Article How to stand out to translation agencies as a freelance translator

Every freelance translator will work with agencies at some point in their career. Some might decide just to work with them whilst they’re finding their feet, and some will decide agencies are the way to go for their whole translation career.

There are an awful lot of upsides of working with agencies, as they source the clients and take care of all the admin. All you have to do is the fun part: translation.

And although there are, sadly, plenty of agencies out there who take advantage of freelance professionals by offering rates that don’t work out at a living wage, there are also lots of agencies doing fantastic work who really respect their freelancers.

But how can you grab the attention of those agencies?

When you’re looking for freelance translation work, it can be hard to know what will make you stand out from the crowd when applying to agencies.

After all, most agencies will receive huge numbers of applications from freelance translators. So how can you make sure your application won’t just be overlooked or ignored? How can you make it more likely that you’ll get a response and start a working relationship?

Keep scrolling down for some tips that could make a big difference to your success rate.

Building a client base takes time

But before we get stuck in, it’s important for you to bear something in mind. And that is that it’s normal to apply to large numbers of agencies at the beginning of a freelance translation career.

If you ask the majority of freelance translators, we’re sure they’ll tell you about the endless applications they sent out when they were first getting started.

Even the best applications may still be ignored, and you won’t hear back from most agencies. Just know that’s normal, and pretty par for the course.

It can feel like a thankless task when you’re first getting started, but if you persevere then all that hard work will pay off. It’ll soon all start to snowball and pick up momentum.

1. Focus on small agencies

Small translation agencies are generally a good bet as they’ll receive fewer applications from freelancers, so it’s more likely you’ll get a response from them.

They can also be great clients to have as you’ll probably only work with one or two project managers, meaning you can build a good working relationship.

2. Do your research on them

Whatever size the agency that you’re applying to is, your application should always be tailored to them. Just copying and pasting a standard email without adapting it to the recipient won’t get you very far!

Check out their website and let them know what it is about them that really stood out to you. Ideally, you should be addressing the vendor manager or similar by their name.

Take the time to do your research, as it’s better to send out fewer, more tailored applications than it is to send out hundreds of generic ones.

3. Narrow down your specialisms

When you’re first getting started as a freelance translator it can be hard to know what specialisms to focus on. And it’s true that your specialisms will often find you as you gain more experience.

But having clear specialisms will help you stand out to agencies far more than a very generic profile will. It will make you more memorable, and they’ll be more likely to think of you for projects.

So nail down a few specialist subject areas (don’t worry, you don’t have to go all in on one!) and make them clear on your CV, LinkedIn profile, website and wherever else you advertise your services.

4. Contact agencies that focus on those specialisms

Now you’re clear on your specialisms, be on the lookout for agencies that share them, as you’ll be a good fit for a higher proportion of their projects.

Agencies with a more general approach might not receive that many projects that suit your skills, so look for ones specialising in transcreation, medical, legal, financial, technical, audiovisual, or whatever it is that you excel at.

5. Follow any instructions

Responding to a job ad? No matter how keen you are to get your application in quickly, take a deep breath and make sure you read every word carefully first.

Agencies sometimes add specific instructions as a way of filtering out serious applicants, so follow them to the letter.

That includes not applying if you don’t totally fit the bill!

6. Don’t attach your CV unless it’s been requested

Responding to an ad in which they ask for your CV? Don’t forget to attach it.

But if you’re cold emailing or they haven’t requested a CV, then it’s often best not to attach one as it could trigger spam filters, meaning your email is never even seen.

You could include a hyperlink to your LinkedIn page, portfolio or website instead, and mention that you’d be happy to share your CV on request.

7. Keep your CV short and on brand

Speaking of your CV, make sure it’s not too long. No matter how much experience you have, it should ideally be kept to one page, so agencies can see what you have to offer at a glance.

Use your brand colours to make it eye-catching and memorable.

8. Keep your message short and to the point

These people are busy, so if you write them an essay about why you’re the best freelancer ever, they won’t read it!

Keep your email short and focus on how you can help them. How will you make their life easier?

9. Work on your professional online presence

If agencies want to find out more about you, you’ll get extra brownie points if you have a good professional presence on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram that makes it clear you know your stuff.

Post regularly and interact with other people in the online freelance translation world.

Consistently putting in the effort on social media could also help you reach a point where agencies and even direct clients start approaching you, rather than you having to approach them!

10. Try doing things a bit differently

As freelance translators, we’re used to communicating via email pretty much exclusively, but it’s not necessarily the only way.

Some freelance translators have had a lot of success with calling agencies rather than emailing them. Especially if they’re smaller agencies.

You’ll have to be very tactful about how you handle this and capable of taking rejection on the chin, but it could work well if you’re willing to give it a try.

We’ve even heard of a few translators sending out handwritten letters to agencies!

We can’t say how successful this tactic really is, but if you’re willing to think outside the box and try something different, it might pay off.

11. Be friendly, communicative and responsive

Remember, people that work at agencies are humans too, not robots! Be polite, friendly and kind in your first email, and if you get an initial response then make sure all your interactions stay that way.

Also try your best to be as communicative and responsive as possible, answering their emails promptly.

At the beginning of their careers, some translators make a point of advertising their availability in the evenings, at weekends and over holidays as a way of getting a foot in the door.

It’s entirely up to you if you want to do that. There’s absolutely no pressure to do so, because rest is so important!

Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you communicate your boundaries and your working hours so agencies know what to expect from you.

A few things to remember

When dealing with agencies, always be upfront about your rates and never be tempted to accept anything less than your minimum.

We know it’s hard to say no when work is thin on the ground, but time spent on poorly paying jobs could be put to better use contacting agencies that do offer the rates you need to charge.

It’s up to you whether you’re happy to do translation tests! Just always, always make sure you’ve discussed rates before you do one, so you know it’s worth your while.

And before you sign that NDA and crack on with your first job, take some time to do a bit of research to make sure they’re legit, even if it’s just on the Proz Blue Board. If your gut tells you something isn’t quite right about an agency, it probably isn’t!

Keeping them happy

So you’re on an agency’s books, things are going well and you’d like to make this a long-term thing.

One of the most important things you can do is make sure your project management is on point so you organise your time well and never miss a deadline.

If you’re not using LSP.expert for that yet, perhaps it’s time to take our 30-day free trial and see just what a difference it could make!