How do you deal when your activity has been slow for a while? Thread poster: Carole Pinto
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Carole Pinto
France
Local time: 07:56
Member (2011)
English to French
Dear all,
I have been a freelance translator for nearly 12 years and I have noticed that my activity has slowed down over the last few months (not just the holiday period).
Some of my clients have stopped contacting me and I don't see many relevant ads in my inbox daily.
Have you noticed anything different lately and how do you deal with this?
Many thanks and have a nice day!
Carole
| | | | | Stay calm... | Jul 15, 2022 |
I have been translating full time for over 30 years and occasionally I have had a few slow weeks or even months. Dry spells are an intrinsic part of being a freelancer. It's a good time to fit in some marketing or CPD. Usually these dry spells are followed by a hectic period. This month I had a sluggish beginning and then unexpectedly I received a 40,000 words project…
| | | | | Dry spells are a good time for marketing and CPD | Jul 15, 2022 |
My translation business suffered a sharp decline in the wake of stricter sanctions imposed against Russia.
It's taken me three months to (more or less) recover. I increased my marketing efforts targeting direct clients. I started learning Adobe InDesign to create promotional materials for my business and to add DTP to my service offerings in the future.
Also, I am currently learning Elementor Website Builder and OutSystems low-code application development platform.
| | | | Joakim Braun 
Sweden
Local time: 07:56
German to Swedish
+ ...
Do bookkeeping, update your website, fiddle with your reference files, read novels in a source language, read magazines etc... all the while being completely convinced that you've finally been caught and your translation career is over forever.
(Some truth in that, but after 25 years of ups and downs I wouldn't worry much on a month-to-month basis. A multi-month trend is different. I'd start sending out resumés and think about career changes/repositionings.)
Worry is g... See more Do bookkeeping, update your website, fiddle with your reference files, read novels in a source language, read magazines etc... all the while being completely convinced that you've finally been caught and your translation career is over forever.
(Some truth in that, but after 25 years of ups and downs I wouldn't worry much on a month-to-month basis. A multi-month trend is different. I'd start sending out resumés and think about career changes/repositionings.)
Worry is good (keeps you moving), complacency is bad... ▲ Collapse
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| Je fais autre chose | Jul 15, 2022 |
Bonsoir,
Lorsque cela arrive, en règle générale je profite du temps mort pour mettre à jour toutes les formalités administratives, faire de la compta, vérifier si mes infos marketing sont encore correctes.
Et sinon, comme en été, je me repose, voilà.
| | | | | Most of us suffer the same | Jul 15, 2022 |
Current global situations adversely affect the translation market, you may stay days or even weeks without jobs. However, you have to invest your time in improving your translation skills and searching for new marketing methods to activate your business.
| | | | | Main strategy | Jul 16, 2022 |
My main strategy is education for latest technology, markets, events, activities. I spend part of my time for physical fitness and health (also mental one). I participate more in this forum when I have a slow life and my mind is not much refreshing.
Meeting new prospective customers is also a good challenge.
I study new but similar languages to inspire deep logic of linguistics.
Soonthon L.
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 07:56
French to English
I might craft a little message to clients. Last time, in a short lull early this month, I wrote to everyone telling them about my availability this summer, and immediately work started coming in. I think some agencies has stopped contacting me because I'd been very busy with direct clients and refused a lot of work in May/June.
I do intermittently take a look at my notes to put together a website, but I'm not all that convinced I need one. And when I was a member here, I would scan the job... See more I might craft a little message to clients. Last time, in a short lull early this month, I wrote to everyone telling them about my availability this summer, and immediately work started coming in. I think some agencies has stopped contacting me because I'd been very busy with direct clients and refused a lot of work in May/June.
I do intermittently take a look at my notes to put together a website, but I'm not all that convinced I need one. And when I was a member here, I would scan the job offers and put in a bid or two.
I'll also take advantage to go out for longer walks with my dog, and go more often to the swimming pool, and maybe take in an art exhibition or film - it's particularly delicious to be doing such things when everyone is working. Knowing that I have worked all weekend to fit in some jobs, and will do the same again later.
When I'm bored with the extra free time, I'll embark on an ambitious sewing project, and that's when the work starts pouring in! ▲ Collapse
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Kay Denney wrote:
When I'm bored with the extra free time, I'll embark on an ambitious sewing project, and that's when the work starts pouring in!
My "ambitious project" is more related to translation: I have been compiling Portuguese acronyms for a few years and as soon as I open that file an email pops-up with a little surprise in it…
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 08:56
Member
English to Turkish
| Unpredictability | Jul 16, 2022 |
Kay Denney wrote:
When I'm bored with the extra free time, I'll embark on an ambitious sewing project, and that's when the work starts pouring in!
That's one of the things I hate about freelancing.
| | | | Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 01:56
Japanese to English
+ ...
| activity slow | Jul 17, 2022 |
I work in three languages (JA, RU, ZH) so when activity in one language is slow I can shift to another.
| | | | Panopticon
Spain
Local time: 07:56
Member (2012)
Spanish to English
| Have you tried meditating? | Jul 17, 2022 |
Carole Pinto wrote:
Dear all,
I have been a freelance translator for nearly 12 years and I have noticed that my activity has slowed down over the last few months (not just the holiday period).
Some of my clients have stopped contacting me and I don't see many relevant ads in my inbox daily.
Have you noticed anything different lately and how do you deal with this?
Many thanks and have a nice day!
Carole
I usually find that as soon as I decide that I want an hour to myself to engage in some deep meditation my clients suddenly find work for me.
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Panopticon
Spain
Local time: 07:56
Member (2012)
Spanish to English
| On a more serious note | Jul 17, 2022 |
I've been freelance translating for about as long as you and I too am noticing a bit of a lull in the past few months. Although luckily I have one customer who has lots of work to keep me busy until mid-August. But if it weren't for them....
In any other set of circumstances, I would probably have just been thankful for a bit of time to relax and maybe do a bit of exercise or something, which is the approach I've taken in the past. But the current lull is due more, I am pretty sure,... See more I've been freelance translating for about as long as you and I too am noticing a bit of a lull in the past few months. Although luckily I have one customer who has lots of work to keep me busy until mid-August. But if it weren't for them....
In any other set of circumstances, I would probably have just been thankful for a bit of time to relax and maybe do a bit of exercise or something, which is the approach I've taken in the past. But the current lull is due more, I am pretty sure, to the global economic slowdown being inflicted on us by central banks around the world (the US Fed, in particular) who are desperately trying to rein in inflation by killing demand. With inflation at its highest level for 40 years in the US, and with rate hikes on the cards, the economic slowdown could get a lot worse before it turns around.
You know how the saying goes: "when the US sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold". I think we might be seeing that now.
Let's just hope it doesn't last too long. Although I'm not very optimistic to be honest, not with the war in Ukraine on top of everything else that's going on. The world is a total shambles right now on so many levels and it wouldn't surprise me if WWIII suddenly broke out. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 07:56
French to English
Baran Keki wrote: Kay Denney wrote:
When I'm bored with the extra free time, I'll embark on an ambitious sewing project, and that's when the work starts pouring in! That's one of the things I hate about freelancing.
I really need new clothes and I have at least 20 lengths of fabric waiting to be made up into those clothes...
I was talking with another freelancer, but in vocational training: she gets fully booked a year in advance so she knows exactly when she'll be working and how much she'll be earning. So jealous!
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