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Is the market slow?
Thread poster: RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
Kunik
Kunik  Identity Verified
Local time: 18:27
English to Latvian
+ ...
Website Mar 31, 2017

When I click on the link, your website opens in French. There is no link or button to the English version, if any. (My IP is from a French-speaking country.)
It would seem that people interested in having something translated from French into English might not understand French.
How about a bilingual website?


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:27
Danish to English
+ ...
Website Mar 31, 2017

tinageta wrote:

When I click on the link, your website opens in French. There is no link or button to the English version, if any. (My IP is from a French-speaking country.)
It would seem that people interested in having something translated from French into English might not understand French.
How about a bilingual website?


I'm located in Germany, and I also get the French version. There are no links to an English version in the source.

It seems pretty obvious you need an English version of your site. Did your webmaster bungle it, or did you never write an English version?


 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:27
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
You can't avoid the cycle Mar 31, 2017

David GAY wrote:
yes but medical translation is not cyclical

I take your point David, but every complex system goes through cycles. In a trivial sense, demand for medical services at the societal level may be pretty stable, with major changes and trends only emerging over the course of several years.

But within that apparently monolithic lump of demand there will be variation in terms of geographical area, organization, specialization, agency or direct client, freelancer availability and so on. At the level of the individual freelancer, even a simple thing such as one administrative assistant taking a holiday at an inopportune time could conceivably change the pattern of demand significantly.

That's the theoretical approach. Back in the real world, we literally just had a specialist in medical translation remind us that she had a dry spell a few months ago. It happens. We've all been through dry spells. They may not be as dramatic as the slump that the original poster describes, but at least in my case revealed demand can fluctuate month-to-month by 50% or more. Fortunately, that simply means I go from busy-ish to frantically busy, but the variation is still there.

I think the original poster should hang in there but - as several people have already said - she really should find a solid specialization and spend the next 2 to 3 years investing in it. That seems to me to be the highest probability strategy for surviving in translation over the long term.

Dan


 
gayd (X)
gayd (X)
Clients have their cycles Mar 31, 2017

[quote]Dan Lucas wrote:

David GAY wrote:
But within that apparently monolithic lump of demand there will be variation in terms of geographical area, organization, specialization, agency or direct client, freelancer availability and so on. At the level of the individual freelancer, even a simple thing such as one administrative assistant taking a holiday at an inopportune time could conceivably change the pattern of demand significantly.


Dan


Yes, there are cycles linked to the activity of the client as elsewhere. But the industry as a whole is less cyclical.
Diagnosis may even be contracyclical (ageing, more health problems...)


 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 13:27
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
Feast and famine Mar 31, 2017

Part of the problem with our field, at least I've noticed for myself, is that jobs that do come in tend to keep you very busy, and you don't notice while you're busy working on existing jobs how few new inquiries are coming in. If one order can keep you busy for a week (frequently the case for me) you tend not to notice that few or no other inquiries come in during that week. Then next week it feels like everyone has forgotten me, whereas in fact inquiries are still coming in at the same slow ... See more
Part of the problem with our field, at least I've noticed for myself, is that jobs that do come in tend to keep you very busy, and you don't notice while you're busy working on existing jobs how few new inquiries are coming in. If one order can keep you busy for a week (frequently the case for me) you tend not to notice that few or no other inquiries come in during that week. Then next week it feels like everyone has forgotten me, whereas in fact inquiries are still coming in at the same slow pace. I think that, to a large extent at least, is what helps create the "feast and famine" cycle.Collapse


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:27
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Me too, but then..... Mar 31, 2017

RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT wrote:

I am in the midst of the biggest lull I have ever experienced in 8 years of translation. I have tried everything I can think of and still have no work. My question is, is this a general lull in the market (perhaps due to Brexit or the French elections) or is it specific to me? At some stage I will have to think about doing something drastic like getting a job but I have spent a lot of money and worked hard on my business (website, qualified membership of ITI etc.) in the last year and I would hate for this to go to waste. I love being self-employed but I need to pay my mortgage.


Me too -until 3 days ago, when after weeks of near-silence I was suddenly inundated with large and small jobs and more to come that will keep me busy for the foreseeable future.

I can't explain these lulls. I expect I will have more.

Hang on in there, Ruth !


 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 19:27
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
Definitely not here Apr 1, 2017

Yesterday lots of job offers came in, and I could respond only to a part of them. This year is getting clearly better than the past.

 
Andrea Halbritter
Andrea Halbritter  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 18:27
French to German
+ ...
Some ideas Apr 1, 2017

Hi!

Sorry to hear that.

I experienced the same thing during two months after the Brexit referendum in 2016. I find direct customers in the UK very hesitant since that but could replace them by other ones since then.

I don't know whether you normally work with agencies or direct customers or both but I'd say: Go where your potential customers are!

I get quite a lot of customers (mainly direct ones) through Proz as well (not the job board).
... See more
Hi!

Sorry to hear that.

I experienced the same thing during two months after the Brexit referendum in 2016. I find direct customers in the UK very hesitant since that but could replace them by other ones since then.

I don't know whether you normally work with agencies or direct customers or both but I'd say: Go where your potential customers are!

I get quite a lot of customers (mainly direct ones) through Proz as well (not the job board).

If you don't, maybe there is something to improve on your profile or you do not have enough Kudoz or WWAs. (I did not look either.)

I think the free Proz webinar "How to get customers through Proz" (or similar title) is very helpful.

As Sheila said: Don't do just nothing. Work on your marketing, do things you enjoy and so on.

When you get direct customers try to sell them a contract for the whole year. Worked out for two of my regular customers and makes sure I do regularly get work from them.
Collapse


 
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:27
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Apr 2, 2017

I recently got a new website done and spent quite a lot on it because the guy who did it before was really unreliable and I wanted to avoid that in the future. So to cut costs, for simplicity and because literally all my existing and ideal clients are French I just did it in French (with a view to potentially adding an English site at a later date). I also thought that people on Proz would have access to my Proz profile in English as well as my LinkedIn page in English.

But now I
... See more
I recently got a new website done and spent quite a lot on it because the guy who did it before was really unreliable and I wanted to avoid that in the future. So to cut costs, for simplicity and because literally all my existing and ideal clients are French I just did it in French (with a view to potentially adding an English site at a later date). I also thought that people on Proz would have access to my Proz profile in English as well as my LinkedIn page in English.

But now I think about it perhaps I should leave my old website (www.ruthbartlett-traduction.com) on my Proz profile since it is bilingual and save my newer website for marketing to direct clients.

Thanks for giving me food for thought

tinageta wrote:

When I click on the link, your website opens in French. There is no link or button to the English version, if any. (My IP is from a French-speaking country.)
It would seem that people interested in having something translated from French into English might not understand French.
How about a bilingual website?
Collapse


 
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:27
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
Totally agree Apr 2, 2017

Yes, I agree with this.

In addition, I allowed myself to get 'distracted' with all sorts of enjoyable volunteer activities which sort of felt like work so I was busy and wasn't as quick to notice when everything slowed right down. I think I was guilty of sticking my head in the sand a little.
It's all a very difficult balancing act.

John Fossey wrote:

Part of the problem with our field, at least I've noticed for myself, is that jobs that do come in tend to keep you very busy, and you don't notice while you're busy working on existing jobs how few new inquiries are coming in. If one order can keep you busy for a week (frequently the case for me) you tend not to notice that few or no other inquiries come in during that week. Then next week it feels like everyone has forgotten me, whereas in fact inquiries are still coming in at the same slow pace. I think that, to a large extent at least, is what helps create the "feast and famine" cycle.


 
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:27
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
What a relief! Apr 2, 2017

Thank you! I really really hope that the same happens to me. I would love to be so busy I don't have time to sleep. I miss those days!

Tom in London wrote:

RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT wrote:

I am in the midst of the biggest lull I have ever experienced in 8 years of translation. I have tried everything I can think of and still have no work. My question is, is this a general lull in the market (perhaps due to Brexit or the French elections) or is it specific to me? At some stage I will have to think about doing something drastic like getting a job but I have spent a lot of money and worked hard on my business (website, qualified membership of ITI etc.) in the last year and I would hate for this to go to waste. I love being self-employed but I need to pay my mortgage.


Me too -until 3 days ago, when after weeks of near-silence I was suddenly inundated with large and small jobs and more to come that will keep me busy for the foreseeable future.

I can't explain these lulls. I expect I will have more.

Hang on in there, Ruth !


 
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:27
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
Very useful - a question about the annual contract Apr 2, 2017

That's really useful advice. Alas I neglected Proz for a long time. I have started going back to my clients and asked them to send WWAs and will have a bash at getting some Kudoz.


I am really interested in hearing about your annual contracts. Could you tell me more about that? What terms did you put in (e.g. turnaround times, deadlines etc.)? How does it work in practice?

I will also look into that webinar. Thanks. It sounds like I have a lot to get my teeth into

Andrea Halbritter wrote:

Hi!

Sorry to hear that.

I experienced the same thing during two months after the Brexit referendum in 2016. I find direct customers in the UK very hesitant since that but could replace them by other ones since then.

I don't know whether you normally work with agencies or direct customers or both but I'd say: Go where your potential customers are!

I get quite a lot of customers (mainly direct ones) through Proz as well (not the job board).

If you don't, maybe there is something to improve on your profile or you do not have enough Kudoz or WWAs. (I did not look either.)

I think the free Proz webinar "How to get customers through Proz" (or similar title) is very helpful.

As Sheila said: Don't do just nothing. Work on your marketing, do things you enjoy and so on.

When you get direct customers try to sell them a contract for the whole year. Worked out for two of my regular customers and makes sure I do regularly get work from them.


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:27
Danish to English
+ ...
Languages and domains Apr 2, 2017

RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT wrote:

So to cut costs, for simplicity and because literally all my existing and ideal clients are French I just did it in French (with a view to potentially adding an English site at a later date). I also thought that people on Proz would have access to my Proz profile in English as well as my LinkedIn page in English.


In the situation you describe, you don't need arguments for not having a site in English. If your site is only in French, you exclude everybody who doesn't read French, and that's a lot of people.

It's possible your ideal clients are French, but if there are not enough of them to provide sufficient work, you need to include English-speakers.

RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT wrote:
But now I think about it perhaps I should leave my old website (www.ruthbartlett-traduction.com) on my Proz profile since it is bilingual and save my newer website for marketing to direct clients.


What is the reason for having two domains? It's not because you redesign the contents that you need a new domain. Once you have a domain, stick to it. It takes a long time to build up a good search engine ranking. When you switch domain, you lose all traffic from any links on other sites, and you need to start all over from scratch, what your search engine reputation is concerned (unless your webmaster sets up an appropriate redirection telling the search engines the site has moved, in which case the ranking may be preserved, but as your old site still exists, that clearly isn’t the case here).

What was wrong with the old site?

I would indeed switch back to that, and be sure to include links to the old site from the new, indicating that there is an English site.


 
Helena Chavarria
Helena Chavarria  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 18:27
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Your 'About me' section Apr 2, 2017

Although you specialise in a number of different fields, you don't mention them in the 'About me' section. If I was looking for a person to translate my travel and tourism-related website I think I would choose somebody who specifically referred to their experience translating for the tourist industry.

If I were an outsourcer, which I admit I'm not, and I were looking for someone to translate a text about my hotel or restaurant (just to give an example) I think I would be a teeny-we
... See more
Although you specialise in a number of different fields, you don't mention them in the 'About me' section. If I was looking for a person to translate my travel and tourism-related website I think I would choose somebody who specifically referred to their experience translating for the tourist industry.

If I were an outsourcer, which I admit I'm not, and I were looking for someone to translate a text about my hotel or restaurant (just to give an example) I think I would be a teeny-weeny put off by 'international diplomacy', 'OECD' 'UNESCO', 'ministries', 'consultancies', 'think tanks' and 'international institutions'.

What I would suggest though is including a number of keywords related to your other fields of expertise: tourist industry, restaurants, cooking, gastronomy, cosmetics, etc. Unless you really prefer translating for international institutions.

Practically all my clients contact me via ProZ but I really don't know the reason. Perhaps it's because I enjoy answering KudoZ questions and I occasionally write in the forums. Who knows!

I would also like to thank you because the comments about your website reminded me that I hadn't visited mine for some time. Anyway, I tried to visit it, only to discover that it hasn't been working for about two months!
Collapse


 
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
RUTH ELIZABETH BARTLETT
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:27
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Apr 2, 2017

Thanks Helena. I will think about that. I did have a new agency tell me this week that my profile was attractive to them because of that experience. Hopefully they will follow through with job offers as I do indeed enjoy that kind of work.

How do you find the market at the moment?

Helena Chavarria wrote:

Although you specialise in a number of different fields, you don't mention them in the 'About me' section. If I was looking for a person to translate my travel and tourism-related website I think I would choose somebody who specifically referred to their experience translating for the tourist industry.

If I were an outsourcer, which I admit I'm not, and I were looking for someone to translate a text about my hotel or restaurant (just to give an example) I think I would be a teeny-weeny put off by 'international diplomacy', 'OECD' 'UNESCO', 'ministries', 'consultancies', 'think tanks' and 'international institutions'.

What I would suggest though is including a number of keywords related to your other fields of expertise: tourist industry, restaurants, cooking, gastronomy, cosmetics, etc. Unless you really prefer translating for international institutions.

Practically all my clients contact me via ProZ but I really don't know the reason. Perhaps it's because I enjoy answering KudoZ questions and I occasionally write in the forums. Who knows!

I would also like to thank you because the comments about your website reminded me that I hadn't visited mine for some time. Anyway, I tried to visit it, only to discover that it hasn't been working for about two months!


 
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