| Pagina's in het onderwerp: [1 2 3] > | 3 fatal errors to avoid when you're starting De persoon die dit onderwerp heeft geplaatst: Nicole König
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| Very interesting | Oct 12, 2018 |
Hello,
I have read your blog article and found it very interesting, especially the point about the niches. Thanks! One aspect that may need to be underlined is that it takes time. I am working on Step 1 and 3 and obviously in the future, I will start with Step 2!
Valérie.
| | | | DZiW (X)
Oekraïne
Engels naar Russisch
+ ...
| NO VISION = NO DECISIONS = NO SUCCESS | Oct 12, 2018 |
1) There's NO such thing as "just/plain/separate translation"; first comes a field, then translation;
2) Besides relevant EXP in the field (specialization), even writing in the native language requires much time and efforts as a proofreader/copywriter/journalist, not to mention comprehending, editing, and rewriting via a foreign language;
3) Business is PEOPLE: Without decent communications and biz skills it’s but a joke;
4) If you never had a priv... See more 1) There's NO such thing as "just/plain/separate translation"; first comes a field, then translation;
2) Besides relevant EXP in the field (specialization), even writing in the native language requires much time and efforts as a proofreader/copywriter/journalist, not to mention comprehending, editing, and rewriting via a foreign language;
3) Business is PEOPLE: Without decent communications and biz skills it’s but a joke;
4) If you never had a private business, DON'T give up your current job—at least until you get enough exp and enough for living from translation! Part-time freelancing is a good start, especially with more experienced colleagues.
5) People in paperwork (as translators) have LESS possibilities to improve their skills and prospects than those working with other people (as interpreters), so teaming up makes sense.
. . .
Even a rough approximation makes:
Translator = (1) native language proficiency + (2) foreign language skills + (3) specialization + (4) biz skills + (5) communication
Shortly, a freelancer MUST combine all the duties and is responsibilities in this one-man company--preferably not at the expense of the family ▲ Collapse
| | | | Richard Purdom 
Portugal
Local time: 00:28
Nederlands naar Engels
+ ...
| one fatal error is not checking your work | Oct 12, 2018 |
Nicole, no doubt your intentions are good, but your blog is not easy to read because of the cumbersome language you use, and it also contains errors.
For example:
'Define your area of brilliance to encourages referrals.'
Even if you'd got the grammar right, it would still never qualify as a snappy phrase. I reckon the whole blog needs a bit of re-writing.
| | | | Gerard de Noord
Frankrijk
Local time: 01:28
Lid 2003
Engels naar Nederlands
+ ...
| Another fatal error is underestimating your audience | Oct 12, 2018 |
Another fatal error is underestimating your audience. Maybe ProZ will let you get away with peddling your services week in, week out but I for one, think you’re not doing this site a favour with your marketing efforts.
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Paweł Hamerski (X)
Local time: 01:28
Engels naar Pools
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| my sentiiments | Oct 12, 2018 |
exactly
| | | | Tom in London
Verenigd Koninkrijk
Local time: 00:28
Lid 2008
Italiaans naar Engels
| Yet another ad | Oct 13, 2018 |
Thanks for the ad.
| | | | DZiW (X)
Oekraïne
Engels naar Russisch
+ ...
| Quality vs Quantity? | Oct 13, 2018 |
Rather many don't know how to successfully find and keep clients in many places, so they either open another template of a personal website, or register at such big platforms as ProZ. They just forget a small thing: a low-popular (unknown) site is almost as bad/good, as a popular portal, where their ratings are low... Why, any platform is a business too, so they intentionally set top/paying members over users, inventing different "TOP"-lists.
Now, what make (1) a single rank at a l... See more Rather many don't know how to successfully find and keep clients in many places, so they either open another template of a personal website, or register at such big platforms as ProZ. They just forget a small thing: a low-popular (unknown) site is almost as bad/good, as a popular portal, where their ratings are low... Why, any platform is a business too, so they intentionally set top/paying members over users, inventing different "TOP"-lists.
Now, what make (1) a single rank at a low-popular personal site and (2) a non-TOP rate at a popular portal? That's right, it's but two low-rate sources of prospects. What now? As clever fishermen do: Don't oppose quality to quantity, just unite them.
Tom, don't you like ProZ or ads?) ▲ Collapse
| | | | | on the article | Oct 13, 2018 |
I saw no errors listed, let alone "fatal" ones. What I saw was one person's view of what they found important. The first one, solving a client's "problems" - as a translator for several decades, I cannot relate to that idea. My clients come to me with tasks they want to have done. They're not asking me to solve any problems for them. Certainly you want to find out the purpose of the translation, who will be reading the document (and in what country), and for what reason. I don't know if th... See more I saw no errors listed, let alone "fatal" ones. What I saw was one person's view of what they found important. The first one, solving a client's "problems" - as a translator for several decades, I cannot relate to that idea. My clients come to me with tasks they want to have done. They're not asking me to solve any problems for them. Certainly you want to find out the purpose of the translation, who will be reading the document (and in what country), and for what reason. I don't know if that is meant by solving a client's problems.
I have seen the idea of defining one's desired clients, and as a kind of niche. It has never made sense to me. My niche is the type of material that I can translate, and do well. The type of work is what gets defined. From that I get all kinds of clients of a surprising variety. The common factor is what is being translated, and not who is asking for it to be translated.
Business plan: I attended a 6 week workshop once. I never could find the pertinence to translation in what they presented. Maybe I'm lacking in this area, I don't know. In the article I wasn't able to identify what was meant by the idea of business plan. ▲ Collapse
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there are 51 mistakes. 48 are still missing.
| | | | Tom in London
Verenigd Koninkrijk
Local time: 00:28
Lid 2008
Italiaans naar Engels
DZiW wrote:
....
Tom, don't you like ProZ or ads?)
I like Proz. I don't like people using these discussions as a vehicle for advertising.
I hope I've answered your question.
If you don't, why not sign up to my *amazing webinar* on **answering questions: 300 things you shouldn't say**
I'd love your thoughts and feedback.
Thank you!
[Edited at 2018-10-14 17:39 GMT]
| | | | DZiW (X)
Oekraïne
Engels naar Russisch
+ ...
| unneccesary primness | Oct 14, 2018 |
Tom, we're getting a bit offtopic, yet first: almost everything can be considered to be a propaganda or an ad. Why, every day even you unconsciously advertise your car brand driving to the office, boost your clothes passing by people, loosely extol about your phone while talking, boast your preferred restaurant while dining, recommend certain CATs, and so on--let alone your services. Second, ProZ a business, also promoting its partners. Third, the forums are exactly f... See more Tom, we're getting a bit offtopic, yet first: almost everything can be considered to be a propaganda or an ad. Why, every day even you unconsciously advertise your car brand driving to the office, boost your clothes passing by people, loosely extol about your phone while talking, boast your preferred restaurant while dining, recommend certain CATs, and so on--let alone your services. Second, ProZ a business, also promoting its partners. Third, the forums are exactly for discussing (sharing one's thoughts and ideas) different topics, including blogs, news, and other co/related areas.
You read the topic and didn't want to check the link? Ok, nobody forced you. However, you did check it, but didn't like? That's ok too; having some spare time, just mention how to improve it. Did somebody cheated you into something bad or tried tapping? Nope, it was just your deliberate choice, coupled with prejudice.
Once again--there's no site rules abuse, nor personal offense in the thread, but you still can report it.
P.S. if you really so tired of ads, consider installing uBlock Origin or enabling VPN anti-ads in Opera. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | +1 for what Dizzy said | Oct 15, 2018 |
A bit of ganging up here, boys. I've noticed a bit of that on here recently.
As Dizzy says, these "ads" are easily ignored if that's how you feel.
I've actually been enjoying Nicole's blogs.
Admittedly not for the content (the advice tends to remind me of my mate who decided to work as a man-with-a-van but spent so much on a fancy logo that he couldn't afford the van), but for the language used.
I rate my writing pretty highly but I couldn't... See more A bit of ganging up here, boys. I've noticed a bit of that on here recently.
As Dizzy says, these "ads" are easily ignored if that's how you feel.
I've actually been enjoying Nicole's blogs.
Admittedly not for the content (the advice tends to remind me of my mate who decided to work as a man-with-a-van but spent so much on a fancy logo that he couldn't afford the van), but for the language used.
I rate my writing pretty highly but I couldn't even attempt the register Nicole uses. The relentlessly OTT millennial marketingspeak is an education.
And from a non-native too. Awesome.
Keep them coming, Nicole! ▲ Collapse
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Ricki Farn
Duitsland
Local time: 01:28
Engels naar Duits
| Samuel Murray
Nederland
Local time: 01:28
Lid 2006
Engels naar Afrikaans
+ ...
Tom in London wrote:
I don't like people using these discussions as a vehicle for advertising.
Yes, it certainly is a bit annoying. But Nicole's post doesn't violate any forum rules. At least she makes it clear in the post that the thing she's linking to is a blog (and we all know how often blogs contain quality writing or quality content, don't we?), and at least she posts an introductory sample sentence as a further indicator of the kind of quality we can expect if we click the link. Anyone who does click the link after that, have had fair warning and should not complain.
Nicole König wrote:
I'd love your thoughts and feedback.
I'm sure you mean well and I'm sure there must be translators out there who believe that they can understand what you're trying to say. But it is dreadful writing. Perhaps it is simply a genre that I'm too ignorant to appreciate.
| | | | Tom in London
Verenigd Koninkrijk
Local time: 00:28
Lid 2008
Italiaans naar Engels
| First of all.... | Oct 15, 2018 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
.... it is dreadful writing.
First of all, it's "at Square One", not "on square one".
| | | | | Pagina's in het onderwerp: [1 2 3] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » 3 fatal errors to avoid when you're starting | Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
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