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Member since Aug '03
Working languages:
English to Ukrainian English to Russian Spanish to Ukrainian Spanish to Russian Russian to Ukrainian
Often, just a few months of freelance work is enough to understand that freelancing has nothing to do with translation. Freelancing is all about business, and freelance translation is a special type of business with its specific aspects and trade secrets.
During my first years of freelancing I desperately grasped every opportunity to learn – but they were few. Many lessons had to be learned by trial and error – and often the hard way.
In the past couple of years, I’m trying to spread the knowledge about freelance translation to fill this gap using all possible channels such as forum postings, trainings, and conferences. The feedback about the book and a few trainings arranged in Kharkiv proved that the knowledge is practical, applicable and useful. As one of the participants put it, “If I knew it a year ago I would have been ten thousand euros richer now.”
I focus on practice rather than theory (is there theory of freelancing?); and, in addition to providing information and giving recommendations, I try to get people think, take into account the various factors, both global and local, and make decisions which they believe to be the best.
In line with this vision, I’m planning a series of webinars on Freelance Translation.
Here’s a tentative list of training sessions, with dates/time yet to be set.
Detailed description of the content of each training session will be provided soon.
My view of freelancing:
- It's not about translation
- It's largely about business
- But mostly, it's an escape from this world of Corporations into a realm where we can manage our lives and properly balance freedom and independence.
My approach to training:
I hate instructions because they limit the freedom of thought; hence, in my training, I try to give out options so as everybody could make their own decisions - and emphasize the consequences resulting from each of the option. After that, the choice is yours!
1. Things to Know Before Starting as a Freelance Translator This session is intended for those who consider starting their freelance careers. There are both pros and contras to either type of professional activities (inhouse vs. freelance) as well as specific issues to freelancing which we often discover only after we start – and what’s worse, we find that we don’t like them! The result is wasted time and effort.
The session will deal with the freelance environment, including general description of the scope of responsibilities (and their comparison vs. inhouse position); the negative aspects of freelancing; psychological implications; consequences for health; and, as opposed, the benefits, such as possibility to manage one’s workload and income, shift one’s working time and adjust schedule, etc.
The ultimate purpose of the session is to give data to potential freelancers so they could make perfectly informed decisions, whether negative or positive. 2. Starting as a Freelance Translator: Stages of Freelance Translator’s Career The session is intended for those who are planning to or have just started freelancing. It will deal with the stages in a career of a freelance translator. Each period is characterized with specific aims and targets, and there are risks that we should be aware of and prevent.
We will talk about each stage in detail analizing the aims, targets and timeframe for achieving them; outline lists of priorities for each stage; identify inherent risks; and finish with practical recommendations.
The purpose of the session is to show a ‘general picture’ and how freelance translators fit into it. 3. Planning Freelance Translator’s Career
4. Client Hunting 5. Rates
6. Your freelance outfit: any items missing?
7. Typical mistakes
8. Freelance Translator at Established Stage: Ways of Increasing One’s Income 9. Outsourcing
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Member since Aug '03
