Tag: #translation #freelancing #clients

Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Content Localizer, Content Marketing, Social Media, Translation

2022: Recap of the Year

Ilduara Escobedo

Hello everyone!

December is here, so I think it is time to do a recap of 2022.

This is the first recap I have done since 2020! I can’t believe how much things have changed, and how much they haven’t!

Still, I should talk about the positive things accomplished this year. So, here I share some of the things I accomplished this year:

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  1. This is my blog post number 109! I never thought I would get this far, but here I am!
  2. I reached over 3,000 followers on Instagram! Another unexpected event. Thanks to my wonderful and loyal followers, you rock! Make sure to follow me to find out more about me and my business.
  3. I still have my full-time job as a Content Editor with FluentU. I feel blessed that this collaboration continues to grow.
  4. I started working on Google Search Ad translations and QA for companies like Verizon. I really enjoy working on these projects.
  5. I also started working as a reviewer for the translation of the UI of Fundraise Up, which is an app that allows you to donate to your favorite charities.
  6. I attended several webinars, online courses, and such. I feel like I’ve learned so much this year, but I know there’s still a lot more to learn!
  7. I didn’t read as much as I should have… but I did read, which is such a great pleasure for me.
  8. I started a business page on LinkedIn. I think it was a good idea to have a separate page for my business. If you are on LinkedIn, let’s connect!
  9. I am communicating more with fellow translators on Instagram. It has been such a great experience to get to know them better. There is a lovely community of translators on IG, and I am over the moon to be part of it.
  10. I changed my IG feed to something more coherent with my brand.
  11. I am still using Asana to manage my social media posts.
  12. I continue taking care of myself with exercise, eating healthy, and trying out new skincare products that I adore!
  13. I was invited to a wonderful conversation with Jane Kim on YouTube and to Rafa Lombardino’s podcast “Translation Confessional.” I can’t believe I got to talk with some of my favorite people in the world!
  14. I started working as an Ambassador for Day Translations. They sponsor my blog post, which has allowed me to write more! I am very happy and thankful for this cooperation.
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So, these are some of the exciting and good things that happened to me this year. I’d love to know how this year has been for you and what good things brought you! Leave me a comment, and don’t forget to subscribe!

Until next time, have a wonderful holiday season! See you in 2023!!

XX

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Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Content Localizer, Content Marketing, Social Media, Translation

Vacation Time?

Ilduara Escobedo

Hello everyone!

Holiday time is here! But does that mean we should take a vacation during this period or continue working?

This definitely depends on how much work you will be getting during the holiday season. You could ask your clients to send you their schedule for the holidays, at least a glimpse of the projects that might come. After receiving all the schedules you can make the decision whether to work or not during the holiday season.

Of course, it is important to think about taking time to rest and spending time with our families for the holidays. I always take a more extended vacation during the holiday season, precisely for those two reasons. Plus, I need time for some Christmas shopping as well.

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So, what I usually do is work in synchronicity with my clients to make sure that I finish all pending projects before going away.

It is also important to let your clients know when you will be away, so they can find a replacement in case new projects or new tasks from ongoing projects emerge while you are on vacation.

But there have been times when I have worked during the holiday season. Not all the season, but part of it. I did it mostly when I started working as a freelancer. I didn’t have the luxury to say no to projects, so I would take on some of them.

Also, if I have a big project from an important client, I might take it. You definitely want to keep a good relationship with your clients and sometimes that means sacrificing some of your personal time or your family time, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you don’t do it all the time.

You know yourself better than anyone, and you should do what works best for you and your family. If you are going away on a trip, you definitely cannot be available just in case. Just make sure that you always have clear communication with your clients.

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What are you doing for the holiday season? Are you working or resting? Or both? I will be resting but I’d love to hear what your plans are in the comments.

Thanks to Day Translations for sponsoring this post! Click on the link to find out more about the services they offer.

Until next time, take care and stay safe!

XX

Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Content Localizer, Content Marketing, Social Media, Translation

Holidays and Translation

Ilduara Escobedo

Hello everyone!

So, the most wonderful time of the year has officially started! But what does that mean for translators: more or less work during the holidays?

Well, it depends on many things. It depends on the clients. Do they have a high holiday season where they need a lot of translations? Or do they have a low season and maybe even go away on vacation?

I have a mix of both. I have clients that do need a lot of translation during the holiday season because they work a lot with marketing, and you can’t stop selling during the holidays. And, I have clients who are not in the marketing area who decide to close their offices for the season.

As a freelance translator, I appreciate that I have both kinds of clients. Let’s see what projects could come up during the holidays that will keep you busy until the very end of the year!

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Marketing

I already talked about that a bit. Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and post-holiday sales, all are very important occasions for selling your products. So, clients who rely on advertising to reach more potential customers are going to be in constant need of translations. Actually, I think this is one of my busiest times of the year because of Google Ad Search projects. They can come in at any time and in abundance.

Special Holidays Services and Products

Some clients offer special services or products for the season. They might offer to decorate your home, organize your celebrations, and so on. They might offer a special product, like a beverage that they only sell during this time, or they sell more of it because of the holidays. An example is Eggnog, a beverage that is largely consumed during the Holidays.

Hotels and Restaurants

The hotels and restaurants market definitely enters a high season with the holidays. They need to make sure that more people stay with them or visit them. Marketing is essential here, as well as special offers and packages. Restaurants might even offer a new or different menu for the holidays. And all of this needs to be translated asap 😉

What about you? Do you have a high or low workflow during the holidays? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments. And don’t forget to hit the subscribe button!

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Thank you to Day Translations for sponsoring this post! Click on the link and find out more about the services they offer, even during the holidays!

Until the next time, take care and stay safe!

XX

Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Content Localizer, Content Marketing, Social Media, Translation

Black Friday Discounts!

Ilduara Escobedo

Hi everyone!

Black Friday is almost here! You don’t want to miss out on the big deals for this year!

Have you already thought if you are going to buy anything during this year’s Black Friday deals? What are you looking for? Maybe books, webinars, makeup, skincare, and so much more!

Personally, I am not sure if I will be buying anything this year. I haven’t found anything that I find so appealing that I must have it! Hahaha

But there are some great deals, especially these by Day Translations and Day Interpreting!

If you are looking for discounts in the service fields, specifically on translations and interpreting services, you’ve found them!

From November 1st until this Friday, November 25th (yes, Black Friday day!), Day Translations is offering 15% off all their services. Find out more here:

And Day Interpreting is offering a $15 credit for new clients to use on their on-demand interpreting services. Day Interpreting is actually an App/Dashboard in which clients can request video or phone interpreters in 190 languages 24/7 for any area of expertise: legal, healthcare, education, business, etc. You can find out more here:

What do you think? These are two great deals but hurry up because they end on Friday, so make the most out of them!

Let me know in the comments if you used any of these coupons and how was your experience! Also, don’t forget to hit the subscribe button!

Remember these are unique discount codes, which are valid from November 1st to November 25th (Black Friday Day)! You may use the discount codes by clicking on the banners above. Don’t let these opportunities slip right through your fingers!

Thanks to Day Translations for sponsoring this post! Click on the link to find out more about the services they offer.

Until next time, take care and stay safe!

XX

Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Content Marketing, Social Media, Translation

Payment Issues

Ilduara Escobedo

Hi everyone!

Today I want to talk about something that I think we have all experienced as freelance translators: payment issues.

Unfortunately, one of the cons about working on your own is that clients can cause problems when it comes to paying us. And some of these issues or concerns can be:

Delayed Payments

As freelancers, we already have to wait for 15, 30, 60, or even 90 days to get paid. And on top of this, sometimes the payments are delayed.

This is annoying because it means that we have to start trying to get paid. We need to contact the financial department to ask why there has been a delay and when can we expect the payment to get done.

If they don’t answer, we might contact our PM, but a lot of times, this is useless because they immediately indicate that the project management department and the financial department are two completely different things, and there is nothing they can do.

Of course, this becomes frustrating. But I would say, don’t give up. Keep insisting until you get paid, I’ve done that and it has actually worked in the end.

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Incomplete Payments

Now, this is a different kind of problem. You get paid on time, but not the total amount of your invoice and their purchase order. This can happen due to many things, maybe the financial department made a mistake when entering the quantity to pay, or your payment platform charges you fees that you didn’t know about.

What is important here, is to let the financial department there has been a mistake, after you’ve checked it isn’t due to mysterious fees on your payment platform. You need to send all the necessary information to show that the payment doesn’t match what was invoiced. Luckily, they will make a second payment for the missing amount.

Getting Overpaid

Yes, you read that right! You can actually get overpaid. This can also be due to a mistake in the financial department or in their payment platform. Of course, it is nice to get paid more than you invoice, but it isn’t right. Just like we ask to get paid any payments that were received incomplete, we must let the client know right away about an overpayment. In some platforms, you can revert the payment, but the whole payment, not just a fraction. If you got the same invoice paid twice, you can do this and let the client know.

But if it is only a fraction and you can’t revert it, you can either ask them for an account where you can deposit the extra amount, or ask them to discount said amount from your next payment, whichever works better for everyone.

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Have you ever had any payment issues? Which ones? How have you handled them? Please leave me your experiences in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe.

Thanks to Day Translations for sponsoring this post! Click on the link to find out more about the services they offer.

Until next time, take care and stay safe!

XX

Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Content Localizer, Content Marketing, Social Media, Translation

Black Friday Services Deals

Ilduara Escobedo

Hi everyone!

Continuing with the topic of “Black Friday”, today I want to talk about how this can work for products and services.

Of course, it is easier for businesses that sell products to make special Black Friday deals. Services can be a bit tricky to offer on sale because they are not tangible goods.

But this doesn’t mean it can’t be done. You can still run a campaign to offer discounts. For example, one campaign could look like this: “We are offering 15% off all our services on Black Friday. Use this code XXXX to claim your discount.”

So, you can offer a percentage off or you can also offer free credit for a certain amount, let’s say that if people use the code you advertise, they get $15.00 off the total price of the service or services you offer.

Doing something like this can help with your business visibility and engagement. It would be interesting to know how many people actually claim the discount code or codes you offer.

You can also do it without codes. You can just announce that all your services will have a 10% off on Black Friday. This is a broader offer, which might impact more followers. Sometimes people don’t like using codes, so if they see that it is a general sale, without a code, they might feel more inclined to claim it.

Of course, as service providers, it isn’t always easy to offer a deal on a specific day or holiday. If we haven’t had a high-income month, we probably wouldn’t want to offer a discount, since it would mean we would get a lower payment.

On the other hand, a discount might help us out of the low-income circle we are in at the moment. Doing anything like this is always a gamble. You have to try different strategies to find the ones that actually work for you.

I’ve never offered a deal before, I think with translation is a bit difficult to offer a concrete deal. What about you? Have you ever done anything like this? If so, how did it go? Did it work for you? I cannot wait to read all about it in the comments.

Two companies that know how to make these kinds of deals work for them are Day Translations and Day Interpreting, which are offering unique discount codes, which are valid from November 1st to November 25th (Black Friday Day)! You may use the discount codes by clicking on the banners above.

Thanks to Day Translations for sponsoring this post! Click on the link to find out more about the services they offer.

Until next time, take care and stay safe!

XX

Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Copywriting, Social Media, Translation

Translation, Transcreation, and Copywriting

Ilduara Escobedo

Hi everyone!

Today I have a question that I think many of us have actually asked ourselves: What is the difference between translation, transcreation, and copywriting?

When it comes to marketing translation services, sometimes a client might request a translation, but then we find out that what they really need is transcreation or even copywriting. So, before we accept a project that might be confusing in its scope, let’s review these terms and then get back to our client with all the knowledge!

Translation

Marketing translation services take the source text and translate it into the target language remaining as true to the meaning of the original content as possible. Some localization may also be necessary, for example by changing measurements into the preferred metric in that country (inches into centimeters, etc.).

Translation is never as simple as just swapping one word in one language for another. It still needs to be read fluently and not as though it’s been translated. T

Bodies of text such as on websites, email campaigns, blogs, and product marketing material are ideal for this kind of translation service.

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Transcreation

Transcreation tackles the message and feel of the copy. It’s translation + creation. With a more creative approach to translation, transcreation may be a better option for more emotive marketing content and advertising campaigns. For example, when translating a slogan directly it might not sound or feel quite right. Using transcreation allows you to remain faithful to the intent of the copy no matter what language it’s in.  This often happens if the source copy uses language-specific devices such as idioms, puns, and humor, or cultural references that are intrinsic to the text but are not relevant to the target market. Transcreation recreates the copy so that it works in the target language and country, but still retains the conceptual elements that the campaign is built around.

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Copywriting

Sometimes transcreation isn’t enough. The creative concept might be too far removed from the target audience that the campaign needs original copy written.

For this, native-speaking copywriters can write copy specifically for your target audience. They will have a deep understanding of your target market, your sector, and your brand; so that their copy seamlessly fits in with your brand identity and any other translated content.

As you can see all these translation services are interlinked. However, when quoting on a marketing or advertising translation project, make a distinction between these services. There will be some differences cost-wise and so you’ll want to get this reflected in the quote.

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Have you worked with all three services? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe!

Thanks to Day Translations for sponsoring this post. Click on the link to find out more about the services they offer.

Until next time, take care and stay safe!

XX

Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Content Localizer, Content Marketing, Social Media, Translation

Black Friday History

Ilduara Escobedo

Hello everyone!

Believe it or not, Black Friday is just a few weeks from now, so today I wanted to talk about its history.

According to History.com, The first recorded use of the term “Black Friday” was applied not to post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping but to the financial crisis: specifically, the crash of the U.S. gold market on September 24, 1869. Two notoriously ruthless Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk worked together to buy up as much as they could of the nation’s gold, hoping to drive the price sky-high and sell it for astonishing profits. On that Friday in September, the conspiracy finally unraveled, sending the stock market into free fall and bankrupting everyone from Wall Street barons to farmers.

The most commonly repeated story behind the Thanksgiving shopping-related Black Friday tradition links it to retailers. As the story goes, after an entire year of operating at a loss (“in the red”) stores would supposedly earn a profit (“went into the black”) on the day after Thanksgiving, because holiday shoppers blew so much money on discounted merchandise. Though it’s true that retail companies used to record losses in red and profits in black when doing their accounting, this version of Black Friday’s origin is the officially sanctioned—but inaccurate—story behind the tradition.

The real history behind Black Friday, however, is not as sunny as retailers might have you believe. Back in the 1950s, police in the city of Philadelphia used the term to describe the chaos that ensued on the day after Thanksgiving, when hordes of suburban shoppers and tourists flooded into the city in advance of the big Army-Navy football game held on that Saturday every year. Not only would Philly cops not be able to take the day off, but they would have to work extra-long shifts dealing with the additional crowds and traffic. Shoplifters would also take advantage of the bedlam in stores to make off with merchandise, adding to the law enforcement headache.

By 1961, “Black Friday” had caught on in Philadelphia, to the extent that the city’s merchants and boosters tried unsuccessfully to change it to “Big Friday” in order to remove the negative connotations. The term didn’t spread to the rest of the country until much later, however, and as recently as 1985 it wasn’t in common use nationwide. Sometime in the late 1980s, however, retailers found a way to reinvent Black Friday and turn it into something that reflected positively, rather than negatively, on them and their customers. The result was the “red to black” concept of the holiday mentioned earlier, and the notion that the day after Thanksgiving marked the occasion when America’s stores finally turned a profit. 

The Black Friday story stuck, and pretty soon the term’s darker roots in Philadelphia were largely forgotten. Since then, the one-day sales bonanza has morphed into a four-day event and spawned other “retail holidays” such as Small Business Saturday/Sunday and Cyber Monday. Stores started opening earlier and earlier on that Friday, and now the most dedicated shoppers can head out right after their Thanksgiving meal.

Do you celebrate a “Black Friday” where you are from? What do you think of its origins? Let me know in the comments.

And to celebrate the sales bonanza spirit of the day, this year Day Translations and Day Interpreting are offering unique discount codes, which are valid from November 1st to November 25th (Black Friday Day)! You may use the discount codes by clicking on the banners above.

Thanks to Day Translations for sponsoring this post! Click on the link to find out more about the services they offer.

Until next time, take care and stay safe!

XX

Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Social Media, Translation

Desktop Tools for Translators

Ilduara Escobedo

Hi everyone!

Did you know that once upon a time translators had to use a pen, paper, and hard copy dictionaries in order to do their tasks? Can you imagine how long it took them to get a translation done?

Thankfully, there have been amazing advances in technology in the last few years, thus translation has become faster and easier to do. Translators work faster due to the use of computers and CAT tools. Still, here are some other tools that you might find helpful to increase your productivity:

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Text processors. Such tools are the basic ones, and pretty much all computers have them. The most commonly used word processors are Microsoft Word and Open Office. The latter is free to use and it is compatible with all OS.

PDF Processors. We might receive files in PDF format, so these are very helpful. The most famous one is Adobe Acrobat.

Desktop Publishing Tools (DPT). A translator needs to have at least a basic understanding of how DPTs work. Some of the most common are: Adobe InDesign, CorelDRAW, Microsoft Publisher, and Canva.

Image Editors. If a customer has images with text, an image editor is a must. It helps to translate the text contained within an image. The most used image editing software to date is Photoshop, but there are other free options online.

Electronic dictionaries. These are a must! Some of my favorites are WordReference, Collins, and RAE, among others.

CAT Tools. Of course, we couldn’t leave them out! CAT Tools help us to make our translations faster, plus you create translation memories that will speed up, even more, the time you spend translating.

Time Management Tools. If you know you can get easily distracted from your work, having one of these tools can be helpful.

Others. Anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-spyware, back-up, file compression, or decompression software.

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What tools do you use? Which ones are your favorite? Which of these tools that you are not currently using would you like to use? Let me know all about it in the comments.

Thank you again to Day Translations for sponsoring this blog post (stay tuned for more surprises!). Check out more about them and their services here: https://daytranslations.com/

Until the next time, take care and stay safe!

XX

Brand Ambassador, Content Editor, Social Media, Translation

To Specialize or Not to Specialize?

Ilduara Escobedo

Hello everyone!

To specialize or not to specialize? That is the question!

Seriously, I think that is the question that we more often ask ourselves as translators. I’ve heard from both sides: you should specialize because that will help you to narrow down your niche. You shouldn’t specialize because a translator can translate anything from any field.

Does it happen to you that when you are filling out information for an online profile or for applying to a project with a new client, you are always asked to include your specializations? It happens to me all the time!

Usually, I write down as specializations the types of translations I get to work on more often: legal, medical, business, and technical, which by the way, are the top 5 specializations among translators. But I don’t translate just for those fields. I also translate for the IT and gaming ones, I subtitle, I do MTPE, etc.

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So, does it really help to be specialized or not? It definitely can help to narrow down your niche and find clients more easily. Also, if you only translate in certain fields of specialization, you’ll become an expert on them; which will also help you get more clients in those fields.

But does that mean that should only accept projects that meet your specializations? Good question, right? It really depends on you. If you’d like to venture into unknown waters, then, by all means, work on projects that don’t fit your specializations. But if you feel more comfortable translating only within your specializations, it is ok too.

I think specializations are more the fields in which you have more experience because most of the projects you work on fall into those categories. Here in Guatemala, you can’t specialize in something as a translator. You graduate as a Legal Sworn Translator, so “legal” is your first specialization. The rest, you learn by experience. Probably, this is different in other countries, where the career of translation has more options.

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I mentioned my “specializations” but honestly, I translate almost anything that comes my way and I feel confident I can do it. If it is a document that is too technical or requires a highly specialized vocabulary, I definitely pass. Accepting different projects is what landed me a Content Editor job, when I didn’t even know I could be one. I was trained, and that training taught me so many things… it would have been a great loss to let it pass because it didn’t fall under what I thought my specializations were.

Anyway, when it comes to specializations, it is up to you. There are numerous ways to study a specialization through webinars, online courses, and others. Do what makes you feel more comfortable as a translator. Do what makes you happy!

Thank you again to Day Translations for sponsoring this blog post. Check out more about them and their services here: https://daytranslations.com/

Until the next time, take care and stay safe!

XX