Smart Habits for Translators

We all know that first impressions count, and this applies to all interactions you have with other people–both online and in person. When you run your own business, it’s even more important that you come across as a reliable, trustworthy professional, someone who clients and colleagues can trust and value.

After all, this is how we often choose service providers ourselves. Whether we need a graphic designer or an accountant, or when we’re looking for colleagues to collaborate with, we want to find someone who portrays themself as a professional from the start.

But since so many of our interactions with the outside world are online these days (and most of us are used to working alone), it can be easy to forget how other people may perceive us.

So, what strategies and smart habits can help you maintain a professional image?

Here’s what we discuss in this episode:

- What to keep in mind when you have email and phone interactions with clients and colleagues

- How to elevate your professional image online: in directories for translators and interpreters and on your website

- How social media presence can influence your professional image

- How your behavior impacts people’s willingness to work with you

- Our own reflections and tips on maintaining a professional image toward colleagues and clients

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

• Madalena’s master class: Write Better Copy for Your Freelance Website

• Madalena’s 4-week course: LinkedIn for Translators and Interpreters

• Madalena’s blog posts:

o How to Maximize Your Email Signature As a Professional Translator or Interpreter

o How to Maximize Your Email Signature - Updated with More Strategies

o 8 More Ways to Maximize Your Email Signature As a Professional Translator or Interpreter

o 3 Ways to Use Testimonials When You Have NDAs

• OSTI (Oregon Society of Translators and Interpreters) 2021 Conference

• ATA (American Translators Association) 62nd Annual Conference

• ATA Back to Business Basics webinars on the topic of professional image for translators and interpreters:

o Personal Branding Basics

o Phone and Email Etiquette for Freelancers

o Getting and Incorporating Feedback

o Building a Network

• ATA webinar: Personal Branding 101 for Translators and Interpreters

• Grammarly: grammar, tone, and style checker

• TextAloud: Text to Speech Software for Windows

• Speaking of Translation episode “Tools that keep us productive and happy”

• FREE webinar on protecting yourself against scammers: Don’t Fall for It! Scams Targeting Language Professionals

• The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

• The Talented Miss Farwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe

See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/48

As most translators (and many interpreters) work remotely, it’s important to think about how we can reach and engage with our clients from a distance. With technology at our fingertips, there’s no excuse for not engaging with our clients online.

And yet… it can feel overwhelming, intimidating, and for some, even anxiety-inducing.

We don’t say this lightly. We know a lot of people deal with anxiety when it comes to their business and trying to market to potential clients.

So, in this episode, we share our thoughts on engaging with clients online. We hope you will find some of the tips we share helpful.

Here’s what you’ll hear in this episode:

• How to research your options and choose online venues that will be the most effective

• How to learn what features of online platforms work for you and how to make the most of them

• How to make a plan for online engagement with clients

• How to plan your time when it comes to online engagement and networking

• How to engage in conversations with your clients consistently and not feel like a salesperson

• Our own smart habits and strategies for engaging with clients online

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

• OSTI (Oregon Society of Translators and Interpreters) 2021 Conference

• ATA (American Translators Association) 62nd Annual Conference

• Madalena’s master class: Write Better Copy for Your Freelance Website

• Madalena’s 4-week course: LinkedIn for Translators and Interpreters

• Episode 46: Smart Habits for Finding the Right Clients for You

• How to Reach Out to Potential Translation or Interpreting Clients on LinkedIn

• Episode 5: Reading More When You're Not Working

See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/47

Having a freelance business means that you’re always looking for new clients. Even if you have some regular clients, all freelance translators and interpreters should be planning ahead and marketing their services or responding to inquiries from potential new clients.

But just as you’re not always the right fit for a particular project or client, they might also not be the right fit for you. This goes back to the goals and aspirations you have for your business, your specializations, or your particular schedule or personal circumstances.

But how do you determine if a particular client is the right fit for you? This can be especially hard if you’re just starting out and have little to no experience. It can also be difficult if you’ve never thought along these lines before and if you’re used to saying “yes” to every project.

So, in this episode, we’re sharing some smart habits for determining who the right clients are for you.

Here’s what you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why it is healthier for your business and work/life clarity to determine who the right clients are for you

• How to decide on the right kind of clients for you and your business

• How to take into account the expectations that our clients may have of us and our expectations of them

• Our thoughts on the so-called client avatar or client profile and what characteristics/features to include in it

• How to find information about your ideal clients

• How your client avatar can help you set goals for your business

• Why the definition of the right clients for you changes along with your business

• Some smart habits related to finding the right clients for you

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

• Madalena’s website, courses, and blog

• Madalena’s master class on LinkedIn for translators and interpreters

• Madalena’s blog posts:

o How to Create an Ideal T&I Client Profile to Market Your Services

o How to Determine and Attract Your Ideal Client

• Characters with Character: 50 Ways to Rekindle Your Love Affair with Language by Jost Zetzsche: order a signed copy from Jost or through Amazon

• The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/46

We’ve all heard how important it is to specialize as professional translators and interpreters. But not everyone agrees with this. There are many who believe that specializing is not necessary and that you can get enough work as a generalist to make a good living.

We’re not here to argue that you can’t, of course, but we do feel that specializing is an excellent way to stand out as a professional, gain better clients, and open more doors for future opportunities in an area you already know well.

Choosing a specialization can feel daunting when you’re just starting out as a translator or interpreter, and even years into your career, it can be easy to overlook the importance of diving deeper into your subject area.

So, in this episode, we’re sharing some smart habits for specializing and keeping up with your specialization!

Here’s what you’ll hear in this episode:

• What our specializations are and why we picked them

• How to get started in a specific specialization

• Why it’s important to choose a specialization that you feel good about

• How to continue growing in your subject area and keep up with your specialization

• How to not let professional development fall by the wayside when you get busy

• How we plan professional development in our areas of specialization

RESOURCES WE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Madalena’s website, courses, and blog

• Episode 44: Smart Habits for Diversifying Your Translation Business

• American Translators Association

• American Medical Writers Association

• ACES: The Society for Editing

• ATA’s webinar on back-translation

• IPIECA: the global oil and gas industry association for advancing environmental and social performance

• SHRM: The Society for Human Resource Management

• ATA’s Back to Business Basics webinar on choosing and building a specialization

• Inside Specialization series on the ATA Podcast

• Eve Bodeux’s Global Reads Book Club

• Bright by Duanwad Pimwana

• Persuasive Copywriting: Cut Through the Noise and Communicate With Impact by Andy Maslen

See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/45

While it’s definitely important to master your craft and hone your skills, we also think that offering more than one type of service or working with various types of clients can be a safeguard for your business.

After all, you never know when things might shift, and when they do, it tends to happen when you least expect it. Or maybe you’re just ready for a change.

There are so many reasons to diversify your translation or interpreting business! In this episode, we want to share some ways to do that, along with some smart habits you might try to implement, too.

Here’s a summary of our discussion:

• Our experience with diversifying our business and why we believe it’s a good idea

• How you can look at diversification from a variety of perspectives in your business

• Why taking an inventory of your past experience, skills, and interests can be a helpful start when you start thinking about diversifying your business

• Some ideas on ways to diversify

• How you can take circumstances that change beyond your control and use them as motivation to diversify

• Our thoughts on diversifying our businesses further in the future

• Smart habits that can help you diversify your business

• Our new segment “Smart Habit Tip,” where we share a tip related to a smart habit that we recently learned or were reminded of

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

• Madalena’s website, courses, and blog

• The Deliberate Freelancer podcast: Episode 84: My 2020 Business Audit & Lessons for 2021

• The Daily: The New York Times podcast

See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/44

In this episode, we’re sharing a conversation about finding mentors and surrounding yourself with people who encourage you and push you to be better at your craft.

This can feel like a difficult thing to do, especially in a profession where we are used to working alone and behind the scenes.

It can be especially daunting if you’re a new translator or interpreter. It’s not that easy to know where to start, and finding someone who will guide and encourage you can feel nearly impossible.

So, how do you go about finding mentors and a community of people who help you grow and develop?

Here’s a summary of our discussion:

• How getting involved in the T&I community can help you surround yourself with people who encourage and push you to be better at your craft

• How to figure out what you want in a mentor or someone you look up to who makes you want to be better at your work

• Why it's important to be aware of but tune out what isn’t in your best interest

• Who can be a mentor from afar and how they can inspire and encourage you even if you don’t know them personally

• How timing can impact what you're looking for in a mentor and why your mentors can be different at different stages of your career

• How to make the mentoring experience rewarding not just for yourself but for your mentor too

• How people who surround you can encourage and push you (in a good way!) to be better

• Why those you surround yourself with don’t necessarily have to be in the same field or industry

RESOURCES WE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Madalena’s website, courses, and blog

• ATA 62nd Annual Conference website

• Episode 2: Impostor Syndrome

• Episode 37: Smart Habits for Improving Your Online Research with Elizabeth Adams

• The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation by Judy Jenner and Dagmar Jenner

• Boomerang app

• Likewise app

• WONDERBOOM Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

See the full list of links and resources for this episode:

https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/43

In this episode, we’re having a conversation about finding time for unpaid work and projects. You know, those things we truly enjoy doing—whether for our own development or personal fulfillment or as a volunteer in an organization—but that can be difficult to make time for during busy days filled with paid work.

Like most of our translator and interpreter colleagues, it comes as no surprise that we love the work we do and we sometimes can’t believe that we get paid to do it. But there are also other projects and goals we have that we want to devote time to that we don’t actually earn any money doing. These are things that will help you grow but that are so easy to push aside for a "quieter" day.

For example, maybe you have a blog you write, a special project or area of study you’re trying to develop, a hobby you want to lean into, or maybe you volunteer for an organization that means a lot to you. Whatever the project or goal you’re working toward, it can sometimes be hard to find time to work on these things that don’t pay the bills but are fulfilling.

So, how do we make time for these projects and goals? We don’t have a secret recipe for success but we’re happy to share our approach and learn what others are doing.

Here’s what we discuss in this episode:

• What projects we spend time on and why we try to make time for them

• How to decide how much time you can devote to unpaid projects and how often you can work on them

• How to handle those times when a certain project takes more time than you expected

• How to make time for hobbies and overcome that sense of guilt that comes with devoting time to something fun instead of working longer hours or earning more money

• How to respond to requests or proposals to work on something that is completely unpaid and that may take up a good bit of your time

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

• Madalena’s website, courses, and blog

• American Translators Association

• No-Fail Communication: 13 Workplace Communication Problems and How to Fix Them by Michael Hyatt

• No-Fail Meetings: 5 Steps to Orchestrate Productive Meetings (and Avoid all the Rest) by Michael Hyatt

• Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

See the full list of links and resources for this episode:

https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/42

Today’s episode is all about using technology in your work. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Even though many translators and interpreters like putting pen to paper, we depend on technology and tools to make us more productive and maintain our work's high quality.

This is also a controversial topic, especially the debate surrounding the advances in machine translation (MT), how this technology affects our work, and what lies ahead.

We also often get questions from listeners on the beginner end of the spectrum about translation environment tools or CAT tools: which ones are best and how to choose the right ones when you’re starting out. We’re no experts on this topic, but when we discussed who to invite as a guest, our decision was easy! And we’re thrilled that he said yes to our invitation.

We’re excited to welcome our colleague Jost Zetzsche today!

Jost Zetzsche is a translation industry and translation technology consultant, a widely published author on various aspects of translation and localization, and an ATA-certified English-to-German technical translator. In 1999 Jost co-founded International Writers' Group, LLC, on the Oregon coast. Originally from Hamburg, Germany, he earned a Ph.D. in the field of Chinese translation history and linguistics at the University of Hamburg. He sits on the editorial board for MultiLingual Magazine, the Journal of Internationalisation and Localisation, and the ATA Chronicle. In 2018 he was awarded an honorary membership to American Translators Association (ATA). Since 2016 he has been contracting with United Bible Societies to help create and maintain the Translation Insights and Perspectives tool.

Here’s a summary of our conversation with Jost:

• When and how he started his freelance career and how it evolved over time

• What his typical workday looks like and what changes he had to make due to the COVID-19 pandemic

• How Jost protects boundaries between his work and personal life

• What smart habits have been crucial in his career

• What his thoughts are on using technology in our work as translators and interpreters

• How to choose the right tools and technology for your job

• How to stay informed and be aware of the technological changes and developments that concern translation

• How to overcome the fear that technology will make human translators’ jobs redundant

• What 3 tools Jost would recommend all translators to try

RESOURCES WE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about Jost Zetzsche and his work

• Learn more about The Translator’s Tool Box and The Tool Box Journal

• Follow Jost on Twitter

• Check our Jost Zetzsche’s books: Characters With Character: 50 Ways to Rekindle Your Love Affair with Language and Found in Translation: How Language Shapes Our Lives and Transforms the World (co-authored with Nataly Kelly)

• Discover the Translation Insights and Perspectives tool

• The ATA Chronicle

• IntelliWebSearch: a terminology research tool

• ABBYY FineReader PDF

Get a full list of links and resources for this episode:

https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/41

Managing finances is one area of business that all freelancers and small business owners have to deal with on a regular basis, and translators and interpreters are no exception. Owning a small business often means that you wear many hats, and, let’s face it, the role of CFO, or Chief Financial Officer, is one that a lot of us struggle with or even dread. We often hear colleagues ask questions about managing the financial side of their business and financial planning, and we’re interested in these topics too. And because the financial side of a business is so vital to get right, it’s always best to ask a professional.

So, to discuss this topic with us today, we’ve invited a special guest: Certified Financial Planner and Accredited Financial Counselor Pamela Capalad.

Pamela has been in the financial services industry since 2008. She founded Brunch & Budget to help people who felt ashamed or embarrassed about money have a safe and friendly place to talk about it and make real financial progress. Her mission is to make financial planning as affordable as possible for the communities who need it most.

She co-hosts the Brunch & Budget podcast and co-founded the Race & Wealth Podcast Network. She also runs a group financial planning program called See Change, specifically designed for People of Color. Pam has been featured in the Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Huffington Post, Vice Magazine, and other places you’ve heard of. She was named in New York Magazine’s Best of New York 2019 and has brunched with over 400 people and counting.

Here’s a summary of our conversation with Pam:

• Who she serves and what services she offers

• How Pam started Brunch & Budget and how her business evolved over time

• What her typical workday looks like and what changes she had to make due to the COVID-19 pandemic

• What mindset shifts or changes she typically sees her freelance clients go through

• What mistakes freelancers usually make when it comes to financial habits and how to avoid them

• Pam’s tips on responsible spending for freelancers, saving up for big-ticket items, and planning for retirement

• What questions freelancers should ask when they are looking for a financial planner

• How Pam protects boundaries between her work and personal life

• What other smart habits have been crucial in her career

RESOURCES WE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about Brunch & Budget

• Listen to the Brunch & Budget podcast and the Race & Wealth podcast

• Follow Brunch & Budget on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook

• Take Charge of Your Finances: Pamela’s interview on the Deliberate Freelancer podcast

• Episode 18: Creating a Four-Day Work Week With Matt Baird

• Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown

Get a full list of links and resources for this episode:

https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/40

In today’s episode, we’ll talk about the mindset shift and strategies that are necessary when you’re ready to take your freelance translation or interpreting business to the next level. Whether you aspire to make more money as a freelancer or you simply want to reach the stage where you’re only working on ideal projects for ideal clients at ideal rates, you may find yourself with more questions than answers on how to get there.

When possible, we like to step outside of our professional bubble and talk to colleagues in other fields, especially creative ones, to get their perspectives and advice.

So, to discuss this topic with us today, we’ve invited a special guest: a six-figure freelance writer, coach, author, and fellow podcaster, Laura Briggs.

Laura Briggs is a teacher turned entrepreneur. She has coached over 11,000 freelancers and is the author of How to Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business (2019) and The Six-Figure Freelancer (2020.) Her third and fourth books will be released in 2022.

Here’s a summary of our conversation with Laura:

• How Laura started her freelance career and how her business evolved over time

• Who she serves and what services she offers

• What her typical workday looks like and what changes she had to make due to the COVID-19 pandemic

• How her books and her podcast came about and the topics she covers

• Laura’s tips for freelancers on how to manage imposter syndrome, especially when you try to grow your business

• How one plans for growth in their freelance business, and more importantly, how one actually implements those plans

• Strategies for dealing with variable income and the lack of stability that freelancers often struggle with

• Laura’s advice on specializing and choosing a niche

• How Laura protects boundaries between work and personal life

• What other smart habits have been crucial in her career

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

• Learn more about Laura’s freelance coach business: Better Biz Academy

• Connect with Laura on LinkedIn

• Join Laura’s Facebook group: Mastering Your Freelance Life with Laura: Becoming A Six Figure Freelancer

• Get a free copy of the first two chapters of Laura’s book, The Six-Figure Freelancer

• The Deliberate Freelancer podcast by Melanie Padgett Powers

• ClickUp: A project management tool

• Focus@Will: Personalized focus music to help you get stuff done

• Boomerang: A productivity app for your inbox

• Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself by Mike Michalowicz

Get a full list of links and resources for this episode:

https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/39