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By STUTI JOSHI
As a freelancer how to we make new clients and how we retain them. Explain this in the context of client services and durable relationships.
To work as a translator for the beginners is a route that is to be taken by them with utmost faith in their skills and understanding the route map fully. As a beginner, it is important to understand that having a good knowledge of the concerned language is a completely different thing with reference to good translational work. A person may have excellent command over the language but he may lack proficiency in translation. To become a good translator, one must understand the client's requirements, environment prevalent over the area, specific requirements of the clients, if any, besides having good command over grammatical aspects of the concerned language. Though it is not necessary to have some certification from the government agency it helps in getting new clients and retaining them over a period of time. In India, there is no official certifying agency for translators but the Indian Translators Association is here. It is very difficult to get the membership but as a beginner, one must always strive hard to improve his work quality and become a member of the association in the long run.
As a freelancer, one must try to get new clients by understanding and catering to their specific needs. There is no shortcut for success in this competitive field. You make a fatal error in translation and you lose your client and credibility forever. It is necessary to attend seminars and workshops run by renowned figures of the translator's world to keep oneself updated in modern technologies and tools. When we attend these seminars and workshops we understand the client setup in our specific area along with their needs and aspirations. These platforms can be used to have an edge over other freelance translators.
Going through various aspects of relationship building, we see that the most important and intrinsic part of it stems from the fact that the translator understands his work fully and works diligently while meeting the deadlines as well. He educates his client, communicates with him on a regular basis, and changing his work style suitable to the client. Learning the latest techniques and improving his skills make the translator a reliable, trustworthy friend for clients. It enhances your future scope of work as well. For getting more translation work, it is imperative to stay focused and not shirk from hard work.
In order to build a long-lasting and healthy relationship with the client, we must develop mutual trust and confidence. For this, a transparent and legally enforceable contract is necessary. The contract must be explicit, orderly, and not tilted towards anybody. A good contract gives in detail all the terms and conditions including deadlines to be followed. A good translator builds lasting relationships with his clients by providing quality translational work and meeting deadlines without exception. No client likes last moment surprises. In case, we are unable to meet the deadlines, it is our prime duty to communicate with the client and inform him about the cause of the delay. The client will understand that you have given importance to quality work rather than meeting deadlines with mediocre work of translation. For a long-term relationships, quality translation work with the specific needs of the client in mind is a must. Sometimes clients do have their specific needs of translational work. As a translator, one must have sound knowledge of translation tools. It becomes necessary to use tools like CAT( Computer Assisted Translation) and MT( Machine Translation). These tools when used intelligently and delicately may help in assisting client requirements. Having grip over the latest technologies and tools gives durable relationships with old clients and building new business relationships. The use of technology helps in improving self-branding and matured client relationships which in turn confirms a steady source of income.
It is necessary to educate the client about the intricacies of the translation world. The client may have translation needs but failing to communicate his exact needs to the translator. A good translator helps to understand the need of the client and in turn, explain to him his needs in the words and language so that he can comprehend it fully. This type of confidence-building helps in an emotional relationship with the client and these ties are easily not broken. A satisfied client remains your friend and customer forever, also spreading your goodwill in his circle.
For a healthy relationship with the client and for self-branding, we must remain in contact with our clients and changing our strategy based upon changing requirements of the client. Our self-brand image improves and we get more and more clients if we stick to our principles and hard work. We must have the courage to say YES for any genuine need of the client and fearlessness to say NO for things beyond our capabilities. Few satisfied clients are better than thousand unsatisfied and disgruntled clients. If we cater to the needs of our clients judiciously and using our skills diligently, we will have a large number of satisfied clients with long-lasting relationships nurtured.
Profile of Stuti Joshi
http://www.modlingua.com/interns/1460-stuti-joshi-french.html
As a freelancer how to we make new clients and how we retain them. Explain this in the context of client services and durable relationships.
To work as a translator for the beginners is a route that is to be taken by them with utmost faith in their skills and understanding the route map fully. As a beginner, it is important to understand that having a good knowledge of the concerned language is a completely different thing with reference to good translational work. A person may have excellent command over the language but he may lack proficiency in translation. To become a good translator, one must understand the client's requirements, environment prevalent over the area, specific requirements of the clients, if any, besides having good command over grammatical aspects of the concerned language. Though it is not necessary to have some certification from the government agency it helps in getting new clients and retaining them over a period of time. In India, there is no official certifying agency for translators but the Indian Translators Association is here. It is very difficult to get the membership but as a beginner, one must always strive hard to improve his work quality and become a member of the association in the long run.
As a freelancer, one must try to get new clients by understanding and catering to their specific needs. There is no shortcut for success in this competitive field. You make a fatal error in translation and you lose your client and credibility forever. It is necessary to attend seminars and workshops run by renowned figures of the translator's world to keep oneself updated in modern technologies and tools. When we attend these seminars and workshops we understand the client setup in our specific area along with their needs and aspirations. These platforms can be used to have an edge over other freelance translators.
Going through various aspects of relationship building, we see that the most important and intrinsic part of it stems from the fact that the translator understands his work fully and works diligently while meeting the deadlines as well. He educates his client, communicates with him on a regular basis, and changing his work style suitable to the client. Learning the latest techniques and improving his skills make the translator a reliable, trustworthy friend for clients. It enhances your future scope of work as well. For getting more translation work, it is imperative to stay focused and not shirk from hard work.
In order to build a long-lasting and healthy relationship with the client, we must develop mutual trust and confidence. For this, a transparent and legally enforceable contract is necessary. The contract must be explicit, orderly, and not tilted towards anybody. A good contract gives in detail all the terms and conditions including deadlines to be followed. A good translator builds lasting relationships with his clients by providing quality translational work and meeting deadlines without exception. No client likes last moment surprises. In case, we are unable to meet the deadlines, it is our prime duty to communicate with the client and inform him about the cause of the delay. The client will understand that you have given importance to quality work rather than meeting deadlines with mediocre work of translation. For a long-term relationships, quality translation work with the specific needs of the client in mind is a must. Sometimes clients do have their specific needs of translational work. As a translator, one must have sound knowledge of translation tools. It becomes necessary to use tools like CAT( Computer Assisted Translation) and MT( Machine Translation). These tools when used intelligently and delicately may help in assisting client requirements. Having grip over the latest technologies and tools gives durable relationships with old clients and building new business relationships. The use of technology helps in improving self-branding and matured client relationships which in turn confirms a steady source of income.
It is necessary to educate the client about the intricacies of the translation world. The client may have translation needs but failing to communicate his exact needs to the translator. A good translator helps to understand the need of the client and in turn, explain to him his needs in the words and language so that he can comprehend it fully. This type of confidence-building helps in an emotional relationship with the client and these ties are easily not broken. A satisfied client remains your friend and customer forever, also spreading your goodwill in his circle.
For a healthy relationship with the client and for self-branding, we must remain in contact with our clients and changing our strategy based upon changing requirements of the client. Our self-brand image improves and we get more and more clients if we stick to our principles and hard work. We must have the courage to say YES for any genuine need of the client and fearlessness to say NO for things beyond our capabilities. Few satisfied clients are better than thousand unsatisfied and disgruntled clients. If we cater to the needs of our clients judiciously and using our skills diligently, we will have a large number of satisfied clients with long-lasting relationships nurtured.
Profile of Stuti Joshi
http://www.modlingua.com/interns/1460-stuti-joshi-french.html
