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Conferences, freelance translator, Freelancer, Marketing, Networking, Productivity, Professional translator, Translation, working from home
All the tweets from last weekend’s translation conference in Budapest and a recent quick poll on ProZ which suggested that just under 75% of respondents spend no more than 200 euros annually on CPD (!) have prompted me back onto my soap box on this topic very close to my heart. Apologies now if I seem rather evangelical about the subject of networking and professional development, but I truly believe that we can all develop, no matter how many years we’ve been translating (30 in my case!). Networking is a very important way of doing that, be it informally at social get-togethers or training events or at the large industry conferences.
I must admit that when I first went freelance 25 years ago, I had small children so time and funds were limited. As soon as the children were of an age when I could entrust them to my then husband, I joined the Scottish Network via a local colleague and really enjoyed my trips over to Edinburgh for our various social events – the joy of real adult conversation with like-minded individuals, untrammelled by demanding toddlers! When I moved to the South-East over ten years ago, I joined the Sussex network and ProZ (virtual networking!), then eventually got round to joining ITI and my language networks as I was able to work full-time. Over the years I’ve attended a number of conferences, both ProZ and ITI, as well as a range of training events and social gatherings organised by my local and language networks. I’m certainly no extrovert, but I find such events really boost my confidence and self-esteem as a professional translator.
As I’ve written before, translating can be a very solitary profession, and for all that many of us relish working on our own, in reality it does us good to get out and meet fellow professionals from time to time. I firmly believe that by attending events, large or small, we can keep in touch with what’s happening in the industry and ultimately improve the way we work.
Over 35% of the people who answered the ProZ poll spent nothing on CPD – I find that quite shocking! Are these people so arrogant that they believe they are perfect and no improvement is possible?! For me, conferences and training sessions are an opportunity not only to learn about different aspects of the profession – from CAT tools, to legal matters, to how to use social media effectively to promote your business – but also a huge opportunity for networking. And by networking with colleagues, we can keep our finger on the pulse of the profession, the latest trends in software/tools and even (dare I say it?) the latest rates. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the people who don’t attend conferences or CPD events are often the ones complaining longest and loudest about the poor rates in translation….
Again, at a recent workshop I attended, one delegate was bemoaning the high cost of conferences and maintaining that they were beyond the budget of the “average” freelance translator. I could barely believe my ears: at £300 or thereabouts, plus admittedly the cost of travel and accommodation, translation conferences are often well below the price of comparable conferences for other professionals. Quite apart from that, they are tax-deductible and entirely worthwhile in the light of an invaluable investment in your business and a marketing tool in their own right. To say nothing of the opportunity for visiting fascinating places and socialising, topping up your source language(s) as well as learning alongside our peers (I knew I should have gone to Budapest….).
I don’t think I’ve ever attended a conference or training event or even a social gathering of translators and come away empty-handed. You meet colleagues with whom you can exchange notes and strike up a rapport – useful for future crises when you just need someone to brainstorm with, or even rant at! You can learn from experienced translators or impart your wisdom in turn if you’ve been in the business some time – I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve extolled the virtues of Dragon or Wordfast and subsequently helped colleagues to get started with new programs. It all oils the wheels of our professional world and in my view makes it a nicer environment in which to work. As for gaining new clients, I know for a fact that I’ve been offered quite a few jobs as a result of meeting outsourcing translators/clients at conferences and have also placed some jobs myself by chatting to colleagues – meeting someone in person doesn’t necessarily guarantee someone will be an excellent translator, but it certainly gives you something to go on!
Having established these networking opportunities, both in person and also, these days, via social media like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, you can keep up-to-date with professional developments and make sure that you are not falling behind. I find it staggering that some translators haven’t changed their rates in years – often the same translators labouring away in their garrets, unaware that the world is passing them by. And yet, in so doing, they are doing our profession a huge disservice – if we all work away in isolation, charging rock-bottom rates and letting ourselves be walked all over, we can never hope to boost the profile of translators – or earn a decent professional income. By getting together – at conferences, or events like the ITI walking weekend or Christmas parties – we can compare notes and work together to achieve greater things.
Inevitably, I’m probably preaching to the converted – people who attend conferences and partake in CPD are often the ones who are doing well, and go on to do even better. But I hope we can spread the word in our own little groups and amongst our more reticent colleagues that networking/conferences are good for us – and definitely the way to go if we want to get on!
ClaireCoxTranslations 
Great post Claire! Networking is so important. It makes you feel so much more engaged with the profession – I’ve found it a real boost to my job satisfaction.
And it can bring unexpected surprises. I got an email in November (2013) from an English to Italian translator I’d met – for about 5 minutes, in the queue for registration – at a Proz-ITI conference in London in 2008. We’d chatted and exchanged business cards, and that was that. And then she contacted me out of the blue last year as one of her clients needed a translation into English, and she’d remembered me.
Then there’s networking with potential clients – attending their industry events, meeting them and keeping up with their (and our) fields of expertise.
Thanks Marian. Yes, I ran out of space to even broach the topic of networking in our specialist fields, but that’s obviously hugely important too. And your brief encounter at a conference is very familiar to me – it’s amazing how just meeting someone face-to-face, for even a very short time, can reap dividends down the line.
I know I don’t go to nearly enough translating events (basically lazy) but invariably find that I glean all sorts when I do make the effort – whether about a handy new tool, a marketing ploy, anti-RSI measures or making useful contacts. It does also add to your ‘presence’ in the otherwise virtual world of translation and can make you the ‘top of mind’ choice when a colleague is looking to place a job. And the opportunity to unchain yourself from the computer and let your hair down – albeit on a busman’s holiday – shouldn’t be underestimated!
Thanks Moira – I don’t think I’d ever describe you as lazy! And you’ve been to your fair share of events over the years, as I can vouch. Now I just need to persuade you away from the South of France and up to the wilds of Newcastle for next year’s ITI conference….
How did you know it was me?? 😉
It give me your e-mail address at the side – I assume Alison could see that too as she mentioned you soon after? I must admit I had half-recognised your style in any event, so it wasn’t a surprise when GreatScot turned out to be you!
Well put, Claire. Actually I have you to thank for giving me the impetus at the ITI conference dinner last year to get back in touch with Moira and I’ve been working regularly with her ever since. Budapest (like any conference) has got me back into my ‘can do’ mode and I’m on a roll. Have been uber-productive since I got back. It’s just a pity I can only do one a year (plus the many workshops and meetings).
Thanks Alison – glad you got back in touch with Moira. It makes you realise what a small world the translation/interpreting sector is. I was petrified the first time I decided to go to a conference on my own, without really knowing anyone beforehand (think it was the ProZ conference in Vienna, although I had been to the regional ProZ conference in Aix with Moira previously). I did recognise some faces from Aix, but actually it was such a friendly event that I needn’t have worried and I’ve never looked back. Definitely at least an annual fix!
Hear Hear! Thank you Claire. Some people have zero idea of the costs involved in organizing a good professional conference. In Western Europe, a fully fledged 2 days average conference will not cost below 20,000 € – and that is a minimum. And if you want good speakers (which are the backbone, the heart), well these people have a cost (all expenses paid – travel, accommodation, etc + sometimes a speaking fee – which is normal. Quality people have a cost. And then if you get some CAT-Tools companies to sponsor the event to help relieve some of the heavy costs and thus help getting the conference ticket price down, well the same people complain that your event is going to be a PR event for the CAT Tools giants. It’s a never-ending circle…
Thanks Anne – I fully appreciate the efforts that go into organising these events – and that effort doesn’t come without a cost. I think the most important aspect of any conference I’ve ever attended is that you come away with that buzz, feeling good about the profession – and that’s priceless in my book! Trying to cut corners on costs, be it venue, or food or speakers, would detract from the quality of the event as a whole, as I’m sure most people who’ve ever attended a prestigious translation conference would agree. Definitely money well spent.
Thank you Claire for this great post! Like you, I was appalled (to say the least) at the results of the ProZ poll on CPD. In fact, I think the people who answered they spent nothing on it are the ones struggling with low rates and bad working conditions. People we meet at conferences are generally like-minded colleagues and value networking and peer exchange, among others.
Some translators may even have no idea that professional associations exist – a colleague recently mentioned she knew a France-based translator who had been in the industry for 20 years and had no idea SFT existed or what it did!!
I have stopped counting the number of times I answer the question “Why did you join professional associations, what does that bring you?” – it’s just invaluable, in terms of training opportunities, potential work/referrals from colleagues, and it compels me to strive for excellence.
Thanks Nelia. Some of the comments to the poll really made my blood boil. One translator wrote (although I think she subsequently edited it out) that these events were an excuse for people to whine about the poor state of the industry! And yet, we all know that the boot is on quite the other foot: these conferences emphasise and promote all that’s good about the profession and, as you say, compel people to strive to do even better. Well, I suppose it is their loss…
Hello girls,
and thanks Claire! I agree with you all, enjoyed every single one of the conferences and workshops I have attended, and they all have definitely been worth the time/money investment (and usually great fun too!). Unlike Alison, I haven’t been as productive as I would have liked since coming back from Budapest but I am certainly feeling much more motivated than before going…Sometimes it’s hard to analyse or pinpoint what an experience of this kind has triggered within you, and most of the time, a few months down the line, you make a decision or do something new/challenging, or check out some software that got mentioned, or, as you have already said, receive a phone call from a colleague you met there offering you some work…In my case there always is an incubation period before I take action following a moment of inspiration or an idea gleaned at a conference or while networking. But they are definitely worth it every time! Back to browsing emails and Tweets while recovering from dermatological surgery a couple of hours ago (13 stitches in total), feeling bad for not getting down to translating, thinking maybe I should make the most of the local anaesthetic still working! I often suffer from translator’s guilt, specially after taking a few days to go to a conference! Maybe a topic to cover in a different post another time…I wish you all a lovely day and hope to see you soon at one of the forthcoming worthwhile events 😉
Thanks Corinne – and poor you, get well soon!
Great post, Claire! Thanks a lot. I’m always so scared to go to a networking event or a conference it almost makes me sick :-), but then I’m always so happy to have seen new faces, met new people and listened to great speakers I just want to do it again and I end up signing in for the next one! I can’t believe some professionals do not see how valuable those get-togethers and trainings are. I’m glad you made it clear!
Thanks Cécile – that must be the introvert side in you coming out. I used to be the same, although I’ve got better as I’ve got older (and hopefully wiser!). I think it’s definitely worth breaking through the pain barrier and making yourself get out there and mingle….
Nope, I had no idea. Was just about to say “it’s an even smaller world when said Moira pops up on the same post” 🙂
Great post, Claire! And you put it in the right words. It’s really like you said it: Those who don’t go are the ones unable to make their business prosper. Unaware that they in fact are entrepreneurs but would deny it if ever asked.
Well said Claire! I have a problem with the word networking as it immediately turns people off. It’s really just leaving your desk and talking to people… what’s not to like? Tanya hits the nail on the head – translators are running businesses and this is all part of it. You can’t just sit and translate (or if you do, you are really limiting your future possibilities) – you need to do admin, marketing and keep yourself current and out there. And after an event you don’t end up with a huge job the next day – but you do feel fired up and raring to go, and a few more people know a bit about you, And they may well pass your details along,
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Enjoying your posts more and more, Claire.
If you can’t afford taking courses, you can definitely find some interesting courses for free at Proz or other platforms. Besides networking, I believe that finding a mentor is invaluable (when combined with learning and networking).
Time is always a bit of a problem for freelancers (especially with small kids) but it’s wise to give it a try and do as much as you can.
Delighted to hear it! My latest post is about the recent SDL Roadshow in London, another free event – although I believe SDL are doing a whole series of such events across Europe. This kind of thing is so useful for freelancers and well worth the time spent attending. It is tricky if you have young children, but I think it’s worth juggling childcare or persuading family to stand in once in a while, as networking events really do give you that feeling of being connected to the profession and rekindling your enthusiasm.