Freedom and flexibility. According to the Inbox Translation Freelance Translation Survey carried out last year, 64% of respondents said that freedom is the thing they value the most about being freelance and I wholeheartedly agree with them. It’s called freelancing for a reason.

But with freedom comes great responsibility. And there’s no one else to blame for the consequences of your actions. It’s just you.

You’re your own boss, project manager, accountant, marketing consultant, social media manager and the list goes on. There simply isn’t enough space on your CV to list all the roles you have to take on every single day to keep your freelance business running smoothly.

64% of freelance translators said that freedom is the thing they value the most. But with freedom comes great responsibility. And there’s no one else to blame for the consequences of your actions. It’s just you.

This article will be particularly useful if you work with translation agencies, but it will also be useful when cooperating with direct clients too.

Let’s imagine that you’ve bagged yourself some nice clients, your cooperation is running smoothly, you work on oh-so-satisfying projects and you feel confident about the quality that you deliver. As a result, you watch the money pouring into your bank account and you get that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

From time to time, however, you end up slumped at your computer feeling stressed out, your coffee’s gone cold, your neck is stiff, the pressure of the approaching deadline is taking its toll, your eyes hurt, your stomach hurts and even your brain hurts. And suddenly, it feels like you’re in a freelancing nightmare and you can feel yourself getting more fed up and frustrated by the day. How did you end up like this?

From time to time, however, you end up slumped at your computer, your coffee’s gone cold, your neck is stiff, your eyes hurt, your stomach hurts and even your brain hurts. How did you end up like this?

Oops, you did it again. You said yes…again! You’ve accepted a translation assignment that you should’ve avoided like the plague.

How could you?

What made you think this was a good idea?

Why didn’t you think more carefully about this job before you hit the accept button or said “yes, of course, no problem” to one of your favourite project managers?

Because it is a problem.

Well, it happens to everyone at one point or another and believe me, you can end up in this situation no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are. It happens to the best of us!

And yes, it’s even happened to me. Several times. However, over the last couple of years, I’ve managed to avoid these unpleasant experiences as much as possible.

So, I’d like to share:

Seven tips that will help you to avoid getting into this pickle

Subject matter expertise matters

Well, I’m sure this is no surprise to you and it’s one of the basics. However, I feel the need to mention it anyway because it’s a common rookie error. And then if you add the dry spells some of us occasionally face into the mix, it can be a recipe for disaster.

Please never compromise on quality and don’t rush into subject matter areas you’re not perfectly comfortable with. Leave the welding software user interface or the equine venereal diseases to the experts (true story). Believe me, you’ll just end up losing money by spending endless amounts of time trying to produce something that resembles an accurate translation.

Reference files matter

ALWAYS read the reference files thoroughly and if they aren’t attached to the job offer, request them. No exceptions. Failing to do this has been the cause of many a headache for me. In fact, it’s probably been the cause in 90% of cases where I’ve regretted taking on a translation project.

Reviewing reference files is an extremely easy way to make sure you won’t regret your decision. Yet, it’s a rule I often forget on the days when I’m busy and e-mails are flying in and out of my inbox at the speed of light.

Communication channels matter

Avoid phone conversations with project managers who are trying to assign you a project. While this might be controversial advice, it works perfectly for me. And it seems it works for almost every other freelance translator out there too. According to the 2020 Inbox Translation Survey, email is the preferred method of day-to-day communication with clients for 89% of translators. I feel you!

Phone calls require you to decide on the spot and if you already struggle to say no when you need to, an email is a much more passive way of assessing the situation and responding on your terms.

The numbers matter

Check the word count analysis! Maybe you hate numbers but word counts are one of the most important numbers for your business. It’s another rookie error, but believe me, this can happen at any stage of your freelance journey.

And it happened to me not so long ago. All it takes is for you to be a bit stressed out, sleep-deprived or just a little bit off your game and then you take your eye off the ball. Plus, those lines in the word count analysis which state the character count and the word count are just too close together! Not to mention those columns of New and Fuzzy matches. So, it’s always better to check and then double-check the project numbers first.

Project processes matter

Be alert and make sure you have enough information about all the processes involved in the project. Will there be changes at the implementation stage? Will there be linguistic sign-off or a proofing and reviewing stage after you deliver the translation?

These additional project processes can expand the project volume significantly and you need to get as much information as you can at the beginning to make a well-informed decision about accepting the job. Why does this matter? You need to know precisely what the job entails so that the client can’t expect more than what you initially agreed to.

Setting boundaries at the beginning of a job is important because both parties are clear on what processes are their responsibility. This practice prevents the perfect project from becoming an unprofitable pain. Make sure your project fee fairly reflects the demands of the project from start to finish.

Your emotional resilience matters

Be careful not to make emotional decisions when contacted by stressed-out project managers. Compassion is often an admirable trait, but not always when it comes to business. There may be times when a project manager might simply try to push you into accepting a project no matter what. Of course, this isn’t professional at all but it happens because they’re under pressure too.

That’s why you must distinguish between when you feel the urge to say yes because of factors such as stress or pressure or because you crave to work on that project.

And believe me, you’re not an awful human being if you don’t feel obliged to save the poor fella on the other side of your computer at all costs. You’re just human. Remember, you’re only responsible for your business processes and your work, not theirs.

Self-love matters

And last, but not least, be kind to yourself. Always assess your ability to meet the deadline and translate the subject matter in question realistically and consciously. Don’t wear yourself down and try to please everyone in the process at any cost.

And if in doubt, remember why you went freelance in the first place; to enjoy the possibility of freedom, flexibility, and to take pleasure in everything that you do!