Here’s the scoop: Caroline and I are relocating in Japan; moving from a smaller city to Tokyo. Currently, Caroline is trying to line up some salaried employment which might allow me - the one who has been holding down the full-time job here for about a year and a half - to invest the required time in getting the freelance translation business off the ground.
My work will wind down mid-March, then I will take about a month to return for the first time to Canada to visit family and friends and ‘center’ myself, and having done all that, I will head to Tokyo and *fingers crossed* begin to build up the business. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?! I’m getting into the idea of really making a concerted effort to establish myself in the business.
In case you are wondering if Caroline has given up the idea of translating, rest assured, she hasn’t. We are trying to pool our resources in the best way to get the business off the ground. She will continue to do practice translations in the meantime and even pick up some small contracts for translation or proofreading that other people in the business send her way. Once I get the business up to full-time status with a close-to-industry-standard salary, she can transition into the business with me.
So, to segue back into my analysis of Corinne McKay’s book
But, before I sound like a real sissy, let me state for the record that I am trying to document all of my experiences as a freelance translator from scratch in an honest way. I think it is quite natural for a first-time entrepreneur to be nervous about taking the first real step, to begin a journey of a thousand miles, if you will.
The real test of courage is in the taking of that fundamental step and I intend to soon, when the transition is complete. In the meantime, I am doing my best to get as many of the necessary components for this business enterprise in place to help aid in the success of my journey.
So, Ms McKay has been speaking to the issue of finding one’s first clients. Perfect! That will be the hardest part for me, I feel. I do have an M.A. in a field of study directly related to my source language, but I don’t have a degree in translation and I don’t have experience… yet. According to her, I need to build a translation portfolio, shore up some references, and get a solid translation resume together.
Questions for my viewers on these topics:
Aside from ProZ, where else could I get a good look at some translators’ resumes, to see what really works for people? I will need to work on this before Tokyo. Also, as far as practice translations/samples go, what is the best way to ensure that I’m not wasting my time? What I mean is, what kinds of samples would be attractive to potential clients?
Does anybody do translations of Wiki pages as part of building their portfolio? Can anyone recommend some sites for volunteer translation projects (in my case, specifically for German>English translation)?
Email cover letters: Can anyone send me some examples/templates that are succinct and seem to work well when fishing for clients? Or, when filling in online applications for agencies, a useful blurb/spiel to enter into “Comments” or “Additional info” sections?
Again, just by touching on a few key issues, a number of questions have come up, for which I hope to tap into the freelance translator community to find answers. Remember, it’s not just for me or for Caroline; I’m building this blog to help all freelance translators of the present and future. Think of it as another database.
Maybe I ought to create yet another page, this time to list all of the questions that arise along the way. As other freelancers send me their wonderful advice, attempting to answer these important questions, I will add them on the “Questions” page… Yeah, let’s do that.
Done. It’s above the header or here.
