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Initial experiences with agencies
Thread poster: David Jones
David Jones
David Jones  Identity Verified
Taiwan
Local time: 19:37
Chinese to English
+ ...
Dec 7, 2020

Hi folks,

So I'm still super early into my translation journey and have no frame of reference for my experiences in this field yet. I've done a few tests for agencies and been accepted now by two agencies and in the two weeks since I signed contracts with them... I've heard nothing. I've got logins to their systems and have told them my availability etc etc.

What did other people experience at the beginning of using Proz? Is this normal? What is possibly going on inside
... See more
Hi folks,

So I'm still super early into my translation journey and have no frame of reference for my experiences in this field yet. I've done a few tests for agencies and been accepted now by two agencies and in the two weeks since I signed contracts with them... I've heard nothing. I've got logins to their systems and have told them my availability etc etc.

What did other people experience at the beginning of using Proz? Is this normal? What is possibly going on inside these agencies? Was it me lol?

Of course, I am currently working on Kudoz points, contacting more agencies when jobs come up, looking into professional training for using CATs and attending Proz trainings / watching videos online. But any thoughts on what I could be getting on with in the meantime will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks folks
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Adieu
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Lol Dec 7, 2020

Dude, you’re now at the bottom of a very long list of approved freelancers. They may never use you at all. They’ll continue to use their favourites wherever possible, and you’ll only get a sniff when all of them are busy.

Just keep going with more and more agencies and eventually you will get a job and a chance to move yourself straight to the top of the list by demonstrating your brilliance.

In the meantime you just have to keep plugging away...

PS T
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Dude, you’re now at the bottom of a very long list of approved freelancers. They may never use you at all. They’ll continue to use their favourites wherever possible, and you’ll only get a sniff when all of them are busy.

Just keep going with more and more agencies and eventually you will get a job and a chance to move yourself straight to the top of the list by demonstrating your brilliance.

In the meantime you just have to keep plugging away...

PS There are some grumpy old farts on here who go ballistic when you young folks come on here starting posts with “So” and maybe even splitting infinitives. Such shocking modern behaviour will not be tolerated. You’ve been warned!
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Mervyn Henderson (X)
P.L.F. Persio
Zibow Retailleau
Antoine Wicquart
Matthias Brombach
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Marjolein Thickett
 
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:37
Spanish to English
+ ...
Grumpy grumpers Dec 7, 2020

I am one of the grumpy old farts to whom Chris refers. You will notice, for example that I refrained from ending that first sentence with a preposition. That gives you some idea of the kind of man I am, because ending a sentence with a preposition is a practice up with which I will not put. You will meet many more of us here- hard-core, embittered, uncompromising pedants seeking unwary, carefree victims on which to vent our respective spleens - so have a care when you choose your words, young ma... See more
I am one of the grumpy old farts to whom Chris refers. You will notice, for example that I refrained from ending that first sentence with a preposition. That gives you some idea of the kind of man I am, because ending a sentence with a preposition is a practice up with which I will not put. You will meet many more of us here- hard-core, embittered, uncompromising pedants seeking unwary, carefree victims on which to vent our respective spleens - so have a care when you choose your words, young man. You will notice, for example, that I used the word "so" in that last sentence after the proper fashion. And it cannot be any other way.

And the agencies did not pass you over at the beginning of using ProZ [sic] because of you lol. How could they possibly hear you laughing out loud?
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Christopher Schröder
Zibow Retailleau
P.L.F. Persio
Matthias Brombach
Dan Lucas
Chris White
 
Elena Feriani
Elena Feriani
Italy
Local time: 12:37
Member
French to Italian
+ ...
China Dec 7, 2020

I think you're already doing all you can do.
I started in 2017 and I started getting a steady income in 2018.
For your language pair, there is a lot of work in China. You should look into Chinese businesses and agencies.
The Chinese "Amazon" for example is now translating their website and they hire freelancers directly. Also, I get a lot of work from US and UK agencies that have Chinese offices and clients. The
... See more
I think you're already doing all you can do.
I started in 2017 and I started getting a steady income in 2018.
For your language pair, there is a lot of work in China. You should look into Chinese businesses and agencies.
The Chinese "Amazon" for example is now translating their website and they hire freelancers directly. Also, I get a lot of work from US and UK agencies that have Chinese offices and clients. They translate all their Chinese material into English first and then use the English version for most languages. So yeah, I believe Chinese-English is a good language pair at the moment.
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Mervyn Henderson (X)
Tom in London
P.L.F. Persio
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Zibow Retailleau
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Adieu
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 12:37
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@David Dec 7, 2020

David Jones wrote:
I've done a few tests for agencies and been accepted now by two agencies and in the two weeks since I signed contracts with them, I've heard nothing.


The fact that you signed contracts with them and did test translations for them simply makes it simpler and faster for them to hire you when they need to. Signing a contract or doing a test translation is not an indication that the agency has a job for you any time soon. Since you are just starting out, doing a lot of free test translations isn't going to harm you, but later, when you have become a busy translator, you should consider doing a free test translation only if the client had indicated that there is a job waiting for you if you pass it.

What you need to do now is to visit the Blue Board and contact (and register with) as many agencies as you can. Around 10-20% of those that you contact, will reply, and 10-20% of those that reply, will send you work, and 10-20% of those that send you work once, will send you more work. These percentages were made up on the spot, but they're also accurate. Oh, and 10-20% of test translations that you pass will lead to an actual job.


Adieu
Joshua Shin
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:37
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Profile Dec 7, 2020

Elena Feriani wrote:

I believe Chinese-English is a good language pair at the moment.


Yes, Chinese (Mandarin) is the language not only of the moment, but of the foreseeable future.

Agencies receive tens/hundreds/thousands of CVs from people every day and they all go into the trash. The thing about agencies is that you have to get them looking for you - and not the other way round.

Given your profile (which puts a heavy emphasis on computer games) you will (a) have a lot of competition and (b) the rates you can expect will be at the bottom end of the market.

It might be better to offer a narrower field of specialisation in which there are not too many translators. Since you seem to have substantial amount of expertise with computers, this could be another more high-level area of IT. Machine tools? Avionics?

I would also suggest that you make your profile 100% complete. It looks good, but some parts are missing. Also: although some might like the "Tin Tin" graphic you have used, I think a photo of YOU would be better.

I took a look at your keywords; there could be a lot more of them there including basic ones like "translation" etc.

Finally: be patient. It can take a while for agencies to find you. Don't expect instant gratification.



[Edited at 2020-12-07 08:53 GMT]


P.L.F. Persio
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Peter Shortall
Zibow Retailleau
Elena Feriani
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Vera Schoen
 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:37
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Don´t publish your CV Dec 7, 2020

David Jones wrote:


Of course, I am currently working on Kudoz points


Even some KudoZ-points will considerably raise your visibility. And I would not publish my CV and at least not as an MS Word file, because we have some well-known scammers here, who constantly crawl through the profiles to steal CVs and create fake applications or profiles under your name. Good luck and I´m looking forward to translating more English documentaries from China into German, which were translated by a native speaker of English, and then perhaps by you. The demand is huge.

[Bearbeitet am 2020-12-07 10:42 GMT]


P.L.F. Persio
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Tom in London
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Dalia Nour
Elena Kharlamova
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:37
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
When do agencies most need new translators? Dec 7, 2020

We have one of the best periods coming up. Christmas and the New Year is when many established translators in some areas of the world prefer to turn down jobs and stay available for their families. It's a perfect time for newcomers to take up the slack. It may not apply to the part of the world you're in, but most agencies have translators around the world. If you're going to be available right through the holiday period, why not tell them?

Antoine Wicquart
Christopher Schröder
Elena Feriani
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Vera Schoen
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
 
Peter Shortall
Peter Shortall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Romanian to English
+ ...
Passive marketing Dec 7, 2020

Your experience so far is absolutely normal. The reason why this happens is that demand for translations tends to be unpredictable. You never know who will need what translated, or when. Until someone out there decides they need something translated, all agencies can do is sit, wait and get ready by registering freelancers. Most of them won't have work coming in all the time in all languages, or in all subjects. So you need to be on the books of a great many agencies before the volume of work th... See more
Your experience so far is absolutely normal. The reason why this happens is that demand for translations tends to be unpredictable. You never know who will need what translated, or when. Until someone out there decides they need something translated, all agencies can do is sit, wait and get ready by registering freelancers. Most of them won't have work coming in all the time in all languages, or in all subjects. So you need to be on the books of a great many agencies before the volume of work that trickles through to you becomes substantial. A handful of them is nowhere near enough, I'm afraid, but take heart: it looks like you're already doing a lot of the right things. You just have to be prepared for the fact that starting a career takes time, but then so do most things that are worthwhile. Expect the process to take months or maybe even a year, rather than days or weeks.

The process of building up a client base works in two ways: you find clients (active marketing), or they find you (passive marketing). In my case, most of my clients find me. Once, during a quiet spell at the dawn of my career, I sent my CV off to dozens of outsourcers in a short space of time. I got hardly any replies and hardly any work that way. What worked for me was making myself visible here on ProZ and in the directories of two translators' associations in the UK. If I were you, I would think about joining similar associations and try to get listed in their directories. It's sometimes possible to join associations even in countries where you don't live.

[Edited at 2020-12-07 09:40 GMT]
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Antoine Wicquart
Zibow Retailleau
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Tom in London
Rachel Waddington
Dalia Nour
 
Antoine Wicquart
Antoine Wicquart  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 13:37
German to French
+ ...
Some ideas... Dec 7, 2020

I am also trying to get started as a translator right now. It is indeed quite hard to find the first jobs, but here are some ideas about what one can do to settle as a translator. Feel free to fill in the holes in my list if you have any other advice to share with us newbies:


  • Work on your Proz and Linkedin profiles. From what I found out, these are the two websites which stand out for us translators.
  • ... See more
I am also trying to get started as a translator right now. It is indeed quite hard to find the first jobs, but here are some ideas about what one can do to settle as a translator. Feel free to fill in the holes in my list if you have any other advice to share with us newbies:


  • Work on your Proz and Linkedin profiles. From what I found out, these are the two websites which stand out for us translators.
  • Answer to Kudoz questions on Proz. I just realised how much it affects your visibility. And it is quite educational and fun to do.
  • Work on your email-templates. At best you should have a personal approach with every agency/business you would like to take contact with, but having a general frame at hand saves time.
  • Take part at some online trainings about entrepreneurship or translation topics or even areas you would like to specialise in later. Some of them might even be for free (like the ones organized by governmental agencies in the country I currently live in).
  • Work as a volunteer. For TED, for Amnesty international, for Translators without borders etc. You can use the published work in your portfolio and ask for references.
  • Download the free version of translation/subtitling/[...] softwares and test them out (for your volunteer work for instance).
  • Create a website and/or a blog - It is how I will personally keep my Linkedin active, I am working on my first blog article today


And of course keep looking for new customers in the Blue board and on Linkedin.
By keeping a good state of mind and training continuously, paid work will eventually come. (Or at least I hope so).

[Edited at 2020-12-07 11:33 GMT]
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:37
Member (2008)
Italian to English
I hope not Dec 7, 2020

Antoine Wicquart wrote:

.... paid work will eventually fall off. (Or at least I hope so).


I think you meant "unpaid work will eventually fall off"


Christopher Schröder
Antoine Wicquart
Mervyn Henderson (X)
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Network Dec 7, 2020

While sitting in a room full of translators whingeing about low rates and unappreciative agencies is the stuff of my nightmares and I couldn’t possibly bring myself to do it, I would recommend it to any new translators who have a sprinkling of social skills and a reasonable grasp of personal hygiene.

In a directory or an agency database, you are just another name. If you meet someone face to face, you are a person.

Despite my aversion to networking and talking about m
... See more
While sitting in a room full of translators whingeing about low rates and unappreciative agencies is the stuff of my nightmares and I couldn’t possibly bring myself to do it, I would recommend it to any new translators who have a sprinkling of social skills and a reasonable grasp of personal hygiene.

In a directory or an agency database, you are just another name. If you meet someone face to face, you are a person.

Despite my aversion to networking and talking about myself, and even talking to most other people at all, the bulk of my work over the past 25 years has come directly or indirectly from some kind of personal contact or connection.
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Zibow Retailleau
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Matthias Brombach
Christine Andersen
Rachel Waddington
Philip Lees
 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:37
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Visit fairs Dec 7, 2020

There must be plenty of industrial fairs in Taiwan. There you could meet companies which strive to export their products abroad and would need a native speaker like you, who is living nearby of them and who speaks Chinese too! What a great opportunity. I wish I had it.

Mervyn Henderson (X)
Christopher Schröder
Kay Denney
Recep Kurt
 
Peter Shortall
Peter Shortall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Romanian to English
+ ...
Conveying a professional image Dec 7, 2020

Tom in London wrote:

Also: although some might like the "Tin Tin" graphic you have used, I think a photo of YOU would be better.



Hear, hear. If you're not keen to put a photo of yourself on your profile, then I think it's fine to put something that represents your chosen field (you'll notice that this is the approach I've taken!), but the image you've got at the moment does look to me like something a kid would choose. A good photo probably won't increase the amount of work that's likely to come your way in itself, but a bad photo can hurt you by putting people off.

Also, if you're going to put your CV online (and it's debatable as to whether that's a good idea, as has already been pointed out), I would personally treat that as a formal document and try to avoid chatty language such as "worked lots with", because again, it may suggest immaturity in some people's eyes.


Zibow Retailleau
Tom in London
 
Heike Holthaus
Heike Holthaus  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:37
Member (2012)
English to German
+ ...
Stay top of mind with the PM you signed on with Dec 7, 2020

Send them a Christmas Card and/or New Years card, for example. When you get accepted by an agency send a Thank You note in the mail and tell them that you are looking forward to working with them. You could even include a small gift. Are there any Chinese holidays you can "use" for that purpose?

Check in once in a while "I have some I availability next week (or: ...coming up)"

Connect on LinkedIn, if possible.

When I started out, I signed up with an agency
... See more
Send them a Christmas Card and/or New Years card, for example. When you get accepted by an agency send a Thank You note in the mail and tell them that you are looking forward to working with them. You could even include a small gift. Are there any Chinese holidays you can "use" for that purpose?

Check in once in a while "I have some I availability next week (or: ...coming up)"

Connect on LinkedIn, if possible.

When I started out, I signed up with an agency and I sent we work every so often. It took 1.5 years until it "clicked". They are now my favorite agency to work with and they send me regular work.
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Christine Andersen
 
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Initial experiences with agencies







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