Well here it is the end of January already. I am in a lull with my work from TransPerfect, and it's a perfect time to catch up on administrative and marketing tasks. I am very pleased that I have been kept busy to more than full capacity with the work from TPT over the past month. My fears of not getting assignments from them after the holiday rush were quite unfounded.
I have been absolutely LOVING the work that I am getting, and it's all legal translation. Contracts, bidding guidelines, court proceedings, divorce-related documentations, legal opinions, and financial contracts have constituted the majority of the work that I have been doing.
I am also proofreading, and it didn't take me long to realize that this obviously means that some of the translators who work for them don't have the same level of skill that I have. Sigh of satisfaction. I wasn't sure I wanted to proofread, as I began doing so at a rate of payment that was about 25% of what I could earn translating. However I soon reasoned that the service I provide as a proofreader is almost more essential than the original translation, especially when the latter has been done by someone who is apparently not very skilled or experienced. As a consequence, I put my price up to where it's worth it for me to be doing this work, and the company didn't bat an eyelash. I continue to get as much work as I can handle and I am now charging twice the rate I began with.
I FEEL SO BLESSED to have this fantastic opportunity. While I know my skill level is high, I still have a LOT to learn about the logistics of this business and the broader market, as well as about business skills generally. It is clear that honing my marketing and presentation is key, and also that I can't do this unless I understand the market, my competition, and how to negotiate.
In all, it's a fantastic adventure, and it's new and fresh every day. It's freakin' awesome, as my kids would say! And now it's time to run, as I have an interpretation assignment in half an hour. I have taken up the interpreter's training where we left off in the fall after our instructor fell ill, and I will be fully certified and accredited by the end of February with that. It has been really useful to me to do the training, not only because I have learned a lot about protocols and professionalism (and some things about the practical side of the task as well, in spite of the fact that I have been doing the job professionally for 4 years already), but in order to obtain translation-related credentials. I am an accredited translator on the list now at Immigrant Services here in Guelph, and I have actually had a fair bit of work from them in the past month. When I started this business 6 months ago, I hoped that I would achieve this kind of success, and now I can really see it happening. I am SO happy and excited about it all! Onward and Upward!!!!!
I have been absolutely LOVING the work that I am getting, and it's all legal translation. Contracts, bidding guidelines, court proceedings, divorce-related documentations, legal opinions, and financial contracts have constituted the majority of the work that I have been doing.
I am also proofreading, and it didn't take me long to realize that this obviously means that some of the translators who work for them don't have the same level of skill that I have. Sigh of satisfaction. I wasn't sure I wanted to proofread, as I began doing so at a rate of payment that was about 25% of what I could earn translating. However I soon reasoned that the service I provide as a proofreader is almost more essential than the original translation, especially when the latter has been done by someone who is apparently not very skilled or experienced. As a consequence, I put my price up to where it's worth it for me to be doing this work, and the company didn't bat an eyelash. I continue to get as much work as I can handle and I am now charging twice the rate I began with.
I FEEL SO BLESSED to have this fantastic opportunity. While I know my skill level is high, I still have a LOT to learn about the logistics of this business and the broader market, as well as about business skills generally. It is clear that honing my marketing and presentation is key, and also that I can't do this unless I understand the market, my competition, and how to negotiate.
In all, it's a fantastic adventure, and it's new and fresh every day. It's freakin' awesome, as my kids would say! And now it's time to run, as I have an interpretation assignment in half an hour. I have taken up the interpreter's training where we left off in the fall after our instructor fell ill, and I will be fully certified and accredited by the end of February with that. It has been really useful to me to do the training, not only because I have learned a lot about protocols and professionalism (and some things about the practical side of the task as well, in spite of the fact that I have been doing the job professionally for 4 years already), but in order to obtain translation-related credentials. I am an accredited translator on the list now at Immigrant Services here in Guelph, and I have actually had a fair bit of work from them in the past month. When I started this business 6 months ago, I hoped that I would achieve this kind of success, and now I can really see it happening. I am SO happy and excited about it all! Onward and Upward!!!!!
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