never touch medicine or arts or any other subject, because I am sure I wouldn't understand the nuances of the source language and I wouldn't know the terminology in the target language.



[Edited at 2015-07-01 12:02 GMT]

[Edited at 2015-07-01 12:04 GMT]

[Edited at 2015-07-01 12:26 GMT]
Collapse


 
Michael Wetzel
Michael Wetzel  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:31
German to English
colleagues Jul 1, 2015

[Sorry to repeat some of what Maria said, I couldn't see her post when I wrote mine. Translating into English it is a no-brainer that I go after German, Austrian and Swiss clients, because tons of them have a very steady need for good English. Going the other way, I don't know exactly where I would try to begin. As a native-speaker with an advanced degree in my field and the ability to communicate fluently with my clients in their language, I do indeed have things easy. Translating German > Engl... See more
[Sorry to repeat some of what Maria said, I couldn't see her post when I wrote mine. Translating into English it is a no-brainer that I go after German, Austrian and Swiss clients, because tons of them have a very steady need for good English. Going the other way, I don't know exactly where I would try to begin. As a native-speaker with an advanced degree in my field and the ability to communicate fluently with my clients in their language, I do indeed have things easy. Translating German > English is obviously something worth considering. I would not look at it dogmatically, I would follow my gut instinct and then pay a lot of attention to the numbers (speed, additional costs, differences in demand and rates, etc.) and whether you feel comfortable doing it and enjoy it - and then see if it makes sense for you. I think it is generally a bad decision to translate into a foreign language, because it tends to put you lower down on a longer list and to cause you to work slower for lower rates, but in special cases (like Maria's) it can make a lot of sense.]

I forgot to mention that the agency was specialized specifically in translations in the field of art and one other field, which is obviously a key aspect.

Colleagues can also be an important source of work:
They may be outsourcing freelancers specialized in your field and language pair and direction (EN > DE is what I actually meant before) or, better yet, specialized in a related field that often overlaps with yours but where they would like to get rid of the kinds of texts you do without losing clients.
Near-misses are actually the best: same languages but opposite direction or related but distinct fields or different fields but same client base. Whether those colleagues are outsourcing or simply referring you (with or without a fee), that can work very well.

As far as the search for direct clients goes, I imagine English > German is generally more challenging than the reverse, because there is a much greater supply of potential translators and a much lower demand for them to share and also a much smaller number of potential clients who need translations into German on a regular basis.

[Edited at 2015-07-02 07:35 GMT]
Collapse


 
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 11:31
English to Polish
+ ...
Biz alignment first, I guess Jul 1, 2015

You need to know the core variables first, as in your broader market and your narrower niche, your ideal client, your competitive (or non-competitive) strategy, iventory of your strengths and assets and ways you could use them. Without all these marketing would simply be advertising.

 
Pages in topic:   < [1 2 3]


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Effective Marketing Strategies?







Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »
Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »