What is to be done – The burning issues of marketing content format

 

[workers banging money into a surface*]

Recently, I had a relevant and frank discussion with a forum administrator about the format of my posts. She suggested with great logic that my posts would be more effective if they were in “bullet” form, i.e., short informational sentences. After this conversation, I carefully considered her comment but nevertheless decided to keep on writing organized paragraph-based posts I recognize the time advantages of bullet writing but prefer to take advantage of the power of formal composition to increase retention and develop complex thoughts.

Clearly, bullet posts are faster in terms of understanding and writing. To define, their form often resembles this:

3 ways to [fill in]

Intro

1.       [fill in with two sentences]

2.      [fill in with two sentences]

3.      [fill in with two sentences]

Conclusion

The beauty of such a construction is that the reader, even many non-natives, can finish the whole text within a minute or two and fully understand the points. In practice, the writer has reduced a complex issue to an easily digestible dish. Furthermore, the major challenge for the writer of such posts is identifying the main points, thus rendering the language element into simple, direct sentences whose connections are reflected in the form. Overall, bullet-style writing seems ideal for busy readers and writers alike.

However, this form often suffers from low retention and lack of depth. Specifically, many people forget most of the points, not to mention the name of the writer, within minutes of reading them. As I explain to my students when teaching writing, in order to retain ideas, the human mind requires repetition. In simple terms, once is often not enough either for remembering marketing ideas or shopping lists. Furthermore, if carefully considered, most issues have a certain degree of grey, attenuating conditions if you will. A statement may be true and appropriate 90% of the time but it is occasionally either or neither of them. Adding qualifying conditions to the bullet approach reduces its effectiveness by adding complexity. The lack of repetition and depth are some drawbacks of this form of writing.

As I write for marketing purposes, which aims for long-term retention and demonstration of expertise, I prefer formal paragraph-based writing because it sinks in better, explains more and adds the personality of the writer. The structure of a paragraph, i.e., topic sentence, details and conclusion, involves repetition. By reiterating an idea three times before continuing, paragraphs create deeper images. By writing multiple paragraphs, the author can discuss all or many of the aspects of a concept, including its limitations and drawbacks. The information provided is much three-dimensional and applicable. As a lover of language, I believe that paragraphs allow writers to reflect their human personality as compared to informational sources. Think of Cyrano de Bergerac. Readers receive a fuller picture of both the content and the writer.

Granted, paragraph writing is much more demanding both for the reader and writer. Longer posts often require five minutes or more to read and require greater attention, especially for non-native speakers. For writers, as the prose must be interesting or at least encourage the reader to continue, the writing process is much more demanding in terms of initial time and polishing. Clearly, writing bullets is much more “user-friendly” than formal composition.

Still, I prefer paragraphs even at that price. For anybody that had the particular pleasure of reading What is to be done – the burning issues of our times [shto deletz], a political pamphlet written by Lenin in 1902 (or any other writing by him for that matter), the unforgiveable aspect of his writing is the sheer amount of repetition of the same idea, like a jack hammer, such that every peasant and worker could understand what he wanted to say. I do not recommend Lenin as a stylistic model, of course. However, if the long-term goal of writing market content is to be remembered, creative repetition is necessary. In my view, at least for marketing content, formal paragraphs are more effective than bullets.

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

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Keeping costs down in translation – on time and money

 

[man skateboard slaloming*]

This week, one of my favorite agency customers and I negotiated a price for a complex and urgent two-certificate translation. Since the buying customer was not prepared to compromise on the amount of material, the deadline or the price, we fortunately came to a mutually beneficial agreement involving the agency preparing a proper template and I reducing my price demand. As the price should reflect the time and effort, all parties felt they received proper value, the best of all outcomes. The key to this compromise was ideal document preparation, specifically format, content and deadlines,  a step that can reduce the time and effort required by translators and allow them to minimize rates in good conscience.

The major factor complicating translation is actually formatting. The most convenient documents to translate are in Word. Unfortunately, customers send many documents, especially certificates, in pdf or jpg format. For a variety of reasons, including a lack of awareness, the quality of this images is often quite poor, sometimes preventing conversion of the PDF into a Word document and, in that case, a significant reduction of the translation speed due to the need to look back and forth from original to the translation in progress. Even when the PDF is sufficiently clear to convert it into Word. The process  takes time, with the longer the document, the more time it taking both at the initial stage before translation begins and after translation in terms of arranging the formatting. In simple terms, working with PDF adds time, which is ultimately reflected in the price. The best way to limit translation costs is to provide a Word document.

Of course, the content of the document also affects the speed of translation. Here, the buying customer has much power to influence the matter. First, if the text involves technical vocabulary, especially if it is specific to the company, the translation purchaser should provide a glossary of the terms they wish to use. It is not uncommon for even an experienced translator to spend up to 30 minutes finding the correct term in the target language, a time investment that can be avoided. Even worse, too many customers mention their preferred terminology only after the translation is delivered, creating negative feelings for everybody. Another important choice by the translation purchaser is the actual translator. No professional is knowledgeable about everything. In translation, the difference in speed and quality between a translator with knowledge and experience and one without them is quite significant. An expert can do the work quickly and proficiently while even the most diligent translators working outside their comfort zone struggle to produce an ideal text. Therefore, a customer wishing to control costs needs to hire a relevant translator and provide the required terminology.

Finally, there is a correlation between the tightness of a deadline and the quality of the result. There is the expression “There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting”. To a large degree, in translation, there is no such thing as good translation, only good QA. Same day service is a recipe for disaster, often leading to dissatisfaction, poor results and higher ultimate costs. Professional translators have a financial interest in delivering as soon as possible but are also aware of how long the proper translation will take. I strongly suggest planning ahead, listening to the translator and being realistic. Also, keep in mind that Friday afternoon and Monday morning are identical to the customer in terms of assessing and using the translation but, for the translator, what difference a day (or two) makes, as the song goes. If the customer has no choice but to receive it truly urgently, the result will frequently be a higher price due to the rush status and lesser quality. A bit of planning by the customers can avoid those issues.

Consumers do not control inflation and unpleasant surprises. However, at least in translation, they can eliminate the factors that add cost to the service. When they do so, translators are often willing to compromise on price, knowing that the job will be less time consuming. Personally, I will deliver the translation with the feeling that not only the customer and agency receive good value but I also will be properly paid. That is the basis for a long-term business relationship.

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet

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Oh, say can you see – the search for the “ideal client”

 

[man with VR goggles*]

Can you describe your ideal client? Virginia Katsimpiri in a webinar on LinkedIn marketing made the following comment: “If you market to everybody, you market to no one”. In other words, all marketing activity must be directed to some ideal-type individual or group in order to be effective. I have no issue with the logic of that statement but have a personal difficulty applying that advice. Although I have been a freelance translator since 2004 or maybe because of it, I cannot define the characteristics of my target customers beyond their need for my translating and editing services and willingness and ability to pay my rates, which are not very useful in themselves in terms of marketing. In explanation, I will present my situation as a freelance translator, specifically of legal and financial material as well as official documents from Hebrew, French and Russian to English as well as an English editor, which may or may not resemble your own. I should be able to create a picture of my preferred customer but I am not.

To begin, one major purchaser of translation services from freelancers are LSP’s, a fancy acronym for “Language Service Providers”, which used to be referred to as translation agencies. Their role in the industry in rapidly changing as large conglomerates are buying up local agencies worldwide and earning money for their shareholders at the expense of their translators. In other words, to make a proper living off work from these large corporations, a translator must be technologically efficient and live in a country with low prices. Alas, I do not fit that bill and thus do not seek more work from them. I do continue to work with their subsidiaries at the previously agreed rates but I have no particular motivation to market to these megafirms.

By contrast, with the demand for language services growing, notwithstanding machine translation, small agencies specializing in legal and financial, my areas of expertise, are ideal customers. The issue is that these ‘boutique” agencies can be located anywhere in the world from Hong Kong to Prague via San Francisco. Moreover, their size and volume may range from a one-person home-based business to a company with scores of employees working in company offices. Their decision maker can  just as easily have the title of CEO or President or no title at all. In terms of education, the founders of such agencies may have summa cum laude attached to their framed degree or “some come lauded” on their LinkedIn profile if they are highly reliable. There is no country with proportionally more of such ideal agencies than any other country. I do not see a way to target them.

As a result of the market changes and expanding consumer use of the Internet in all its forms to purchase services, many translators have become active seekers of end clients. It would seem reasonable to see some pattern of my customers in the last few years. In fact, I made a list of which I will share a part of and, to quote Tom Lehrer in the song Lobachevsky, ah then begins the fun:

·         Foreign students wishing to study in Israel

·         Israeli students wishing to study abroad

·         Academic institutions

·         Freelancers

·         Startups

·         Small companies

·         Corporations

·         Charitable institutions

·         People seeking to get married in Cyprus

·         People seeking to get divorced in Cyprus

·         People trying to avoid giving a divorce and living abroad

·         Online gambling sites (only once – against my principles)

·         People in tax trouble abroad

·         People in criminal trouble abroad

·         Insurance companies

·         Medical research companies

·         People seeking mortgages

·         Employees suing employers

·         Employers firing employees

·         Restaurants targeting tourists

As I said, the only element I see in common was that they were willing and able to pay me. However, I may be missing something here.

There is one group that I would like to focus on but have yet to figure out how. As I specialize in legal and financial, I would like to work with legal firms in Israel or abroad. Working from three languages to English should give me some advantage. However, that nut is harder to crack than the shell of a macadamia nut (300 psi) without a huge budget to participate in conferences. I welcome any ideas. It is still on my “to do” marketing list but marked TBA.

The American national anthem begins and ends in a question. Likewise, I will end this confession of an aspiring marketer with a question. At least so far, I am unable to create a picture of my ideal customer. As for your ideal customer, oh, say can you see?

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

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Translation specialization and the wisdom of Dr. Dolittle

 

[group of geese walking*]

The mantra of translation success experts in recent years has been “specialization”, i.e., generalists have no future. As with all panaceas, there is a degree of truth to that approach. The main challenge in specializing is not identifying a profitable market niche or focusing on work in that area but actually walking the walk and talking the talk. In other words, to specialize in a field requires knowledge of that field.

Mastery of a knowledge area involves the understanding of the relevant processes, vocabulary and manner of expression. The first key to accurate translation is understand what the writer is saying, which goes way beyond the actual words. Technical translators must understand the how and why of a given process, whether it is the limitations in a commercial lease or the intricacies of a DNA process. The actual words in the text may only symbolize that process and assume professional knowledge. The translator must write the same exact idea in the target language, with literal transition often distorting the meaning. To understand and express the concept, the translator must also grasp the technical terms used in the text and clearly differentiate them from similar ones. For example, judges issue both order and judgments but under different circumstances. The use of the wrong term clearly confuses the reader and raises issues about the value of the translation. Finally, every field has its manner of expressing ideas. Referred to as legalese, medical jargon or mechanic talk, birds of the same feather squawk alike. Translators that wish to communicate with or join the flock must write the lingo. Otherwise, the translation sounds like  artificial. Without knowledge of the processes, terminology and phrasing, a technical translation sounds like a translation, at best.

One question posed by aspiring specialists is how to attain this knowledge. I would answer by changing the direction of the search and ask what specialized knowledge a person’s life experience has provided. People learn about occupational subcultures, including vocation-related worlds, through their parents, formal education, work background and life experience, to name just a few ways. We absorb how professionals speak and write, approach their tasks and solve problems by being exposed to their world either through schooling, practice, passive involvement or some combination of them. Knowledge almost functions like biological osmosis. For example, my father was involved in financial public relations. As a result, I heard stock market discussions every morning at the breakfast table. My MBA formalized that subconscious learning. Thus, exposure, preferably including some academic or professional training, provides translators with the knowledge they need to specialize.

Here, I will step on the toes of some of my peers. With some exceptions, translation experience alone does not make a proficient technical translator. Specifically, if a person’s only qualification in a specific field is the number of years in it, there is no guarantee that the translation will be appropriate. In ugly terms, some translators have been producing poor work for 10 or more years without having learned anything in that time. I am not hinting at any intention to deceive customers but instead to the fact that repetition does not make something accurate. If a person uses a phrase multiple times without any negative feedback, the phrase becomes internally labeled as correct. It sounds appropriate, at least to that person. It may be that professionals would not phrase it in that that manner. In fact, translators become increasingly certain over the years that their writing is the cat’s meow. It takes great courage to ask for objective feedback and admit to having made a mistake for some ten years.

To clarify, it is possible to attain the required knowledge through online and in-person classes and even, to a certain degree, YouTube videos. Conference presentations offer additional opportunities for assessing the accuracy of technical translation as the presenters sometimes highlight common mistakes. To update what Ibsen said so strongly in Enemy of the People, the number of Google hits does not necessarily render a translation choice correct especially with the growing volume of machine translation. Continuing education reinforces the skill of all translators, great and small.

Specialization without specific knowledge at best cheats the customers and at worst can kill people. It is far better to leverage existing knowledge and then develop it in order to build a successful translation career. To recall the words of Dr. Dolittle:

If I could walk with the animals and talk with the animals
Grunt, squeak, squawk with the animals
And they could squeak and squawk and speak and talk to me,

In the case of translators, if you can also write like them, specialize.

* Use picture captions to allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

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Independent thinking – Why freelance?

 

[laptop with many sticky notes*]

Becoming a freelancer can be a leap of faith, act of desperation, natural direction, considered choice or, most probably, some combination of those. In practice, people begin their freelance careers for reasons involving positive choice, need or general dissatisfaction. Regardless of why they begin, long-term success as an entrepreneur requires clear emotional benefit from “doing on your own”.

Some people have a very clear picture of their future. Even if they are unaware of the reasons, they actively search for specific elements in their job choice and are willing to ignore all disadvantages of a life style. For example, many entrepreneurs want to make as much money as possible, as simple as that. They measure their success by their income, using that as a base for all decisions. In the past, many such people gravitated to sales but today startups also provide an ideal playing field for entrepreneurs driven by the need to be rich. Others are less concerned about their income, to a certain point, of course, but seek work where they will be their own boss. They simply do not tolerate bosses and choose to avoid the issue by being independent. For these people, freelancing provides an ideal framework.

Far more freelancers began their journey due to a lack of choice. The corona crisis only accelerated the trend of redundancy. Due to mechanization, computers and online communication, many jobs have changed in nature, not always to employee satisfaction, or disappeared completely. The “collateral damage” is countless workers, young and old, unemployed or underemployed, that need to find a way to earn an income. “Work at home” is often the only option, however alien that concept is to the person initially. Even those fully employed often find themselves struggling to make the end of the month and seek additional sources of income during their free time. In some cases, chronic health issues, such as stress-linked illnesses, make it clear that it will be impossible to continue the current lifestyle. As they say, necessity is the evil stepmother of invention.

Sometimes, a feeling of general dissatisfaction pushes people to seek alternative employment, part time or full time. It may that after 20 years, the job is no longer interesting. There are cases of people feeling that their talents and contributions are underappreciated. Many older workers feel that they are ready both professionally and emotionally to go out on their own as their current place of employment no longer offers them any challenge. Regardless of the cause of this malaise, this search for a better situation pushes workers to jump into the deep water and see what they can do.

Yet, as in most enterprises, many of those that attempt to freelance give up within a short period of time. However romantic freelancing may seem in terms of income, freedom and self-realization, it also involves long hours, uncomfortable tasks, uncertain income and direct criticism, justified and unjustified. The path to success is not clearly marked. Thus, entrepreneurship also includes errors, disappointments, failures and doubt. While some overcome those issues, many budding freelances do not have the nature or resources to do so and return to their employee status. There is no shame in that as not everybody can handle the uncertain lifestyle of a freelancer.

The key for success as an independent is having a strong basic instinct (to cite Silence of the Lambs). If a person is clear why they choose a certain life style, the attendant difficulties are much less meaningful. For example, if a person wants to have a “six- figure income”, the effort and sacrifice required to attain this goal is not a deterrent. Likewise, if a balanced life style is the goal, a reduction in income is a minor price to pay for a happier life. In my case, having the ability to say yes or no to a project gives me the freedom to work as hard as I want and can, a wonderful feeling after so many years in the golden cage of salaried teaching. It is not that I work less hours but I relish the fact that I am able to choose what, how and when I will work, within reason of course. Freelancing, like any life choice, is fundamentally choosing your priorities.

The reasons people choose to work for themselves vary and generally involve many factors. However, the key to long term freelance success, defined as satisfaction with one’s work, involve an awareness of key priorities and the price to be paid for attaining them. If a person wakes up in the morning looking forward to the coming challenges, the choice to go independent was truly correct thinking.

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

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Being there – the importance of writing it as they read it

 

[Karmiel storefront*]

One of most important pieces of advice I received when I opened my business as a translator, which I regret I was slow to take, was the need to be where my customers are. In simple terms, it is impossible to attain customers if they don’t know you exist. This obvious fact is applicable to both freelancers and retailers for both services and goods. Potential customers need to be able to gather information about a business, taking into account, especially today, a short attention time. In the current market, this communication occurs far less through physical presence and speaking but instead mainly in online forums in written language.

It is specifically that mode of communication that poses a hidden challenge to businesses. It is true that there over one billion people that speak English as a first or second language. However, by contrast, only around 40% of those write and read English as a first language, with most of those concentrated in a few countries. This discrepancy implies that while English may be the lingua franca of international speech, the reality is far different when it comes to written texts for the general public. It is important to keep in mind that first language reading skills significantly reduce the effort required to read, scan, decipher and identify text. By contrast, for the vast majority, reading is second language demands far more concentration with much less success, especially in quickly navigating websites. Given the people prefer to work less hard, readers will almost always prefer text in their native language unless the translation is of noticeably poor quality. Thus, when it comes creating a successful presence, having text written in the local language, not English, is vital.

One domain of ever-increasing importance is websites. As commerce becomes more global and business reach out to customers worldwide, it is vital to make sure that at minimum the vital sections of an informational or sales website  are available in the language of the intended audience. Businesses strive to streamline purchase processes to reduce the number of uncompleted sales. Since reading a foreign language significantly lower comprehension speed, having localized sites increases sales and creates a competitive advantage over monolingual sites. While customer use of Google Translate can help bridge this gap, it tends to add additional time and often creates a lack of clarity and, even worse, expensive misunderstandings.

In many countries, store signs should reflect the linguistic variety of the potential customers. For example, in the picture at the head of the post, the seamstress describes her services in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and English, ensuring that all the by passers can quickly identify her services and make a note of them for immediate or future use. Where tourists represent an important part of the customer base, it is vital to label items in several languages, especially when the local alphabet is not Latin based. Likewise, restaurants in non-English speaking countries should cater to potential foreign diners by having the menu translated into at least one relevant foreign language. This convenience, maybe even respect, provide that business with a competitive advantage.

On a business-to-business level, as I learned from an excellent webinar by Miriam Burley, LinkedIn allows and facilitates multilingual profiles. With a click of a button, it is possible to add a profile in several other languages (not Hebrew, unfortunately). Moreover, it is possible to only have specific sections in the additional languages, with the other sections imported from the primary language. Thus, the account holder can manage the translation process gradually and incrementally. Clearly, non-native English readers can and will find it much easier and faster to scan a profile in their native language and with far greater accuracy. Utilizing this feature can increase the effectiveness of LinkedIn activity.

Of course, there is a proviso to the expansion to other languages. As my late father used to say, anything worth doing is worth doing well. While easily available and time efficient, Google Translate and similar applications are not the correct tools for producing business text of any kind. The resulting inaccuracy and inappropriateness far outweigh their advantages of speed and convenience. Natives are almost always protective, read judgmental, of their mother tongue. They find it absurd and disrespectful for a business to publish text with linguistic and stylistic errors. This negligence somehow stains the reputation of a business. How many times have you laughed at poorly translated menus? Thus, it is highly recommended to have the foreign text written by an educated native or translated by a professional translator and then checked by a native speaker. While this process may add expense, the failure to do so may render a business infamous, not famous.

So, if the goal is to reach potential customers where they are present, which is quite often the Internet today, it is important to remember that most communication is through text today. As a result, their ease in speaking English has no relevance to their ability to efficiently read English. To overcome this difficulty, text in their native tongue is much more effective and adds to the brand image. Write it as they read it.

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

Even God rested – freelancers and vacation days

 

[sternbergia*]

I begin with a confession. I wrote this post in a “tzimmer” (a BNB room) in Katzrin, a small town in the Golan Heights. In other words, I was on vacation. While that remark may sound trite if you receive a salary, it may cause many freelancers to start to ask questions. How can he afford it? Isn’t he worried about losing work or, even worse, losing customers? My answer to those concerns is that vacation days are not only possible but also financially beneficial in the long term. I can say that I feel greatly recharged and refocused upon my return.

To be clear, everybody gets holidays, whether they schedule them or not. The timing and lengths of these religious and civil events depend on the culture and religion. For example, in Israel, Jews have nine days of holidays and their eves within three weeks in September and/or October, not including some 6 days of optional off days and some minor fasts. Likewise, people living in Christian countries basically close all non-essential businesses from mid-December to the first days of January. Of course, these times may be called holy days but they are not holidays for many people, especially those involved in preparing meals and hosting guests. Thus, while holidays may not involve professional work, they are generally far from vacations regardless of the positive elements.

Therefore, when freelancers wish to have a real vacation, they must actively seize it. However, as compared to the salary position holders, such a decision would seem to pose risks in terms of income and customers. Not only do they have to account for the expenses involved in the vacation itself, they have to account for the income they will not earn during that period. Granted, the latter cost is potential to one degree or another. However, clearly the lack of cash flow will be felt in the near future. More seriously, being on vacation means, ideally, not working and thus being unavailable to your customers. There is a natural fear that the customers will find someone else “in the meantime”. As they say in Hebrew, there is nothing more permanent than the temporary.

While these concerns are legitimate, they are generally less serious in reality. In terms of the costs of vacation, freelancers have full control of many aspects, including the length of time and actual cost. For example, one of the great advantages of being one’s own boss is the ability to pick vacation dates and choose  non-peak times, assuming that one does not have school-age children to take into account. More importantly, the vast majority of customers actually understand that service providers are entitled to go on vacation. If they appreciated the quality and reliability of service provider before, they will return to the same service provider afterwards. Freelancers should inform important customers of the coming vacation in advance and may suggest an available colleague to cover any urgent situations. In any case, being on vacation is not among the main reasons for losing customers.

Regarding lost income, vacations actually increase income over the medium and long term. One of the most subtle effects of burnout is reduced productivity. As freelancers become emotionally tired, they tend to have less energy, slow down and exhibit less patience. Ideally, a true day off or weekend at home restores some of that energy but unfortunately there are always tasks to be done at home. As a result, home rest is of limited value (unless you keep the Sabbath, of course). By contrast, getting away, even for one night, involves leaving all home and work duties behind. Tourists generally focus on the immediate experience, e.g. the amazing flowers we enjoyed as seen in this post, forgetting their obligations and problems for the moment. This break from the routine refreshes the spirit, recharging the batteries for the challenges to be faced after returning home. Consequently, vacations can increase income.

Thus, I would strongly advise freelancers, both new and established, to take periodical vacations without fear of losing money and customers. Whatever short-term cost is involved, they provide the energy required to grow and sustain a business. By the way, after writing this post, I happily returned to my crossword puzzles without a care in the world knowing that I would return to work in a few days empowered to take on the world, or at least part of it. As it is implied in Genesis, everybody, which includes freelancers, deserves a vacation.

[Feinbrun's Autumn Crocus]

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