Advancing further
Back in 2019, Dean Evans and Fiona Gray gave us their thoughts on ITI’s Advancing Your Freelance Translation Career course. They recently got together to see what’s changed.
Dean: Hi, Fiona. Nice to see you again. Shall we start with a quick recap? You were on maternity leave when you decided to take the course, right?
Fiona: Exactly. I was due to return to work just as the course was about to start. I’d been off for a few months, so it seemed like the perfect time to start looking at my business differently and making changes to the way I run things.
D: For me, it was about changing up my client base. I’d been coasting on work from my two former employers – both big agencies – who were making up about 80-90 per cent of my income. But alarm bells had started to ring with more post-editing machine translation, downward pressure on rates, and worsening payment terms. I needed to learn how to find better-quality clients so that I could stop working with companies who were valuing me and my work less and less.
F: Yes, I was in a similar position – mostly agency clients and one regular direct client – and I wanted that to change.
D: So, how are things looking today?
D: Same for me, too – most of my work now comes from direct clients. Before, I was having to work up to eight billable hours a day to meet my income targets and had no time for things like committee work or CPD. And I was just completely ignoring the business side of things! But the financial benefits that have come with my new client base mean I now have more spare time, and my business feels much more sustainable.
F: That’s great! My website is probably the most visible sign of how my business has changed. I’d been working on it more or less at random – so not very successfully – for about a year before the course. It still took a while for me to finish it afterwards, but the structure the tutors gave us for approaching these kinds of tasks really helped. And a lot of the content on my site was actually sparked by course assignments and feedback, helping me address my target clients directly in my copy.
D: Your website really is excellent! I’ve definitely felt a long-term mindset change after the course. The tutors hammered home how we should focus on the client rather than ourselves, and that really helped me drill down into my specialisation. I used to describe my business as a bit of legal, financial and intellectual property, but the course made me realise how unclear that was. Now I make sure to be really specific whenever I introduce myself and speak to potential clients.
F: Yes, I remember a lot of the feedback we got on the assignments was ‘Be more specific!’.
D: I’ve also found that the course set me up for ongoing CPD and development. I felt it gave us a solid foundation to figure out what we wanted to achieve, but afterwards we had to actually put everything into practice to reach those goals. I’m now always on the lookout for ways to boost my business. A case in point is the marketing and accountability group we’re both part of (see the report on the Expedition Group in the July-August Bulletin).
F: Yes, absolutely agree, there’s always more to learn. That initial feedback from the AFT tutors was so valuable – it really started me off on a journey of honing my business skills and is always in the back of my mind whenever I work on the Expedition Group tasks.
D: Did anything unexpected come out of the course for you?
D: Yes, I found it really beneficial to get to know the others in the group. And for me the course also led to other opportunities – I was asked if I’d like to join ITI’s Professional Development Committee. I’d only been freelancing for around two years, so being on a committee was absolutely not on my radar. And without the course I don’t think that opportunity would have come about.
F: Something similar happened with me too. A week after the course had finished I was asked if I’d like to be a tutor on the SUFT course – and I hope I’m not being too dramatic when I say that it was career-changing stuff!
D: I really appreciated being given the chance to give something back to the profession. And in turn that’s helped me grow my network and given me confidence that I have something valuable to contribute. It goes to show that you never quite know where taking a course or meeting new colleagues might lead.
F: Exactly, and having learned how to build a strong network has also led to new business. My favourite project ever, which I worked on last year, came from a referral (actually from you!).
D: Yes, most of my new clients since the course have come from word of mouth. And I love having a great network of colleagues to refer existing or prospective clients to as well. Without the course and all the advice on how to forge those relationships, I don’t think I’d be in that position right now.
F: Agreed. I can’t recommend the course highly enough for anyone who knows they want to take their business to the next level but isn’t quite sure where to start. The superstar tutors will be on hand to share their wisdom and experience in the form of jam-packed webinars and detailed feedback that may just give you the confidence and self-belief you need to shift your mindset and take the next steps. I could never have predicted just how much I’d get out of it, and all those bonus benefits really did change the course of my career and boost my business.
D: For me, I’d say the course is definitely the best money I’ve spent on my business. It is not the cheapest training around, but I think it should be seen as an investment rather than a cost, especially if you’re not entirely happy with the way your business is going at the moment. I feel I’ve still only scratched the surface and still have loads of work to do, including improving my online presence. But at least I have the time to do it now. And I’m no longer filled with dread when I see an email notification pop up – which is priceless!
This article was first published in the September/October edition of ITI Bulletin.
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