Looking sideways – what being a freelance translator has taught me about selecting other service providers

 

[two towers wtih bridge*]

As a freelance translator for some 20 years now, I have succeeded in retaining numerous customers over the years as well as losing a few. I began knowing almost nothing how to run a small business, even in basic matters such as pricing. Over the years, through the heuristic process, an elegant word for trial and error, I have acquired a solid if not complete picture of how to differentiate myself from others. Since I am also a purchaser of services, I now pay attention to those traits that distinguish the better providers. I seek providers that ask questions, strive for perfection, price their service with self-respect, are honest about time and quality and treat me as important.

Asking – Translators, even those with the narrowest of the niches, cannot know everything. Furthermore, customers do not pay us to be 90% sure. Thus, translation by definition involves questioning and confirming our knowledge if there is the slightest doubt. When I hire any service, such as moving or packing, I prefer those providers that ask me questions to confirm details in order to eliminate any confusion or errors. I do not view this “doubt” as weakness but as a marker of professionalism.

Search for perfection – As a specialist, it is natural to fuss over small details that no customer would notice. Translators can spend an hour considering which word is the best choice knowing full well that this insistence is for their conscience, not the customer’s satisfaction in most cases. Most service providers can reach a satisfactory level of achievement. However, only those that insist on considering all potential issues are outstanding. In short, I seek service providers that strive for the best even at the cost of extra time instead of merely good enough.

Price – The connection between work and money is rather direct. When I perceive myself as being well paid, I am more motivated to go the extra mile when I know that the customer is properly compensating me. While low price does not necessarily mean low quality, high price is far more effective in aligning the quality expectations of the service buyer and provider. If quality is important and the budget is sufficient, I feel more confident confiding the task to a freelancer with a higher bid.

Time/price relationship – High quality results take time. If necessary, it is possible to produce a satisfactory translation in a rush most of the time (but not always). However, producing a seamless translation, one that does not sound like a translation, requires rigorous QA and time between drafts in order to clear the mind and see the actual copy. Likewise, in most tasks, hurrying leads to sloppiness and errors. It is often unfair to ask someone to be fast and accurate. As customers, we need to recognize this fact (as inconvenient as it may be) and decide which is more important. If we require a top-notch job, the service provider must demand and receive sufficient time.

Personal treatment – I work with numerous translation buyers. My customers know it but they still wish to be treated as my most important client regardless of the actual invoice amount. I view these relationships as long-term with my emphasis being increasing the number of steady customers, ones that I do not need to sell myself. While the current project may be small, I do not know when a large project from the same customer may arrive in my inbox. Thus, I communicate with all customers in the same way. Likewise, most service jobs I hire are rather small by nature but I still insist on being treated as important. My value is not the amount of my current order but instead potentially much  higher in the future whether through my orders or through the recommendations I give. I desire respect and choose service providers that respect me.

Running a service business has honed my sense of identifying appropriate service providers. I seek those that ask questions, strive for perfection, respect themselves in their price, are realistic about time and make me feel like a valuable customer. That is what I attempt to do with my own customers and expect from those providers whose services I hire.

* Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

Picture credit

Coming out smelling like roses – Successful selling to the reluctant in Los Angeles

 

[red rose*]

My bi-annual trip to Los Angeles to see my aging mother does also lead to marketing insights as I have written about before. This time, I discovered how a successful chain actually caters to a customer that does not even want to enter their shop and thus created loyalty. I will also add a few actual humorous street signs just in case the tone of the material is too heavy.

I begin with a confession: As long as I can remember,  I cannot stand entering the perfume area of department stores. The cacophony of odors create a mélange that is far heavier and more unpleasant than that of my garden compost pile, at least in my opinion. 

Therefore, it was with heavy heart and nose that I entered the world of scent to purchase a perfume for my beloved daughter. Ah, what parents are willing to do for their children! An employee at the first department store pointed toward a vague wall where someone told they were out of the product. The salesperson at the second department store also said the product was missing but had the “gentilesse” to tell me that I may find it at Sephora. As I approached the door of my last chance, the overly fragrant breeze emanating from the store was already starting to get me to regret my decision to try it out. Fortunately, two sales people standing strategically at the door immediately smiled at me and asked what I was looking for. After hearing the name of the perfume that I needed, one of them immediately proceeded to enter the store, without me, and returned saying that they also were out of the product. She then suggested that I could have it shipped for free and it would arrive within three days. Two minutes later, I had provided my delivery and payment information and was back into the fresh air of the mall (everything is relative). My trip was Sephora was successful in terms of both finding the product and not suffering unduly.

I would even say that I would return there to buy more perfume for my daughter because their service matched the requirements of this unwilling buyer.  First, they had enough trained staff to efficiently handle my transaction. The employees were familiar with both the store’s inventory and procedures. Third, they treated me with respect although I am far from representing their target audience. It went from “Ca pue! to “Ca peut” [“it stinks” to “it is possible”]. My experience reinforced my opinion that service, not price, is the dominant factor in customer impression. Sephora came out smelling like roses.

On a less serious note, I present two pictures from actual, long-standing signs on the street near my hotel. There are no marketing lessons in implied but still they are somehow worthy of note:

 

[street for axe-throwing store]

This is called having a narrow niche!

 

[hotel sign "color TV]

What is the last year you could even purchase black and white purchases?

 

Lastly, since it’s my blog and I can post any picture I want to, here is my 95-year-old mother in whose honor I travel to LA twice a year:

 

my mother

For those going on vacation this summer, enjoy.

 

*Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

Picture credit: Rose

                          

Foreign teaching

 

[Inca king and queen*]

As Susan Dray wrote in one of her recent posts, going on vacation is a great opportunity to observe and learn not only ways of conducting life but also conducting business. On my just completed family visit to Los Angeles, I visited many commercial establishments, not always by choice, and gained valuable insight how to attain high prices and create a distinctive brand as well as a negative lesson on how to lose potential customers, which is no less important.

[clothes rack]

One business lesson reinforced by this trip was the vital connection between high prices and personal service. I took my 95-year mother to an upscale clothes boutique and watched for an hour and a half how the staff of three women made each of the customers feel like a queen. They greeted them by the first name, carefully choose their clothing, brought it to them in the dressing room, complimented them when appropriate and let me them choose at their speed. When it came to pay the bill, they gave each a discount, more symbolic than anything else given the income status of these women, thus providing each of the customers the feeling that not only had they bought beautiful clothing but paid less for it. It was clear that these women would return when they again needed an outfit for a special event. The store was able to sell at high-end prices because it had sufficient help, treated their customers professionally and friendly and created the image of a good value in terms of quality and price.

[donut assortment]

On the other economic scale, I stopped for a snack at one of the umpteen small donut shops in Los Angeles. Their names, physical layout and menu are essentially identical. However, one distinguished itself enough to lead me to return with its spirit of its service, quality of its food and unique atmosphere. The woman at the cash register had a huge smile (despite opening the shop at 05:00) and exuded genuine warmness. The bagel sandwich I ordered was both tasty and far less expensive than its Starbucks cousin. What really sold me was the classical music in the background, a Chopin concerto if I identified it correctly, which made my breakfast even more pleasant. I certainly did not expect that atmosphere at a donut shop. I then noticed that most of the customers were regulars that ate their donuts and sandwiches in the shop, attesting to the hominess of the place. Despite being at a first view a carbon copy of countless other similar business, this donut shop was special and personal, an ideal for all business in competitive fields.

[newpaper ads]

As a reminder of how not to run a business. I picked up a local weekly newspaper whose target audience would be quite relevant to me. Unfortunately, their lack of urgency and interest made sure that I would never spend any money on advertising in it. I called the advertising manager in the morning but was told that she was on the other line and would get back to me shortly. Shortly never arrived but I called back again that morning. She answered and provided me with several pricing options. I asked her to send the specifics to my email, whose spelling was confirmed over the phone. She then told me that she would send me the proposal “that afternoon”. I failed to understand why such a 5-minute task would need to be postponed to the afternoon but was still willing to be tolerant. More than a week later, I had yet to receive any proposal. As my late father would say, that is no way to run a railroad. Customers appreciate promptness and urgency. If they are not important at the sales stage, they will most probably not exist after the sale.

[coffee and patisserie]

As a side note, company names are important even if ignorance can be excused. I stopped at a cozy little expresso shop, filled with couches and cushions, and ordered a coffee and a pain au chocolat. (I can highly recommend the latter). The name of the café is La Laiderie, which had bothered me every time passed it previously. The reason finally clicked: laid means ugly in French; To be fair,  the name is actually composed of the various first names of the owners’ children. While appropriate in LA, the name faces some issues in other places. I suppose many other establishmen names do not travel well.

As the expression goes, a word to the wise is sufficient. Even experienced entrepreneurs need occasional reminders of correct business practice and the importance of making customers feel like kings and queens. It is far less expensive to do this by observing others than making your own errors. As the essential rules of business are essentially identical worldwide, a perspective person can even learn when touring abroad. Now, I am happily back home and back to work and just a little wiser from my trip.

Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

All pictures via Pixibay.

Explanation and communication – Helping customers understand price

[Man explaining smartphone*]

“I thought it was simple.” That sentence is from a phone conversation with a prospective buyer of translation this week. That same perception is shared by buyers of countless services in the market. They know what they want but are completely ignorant of the process. To clarify, the vast majority are not interested in knowing any or all of the details but would like and often need to know how the process affects the price and delivery time. As an example, I present three customer dialogues and the results, demonstrating the importance of respectful customer education.

My first correspondence was with an institutional client that required translation of a series of long documents, most of which were in PDF or Excel form. Translating them in a CAT (Computer Aided Translation) tool requires processing of the PDFs, often a long process. After estimating the total number of words, I provided a total quote, as is my policy, but added that the cost reflected both the repetitions of the numbers in the Excel files but also the time investment required to work with the PDF (formatting back and forth) and Excel (QA). Within minutes, I received the Word version of the PDFs, which gave me the exact number of words. I provided a revised quote, significantly lower. Both of us were happy as it reduced my time investment and their cost.

An agency asked whether I would accept a “half minimum” for a translation of a small number of words. It would have been natural to express annoyance regarding this oxymoron. Instead, the answer was to explain that a minimum fee also reflects the time invested in correspondence, preparing the text and invoicing. Fortunately, this project manager accepted this justification with humor and understanding, improving the relationship and hopefully preventing such requests in the future.

Finally, the bewildered first-time buyer of translator mentioned above received some simple clarifications. I explained that the time required to complete a translation is based on the number of words the average translator can translate in a day. I clarified that the English words count is between 1.4 and 1.5 times the Hebrew word count, which she had sensed intuitively. I added that QA of long texts takes times and requires many breaks, to which she could relate to a writer. Thus, she received enough information to make an intelligent decision while I improved my chances of attaining the project.

The point is the customer education, done properly, creates a win-win situation for both the customer and the service provider. It is not a waste of time as the vast majority of buyers know nothing of the service process. Whether in translation or any other service field, providing relevant information is beneficial for both parties as it makes matters mutually much simpler. 

* Captions are vital for Internet access to the blind.

Picture credit: Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/useche70-11527325/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=6733008">Manuel Alvarez</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=6733008">Pixabay</a>

All employees great and small

I failed to post last week due to circumstances beyond my control. My father fell down, broke his hip and had a stroke.  I flew to the United States to help my parents.  Fortunately, the danger is over.  He is currently at a rehab center starting the long process of getting back on his feet.

During this difficult week, I had the wonderful experience of interacting with great front-line employees in many enterprises. Their dedication was expressed in a variety of ways that all shared one feature, caring. For example, the manager at the Tarzana Inn arranged for me to have my regular room even though I gave him only 24 hours’ notice. The barista at Peet’s Coffee in Tarzana learned my name and favorite drink by the third day (dark chocolate orange mocha, to be specific). The nurse at the rehab center volunteered the Wi-Fi code without being asked. All these acts, among others, were not sales in a formal sense but much better than any sales pitch could ever be because they were from the heart, not a formal sales pitch whose purpose was to make money.

I am aware that the CEO's of many companies work long hours, successfully foresee future developments, understand developing technology and create successful corporate cultures. They are well compensated too.  Yet, in the vast majority of cases, customers neither know their name nor directly feel their presence. People notice and remember if the sales clerk or waitress was pleasant and made every possible effort to help, even if such effort was not part of their jobs. They notice that that they no longer had to explain how weak they wanted their coffee or how wide the shoe had to be. In short, customers appreciate being treated like individuals, not numbers, and reward enterprises that do so.

That lesson is valuable for all freelancers and small enterprises that cannot compete on price with larger companies. Customers will pay more if they are treated as special.  This competitive advantage includes the ability to pick up the phone and reach a person immediately instead of a going through a labyrinth of phone options, have a meaningful discussion of payment terms, receive an immediate solution to an issue and not have to start at the beginning with a new service representative each time. The scale of a freelance or small business becomes a strength and an advantage as compared to its large corporate companies.

Of course, this strength has to be structured, marketed and applied in order to be effective. The failure to invest time in understanding your customers, express this advantage or treat each customer as special will nullify it. This means that successful entrepreneurs must know the essentials of each of their clients, ensure that both existing and potential clients know that they will receive special service and conscientiously provide it.

Since freelancers wear all hats by definition, they only have to persuade themselves that special service is worth the extra effort, a much easier task than creating a corporate culture and hiring the right employees that will do so.  You are all employees, great and small.

Not your grandmother’s Poland

My wife and I just returned from a week’s trip in Poland, taken for the purpose of my attending a Law and Language conference in Bialystok (see previous post). I have to admit that I had never felt as uneasy before a trip as I did prior to this trip.  I could not put my finger on what exactly was disturbing me but told myself that I would take things as they are in the present. That said, I made a conscious decision to travel on my Israeli passport and speak Hebrew. The greatest response to past anti-Semitism and mass killing is to return as a proud Jew.  I did not regret that decision and was quite surprised by the reaction. Not only were there no negative reaction or incidents, people expressed interest, with one person, in his 40’s, apologizing for the actions of the Poles in the past, something we did not expect or request.

The Poland I saw in that week, granted a short time, is a complex society. It consists of three distinct generations: pre-war, Soviet and modern Polish. The first is hard to see as that few of that generation is still alive and most of the buildings of that period, at least in Warsaw, were destroyed by the Germans. Yet, it is engrained in my mind from stories and movies. The second was symbolized by the Stalin’s gift to the Poland, the imposing cement Palace of Science and Culture in the city center. No less reminiscent of that era is the stone-faced “charm” of the border guards and train clerks, who do their job in the proper Soviet manner. The current generation is more European and western. On the train from Bialystok to Warsaw, delayed by two hours, we spent a magical 4 hours with five 18-year olds returning from vacation. Aside from the respect they gave us, we were amazed by their knowledge, curiosity, English and goodness. We talked for four hours without effort and did not regret the train delay in the least. If this group is the future of Poland, I am very optimistic. This interlacing of different educations does not lead to easy conclusions about the past, present or future but makes for a fascinating trip.

In terms of the Polish language itself, I left with the impression that in six months I could be functioning quite well in it. It took some three days to figure out the pronunciation/spelling matrix. However, once I understood how to say the words, it was wonderfully (to me, not the Poles) similar to Russian, which I know, and therefore easy to understand. I was amused by the Elmer Fudd letter, specifically Ƚ (an L with a cross in it). I learned that is pronounced wa, reminding me of Elmer Fudd saying, “I am going to shoot that Wabbit.” I mean no offense to the Polish but often use humor to help remember.

The food was generally excellent. There was an abundance of non-mainstream meats, including duck, bison, venison and wild boar. The Polish are justifiably famous for their perogi with various fillings, with our favorite being those filled with blueberries in a sauce of sour cream. I loved the herring, especially in cream and served with onion, a taste acquired from my mother. On the other hand, Poland lacks the fresh vegetables so common in Israel. The one “Israeli salad” we saw (at the hotel breakfast) was so small and minimal that it engendered pity not desire. The service in restaurant was prompt and professional at least until the main dish was served. At that point, for reasons we never understood, the waiter would disappear as if he did not want to disturb us from digesting our food. At least twice we gave up on the dessert as we had become somehow invisible to the server. Admittedly, not eating a dessert is not a tragedy, at least at our age.

I must say a few words about hair.  The Middle East is known for dark, often curly, hair for women and the non-hair for men. Many of my students, in their 20’s, already have expanded foreheads. In Poland, the large majority of women were blonds, most of them natural. Curly heads must be considered very exotic. We also noted that they were much more elegantly dressed than in Israel. As for the males, they must either have the right genes or lead peaceful lives as even older men had full heads of hair.

In short, my trip to Poland, regardless of my anxiety beforehand, was extremely memorable and worthwhile. I do not claim to have become an expert on the country but at least I gained some insights on modern Poland and my grandmothers’ Poland. To any Jew considering a visit there, I would recommend it, but doing so neither forgetting the past nor ignoring the present.