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How to get clients?
Thread poster: Fernando Herculano
Fernando Herculano
Fernando Herculano  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:47
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Jul 3, 2020

Hi,

I am new in Proz, what advices do you give me for having clients and getting (re)starting working.


Hussein Salem
 
ATIL KAYHAN
ATIL KAYHAN  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 11:47
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
+ ...
ProZ Profile Jul 3, 2020

I took the liberty to check your ProZ profile, and it looks good already. However, it could be slightly better. You can put your CV/resume in there, for example. Your CV could be in Portuguese as well as in English (or another language). Your Bio section could elaborate more on yourself. I think it is too short now. I am sure you can do it. You can also add more keywords rather than just several of them. You can check out my profile if you would like to.

Fernando Herculano
Hussein Salem
 
Fernando Herculano
Fernando Herculano  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:47
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank yoy Jul 3, 2020

Thank you for your help it is very helpful.

 
Jo Macdonald
Jo Macdonald  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:47
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
Advice Jul 4, 2020

Hi Fernando

Welcome to Proz

In answer to your question "What advice can you give me to find clients and work?"

If you want to be a pro translator offering quality work and charge decent rates I wouldn't work into English or have combinations where the target is English.

Translate/work/revise into your mother-tongue, so from English into Portuguese for example rather than Portuguese into English.


expressisverbis
Rachel Fell
writeaway
Fernando Herculano
Rachel Waddington
Tina Vonhof (X)
Michele Fauble
 
Fernando Herculano
Fernando Herculano  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:47
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jul 4, 2020

Thank you so much for your suggestions?

 
Tina Vonhof (X)
Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 02:47
Dutch to English
+ ...
More suggestions about your profile Jul 4, 2020

I agree with Atil that you should say more about yourself and your experience. In your original post you say "(re)starting" - does that mean you have translated and stopped and now want to start again? Then list any experience you have from before.

I think you should shorten your list of professional objectives. It is too long and you have quite a few items in there that clearly brand you as a beginner or student or (in #18) someone who would rather not even be a translator. Mentio
... See more
I agree with Atil that you should say more about yourself and your experience. In your original post you say "(re)starting" - does that mean you have translated and stopped and now want to start again? Then list any experience you have from before.

I think you should shorten your list of professional objectives. It is too long and you have quite a few items in there that clearly brand you as a beginner or student or (in #18) someone who would rather not even be a translator. Mention only those items that look truly professional.

Here are my suggestions for 10 things to keep in a more or less logical order:

Meet new clients
Work for non-profits
Improve my translation skills
Improve my interpreting skills
Improve my technical skills
Network with other language professionals
Build and grow a translation team
Stay up to date on what is happening in the language industry
Buy and learn new work-related software
Improve my productivity
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Fernando Herculano
 
Fernando Herculano
Fernando Herculano  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:47
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jul 4, 2020

Yes Tina I’ve work before and gain some experience with software and translation.
Thank you for your advices.


 
Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:47
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Just one thing Jul 4, 2020

As it hasn't been mentioned here, I just thought (if you don't mind) I'd tell you that the correct form is 'advice' and not 'advices'. I do feel that something like 'advices' on a curriculum for a translator into English would set alarm bells ringing. If you do want a plural, you could say 'pieces of advice'. Thank you for your pieces of advice.
Plurals are often different in PT and EN (I translate PT>EN myself), 'informations' is another common mistake by Portuguese speakers (it has a pl
... See more
As it hasn't been mentioned here, I just thought (if you don't mind) I'd tell you that the correct form is 'advice' and not 'advices'. I do feel that something like 'advices' on a curriculum for a translator into English would set alarm bells ringing. If you do want a plural, you could say 'pieces of advice'. Thank you for your pieces of advice.
Plurals are often different in PT and EN (I translate PT>EN myself), 'informations' is another common mistake by Portuguese speakers (it has a plural in PT but not in English).
Take this as constructive criticism please.
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Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Fernando Herculano
writeaway
Michele Fauble
expressisverbis
Samara Serralheiro
 
Fernando Herculano
Fernando Herculano  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:47
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Jul 5, 2020

I appreciate your pieces of advice and this will be taken as a constructive advice.
Thanks


 
Michele Fauble
Michele Fauble  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:47
Member (2006)
Norwegian to English
+ ...
Advice Jul 5, 2020

Fernando Herculano wrote:

I appreciate your pieces of advice and this will be taken as a constructive advice.
Thanks


‘Advice’ is a non-count noun. It isn’t used in the plural or with the indefinite article, so ‘constructive advice’, not ‘a constructive advice’.


Fernando Herculano
 
Fernando Herculano
Fernando Herculano  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:47
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank Jul 5, 2020

Thank you

Michele Fauble wrote:

Fernando Herculano wrote:

I appreciate your pieces of advice and this will be taken as a constructive advice.
Thanks


‘Advice’ is a non-count noun. It isn’t used in the plural or with the indefinite article, so ‘constructive advice’, not ‘a constructive advice’.


 
Fernando Herculano
Fernando Herculano  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:47
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Question Jul 5, 2020

Does someone has a list of the non-count nouns please?
Thanks


 
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:47
Member (2008)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Online info Jul 5, 2020

Hi Fernando,

If you google "non-count nouns" you will find many helpful grammar websites, but none as valuable for your business as the advice you are getting here to work exclusively into your mother-tongue.

Good luck!


[Edited at 2020-07-05 22:55 GMT]

[Edited at 2020-07-05 23:02 GMT]


Jessica Noyes
Michele Fauble
Jo Macdonald
Fernando Herculano
Jorge Payan
expressisverbis
 
Fernando Herculano
Fernando Herculano  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:47
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jul 6, 2020

Thank you


Beatriz Ramírez de Haro wrote:

Hi Fernando,

If you google "non-count nouns" you will find many helpful grammar websites, but none as valuable for your business as the advice you are getting here to work exclusively into your mother-tongue.

Good luck!


[Edited at 2020-07-05 22:55 GMT]

[Edited at 2020-07-05 23:02 GMT]


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 09:47
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Contact agencies Jul 6, 2020

Fernando Herculano wrote:
What advice can you give me for getting clients and (re)starting working?


Visit the Blue Board and contact all agencies that look like they might have work for you. Expect 10% to reply, expect 1% to send you work.


Fernando Herculano
expressisverbis
 
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