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Poll: Who was your first client? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Direct client... | Apr 10, 2007 |
My first translations were all for direct clients, although my first translations after I went freelance as a full time translator were with agencies. I'd be interested to know if this is a common experience, as I suspect. I imagine that a large number of dedicated translators carried out some translation work before going full time - and I also imagine that most occasional translators don't work with agencies. | | |
Aurora Humarán (X) Argentina Local time: 08:27 English to Spanish + ... Direct client with a little help from my dad | Apr 10, 2007 |
My first client was an Argentine lawfirm (my father's friend), specialised in Maritime Law. The first translation was a Bottomry Contract. I have my yellowish copy. I have never read it again and, of course, will never do so! But I do remember how happy I was when I sealed and signed it. (It was only years later that happiness star... See more | | |
Generally or when I started as fulltime freelancer. If generally - direct: he was my mother boss. If as a fulltime freelancer - an agency. Anni | |
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Translation Agency | Apr 10, 2007 |
More precisely (and I miss that option): "My former employer" where I worked as an inhouse translator before becoming a freelancer. | | |
Still my best client! | Apr 10, 2007 |
My very first client was a direct client - and although I now work for some agencies, after 14 years my first client is still my best client - in terms of both volume and price. | | |
Government Ministry | Apr 10, 2007 |
My first client was the UK Ministry of Overseas Development. My parents did freelance translation for them, and I started doing the same. I was quite young and very much part-time in those days - combining it with teaching and looking after my baby. Regards, Jenny. | | |
Balasubramaniam L. India Local time: 16:57 Member (2006) English to Hindi + ... SITE LOCALIZER
Before I became a translator, I used to write short stories, children's stories, humorous pieces, topical articles and the like. I even dabbled in writing children's novels and have one or two locked up in my closet somewhere which could do with a publisher! I began writing in English first and later in Hindi, both during school days itself. Now I am completely bilingual in both these languages. I recollect that I would translate my own stuff from one language to the ot... See more Before I became a translator, I used to write short stories, children's stories, humorous pieces, topical articles and the like. I even dabbled in writing children's novels and have one or two locked up in my closet somewhere which could do with a publisher! I began writing in English first and later in Hindi, both during school days itself. Now I am completely bilingual in both these languages. I recollect that I would translate my own stuff from one language to the other, merely for the fun of it, and sometimes to double my income by publishing it in two different newsletters, one in English, and the other in Hindi. I discovered soon enough that making a career out of creative writing was impossible in India. That was when I began to be approached by some small NGOs for their translation work. I was by that time myself working in an NGO. Soon income from translation began to exceed the income I earned by doing creative writing, and probably that is the watershed when I began to move inexorably towards a full translation career. Today, much to my regret, I get hardly any time to write on my own, as translation takes up my whole time. But I must add that I like translation too, especially creative translation of literary works, like short stories, children's books and well-edited books. Unfortunately very little of the translation I do for bread and butter is of this nature, most of it are reports, survey forms, legal notices, business proposals, websites, software strings, manuals and such mundane things. ▲ Collapse | |
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Parrot Spain Local time: 12:27 Spanish to English + ... All were governments | Apr 10, 2007 |
The international agencies came later. | | |
PAS Local time: 12:27 Polish to English + ...
Just realized that there is a bit of room for ambiguity. My first job was for a direct client, which happened to be a newspaper. Which option should I have picked? Pawel Skalinski | | |
Brandis (X) Local time: 12:27 English to German + ... my entry to translation industry is very interesting | Apr 11, 2007 |
Hi! I used to study maths at the university and I had a group of friends, and they all used to stick together. Initially thier request came in a small way, I thought well , I know the langauage, I will do, but wasn´t aware that they were using my services for reselling. In course of time more and more requests followed, that is when I wanted to know the truth. So I did the translation only 2-3 words were intentionally used wrong. They came back one early morning, accusing me of not being... See more Hi! I used to study maths at the university and I had a group of friends, and they all used to stick together. Initially thier request came in a small way, I thought well , I know the langauage, I will do, but wasn´t aware that they were using my services for reselling. In course of time more and more requests followed, that is when I wanted to know the truth. So I did the translation only 2-3 words were intentionally used wrong. They came back one early morning, accusing me of not being a native, I was surprised and pretended, that I do not understand what they meant. They did not want to come out and asked for the meaning of those 2-3 words, I just waived off, saying I have too much to do and there are dictionaries for that, I shall revert the same evening. They did not stop, so I had ask back, what the whole story was about. Initially they had tried to avoid the story, I said I stay put, unless I know what this is all about, nothing is going to happen. Then they told me the story. It was fine with me and I had invoiced all previous translations, and they paid in instalments, because they spent that money already. Well, if I can translate that others can sell, why not look into it more seriously. It is not a bad profession. you have certain freedom, and a group of friends are already in that profession, you can´t lose, because they market your skills. That was it. We had expanded to a backyard office within 6 months. That was beginning 80s. And these friends of mine from that group are also and their outsourcing agencies we used to work for are also even today proz members,I am sure they will read this story. It is afterall a small world, isn´t it!? Brandis ▲ Collapse | | |
The company I worked for | Apr 11, 2007 |
My first client was the company I was working for as a secretary to the CEO, though I already had graduated from University. By the way, this company is not at all involved in translation but in food processing. So my first projects were highly technical documents, and considered part of my secretarial duties. When I left that company, I just don't remember how I was contacted by an international organization to do a... See more My first client was the company I was working for as a secretary to the CEO, though I already had graduated from University. By the way, this company is not at all involved in translation but in food processing. So my first projects were highly technical documents, and considered part of my secretarial duties. When I left that company, I just don't remember how I was contacted by an international organization to do a translation. I have been a freelancer since the very beginning, but few of my jobs have been for agencies. ▲ Collapse | |
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Nicole Schnell United States Local time: 04:27 English to German + ... In memoriam A translation agency found on Proz.com | Apr 11, 2007 |
Which is still my largest client after all those years. | | |
He was my first client. We had a meeting with a foreign customer and I was "hired" as interpreter | | |
Jocelyne S France Local time: 12:27 French to English + ...
Nicole Schnell wrote: A translation agency found on Proz.com Which is still my largest client after all those years. My first "real" client was also an agency found on Proz.com. Although no longer amongst my biggest clients, I do still feel compelled to accept when this agency sends me a project to work on, for posterity's sake. Best, Jocelyne | | |
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