The Importance of Networking for Translators
- Emily Hargreaves
- November 21, 2017
- 20,382 views
The need for translators is growing daily, with people in search of professional translators to help them in translation jobs for their business and individual needs. Someone from Russia may have a business deal to seal with a business partner from China, but the language barrier between them might make it impossible to communicate, hence the need of a translator to help them communicate better and also seal the business deal with each party understanding the role they have to play and everything running smoothly.
Becoming a professional translator requires more than just a skill¸ and you need to go an extra mile to gain recognition in the field. Now this is where you need networking, because it creates limitless possibilities for you. Thankfully, with social media, networking has become much easier and more effortless, as compared to how it used to be before the internet age, especially when it has something to with cross border business relationships.
Translators need to take advantage of social media platforms, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, as they provide enormous opportunities for exposure and self promotion. Translators have huge potential for employment globally, as translation is a skill that is very much in demand given the continued development of the globalized world and economy. It will be easy to connect to people through the web, as anyone that needs your services will access it easily. Well, you need to boost your online presence so as to increase your opportunities.
Since corporate translation companies or language service providers are always recruiting freelance translators, you need to leverage the power of social media to ensure that your name is well known and easily found. There are lots of companies with websites that offers hundreds of languages on their site. Working with one of these companies is a great way to boost your credibility and build a wider audience. You will also get lots of works from them, although they might not be coming steadily as expected.
To get an upper hand as a freelancer, creating a website is a great idea. Although this sounds like what everyone knows, it is still surprising that most people still don’t take advantage of it. With a website, you will have all the necessary info about yourself in one place for the world to see. With a website, you can list your qualifications and talk about your previous works and experience. To add to it, a website can help you get references from people you have previously worked for. Connecting your website to your social media profiles is a wonderful idea, as it will help you build an audience gradually, making you reach more prospects.
The more you keep on developing your community online and networking, you will notice an increase in the number of those interested in your translation services. With networking, your audience will grow immensely, and you can now reach out to anybody around the world, and also connect more deeply with them. The internet is a very useful and powerful tool, so as it concerns networking, make sure you make the most of it so as to promote yourself the more.