This morning I had lots of fun interviewing translation industry veteran Steve Lank (Monterey graduate, former ASTM translation QA standard subcommittee chair, longtime senior-level manager in agencies in the US, Ireland and Spain). Steve is currently Vice President for Translation Services at Cesco Linguistic Services, working from the Washington, DC office.

I put Steve in the hot seat and asked him:

• Chicken/egg: how can beginning translators find their first clients?
• What’s up with downward price negotiations? Why do agencies apply them, and how can translators best handle them?
• What are the top dos and don’ts of translator resumes? What errors pop up again and again? How can a translator stand out among the many unsolicited applications that an agency receives?
• How about following up on agency applications? How often should freelancers follow up, and using what method?
• How does a translator turn a first-time client into a regular client, and become one of an agency’s preferred providers?
• How about the increasing emphasis on specialization in our industry? Is the “learn by doing” mindset OK, or do translators need more formal training in their specializations?

To listen to the episode, cruise on over to the Speaking of Translation website.

See: Thoughts On Translation

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