The biggest mistake I made in the beginning of my translation career. By Tess Whitty
Hi there ,
When I first started out as a freelance translator, I was eager to get experience and jobs. (Aren’t we all?) I was so eager that when I registered in online portals and databases, I wanted to check as many areas of specialization as possible, so that I would be sent more jobs.
I still remember when I received a job offer to translate a user manual for a welding torch AND I ACCEPTED IT!!! First of all, I have never used a torch or welded before. Second of all, I do not have any experience in the field. Needless to say, I did not do a good job. The proofreader told me and the project manager what he thought of the translation, and did not mince his words. Needless to say, I did not accept these kinds of jobs any more after that.
Why am I telling you this?
I’m telling you this because I want to let you know that we all make mistakes in the beginning. The most important thing is that we learn from our mistakes. What I learned from my mistake was the importance of specializing, of focusing on a few areas that I know well and that I am interested in. Not only does this make it easier for me to do a good job, but it also means that my work goes faster in this area. Before I became a translator I had worked in the marketing division of a major information technology company, plus I have a Masters degree in marketing. So, I decided to focus on these two areas: IT and marketing.
Having a specialization will also make it easier to market yourself to your ideal clients, since you can narrow down your target group and speak directly to them. You will distinguish yourself as an expert in the field.
What if you just graduated and don’t have a specialization? The short answer to this is to pick one. Here is a link to a blog post with six tips to choose a specialization: http://
I would love to get to know you better too, so feel free to connect with me on my favorite social media channels:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
In the next email I will share some more marketing resources, so stay tuned.
Take care!
Tess Whitty
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