Editor's note: This blog post was published by ProZ.com founder Henry Dotterer over 15 years ago (December 19, 2004) as part of the ProZ.com Translation Article Knowledgebase. There are some minor edits made here based on the platform's evolution. Does it still apply today? I think so.
Fact: Clients rarely go looking for good all-around translators. They almost always search for translators whose skills match perfectly with the job they have in hand.
Example: Imagine you run a translation agency, and you have just received an automotive patent from an important Spanish client. It is important that the job be done right... and as usual, time is a factor. Which of these pros would catch your eye?
| High Quality, Reliability I love my work! KudoZ: 25 (all fields) Pro: Jose Delacruz |
| Patent Trans by Engineers Tops in auto. Team of 3 if needed KudoZ: 48 (all tech & legal) Pro: Maria Justice |
Most clients would contact Maria before Jose.
"Well," you might say, "Maria is reducing her chances of picking up medical or literary jobs." That's true. But by being too general, Jose is reducing his chances of winning jobs of all types.
What does this mean to you? If you are looking to pick up jobs online, you need to market yourself as a specialist.
Here are some tips for becoming--and standing out as--a specialist:
- Limit the number of languages and fields in your profile to a maximum of five to seven. (Even if you can work in more--plan on getting general jobs offline; online you need to target!)
- Highlight your experience in your chosen field in your profile page. Be sure your tagline reflects your specific expertise.
- Share your expertise by publishing online articles in the areas in which you have special knowledge. People will contact you to discuss, or when they need help and/or your services.
- Subscribe to, and answer, KudoZ in your specific niche (you will find the KudoZ traffic is manageable when you target). Over time, you will not only earn points, you will also get to know the other experts in the field.
- Publish a glossary of your own in your field. Make it available to the general public.
- Build a field-specific translation memory. This will give you a competitive advantage, increasing your speed, consistency and profitability. (You may want to swap TMs with others whom you trust in order to grow your resource.)
- Over time, gather a team of top experts in your niche. You'll have them to go to when you land large jobs (and they'll have you when they do.)
- Read books and periodicals, attend trade shows, and otherwise get to know the key people and companies in your niche. End clients will recognize immediately that you know your (their) stuff.
- Get Membership! Taking out a ProZ.com membership significantly increases your chances of being noticed online.
- Contact key clients in your field directly with well-written, professional cover letters, resumes, portfolios, (opt-in) client lists.
- Create a website, at your own domain. On it, make your specialization clear. Register with the major search engines, and give your URL to clients when applying or delivering work.
Link to original article: https://www.proz.com/translation-articles/articles/79/
