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Should poor paying translation companies have a second chance?

10 March, 2017

A second chance for defaulters?

Doing business means taking some risks. Although one freelancer might be more likely to take risks and others want to stay on the safe side, every freelance translator will find themselves in a position of financial troubles at least once. Sometimes these troubles are caused by one’s own financial mistakes while in many other instances they result from poor business and bookkeeping practices on the client’s side. Although these practices can have serious personal consequences, they are great moments to learn from. One interesting lesson is that patience sometimes can do more good than ending a customer relationship.

by Pieter Beens

When ending customer relationship might be a good idea

27 January, 2017

Translation practice

When ending a customer relationship is the best option

Starting and growing a company can be a long and cumbersome process. Not only do you need to find and attract clients, but once that important and complex step is taken you need to maintain the relationship with them. While having won clients does not necessarily mean that you have enough work to keep you busy for a whole week, sometimes losing a client is worth more than winning one. When is ending a customer relationship the best option? And how can you end a relationship politely?

by Pieter Beens

28 September, 2016

Translation practice

The sense and nonsense of free test translations

Free test translations are a topic of hot debate nowadays. While it seems that more and more translators stand up against them, translation agencies sometimes defend them as their ultimate means of securing quality translators at the gate. There is a great chance that the topic of test translations will return in one form or another in any future period. Are translation tests reasonable requirements or are they don’t lead to anywhere?

by Pieter Beens

Selling translation memories: a good idea?

14 September, 2016

Translation practice

Making money with your knowledge

If you treat your translation memories as second-hand books that you try to get rid of for a few pennies every now and then, you are in good company: in the last few years a couple of TM marketplaces have emerged (and some of them disappeared as well) where you can sell all the knowledge you have saved in a database file while working for clients. However, if you treat your TMs like the secret Coca Cola recipe, selling them won’t sound like a great idea. Nevertheless there are a few places on the worldwide web where you can make some money with your translation memories, a place where many translators are selling (or buying) TMs. Is selling your translation memories a good idea?

by Pieter Beens

The role of ethics for freelance translators

5 April, 2016

Translation practice

How to deal with ethical dilemmas for freelance translators

A couple of weeks ago a colleague proudly mentioned on Twitter that she was working on an exciting project. Right after breakfast she would start working on the translation of something to do with adult toys. I was a bit surprised. Apart from the fact that I won’t take on such projects I would also be ashamed if it were publicly known that I had. I bet that for proper use, even the manual of such a ‘‘toy’’ should be translated by professionals who would not want to risk something with inverse polarity resulting from improper translations), but then I would prefer the discretion that surrounds much of anything to do with it.
The tweet of that honoured colleague taught me that conscience and scruples are personal matters. In the same week, however, I learned that not everything can be anticipated.

by Pieter Beens

15 January, 2016

Translation practice

Is the future of translators in specialization?

The publication of my State of the Industry on LinkedIn yielded a short debate on some aspects of our business. One of the comments was on the ever-present money issue, which I will comment on later. However, I also got interesting feedback on my profile as a “broad” translator––in contrast to a specialist. The feedback led to an interesting question: Is the future of translators in specialization?

by Pieter Beens

16 September, 2015

Translation practice

The ethics of being an entrepreneur

When it comes to selling our services, most translators call themselve a freelance translator. And so they are: they are translating on a freelance basis, selling their services to clients and enjoying the freedom of choice that a freelancing job brings with it. But they are more: they are in business, acting as an entrepreneur. The real entrepreneurial translator therefore is looking for opportunities in his/her business, for improvements in the way s/he works and – in the end – for a little extra earnings (or for more than a little if that’s possible). Chances enough then, but at this point it turns out that not every freelancer is an entrepreneur.

by Pieter Beens

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