The response to our presentation has been really positive, with many people wanting to learn more or see the slides again, so we decided to take our little 2 person roadshow online for the big wide world to see. We are now pleased to unveil a stripped down, re-recorded version of our presentation available at Slideshare.net. You can view the show within this post (below) or by following this link to Slideshare if you have problems hearing or viewing the embed.

Much as I have tried to resist the constant vocabulary of disaster and fear used in the news at the moment, it seems that a recession is fast approaching, if not already upon us. It is hard for most people to stay positive and confident about parting with their fast dwindling cash reserves in the current climate, but when you are running a business of any kind the panic can start to set in. And that includes freelancers, whether they’re freelance translators or freelance plumbers.

I recently read this article by Michael Melcher on The New York Times Shifting Careers blog and it reminded me that even in this climate there are still opportunities out there if you remain proactive. Now is not the time to waste too much energy on introspection. The same marketing guidelines apply, but we now need to reserve more energy than ever for seeking out or creating opportunities. Provided you still have a roof over your head and some food on the table, remember how lucky you still are and don’t allow yourself be beaten down by all the bad news…Alternatively, you may want to consider going into hibernation until it’s all over!

*Update 09/12/2008: another good list of tips for weathering an economic downturn is on FreelanceSwitch today.*

Last weekend I attended the conference ‘The Translator as Strategic Partner‘ here in London at the Camden Centre. Those following me on Twitter may have seen that I was live micro-blogging from the event throughout the weekend. I had intended to do this, as an experimental way of tracking the events and my thoughts in a more as-it-happens fashion than I would have been able to do otherwise, plus it meant  translators across the world on Twitter unable to attend could tap into the conference it virtually. The live tweeting seems to have worked fairly well (as far as it could – live tweets without links are rarely enough to supplement full text) and other tweeting translators seem to have appreciated it.

What I’ve done in this post is to paste in almost of all of my Twitter updates and use them as subheadings to structure my report summarising the main points I took away from the conference. Let’s see how this goes…and be warned that will be long!

Enjoying pre translation conference meal and networking at Betjeman Arms, St pancras, London 8:54 PM Nov 21st

The weekend really began on the Friday evening before the ‘official’ start to the conference.  Lots of delegates arrived promptly for the advance registration, not forgetting to leave enough time for a sneaky drink at the bar before heading out for a meal at the Betjeman Arms. It was great to meet so many other translators from the UK and around the world (it was an international conference), and be able to put faces to the names of people I’ve so far only met ‘virtually’ over the years. I wasn’t a huge fan of the meal itself (but thumbs up for being able to cater for such a large number of people) but the venue itself is awesome, and the company was ace.

Early start. I’ll now be live tweeting from the translator as a strategic partner conference this weekend. Stay tuned! 9:07 AM Nov 22nd

OK, so we get going early on the first morning to help with registration and welcome people on their arrival at the conference. I’m not accustomed to such early starts (6.30am) on a Saturday but I was really excited about the speakers on the agenda. Today we were due to hear from such distinguished translation professionals as Michael Benis (the organiser), Ros Schwartz, Bill Maslen, Cate Avery, Jay Kettle Williams, Jost Zetzsche and Nick Rosenthal.

Welcome address by Michael Benis: being quality driven rather than cost driven 10:14 AM Nov 22nd

Michael starts off by setting the theme of the conference, the subheading of which is ‘a workshop conference for a changing industry’.  The following two quotes basically sum it up:

Quote: “for a communications industry, the translation industry doesn’t communicate very well”. We have a problem guys 10:16 AM Nov 22nd

Quote: “the client cares about their business objectives and bottom line” 10:18 AM Nov 22nd

In short, the translation industry needs to roll with the punches and adapt to clients’ needs in order to survive. As shy, retiring translators we often undersell ourselves, and, in Michael’s words ‘effective cross-cultural communication requires a strategic partner’. What else do offer?

Next up: Ros Schwartz on client relations 10:33 AM Nov 22nd

I was really excited about this session, the title of which was ‘Client relations: Why and how to be proactive’. Ros, who works mainly in creative and literary translation, argued that in translation nowadays fidelity to the original is simply not enough. It has to be more than that; it goes without saying that clients expect us to be reliable, meet our deadlines and stay faithful to the original message of their texts, but what will really make a difference to the ‘bottom line’ (see above) is that their translated texts are fit for purpose. This was a crucial point, since cultural differences usually mean that what would be acceptable for one target audience would not make an impact on that of another cultural/linguistic community.

Copywriting skills and how they add value to your profile as a translator and what you offer to clients 11:02 AM Nov 22nd

Moreover, as translators we are also writers (this was echoed by several speakers at the conference during the weekend), and we can hone these skills in order to add value to what we offer. We can positively seek feedback from our clients to see where we can help them reach their business objectives, such as bringing our copywriting skills into play (Ros also provided a list of writing courses).

Working together as specialists to produce a project: be a problem solver 11:03 AM Nov 22nd

Ros went on to argue that clients have articulated and unarticulated needs from their translators – they may not even realise what they really need from their translations and it is our job to make that our business. As strategic partners and language specialists we are able to identify and highlight blind spots for our clients.

It’s all about communication, guys. Truly excellent talk by ros schwartz 11:25 AM Nov 22nd

All in all a really thought-provoking session. Ros was obviously coming from the perspective of a translator who mainly works with direct clients, but the crucial points should be applicable to those who work with translation companies as well. Highly recommended.

Bill Maslen encourages us to seek out feedback – ask to see the final product that goes to the client 12:34 PM Nov 22nd

Bill Maslen (of the Word Gym) was up next, with a session (intriguingly) entitled ‘Strategic partnerships: principles and solutions, triumphs and tragedies’. Bill used a chart he had clearly put a lot of thought into that very neatly illustrated his point, and demonstrated the buy-in from the top-level guys in companies throughout the product development process, i.e. right at the end, when the translation is commissioned, the buy-in from the top bods is almost zero. What does this tell us?

…seeing the final product will help you understand your client’s needs and the sort of copy they’re looking for for their target market 12:36 PM Nov 22nd

This session followed on very nicely from the one before, again commenting that in terms of the perceived value of what we do, translation really suffers from a brand image problem. To improve this we need to get more involved, and really understand our clients’ needs better. We need to demonstrate how we analyse the texts and the overall process. What’s to stop us asking for a brief?

Interestingly, Bill encouraged us to ask to see the final product that is sent on to the end client. I personally haven’t ever done this, as it’s often slightly more difficult to have a two-way dialogue with translation companies, rather than direct clients, but it’s a very good idea, and something I would like to try.

After a distinctly un-Italian Italian buffet lunch we move on to a translator-client joint presentation. Nice to see a united front 2:12 PM Nov 22nd

This session was with Cate Avery, a patent translator, and one of her clients. This wasn’t a format I’d seen before at a conference, and I liked it. Cate explained the process involved in patent translations with a good dose of amusing anecdotes, and she and her client discussed what it is that makes Cate a good supplier to them.

Update: What does a client look for above all? ‘Reliability’ ‘cost effectiveness’ ‘intelligent approach’ and ‘good working relationship’ 2:27 PM Nov 22nd

These were the words of Cate’s client on what they look for in their translation suppiers. In short, ‘reliability’, ‘cost effectiveness’, and ‘good working relationship’ shouldn’t be anything new, but ‘intelligent approach’ wasn’t something I’d heard before. To me it goes without saying that translators should have an ‘intelligent approach’ to their work, but perhaps this needs to be demonsrated more clearly in how we approach our clients and in our marketing campaigns.

Paraphrased quote from Jay kettle Williams: ‘the days when we can call ourselves a translator, full stop, are gone’. 3:00 PM Nov 22nd

I don’t think I was the only one amazed by Jay Kettle Williams’ superb oratory skills. He presented a very entertaining and lively session called ‘It’s not what you want to give the client, it’s what the client needs’. This may have been a controversial way of looking at things for many translators, but it continued the theme already established earlier in the day. An true expert on linguistics, Jay calls translators the ‘code-breakers’ for their clients; highlighting the fact that we often do so much more than simply ‘translate’ A to B.

Now speaking: Jost Zetzsche on idealised notions of translators. He asks ‘does quality spell u-s-a-b-i-l-i-t-y?’ 4:20 PM Nov 22nd

Jost Zetzsche, of Toolkit fame, spoke about our age-old idealisation of the patron saint of translators, St. Jerome. We risk being constrained by this idealisation of a translator who, let’s face it, innovative as he was at the time, was born c. 347. Instead, we need to roll with the times and think about the true purpose of our texts – I empathised with this, and it returned to the discussion around a text’s fitness for purpose again. Oh, and Jost also briefly introduced us to his cute little mascot Jeromobot.

Closing up the ‘official conference’ part of day 1. Q&A discussion, prize draw, and then much needed drinks and dinner! 5:27 PM Nov 22nd

The first day of the conference ended at around 5.30pm, following a comprehensive Q&A session with the panel speakers which dealt with issues such as ROI from marketing campaigns, ‘educating’ project managers who don’t like translators with ‘queries’, where agencies can find good translators, reference documents and translation tests (one panellist expressed the view that receivied wisdom tells us that quality translators will not offer to do free tests for clients – hadn’t thought of it that way).

A particular quote I remember from this part of the day was that ‘nobody is going to read your texts as carefully as a translator’ (I can’t remember who it was, unfortunately). How true that is.

An enjoyable evening’s networking was spent with 91 other delegates at Ciao Bella in Bloomsbury. My report on day 2 of the confernce will follow next week…

In Obama’s victory speech he said that the unsung heroes are his campaign managers and his strategist. Just look at how they tapped into communication tools that no candidate has ever bothered with before, such as Facebook right from the early days of the campaign, to creating his very own online community at MyBarackObama, to the point where Obama’s internet following was a self-driven vehicle.

For example, Obama (or one of Obama’s assistants) was tweeting on Twitter, with no less than 119,730 followers. Everytime he was speaking at a rally, a little link would be posted to allow his followers to watch it in realtime. By engaging with new forms of media, Obama has succeeded in reaching out to a new generation of voters, showing that he is a man of the world, for the world. He realises the amazing potential of social media and is able to use it as a means of getting his message across and cultivate a grassroots following through it.

For those of us who were unable to vote, how amazing it was to live through an historic event like this and, thanks to the internet and social media, to be able to feel like you’re really part of it. No matter who you supported in the campaign, after Obama’s victory, we must all agree that the internet’s ability to unite people and allow them to share experiences and interact should not be underestimated. Just look at some of reactions of people around the world, which we are now able to see for ourselves.

This article in the pioneering Huffington Post discusses how in this election the internet has done more than supplement traditional media:

While discussing with a friend an election night viewing party he’s throwing, he announced there would be “televisions all over the place.” “That’s great,” I said, “but just make sure the WiFi is working.” Because this year, the laptop — along with the array of Internet-connected mobile devices — has replaced the television as the must-have election night device.

P.S. While we’re on the subject, the blogosphere is currently alive with Obama-inspired posts, even suggesting that as freelancers we can learn from the campaign in terms of how we present ourselves, such as this one over at Contract Worker.

The relevance of this bad experience to freelancing is that it reminded me of how important it is to realize the value of your clients and to put this into practice. In that vein, here are some pointers I’ve learned along the way, including those learned from customer service experts such as Chris Daffy.

1) First and foremost, your clients are central to your business.

You want to keep your customers because without them you will find it somewhat difficult to stay afloat. This seems like an obvious statement but it is surprising how many people seem to forget it, or appear not to fully appreciate it.

In my bad experience with the online groceries delivery service I felt like I was being treated flippantly throughout. I received no apology for appalling service, and was greeted with a shrug that said to me “Yeah, whatever, there’s more where you came from”. This is a dangerous assumption, even for a supermarket giant. After all, customers talk, and these days there’s the added dimension of the blogosphere, where word spreads like wildfire. So, they’ve missed an opportunity to lock onto a loyal, regular customer, and have therefore also wasted the big profit potential of me telling my friends and neighbours how great they are and winning them as customers too. I should add that I have also been trialling a rival, more expensive, online groceries delivery service, who I will now happily spend my hard-earned pennies on instead. Customers are usually willing to pay extra if that means excellent service.

2) Reward loyal clients, as well as new ones.

For freelancers, attracting new clients is essential to ensuring a regular flow of work, and it is an ongoing process. It also allows us to develop and progress in our careers, specialising both in terms of subject and client.

However, in your efforts to flirt with new clients don’t forget about your regulars. There will always be interesting one-off clients who call up only once and are never heard from again, but clients who keep coming back and spend a fortune on your services over the years are usually worth more to you. (This is a bit like the advice not to neglect your old buddies when you find new ones, with the caveat that in both cases this only applies to old clients or buddies who are definitely worth keeping; we are bound to lose some along the way.). Remember to focus some of your marketing effort on your regulars: why not try updating them on new skills you’ve developed, or simple things like the personal touch of remembering important events in their lives and sending them Christmas cards or even stationery gifts with your business name on it.

One of the best (in my opinion) supermarket delivery companies (the rival I referred to above) frequently emails me with discounts and offers that are tailored to my favourite things, and overall they give an impression of a company constantly striving to improve their service. Some of the add-on services they offer I really don’t need, but the overall impression leaves me with such a warm fuzzy feeling and I am so impressed that their approach probably has a 90% success rate with me. It’s a bit like going to a restaurant and receiving attentive and friendly service from the wait staff; you don’t need them to pour your wine but it makes you feel valued and creates an overall good experience.

3) It is usually possible to salvage a situation where the client is dissatisified for whatever reason.

I was easy prey for online grocery shopping services – I love how easy it is and I can create a list that I add to as I think of things, rather than the soul-destroying weekly barging and queuing under neon lights that is the modern supermarket experience. Plus, working from home all I have to do is answer the door to the delivery man, and even if they are a few minutes late with the booked delivery time I will still be here. So, you’d think it wouldn’t be hard for an online groceries delivery service to keep me as a long-term customer.

Well, as a result of my bad experience I lodged a complaint to the company concerned. After a few days had passed I did eventually receive a verbal apology over the phone. By this time my view of the service was pretty dire, but not beyond the point of no return; there was still a chance for them to retain me as a customer. What could they have done? In such a disastrous situation, nothing speaks louder to customers than cold hard cash. But alas, all I was offered was £10 off my next shop.  The presumption that I would use them again after this experience was an arrogant and erroneous one. If a customer pays for a service and you categorically fail to provide that service that customer should really be entitled to some sort of monetary compensation; in my case at least waiving the cost of the delivery. In translation, if you miss a deadline that has major ramnifications for the client, or worse, produce sub-standard work, do you expect to be paid in full? (Not a rhetorical question by the way).

4) The customer is not always right but neither are you.

A little meeting in the middle never hurt anyone. Imagine yourself in their position, in a different customer/client-supplier scenario such as a shop, or getting your kitchen fitted. As the customer, the service or product you are paying for is important to you, and you want to feel like you supplier appreciates this. Even when your customer is demanding, do not scoff or respond indignantly, but instead meet with a smile and try to help them as best you can, carefully explaining what you are and aren’t able to do for them. They will remember you positively, rather than as someone obstructive you doggedly refused to help. Listen to your clients, and they will listen to you.