Beyond the freelancer label
When we opened our recent business skills webinar by asking participants if they thought of themselves as entrepreneurs, two thirds of the 82 people who answered the question said no. This was interesting, given that most of the audience run their own translation or interpreting businesses, which involves finding clients, negotiating fees, and managing stakeholders amongst other business tasks.
The findings of the quick poll suggest that while members are confident about presenting themselves professionally, many have not yet embraced the idea of themselves as business owners.
How we describe ourselves
When we asked participants what job title they use, the word “translator” appeared in 96% of the 74 responses. There’s nothing wrong with that – it’s what the majority of members do. But the variety of descriptors people added revealed interesting patterns.
A third use “professional translator” while a quarter prefer “freelance translator” and more than a third use neither descriptor. Only 2.7% use both terms together, which suggests they serve different purposes. It could be argued that “freelance” signals working arrangements, while “professional” emphasises expertise.
But perhaps a more revealing aspect is the words that are missing. Just 9.5% use business-focused language like director, owner or manager. And only 11% mention their specialisation, despite many having expertise in legal, medical or technical translation. This represents missed opportunities for differentiation in a challenging marketplace.
What the discussion revealed
The live chat provided space for honest discussion about current challenges. Unsurprisingly AI featured prominently, but participants also covered more fundamental questions about value, positioning and business development.
Views on AI were divided. One person commented that it is “mostly out of our control, unlike the mindset we adopt.” Others agreed with Sara’s provocative comment that perception might be the real challenge: “AI is not the problem, perception of our role and value is.” However, one participant offered a sobering reflection: “AI has left me unemployed. Agencies no longer look at [job] applications.”
The most practical discussions focused on what translators can control. One participant observed: “We’ve gone beyond having 2-3 agencies and a Gmail account as [the core model of our] businesses.” Another emphasised: “Any business needs to do more than just its core activity. It needs to be out there and engaging.”
Pricing emerged as a persistent challenge. Quite a few people picked up on Sara’s questioning of the principle of using pricing-per-word as a viable business model. Her view that this approach commodifies translation and devalues the skills and expertise of professional translators found considerable support. Several participants offered practical alternatives such as negotiation a prices based on the cost of delivering a project or an outcome.
Making a commitment to action
Of the 130 participants, 60 responded to the closing question asking about the actions that they would take after the webinar. Encouragingly 95% committed to specific changes.
The most popular category was business strategy and planning (25%), with commitments to setting aside time for long-term thinking and setting quarterly goals. This was followed by networking and visibility (22%), with plans to join chambers of commerce and attend business events. Notably, 20% planned to change how they describe themselves professionally. Multiple participants committed to moving from “freelance translator” to “professional translator” and others intend to emphasise value propositions over service descriptions in the future.
Final thoughts
The findings reveal a profession at an inflection point. Members recognise that the marketplace is changing and that traditional positioning is no longer working. They also understand the need for business skills, strategic thinking and professional repositioning as step towards resilience and success.
The challenge is that two thirds are still reluctant to see themselves as entrepreneurs. This is not just semantics. How we think about ourselves shapes how we present ourselves to clients, price our services and develop our businesses. To thrive in the current operating environment professional translators and interpreters need to commit to investing time in their business strategy, marketing their skills and expertise effectively, and networking with purpose. In short, they need to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset.
And, lastly, members don’t have to make the change alone. There are many successful entrepreneurs in our sector that we can learn from and be inspired by. Plus, we can take courage from the supportive nature of the #ITIcommunity. It was great to see so many people sharing valuable tips and ideas in the live chat, all of which were captured, summarised and shared with participants after the webinar. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience that we can draw upon – so look out for more opportunities to brush up your business skills with ITI in the coming months.
