Simple marketing methods for reluctant freelancers

 

Most freelancers enjoy their craft but are less enthusiastic about what they need to do to make a living from it. One of these necessary evils is marketing. As in most chores, nobody argues the necessity of doing it in theory but everybody hopes that it will get done without their intervention. The reality is that it is impossible to have a successful freelance business without some type of marketing. Here are five simple marketing techniques that involve little effort, time and personal exposure. In other words, it is possible to mark a check on this item in the to-do list without great personal investment and see some results.

1.       Let your friends and, more importantly, the service people you use know what your profession is and the type of projects you do. Your accountant, insurance agent and hairdresser/barber, to name just a few, are your best marketing partners. They are constantly meeting people and provide great referrals.

2.      Set up a website or a LinkedIn profile. The first may require a small investment of time and money but the latter is simple and free and takes minutes. Make it easy for potential customers to glean more information about you and find your contact information. Most people are not willing to make any great effort to find you. Don’t lose business by playing hard to get.

3.      Set up a business page on Facebook or other media. You can and should keep your personal life out of it. Instead, showcase your business in terms of skill and achievement. Enlist your children to help you if they are the appropriate age. It is a great bonding exercise.

4.      Sign up for any relevant list or application for selling your services or goods. Define a relevant geographical range and join. If participation involves some payment, it is often worth it for a year as they tend not to remove your name after you stop paying.

5.      Whenever possible, participate in discussions involving issues within your expertise, written or oral, whichever you are more comfortable with. You don’t have to and often should not “sell” your business. Instead, publicize your expertise by suggesting practical solutions. You are branding yourself.

None of these actions requires standing up in front of people and talking about how wonderful you are. Aside from a website, none of them involves serious costs, if any. They don’t have to be perfect in the beginning as it is simple to change the content and language. There is no need to consult a tech expert. As the advert for the Lake Wobegon’s celebrated Powder Milk Biscuits said, keeping it simple can “give shy persons the strength to get up and do what needs to be done.”

A challenging conversion – the difficulties and rewards of demanding customers

 

Every provider of a service has experienced them – the customers that demand absolute perfection whether it is relevant or not. They see and find every perceived error or inconsistency and will insist on fixing the issue, however unimportant it is and how much work it would take to do it “right”. Suddenly, a simple job becomes a never-ending series of conversations and revisions. The craftsperson wants to scream and tell the client to take a flying leap but cannot. Instead, grinning and bearing it becomes the only option. A more positive method of dealing with such perfectionists is to meet their demands with the knowledge that the willingness to go the extra mile will financially pay off in the future. These customers are the best clients to have in a certain sense.

To clarify what a demanding customer is, it is important to distinguish between price and quality issues. Customers that negotiate money constantly and irrationally are not long-term assets. The energy invested in setting the cost combined with the resulting low rates do not justify the work. Moreover, they will switch to another provider in the blink of an eye as all they care about is price. By contrast, some customers are perfectionists and are only satisfied with the highest quality from themselves and others. It is not personal. The relative importance of a deviance is not relevant as only 100% is acceptable. They have no compunction about demanding correction after correction until the result meets their expectations. In the meantime, the actual time spent on the project has doubled or even tripled. Such people often get under one’s nerves.

However, in the long term, demanding customers are the best long-term asset in terms of direct work and references. Once a provider has passed the test, such a customer is not likely to switch to a less expensive provider as long as there is no change in the work level because they are not always willing to spend the effort to train a replacement. For example, every time my wife buys glasses, it involves numerous adjustments until they are perfect. She has gone to the same patient optometrist for over a decade. She is happy with her glasses but he has clearly profited from her loyalty as he patiently makes the adjustments for each pair. On a marketing level, perfectionists tend to be extreme in their opinion of service providers, i.e., someone is excellent or incompetent, with little in between. When demanding but satisfied clients recommend you, their words have authority and bring results.

Thus, when dealing with the seemingly unsatisfiable customer, it is best to take a deep breath, be patient and think long term. Getting angry does not improve your work, mood or health. Such clients demand a professional approach. When they receive it, they appreciate it. Ultimately, they become loyal customers in all the meanings of that term as well as the anchor of any business.

Pearl Buck wrote (I think) that, regarding the conversion of Asians to Christianity in the 19^th century and early 20^th century, one Japanese convert was worth three Chinese converts as the former would never revert. Likewise, winning over one demanding customer is worth three one-time clients in the long term. Hopefullly, that thought will help some freelancers gather up the patience and strength to go the extra mile.

War and freelancing

 

At the moment I am writing this post, the inhabitants of several countries face intensive and random bombing. Those attacked include Ukrainians, Israelis, Gazans and Iranians. Many of these civilians are freelancers, working from home. The challenge they face in trying to make a living while keeping their lives and those of their family together is extraordinary, even greater than salaried employees. While it may be easier or even unavoidable to stop working until the bombing ends, freelancers should continue to seek work, if possible, because it is possible and beneficial with a few modifications. Let us hope that this “new normal” situation soon becomes ancient history.

The number of freelancers struggling to work today is quite significant. Ukraine has more than 500,000 self-employed people. 17.69% of Israel, with a population of 5.7 million adults, is self-employed, many of whom are freelancers. Gaza is estimated to have some 12,000 entrepreneurs. Iran, with a population of 63 million adults, reports a self-employed rate of 42.5%, some of whom are freelancers working at home. Clearly, the businesses of many of these entrepreneurs depend on import/export or the local economy, which may be severely limited at this point. However, many of these self-employed individuals provide services through the Internet that are not directly limited by the war.

The challenge all of them face is to run a business between dashes to the bomb shelter or its equivalent, maintaining work discipline when they and their families cope with extreme stress and remain professional. The current conflicts feature bombing at random times, day and night. Civilians have little time, if they are lucky, to seek relative shelter. The sirens prevent a full night’s sleep either through the necessity to wake up and go to a shelter or the anxiety that this event may occur. Everybody has jet lag symptoms while not even going abroad. The enforced breaks and fatigue make it difficult to schedule work in any predictable manner. Unlike salaried employees, freelancers work at home and must also cope with the stress of their families, especially children, who need comfort and diversion. Amid this chaos, the freelancer must somehow produce proper results on time. That goal requires great effort.

For some, it is a bridge too far. Despite the need to earn money, many entrepreneurs can barely drag themselves through the day. Every person reacts to stress differently. Nearby explosions and even those reported in the mediaa create massive anxiety, both conscious and subconscious. Some people can distance themselves from the first and continue to function but others feel it directly and struggle to maintain some balance. Parents have the extra load of trying to protect the mental health of their children. It is no less difficult for people living alone. With no possibility of social activity in person, they often become isolated, which only adds stress. It is more than enough to keep one’s head straight during the day without pretending to do work.

However, I have found that continuing to work has improved my ability to cope by occupying my mind, earning money and enforcing a routine. When uncontrollable events, which include rockets and bombs, are the source of the anxiety, there is, in effect, no action that a person can take to ease the anxiety. Under these conditions, considering the dangers and the time of the next attack only increases the fear. Consequently, focusing the mind on work keeps the devil away. Furthermore, for freelancers whose income is always uncertain, the knowledge that they are earning money at this time is always positive. Keep in mind that there is no guarantee that the respective governments will compensate them for lost income in any meaningful way after the war. Finally, work is a routine, the best medicine in times of trouble. Life seems ordinary when you work.

That said, bombings and normal productivity do not go together. Consequently, it is necessary to make a few adjustments in terms of deadlines, project types, and processes. First, since the daily routine is subject to sudden change, freelancers must add time to their deadlines to compensate for any potential delay. Secondly, projects involving extreme concentration or complicated thought become much more difficult. Entrepreneurs should carefully consider whether now is the appropriate time to take such projects on. Finally, if focus and concentration are less than normal, it may be worthwhile to share brains by asking for help from a spouse or colleague at least in terms of QA. Two brains, even if not fully functioning, are better than one struggling one. These steps help ensure the customers receive a proper quality of work even if the sky is falling.

For many of us, work has become a challenging diversion. Freelancers in countries under attack find it difficult to make a living. They fear for their lives and those of their families. Explosives overhead create high anxiety. If you have an opportunity to help them, send them work or even a “how are you doing?” note. Let’s hope for peace quite soon. In the meantime, I would say to my fellow freelancers, “Let’s try to do a little work”.

P.S. If there are a mistake or two, please forgive me. War wreaks hell on writing also.

Beyond language – the extraordinary skill set of a professional translator

 

[quarterback*]

There is a common misperception that a professional translator only requires certain, easily attainable language abilities. These include thorough knowledge of the target language, which is shared by any person raised and educated in a country whose official language is the one required; and a reasonable knowledge of a foreign language learnable through a couple of years of high school study or a few months of Internet effort. Add a bit of machine translation or AI magic. Voila, you too can become a professional translator in a few months.

Reality is quite different. Clearly, the above-mentioned qualifications do not guarantee any language proficiency. Furthermore, professional translators require subject-matter knowledge so they can understand the material and use the correct terminology. However, beyond the required language and subject matter proficiency, professional translators must also be adept in the following technical skills:

Word – The visual aspect is an essential part of a professionally translated document. Therefore, translators must know how to fully format documents, including charts, margins, fonts, paging, borders and colors. As they must do their work efficiently, they must be familiar with the short cuts and professional tricks of using Word. If you think you really know Word, try taking any serious Word proficiency test. In practice, most casual users are aware of only a small percentage of the program’s abilities.

PDF – A significant percentage of original documents received by professional translators are in PDF or jpg. It is often necessary to process these documents to ascertain the number of words, categorize the documents as convertible or not and convert the documents into a useable Word document if possible. Experience is vital.

CAT tools – Just as you would not expect a professional carpenter to tighteen each screw manually, whenever possible, most professional translators use computer aided translation software (CAT) tools, often MemoQ or Trados, to efficiently and effectively translate texts. These programs cost money and require time to learn. The failure to use them often leads to a lack of consistency and avoidable errors, not to mention a large waste of time.

QA – Just as there is no such thing as good writing but only good rewriting, there is no submittable first draft, only a final document that underwent directed and thorough rereading and checking. Therefore, an essential part of the translation process, sometimes taking 50% of the time, is the quality assurance. Programs such as spellcheck, Xbench and Grammarly provide effective ways to review large amounts of texts. Customers should be aware that  AI can be a problem as the quality of its suggestions depends on the prompts it receives. Furthermore and more importantly, use of AI can create a serious breach of security since the material generally enters public domain. Most customers insist on confidentiality.

Social Media – Translators work to make a living. Therefore, they require customers. One methods of attracting customers is the correct use of social media in all its forms. Using this application for business purposes is actually quite complex and requires expertise. By contrast, using them improperly is a waste of time. Depending on their area of specialty, professional translators must gain some proficiency in branding and marketing.

LinkedIn – For legal, financial and other business-oriented fields, LinkedIn is the most focused of all social media and is effective for B2B contacts. However, it takes skill and knowledge of the system to actually benefit from this platform.

Scheduling – Professional translators often work on many projects simultaneously. Being a professional means that the person delivers on time. Thus, serious freelancers take advantage of software that helps them prevent “forgetting”.

Billing – Customers and tax authorities alike require proper billing. Freelancers also need to keep track of payments if they wish to stay in business. So, professional translators must know how to use accounting programs.

For professional translators, this skill set involves constant learning. First, nobody is naturally proficient and/or even open to all skills. Even if a freelancer has background or knowledge, technology is constantly evolving. The modern dynamic business world forces professionals of all types to never stop developing their primary and secondary skills. The cost of the failure to do so is irrelevance.

For translation buyers, it should be clear that a professional translator has for more than basic language skills. Accordingly, such professional deserve to be paid. As this is the start of the American football season, I will compare translators to quarterbacks. It would be foolish for a professional NFL team to use a high school quarterback, no matter how skillful that person is, as they are simply not up to the task. Using a rookie or a low-cost option may be effective in certain situations but won’t get the team to the Superbowl. Paying a top player appropriate money is a major factor in raising the trophy at the end of the season. Translation buyers interested in creating an effective document in terms of content and impact should go with a pro, a person with many talents and skills.

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Picture credit - Pixabay

Small businesses with a twist – timely relevant responses

 

[giraffe with twisted neck*]

Owners of small businesses, including freelancers, often wonder how they can compete with the “giants” in their field, given the unbridgeable difference in human and financial resources. Yet, it is possible for stake a niche in the market by adding a twist, to quote Avi Zeitan in his lecture on small business marketing, by turning a negative factor into a positive factor. Specifically, small businesses, especially freelancers, can provide immediate and relevant response to any customer communication precisely because they do not have complicated business structures. This feature both provides an advantage during the initial purchase as well as encourages loyalty post-sales. The end result, as anybody that has had to deal with large corporation can attest, is that many customers prefer small businesses.

It is clear that small business, whether one-person shows or companies with less than ten employees, must focus on one primary service and, obviously, do it well. While economies of scale provide large companies with a significant cost efficiency advantage, freelances can distinguish themselves by one feature that makes them far more customer-friendly – immediate and relevant response. To clarify, customers like to feel important in the eyes of the supplier. In a store, that approach often involves body language. By contrast, in written communication, whether in an email, on a chat or in a formal document, businesses express the level of priority given to the customer through their response time and relevant response. Whether a request for a quote or a post-sales query, customers truly appreciate an immediate response, often sincerely surprised by it and thanking the seller. This approach shows that the provider is “on the ball”, exactly what they seek. Yet, a prompt reaction is not sufficient. The answer itself must be specific to the customer and issue. General or irrelevant responses indicate a lack of attention or care, both undesirable traits.

Of course, large companies are technically able to provide the same type of response, with some actually doing so. However, in my recent experience, more and more financially successful large firms notably banks and other financial institutions, today often fail to meet both the criteria. I had recently had an awful experience of receiving two meaningless and non-specific form letters from Lufthansa that only exasperated the negative feeling even if I received them within 24 hours. In practice, it is difficult for a large company to control the actions and attitudes of all of its employees without overly strict rules. By contrast, all a small entrepreneur must do is to always make client communication the top priority.  The self-employed have a clear interest and full control in providing prompt and effective responses to consumers.

The benefits of fast and effective response are in the areas of both pre- and post-sales. Prospective customers tend to assume that the technical skill of a service provider is aligned with its communicative skills, which is not necessarily true. As a result, delayed or incomplete communication tends to drive customers away. As freelancers have full control of that aspect, they can excel and outperform far larger enterprises. After sales, customers appreciate the ease and efficiency of continual work with one person. There is no need to explain the whole matter from the start to another person. Furthermore, no company policy complicates or prevents implementation of an alternative approach. Small businesses do not require rigid policies. Thus, entrepreneurs have an advantage because a person, not a “team” is responsible.

Of course, no entrepreneur can be available all the time nor immediately solve all problems. The issue here is not the actual solution but the effectiveness of the communication. If matters require a person to be out of the office for several hours, customers almost always accept a response sent by phone saying that the individual will be available in X hours. For longer absences, an “out of office” response providing the reason for the absence, including a vacation or participation in a professional conference, and a date of return is almost always acceptable. In emergencies, a phone call is a way to extinguish any immediate fires. Time zones also affect availability with effective differences between customer and provider areas reaching 10 hours or more. Most customers understand this matter and expect an answer in the morning, provider time. If the entrepreneur answers beyond standard work hours, customers are thrilled. In the case of a question that may take some time to answer or request that is not doable, a few simple words are generally sufficient to maintain a positive reputation. Once again, small business flexibility is one of its strengths.

There is a supposedly old Chinese proverb about the definition of the vital elements of life: the most important time is now; the most important person is whom you are with; and the most important place is here. Small businesses can not only compete but outperform large enterprises in providing prompt and relevant responses, making customers feel like gold.  That is one twist that makes small businesses stand out.

* Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

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Bundling thoughts – addition by addition

[vegatables*]

This last week, I experienced a classic business bundling sitaution. In order to rent out a flat, it became necessary to make repairs and paint it. Consequently, we met the contractor at the flat, who by chance invited his son, a real estate agent, to arrange the matter. As the flat would need thorough cleaning, the handyman mentioned that he could get a quote on that task from a company he worked with. Voilà – one project will provide work to three different companies, all because of the cooperation between them. This almost magical creation let me to consider types of business bunding and question how it works in the translation business.

First, some professionals are by definition bundlers, more commonly known as contractors. Building contractors may do some of the work themselves but they openly subcontract a significant part of the work to specialists, including plumbers, electricians and roofers. In fact, their intrinsic value is that they find the required complimentary professionals.

Other professions have links to complementary experts that are required to complete certain projects but the customer retains the privilege to choose the specific service provider. For example, insurance claims often involve assessors and repair services but the customer has the right to select the actual provider. Likewise, a real estate agent may have a preferred handyman but the renter can limit the agent’s services to finding tenants only.

Some companies bundle their own services. As the State Farm ad reminds us, it is less expensive to bundle home and car insurance. A packing service may also naturally provide storage and shipping. There generally is some connection between the bundled services as the assumption is that the services involves some common expertise or goal. It would be weird if a mortuary service also provided refrigerator repair. To a certain degree, expanding the range of potential services to a customer is an effective way to increase income.

As a translator, not a translation company, which is a contractor in effect, I need to consider what type of bundling I can offer. I work from three languages into English as well as do English editing. This package is a good start but clearly limited in itself. In projects requiring multiple language combinations beyond my expertise, I have occasionally arranged translators of other language combinations for customers, who have appreciated the extra service. As for complementary services that would benefit all parties, I have not discovered any effective combination aside from translator/editor, which is generally only requested in literary translation.

Based on the real-life incident and the analysis of the bundling, all businesses can benefit from partnership with complementary services. The challgenge can be identifying those services and service providers that would create additional value. 

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When time does not equal money – expert services

 

[spine*]

There is this moment of complete shock. A computer technician comes in and solves a vexing problem in five minutes and then charges for a full hour. There is something unjust and absurd, even criminal, about the lack of proportionality between the time spent on the task and the amount you must pay. Yet, if carefully considered, professionals earn their rates if one considers that the years of education and experience it requires to efficiently solve a problem the first time. This assessment impacts not only our reaction when paying for services but, just as importantly, our conscience as professionals when demanding such rates. A qualified service provider not only should demand professional rates but do so with confidence.

It used to bother me that my accountant charged me so much money for preparing my simple tax return when I know that “all” he did was enter the numbers of the various factors into a computer program, press calculate, save the result and send me the bill. However, after considering how long it would take me identify those factors, find and understand a relevant computer application and enter the numbers, I realized that the accountant was saving significant toil and suffering, not to mention further explanations to the IRS. I was not paying for the hour or so of effort by the accountant but instead for the expertise and experience that allowed him to quickly complete the task. In one specific case, I did find the actual amount of the bill obscene and switch to less expensive accountant but I am happy with my choice to pay a professional for the service.

To turn the coin over, if you are a professional with several years’ experience, you probably have all the tools and knowledge required to complete most standard tasks in your field within a minimum time. In practice, the actual work required is far less relevant than how long it would take the customer or an untrained employee to complete the same task at the same level. If you are significantly more efficient or, even better, acting as the client’s “savior” in a given situation, your rate, even if it reflects work time far higher than actually invested, saves the customer meaningful time and effort. Thus, you can justify a respectable rate. So, ideally, service providers should consider the value of the service received by the customer.

As a legal translator, I provide many standard forms but charge by certificate, not time. To illustrate, many authorities require proof of address, generally a utility bill of some kind. With some 20 years’ experience and a large database, this task is not time-consuming but merely requires great attention to details, especially numbers. The customer is not paying for my actual time but instead for my knowledge and skill. As much of my work involves Hebrew texts, many of my customers could not do this themselves nor consider it worthwhile to keep an expert on the payroll. So, like the computer technician in the introduction, they pay for my expertise.

Thus, when considering whether the price of a professional is justified, consider the years it requires to reach that level of expertise and how much time/effort it takes an unskilled person to attain a similar result. Likewise, when setting professional rates, freelancers should also consider the value they are creating as perceived by the customer. Of course, the exact rate depends on the context and is far from exact. Still, the knowledge that a various task requires expertise attained over years should help provide some backbone to accepting and demanding proper professional rates.

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Synergy – on the advantages of being a freelancing couple

 

[A rainy tinny celebration]

There is a power in being a couple not just in dealing with life’s crises but also as working as a freelancer. My wife and I just celebrated our 10^th wedding anniversary. We are both freelance translators, even having met at a translator conference, albeit in different but complementary language combinations (Hebrew – English for me; the opposite for her, in different specialization areas). We can both see how much our individual business have benefited by sharing a profession. These advantages are reflected in the technical, emotional and financial stability.

Giving that not only is no man (or woman) is an island but also no person can be proficient in all areas of business, partners can complement each other’s skills. My wife enjoys technology (and house repairs) and views any hardware or software problem that arises as  an interesting challenge. She eagerly checks out the new features of any new program or upgrade. I, on the other hand, prefer the language aspect of this business. Finding the ideal phrasing for a delicate email  in English to a project manager is a fascinating intellectual exercise for which my American background has prepared me. Furthermore, as we work from opposite source languages, we help each other hone the exact meaning of any word in question and discuss which word or phrase in the target language would best express that sense. Occasionally, we agree to disagree. Having an in-office expert is a great asset.

Clearly, no less important is the emotional support we provide for each other. Freelancing, especially translating sometimes is a lonely, frustrating and unpredictable life style. The nature of the job is  to spend many hours sitting in front of a computer interacting with text whether in the form of a document or email. While written words are far less annoying than most people, it is also far less human by definition. The actual business aspect can be frustrating as, despite our best efforts to avoid them, misunderstandings occur with clients. Even worse, quite often  a job that the translator perceived as a short easy task turns into a translation from hell due to a technical issue or simple misjudgment. Of course, unnecessary and sometimes even incorrect feedback from editors is the bane of all translators. All this friction creates a tension, even anger. In terms of work pace, freelancing in general tends to be feast or famine, i.e., not enough or too much work, with occasional an unpleasant surprise on Friday night or other inconvenient time. Sometimes, there is no choice but to work too many hours, which is ultimately beneficial for the bank account but not enjoyable at the moment. As a couple, we can empathize with these feelings and provide the human element, understanding and logistical support (cups of tea and making dinner) required to ride through these crises. In simple words, you are not alone.

As for income, two freelance incomes are more stable and higher than one. Translator monthly income tends to vary significantly by field and month. For example, financial translators tend to have very busy first quarters of the year due to tax reporting requirements while certain offices push projects in November and December to take advantage of remaining budget to avoid future cuts. Moreover, technical changes, notably neural machine translation and ChatGPT, as well as new laws, such as in regards to translation or certification requirements, have varying effects of the landscape of the language industry. Spreading our income over a wider area helps protects us from “slings and arrows of outragious fortune”. On a more spiritual level, the technical and emotional support we get for each other creates positive vibes, which leads to better productivity and clearer thinking about all aspect of our business. This synergy leads to more business.

Admittedly, working with a spouse requires certain ground rules. First, what happens outside the office does not enter the office. Secondly, it is acceptable to discuss but each person reserves the right to make the final decision for his/her task. Finally, it is necessary to accept that each person approaches business differently, not better or worse. We do the best with what we have at any given moment.

There is a song in Hebrew “yoter tov beshnayim”, or, loosely translated, two are better than one. As we celebrate our tin anniversary (tinny does not ring very pleasant to my ears), we are aware that we have profted not only in our private but also in our business lives. I am looking forward to many such years.

Translating If - Essential learning for new and renewing translators

 

[world map on hands*]

Freelancer translators, as one-person businesses, must become multiskilled to one degree or another. They must be market- savvy, linguistically proficient and technologically nimble. Clearly, no newcomer to the profession can claim all three. Moreover, given that the rapid and constant evolution of the world of business, even successful and  experienced translators cannot rest on their laurels.  Thus, translators of all tenure must keep an open mind and actively learn. This continuing skill and knowledge education is an ongoing process throughout a translator’s career.

The price of having no boss or employee is that freelancers must wear all the hats. Since translation, like many online services, is a home-based industry, there is no storefront sign to bring in customers. Therefore, service providers must actively strive to get their name out to their public. They also must have thorough knowledge of their professional task. In the case of translators, that requires continual exposure both their target and source language. Finally, every year new technology enters the market. The current Chat-GPT hysteria is merely one example of a new technology that may affect an industry. Ideally, a freelancer would be expert in all three phases of the business.

In reality, newcomers to any field, including translation, may be quite proficient in one area but often are weak and/or uncomfortable in others. They may not even be aware of what they do not know, as I was when I started. For example, brilliant linguists often feel uncomfortable with marketing while savvy IT people may lack sufficient background in their languages. To clarify, lacking proficiency or knowledge in any of the fields is not a barrier to entering the translation field. Not only are these skills learnable but the reality of making living forces even the most reluctant to either improve or quit. Clearly, freelance translators have their own individual strengths, tasks they love, and weaknesses, tasks they try to avoid. However, successful freelancers are at least “good-enough” in all three to prosper.

Of a more troubling nature, at least to experienced translators, is that yesterday’s skill set can mean very little today. It is very disconcerting to discover that the financial certainties of the past, including their standard jobs, regular customers and established rates, are no longer to be taken for granted. The causes of this business earthquake include industry structural changes, in particular the purchase of boutique agencies by large agencies; technology changes that eliminate market niches, such as machine and neural translation; world market movements such as the Covid crisis and recessions; marketing trends, including the switch from physical to virtual sites and social media; language development as younger generations use different vocabulary and bend “iron” rules of grammar and syntax; and newcomers to the profession, who often arrive with more advanced skills in certain areas and greater openness to change. Many established translators experience a “what have you learned lately” syndrome.

The solution for this syndrome for “old” and new alike is continuing education and openness. Any freelancer that is interested can investigate countless free video and articles on any technological or marketing development and/or invest in affordable workshops on it. Information from all points of view is readily available if one searches for it. That said, depending on the person and market niche, many of these new trends may not be relevant for the meantime or ever. Given the learning curve involved in any change, slow and steady is a legitimate approach to change in many cases. For example, I personally do not see how Chat GPT can help me as a translator or even threaten my business although I could be wrong. Long-term players in this business keep aware of the latest developments without panicking.

In summary, to localize Kipling:

If you can continually strive to master all the needed skills

        while knowing that you cannot be great at everything,

If you can follow changes and trends with interest

        without being uncontrollably swept into the current,

If you can feel confident in your skills

        but know that you must always look to improve.

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

         And—which is more—you’ll be a translator, my son or daughter!

 

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

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One-eyed and canny – Why you should and can market your service through public speaking

 

[one-eye*]

All businesses, especially freelancers, seek to market their services with the maximum efficiency at the lowest cost. One of the least used techniques is speaking at conferences and other public events. Not only is it one of the most effective ways of making a business known but it also involves the least financial investment, making it available to the most cash-starved freelancer. Moreover, the challenges involved with public speaking are far less intimidating than they seem. In practice, racking some courage and investing some time can efficiently and effectively lead to many new customers.

["Concentration" game" with two penguins shown]

The spoken word, especially face-to-face, is the most effective form of marketing. In reaching out to potential customers, the goal is to create a positive impression such that they will remember your name when they require that service. Written materials, whether advertisements or informational posts, have limited effectiveness since the average person sees thousands of words every day. Thus, it takes extraordinary text and/or timing to leave an impression on any given individual. By contrast, potential customers have a significantly better retention of spoken words. Adding a face and a personality further strengthens the impact of any message in that we remember not only the content but connect it with a specific person. Thus, an oral presentation to an audience, especially a live one as compared to through video means, leaves a strong impression, the goal of all marketing efforts.

[small red purse]

The financial cost of public speaking is potentially the lowest of all forms of marketing. Advertising, whether in written media such as newspapers or audiovisual forms such as TV, can be quite expensive, far beyond the budget or justifiability of a small service provider. For the most part, only major corporations invest in regular advertising on these means. By contrast, expressing your message orally and directly involves very little direct cost whether the forum is a conference or a social media such as TikTok. In some cases, the conference even pays the presenter. Public speaking mainly involves a time investment for planning, preparation and performance. All businesses regardless of size and budget can choose to invest that time.

That speaking directly to the public is an effective means of marketing is intuitively clear to many if not most freelancers and other business people. Their issue is the ability to actually stand up (or sit down as it may be) and do it, whether out of the belief that they have nothing to say, are not natural speakers, will make a fool out of themselves or they are simply too shy. Based on my 30 years of experience teaching public speaking, these issues are either irrelevant or easily managed, meaning that almost any person can make a professional oral presentation.

[Owl on thick book]

For reasons of insecurity, doubt or ignorance, many knowledgeable people do not recognize their own expertise. Yet, due to their background or natural tendency, they find a certain task to be quite straightforward and obvious and assume that others find it similarly easy. In practice, each person is unique in terms of talents and weaknesses. The result is the terms simple and complicated are subjective, i.e., personal. Therefore, many peers and potential customers will appreciate clear information on a given subject because they do not understand it or need more information. While it is true that that given speakers may not be the only or even the best source of information, they are the expert in that place and time. Thus, even entrepreneurs with little business experience can educate their peers and customers on specific matters, thus creating a positive image of themselves. It is merely a matter of identifying a relevant subject.

[ball with a scared face]

The myth that only natural speakers should make presentations also discourages potential quality speakers. From my long experience teaching public speaking to first-year engineering students in Israel, the percentage of people with a natural gift of gab is quite small, clearly less than 5%. However, with minimal coaching and practice, a very high percentage of normal-range individuals become effective public speakers. Moreover, it is important to remember that even professionals are nervous before the actual event. However, they have learned that this tension is acceptable and manageable. Likewise, business people wishing to market themselves and their services can manage their worries and make an effective presentation even if they are not especially gifted in that area.

[genius at work sign]

In practice, for the most part, speaking proficiency involves managing nerves, proper preparation and appropriate subject matter.  In terms of avoiding black out, the key is ratio is nervousness to preparation time. In other words, the more insecure a person is about public speaking, the more that person needs to practice. When “showtime” comes, the practice pays great dividends. I actually practice much more now than I used to as I want better results. Preparation involves understanding and organizing the material and smoothing out and mastering the connection between the various topics in the presentation. Once a lecturer is certain of the entire content, it is possible to focus on and connect with the audience. As for subject matter, most people cannot fake expertise. People speak with confidence on those matters that they thoroughly understand and enjoy discussing. With proper psychological and physical preparation as well as subject choice, the scary monster of standing up in front of people turns out to be a manageable process.

[shy woman]

Many people with much knowledge to share do not speak in public they believe their lack of comfort or shyness does not allow it. No business person, freelance or salaried, feels comfortable in all aspects of their job at any time of their career. In many cases, circumstances force people to deal with their fear of the unknown, whether it is accounting or personnel management. The refusal to face these fears prevents some people from reaching their full potential. It does not mean that the task will necessarily become their favorite but instead it will not interfere with their performance. If a freelancer has no budget for effective advertising and needs more customers, the refusal to speak in public may limit their potential growth. Clearly, not dealing with an issue is a choice but not necessarily an ideal one. As for shyness, many years ago, I was a sales manager for an advertising company and interviewed a certain sales candidate whose speaking skills as evidenced by his interview were so bad that I shortly rejected him as a candidate in my head. However, his answer to my last question completely changed my mind. I asked him to tell me about a special event in his life. His description of skiing in the Alps was so fluid and passionate that I hired him. The moral of this story is that when talking about something they enjoy, people forget their shyness and become effective public speakers. A person can be very shy at home and in social situations but project a strong presence in certain work situations. Any person can be persuasive.

[frog with crown]

In short, despite the general perception, any business person can effectively and efficiently make a positive impression on peers and potential customers by speaking directly to them at conferences and public events as well as on video social media. It is possible to overcome issues such as lack of experience and innate fear of public speaking as these issues are quite manageable. A person does not even have to be the leading expert either. When speaking directly to people, the presenter becomes the primary source of knowledge. As the expression goes, in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed are kings, which makes for great marketing.

 

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

Picture credits: Pixabay

Entrepreneurial vision and uncertainty

 

[eyes in glasses*]

It is said that business success requires vision. While essentially true, the statement is more complex than it appears because, as in intelligence, multiple types of vision exist. Since no single person is born with the perfect multifocal to have ideal sight in all matters, sole entrepreneurs are at a disadvantage as compared to companies or partnerships. Consequently, freelancers need to harness their special vision and take into account their blind spots.

[man with magnifying glass]

One type of practical vision is the ability to quickly and intuitively identify immediate solutions for short-term problems. People with this talent identify the essential elements and ignore distractors. Clearly, careful analysis can provide solutions but requires more time. To demonstrate, Israel television (sorry, I cannot remember which channel and which time) interviewed an engineering student at Ben Gurion University in the Negev in Beer Sheva with a special talent for solving problems. Disturbed by pigeons on his balcony, he created a raven robot with visual sensors and combined it with a small water pistol. Whenever, a pigeon landed on the balcony, it received a wet welcome. This is one of countless robotic solutions he had invented. None of them were technologically complicated but all were imaginative and out of the box. Thus, this vision involves intuitively creating effective solutions to defined problems.

[eye glasses in dark clouds]

While less positive in both point of view and appreciation, some individuals have the ability to foresee issues that will cause problems in the future. There was an episode in the program The Twilight Zone in 1960 entitled The Purple Testament about a soldier that suddenly received the terrible ability to identify who would die in the next battle. In his case, this sixth sense was of no use even in preventing his own death but in business it is often quite important to identify and avoid negative and expensive issues in the future by applying simple means in the present. Most people find it difficult to distinguish exaggerated fears from reasonable assessments but a few truly know how to avoid minefields.

[boy with binonculars]

Finally, some people have the incredible ability to envision the future before others. In 1950, Ray Bradbury wrote the short story There will come soft rains in which the star is an automated house in which all functions are programmed, from cleaning the house to preparing food. The irony of the story is that its residents had been incinerated by a nuclear bomb and were no longer alive. More than 70 years later, this level of automation is not only practical but also already in existence. Inventors and startups depend on this ability to imagine a completely different future. Many claim to be prophets but only a few truly have the ability to see the future.

[cat with one eye]

Clearly, a special ability to focus on any of these three types of visions (or any other) involves a certain blindness in others, putting sole entrepreneurs at a disadvantage. Companies can hire as many talented personnel as their budget allows. Partnerships create synergy as in the musical partnership of Rogers and Hammerstein (Sound of Music and King and I, et al). Freelancers may have special talent in any single area but tend to be rather less skilled in others. For example, a person may be an excellent problem solver but lack any ability to even imagine what will be in five years. Thus, the lack of multifocal vision limits the potential of freelancers.

[Mr. Magoo cartoon image]

The partial solution is to recognize weaknesses, use outsiders, strive to improve and accept imperfection. The first step in solving in any problem is recognizing its existence. For example, there is no shame for a person to admit that long-term planning is not a forte. Once a person understands that there is an issue, two solutions, not exclusive to each other, are to enlist the assistance of another person either through outsourcing or community building, and work to improve the skills by reading, listening and studying experts. While maybe the skill not become  a strength, the freelancer will then be able to better decisions on those matters. Of course,  human beings always reserve the right of resignation, i.e., emotional acceptance of the inability and its consequences. If a person lacks the ability to foresee problems and is not willing to somehow overcome it for whatever reasons, the resulting waste of time, energy and money are acceptable prices, unavoidable if you will. While not ideal, this last option is the choice of many if not most people in the face of their incompetencies.

[see-no-evil kermit threesome]

Werner Heisenberg’s theory of uncertainty postulates that it is impossible to fully focus on position and speed at the same time, i.e., one certainty is at the expense of the other. Individuals may have perfect vision in one matter but often suffer from a certain degree of blindness in other matters. For companies and partnership, synergy is the solution. For freelancers, the solution is to strive to the best possible, get help if necessary and maybe accept one’s limitations. There is always a level of uncertainty in any business vision.

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

All pictures via Pixabay except for the Mr. Magoo image