Setting your rates as a freelance translator is an important step for your career. It helps you earn a fair income and shows clients that you are a professional. Here’s a simple guide to help you decide how much to charge, plus tips for negotiating and dealing with client objections.

Andrea Capuselli

Freelancing can be rewarding, but it also comes with challenges—especially when it comes to maintaining a steady income and a consistent workflow. One way to overcome this is through the DEEP strategy. The DEEP strategy is an approach designed to provide freelance translators with long-term stability and growth. This strategy is based on four interconnected principles: Diversification, Expansion, Elevation, and Prosperity.

Angela Luana Zalazar Aguirre

Courtroom interpreting is a high-stakes profession that demands precision, quick thinking, and a deep understanding of both language and legal systems. As more court proceedings move online, interpreters are finding themselves navigating new challenges that come with remote work. While technology has made it easier to attend hearings from anywhere, it has also introduced complexities that can heighten the pressure of an already demanding job.

Angela Luana Zalazar Aguirre

A few days ago, I shared a reflection on LinkedIn (in English) and Instagram (in Spanish) about the increasing resonance of imposter syndrome in professional conversations. I didn’t expect it to trigger so many direct messages from people, both familiar and new, who all shared a common experience: they had dealt with imposter syndrome and felt compelled to share their stories with me.

Lucía Leszinsky

In the language industry, timely payments are not just a matter of convenience, rather they are essential for maintaining a healthy and sustainable profession. Here’s why timely payments are crucial for freelance translators and interpreters, and how ProZ*Pay ensures prompt transactions.

Mike Donlin

As summer approaches, many businesses face the challenge of maintaining productivity while employees take vacations. This can lead to a significant reduction in workforce in the language industry, potentially impacting project timelines, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, your bottom line. However, there's a solution to this perennial problem: freelancers.

Mike Donlin

On April 26, 2024, language professionals from around Cádiz gathered for a special occasion—the ProZ.com powwow celebrating the platform’s 25th anniversary. Held in person, this event provided an excellent opportunity for linguists, translators, and interpreters to connect, share insights, and commemorate a quarter-century of ProZ.com’s impact on the industry.

Helen Shepelenko | Head of Training, Tools and Events at ProZ

For language freelancers looking to attract new clients and outsourcing work online, building trust is crucial. With many professionals to choose from on freelancing platforms, outsourcers want to feel confident they are hiring someone reliable and skilled.

Here are some key ways to establish trustworthiness right from the start:

Mike Donlin

Today is Good Friday, part of the Easter observance in many locations and a long holiday weekend in others. Holidays and vacations see language companies facing a familiar challenge: maintaining productivity and meeting deadlines with limited resources.

Mike Donlin

Language-related credentials reported by ProZ.com members may be verified. These credentials are shown in the professional profile, some pools, and might be used to restrict job postings.

Mike Donlin

What is a ProZ.com Powwow?

Powwows are informal gatherings of groups of ProZ.com users living in close proximity. The events are organized by local translators for local translators. 

Angela Luana Zalazar Aguirre

The business page makes it easier to connect businesses with their employees and for those employees to share business identification, membership and act on behalf of a business at ProZ.com.  Profiles are for people (freelancers and employees), while these pages can show information about the business. 

Business pages have been showcased in the Translation Company & agency directory, added to employee profiles, and have been linked other places on the site.

How can your business increase views to its business page? 

Mike Donlin

Freelancers receive payments from different companies, using different payment systems and many times that can involve different ways of transmitting the money. When you are paid, it is important to receive as much of your money as possible in a timely fashion.

To make sure payouts are meeting your needs, I suggest trying the $100 audit.

Mike Donlin

Utilizing freelancers for language tasks can streamline processes and enhance the efficiency of language service companies. However, the conventional method of paying freelancers globally proves to be inefficient due to the complexities of the international banking system, along with the diverse needs of individual language professionals.

Imagine if the time to onboard and pay those same freelancers were eliminated.

Mike Donlin

Key Insights from 2022

It's been another great year for the podcast, with a wide range of guests and lots of amazing discussions on translation and interpreting. It really has been an honor to host the show, talk to such fantastic guests and interact with our very supportive listeners.

We're growing as well, with streams up 127% and listeners from 77 countries around the world.

Paul Urwin