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Is it hard to get hired for freelance projects
Thread poster: Eyad Akkila
Eyad Akkila
Eyad Akkila
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 14:23
English to Arabic
+ ...
Jun 8, 2017

Good day mates,

I found it very hard to get freelance projects. Do I miss something over here?

Your advice is well appreciated.


Regards


[Edited at 2017-06-08 08:15 GMT]


 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:23
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Keep on answering KudoZ questions Jun 8, 2017

Ahlan Eyad,

try to keep on answering KudoZ questions in your relevant fields of expertise to improve your visibility in the proz ranking list by gaining points. My suggestion.

Best regards and good luck,

Matthias


 
Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.)
Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.)  Identity Verified
Thailand
Local time: 18:23
English to Thai
+ ...
Bidding is only etiquette Jun 8, 2017

Eyad Akkila wrote:

Good day mates,

I found it very hard to get freelance projects. Do I miss something over here?

Your advice is well appreciated.


Regards


[Edited at 2017-06-08 08:15 GMT]


My jobs mostly came from direct client contacts [and I mainly declined due to small job volumes etc.].
I advise you to expose your name and credentials (like mine) to clients constantly.

Dr. Soonthon Lupkitaro Ph.D. [engineering]
Bangkok
Thailand


 
Eyad Akkila
Eyad Akkila
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 14:23
English to Arabic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jun 8, 2017

Matthias Brombach wrote:

Ahlan Eyad,

try to keep on answering KudoZ questions in your relevant fields of expertise to improve your visibility in the proz ranking list by gaining points. My suggestion.

Best regards and good luck,

Matthias


Thank you Mathias for your advice.

Regards,


 
Eyad Akkila
Eyad Akkila
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 14:23
English to Arabic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jun 8, 2017

Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.) wrote:

Eyad Akkila wrote:

Good day mates,

I found it very hard to get freelance projects. Do I miss something over here?

Your advice is well appreciated.


Regards


[Edited at 2017-06-08 08:15 GMT]


My jobs mostly came from direct client contacts [and I mainly declined due to small job volumes etc.].
I advise you to expose your name and credentials (like mine) to clients constantly.

Dr. Soonthon Lupkitaro Ph.D. [engineering]
Bangkok
Thailand


Thank you Soonthon for your advice.

Regards,


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Yes Jun 8, 2017

You need to be good, persistent and/or very lucky

And, mate, look out for them Sheilas


 
Woodstock (X)
Woodstock (X)  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:23
German to English
+ ...
There are quite a few resources here at Proz to help you Jun 8, 2017

1) Free webinar presentation: Meeting clients at ProZ.com
http://www.proz.com/translator-training/course/14903-meeting_clients_at_prozcom

There are loads of other courses offered at Proz, a few of which are free. Look them up under the "Education" menu item.

2) Thousands of forum posts on "Getting established", you w
... See more
1) Free webinar presentation: Meeting clients at ProZ.com
http://www.proz.com/translator-training/course/14903-meeting_clients_at_prozcom

There are loads of other courses offered at Proz, a few of which are free. Look them up under the "Education" menu item.

2) Thousands of forum posts on "Getting established", you would have to narrow your search to get more precise results,
but the information is there.

3) Search the "Articles" section for tips written by Proz members, also located under "Education" (third section). I haven't
looked myself lately, but I remember there were some at one time.

These tips are in addition to the ones already mentioned.

Good luck!
Collapse


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:23
English to Spanish
+ ...
Suspicion of free courses Jun 9, 2017

I seldom, if ever, take free courses on the Web. My review of their content shows that, in general, they're too optimistic and too broad for me to find them useful. I prefer to listen to individuals with experience that I can relate to.

 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 12:23
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Search Engine Optimization SEO and a convincing profile Jun 10, 2017

First of all, clients have to find you, and you have to stand out from all the others.

With or without webinars, you can work at KudoZ to become more visible. Even if you do not gain points, your answers and comments show who you are and give an idea of how you work, so it helps you to get noticed. Points also bring you closer to the top of the list on this site.

Add more keywords on your profile. Think like a client: what search words would you type in if you were look
... See more
First of all, clients have to find you, and you have to stand out from all the others.

With or without webinars, you can work at KudoZ to become more visible. Even if you do not gain points, your answers and comments show who you are and give an idea of how you work, so it helps you to get noticed. Points also bring you closer to the top of the list on this site.

Add more keywords on your profile. Think like a client: what search words would you type in if you were looking for a colleague to translate the kinds of text you prefer? Marketing, B2B, or Business Law, Employment contracts... or whatever, so that the search engines find you. Then when the client sees your profile, would they choose you or just click on to the next? How are you going to convince them you are the translator for the job?

Add details about yourself, preferably specific details, that will be found, not just 'competitive rates, timely delivery' like everyone else! Years of experience - doing what? Everything counts. What did you major in at college, what groups and clubs did you join? Add keywords at the bottom of the profile as well as in the 'about me' section.

Mention qualifications in languages and subject areas - these are another way of standing out. Explain how they are relevant to translating.

Show some cultural awareness - this is where we humans are still way better than machine translation. It translates the words, but it may miss (or completely mess up) the actual message between the lines.

If you mention rates, don't just say they are low or competitive. Anyone can claim to be cheap, and many do. I prefer to talk about quality and value for money, and the best clients are willing to pay for it. If your rates are too low, they may not take you seriously!

Show a business identity, just don't be too anonymous. No false claims, but show the person behind your professional skills and specialities. Clients like to know who they are dealing with.

Try all that, and good luck!


[Edited at 2017-06-10 09:24 GMT]
Collapse


 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:23
French to English
speciality subjects Jun 10, 2017

I see you have several speciality subjects. With law and finance, you're bound to get work, and even well-paid work, if you're worth your salt.

You could try networking. If you have friends working in law and finance, for example, you can try asking them whether their firm has recourse to freelance translators, maybe get an introduction or two that way. And go to trade fairs or conferences where there are plenty of people in the lines of work you can translate for. Show an interest
... See more
I see you have several speciality subjects. With law and finance, you're bound to get work, and even well-paid work, if you're worth your salt.

You could try networking. If you have friends working in law and finance, for example, you can try asking them whether their firm has recourse to freelance translators, maybe get an introduction or two that way. And go to trade fairs or conferences where there are plenty of people in the lines of work you can translate for. Show an interest in people and their work, keep your business cards at the ready to be able to smoothly hand one over at an appropriate time.
Collapse


 
Eyad Akkila
Eyad Akkila
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 14:23
English to Arabic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
thanks Jun 11, 2017

Chris S wrote:

You need to be good, persistent and/or very lucky

And, mate, look out for them Sheilas


I will, thanks mate


 
Eyad Akkila
Eyad Akkila
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 14:23
English to Arabic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jun 11, 2017

Woodstock wrote:

1) Free webinar presentation: Meeting clients at ProZ.com
http://www.proz.com/translator-training/course/14903-meeting_clients_at_prozcom

There are loads of other courses offered at Proz, a few of which are free. Look them up under the "Education" menu item.

2) Thousands of forum posts on "Getting established", you would have to narrow your search to get more precise results,
but the information is there.

3) Search the "Articles" section for tips written by Proz members, also located under "Education" (third section). I haven't
looked myself lately, but I remember there were some at one time.

These tips are in addition to the ones already mentioned.

Good luck!


Thanks for the help mate


 
Eyad Akkila
Eyad Akkila
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 14:23
English to Arabic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jun 11, 2017

Mario Chavez wrote:

I seldom, if ever, take free courses on the Web. My review of their content shows that, in general, they're too optimistic and too broad for me to find them useful. I prefer to listen to individuals with experience that I can relate to.


Thanks for passing by!


 
Eyad Akkila
Eyad Akkila
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 14:23
English to Arabic
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jun 11, 2017

Christine Andersen wrote:

First of all, clients have to find you, and you have to stand out from all the others.

With or without webinars, you can work at KudoZ to become more visible. Even if you do not gain points, your answers and comments show who you are and give an idea of how you work, so it helps you to get noticed. Points also bring you closer to the top of the list on this site.

Add more keywords on your profile. Think like a client: what search words would you type in if you were looking for a colleague to translate the kinds of text you prefer? Marketing, B2B, or Business Law, Employment contracts... or whatever, so that the search engines find you. Then when the client sees your profile, would they choose you or just click on to the next? How are you going to convince them you are the translator for the job?

Add details about yourself, preferably specific details, that will be found, not just 'competitive rates, timely delivery' like everyone else! Years of experience - doing what? Everything counts. What did you major in at college, what groups and clubs did you join? Add keywords at the bottom of the profile as well as in the 'about me' section.

Mention qualifications in languages and subject areas - these are another way of standing out. Explain how they are relevant to translating.

Show some cultural awareness - this is where we humans are still way better than machine translation. It translates the words, but it may miss (or completely mess up) the actual message between the lines.

If you mention rates, don't just say they are low or competitive. Anyone can claim to be cheap, and many do. I prefer to talk about quality and value for money, and the best clients are willing to pay for it. If your rates are too low, they may not take you seriously!

Show a business identity, just don't be too anonymous. No false claims, but show the person behind your professional skills and specialities. Clients like to know who they are dealing with.

Try all that, and good luck!


[Edited at 2017-06-10 09:24 GMT]



Interesting and noted, Thank you!


 
Gerard de Noord
Gerard de Noord  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:23
Member (2003)
English to Dutch
+ ...
Raise your hourly rate Jun 11, 2017

Hi Eyad,

It's easy to find work but it's hard to find work that pays well. In my experience "sharp buyers" will never ever hire translators for an hourly rate, so raise your hourly rate to a level where you think you're being paid well.

Cheers,
Gerard


 
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