English to German :: German to English Translation Services
Apart from marketing your services effectively and delivering quality work, on time, the next biggest challenge is getting your customers who want you to translate German to English online to pay you fully and on time. Many businesses have folded due to failing in this department.
When first creating my own "translator's website" or translate website, I was never happy with the idea of doing nothing more than "window dressing". To me a website is a work horse that is supposed to bring in clients, not an impressive looking Arab racehorse people admire running around in the field.
The principle of marketing freelance translation services is easy: To get freelance translation work you need to get yourself known. In my case, to be known to translate English to German for example.
Here is a list of the basic technical equipment for the home office of a freelance translator. It may look rather obvious but the important thing are the details: Yes, of course you need an Internet connection. But is it fast and reliable? Do you need CAT tools?
At first sight working from home may appear the perfect solution, especially for (young) mothers. The most important thing is to ensure that your family understands that you are at work when you are at your desk. Translations need full concentration and are time consuming and managing your work space and time can be challenging when working from home.
These are some of the skills and personality traits I have found useful in my working life as a freelance translator (Skills Personality Traits to be a text translator). The list is by no means exhaustive:
This is a question clients put to a German translator on a regular basis. Can you convert to English?
The answer: Usually not!
What looks like a very simple text to you may turn out to be a complex set of issues.