When you start working as a freelance translator, it is mandatory that you stick to your own policies and ethics if you want to become successful and start gaining more opportunities and build your own client database. A lot of freelancers feel that freelance industry is extremely relaxing and end up taking it too lightly which can lead to a lot of disasters and result in disappointments when they are working on the freelance translation jobs with dormzi or any other business.
When you are a freelancer, you must be more careful than the full-timers because you are completely on your own and there would be no support at all. During such times handling yourself in an organized manner is the only way to sustain in the industry for a longer duration.
You can know more on some of the most common blunders that are committed by a majority of freelance translators once they set their foot in the freelance industry.
1. Underestimating the client
The first and the foremost thing that a majority of freelancers end up doing is underestimating the client. As a freelancer, you must always remember that the client that is assigning projects to you would be part of the industry from a very long time and they would know in out of the freelance industry especially the translation sector.
There are chances of a full-time employee of an organisation assigning things to you, and their knowledge can be tremendous. Therefore you must never try to oversell your knowledge and start underestimating the client.
2. Coating charges recklessly
When you become a freelance translator, it does not mean that you start charging the clients the way you want to. You need to go by the freelance industry standards, and unless and until you match your prices according to the industry norms, you will never be able to bag any projects or opportunities.
3. Missing deadlines
There is a lot of freelance translators who take the work casually and end up missing the deadlines almost all the times. As a translator who is part of the freelance industry, you must be aware that your payment would only be made after the complete submission of the project without compromising on the quality and time. The client would be in complete control of the project, and they might even end up paying you nothing for your recklessness and carelessness attitude.
4. Being disorganized
Of course, as a freelancer, you certainly have the liberty to work out of your own home or from anywhere else where you are located. However, that does not mean that you do not have the proper tool or application that is required for your work. You must never compromise on all these things, and this can result in the termination of your services immediately from the client.
5. Working too late
As a freelancer, you would be able to make money only when you start getting meaningful projects and legitimate clients. Unless and until you know how to crack these kinds of deals, it becomes extremely difficult for you to lead a life of your wish.
Also, as a translator, you might be under the impression that taking multiple projects and working late night would help you to make more money. But, that is certainly not the concept that you must adapt to. You should never stress yourself out and work too late at night as it can ruin your next two days’ schedule and can reflect on your work.
6. I am trying to be unfaithful.
When you’re working with the client, it is important that you stay trustworthy and also abide by the instructions that are given by the clients. Some of the freelance translators would end up taking shortcuts in order to become successful quickly, and that can be a major blunder. Staying loyal to the clients is the only way to become successful in the freelance world, and that is going to reward you in the long run as well.
Over-commitment
When you are working as a freelance translator, there are high possibilities of having multiple projects in your hand at a time. Unless and until you plan the entire phase about every single project that you have, you would never be able to commit on the deadlines to the client properly.
When the planning fails, the execution would certainly become a flop. You would end up making false promises and miss on the deadlines and ultimately lose the clients. Therefore, as a freelance translator, it is mandatory that you focus and brush your time management skills time and again.
These are some of the most common blunders that you can spot in a majority of freelance translators. If you do not attend to these mistakes and rectify them immediately, you will never be able to make the kind of money that you would want to in the freelance industry.
