Article Our tips for negotiating like a pro as a freelance translator

As a freelance or small business owner, there’s no getting around the fact that sometimes you have to negotiate. That good (or even just reasonable) offers, or terms, generally won’t just land in your lap, ready-made.

And for some of you, that might not be a problem at all. We know there are plenty of freelance translators out there who are more than comfortable taking the bull by the horns, and will happily negotiate away without any issues at all.

Perhaps you’re naturally good at bargaining, or perhaps you picked up the necessary skills in a past life, doing other jobs.

But we know a lot of freelance translators struggle with this kind of thing, as many of us are rather shy, retiring types. A lot of us would go to practically any lengths to avoid conflict of any shape or size. Team that with good old imposter syndrome, throw in a few cultural differences, and the idea of negotiating anything at all can be a hugely daunting one.

If that sounds like you, you probably tend to end up accepting lower rates than you know you should, or terms that don’t allow you to do your best work. God forbid, after all, you should be “difficult”, “make a fuss”, or scare a potential client off.

The fact is, though, if you don’t draw clear lines in the sand in your business and can’t stick to your guns and ask for what you know you’re worth, you’ll struggle to thrive as a freelance translator.

We know the idea of negotiating can be scary, but we promise it’s really not as daunting as it seems.

We’re not expecting you to suddenly start playing serious hardball and closing massive deals (unless that’s your style).

However, developing some basic negotiation skills will give you a huge professional confidence boost, and could change the face of your business. And, it probably won’t do you any harm in other areas of your life either.

Here are a few examples of situations in which good negotiation skills could make all the difference:

• When a client tries to get a discount out of you
• When an agency offers you a rate that doesn’t meet your needs
• When a client offers you payment terms that don’t work for you
• When you need to establish a minimum job fee with a client
• When a job has a super-tight deadline and you need more time, or have to apply a rush fee

If these kinds of situations fill you with dread, keep scrolling for our tips on negotiating without batting an eyelid.

Tips for negotiating with confidence

1. Get very clear on where the line is for you

The key to good negotiation is knowing exactly what you will and won’t accept before you start.

At the beginning of our translation careers, a lot of us end up feeling like we’re making it up as we go along when it comes to rates and terms. But even if you’re a beginner, you should still be setting a minimum rate and other basic rules to govern the way you work, like a minimum job fee, set working hours or when you’ll apply a rush fee.

Drawing lines in the sand is massively helpful as it makes you feel like you’re standing on solid ground and have something concrete to cling to as justification for your decisions. And to be clear, we’re talking about justifying them to yourself, as you really shouldn’t have to justify them to your clients.

Of course, sometimes you’ll bend your rules, but you should bend them only when it suits you, like when you’re really excited about a job, and not when other people are piling on the pressure.

The most important thing to be clear on is your absolute minimum rate, whether that’s per word, minute, hour or project. The rate you need to charge to be able to make the amount you need to, depending on your living expenses and the time you have available for client work.

If you track your time with LSP.expert, it’ll tell you what your profitability and performance are for every job you do. The handy reports will tell you all you need to know about how many words you can translate in an hour, amongst lots of other things, so you can calculate what your minimum rate has to be for your business to be profitable.

Having done those calculations will make you feel a lot more confident about sticking to your guns when potential clients start asking about what your “best” or “most competitive” rate is.

2. Take your time

When you find yourself in a situation that calls for a spot of negotiation, the first thing to remember is not to rush into anything.

Don’t reply to any emails until you’ve had a chance to review any materials or instructions thoroughly and take your time to process them, so you can reply with confidence and maintain that professional image.

If you’re speaking to a client on the phone or over a video call, don’t be shy about asking them for time to think about their proposal and get back to them once you’ve had a chance to check your schedule, or review the project or documents.

Unless you feel confident (in which case, crack on), don’t feel pressured to give them answers or to commit yourself to a particular date or figure, or whatever it might be, on the spot.

3. Take a deep breath

As freelance translators, we’re all occasionally going to receive an email we’re not happy about, for whatever reason.

But when we’re angry or frustrated, we struggle to see situations clearly and can end up making poor decisions.

So if you get an email that means you’ve got some serious negotiating to do and you’re worked up or nervous about it, step away from your desk for a little while and go and do something else. Give yourself time to process the situation and address it with a clear head.

4. Remember it should feel scary

A lot of freelancers in the know say that if your quote or proposal doesn’t seem too high to you, it’s probably too low. Every situation has to be assessed individually, but in order to grow your business, you have to know when to ask for rates that seem scarily high.

Just close your eyes, take a deep breath and hit send. The worst thing they can do is say no!

5. Don’t take it personally

This is one of the keys to negotiating successfully as a freelancer.

After all, you’re probably a one-person show and you essentially are your business, so it can be hard to remember that successes or low points in your work don’t reflect on who you are as a person.

We know it’s easier said than done, but rejections of a quote or proposal shouldn’t be taken to heart.

Doing the calculations we’ve mentioned above and basing your quotes on solid data rather than just plucking a figure out of the air will help you disconnect your self-worth from the results of your negotiations with clients.

6. Adapt your approach depending on the job

Although you’ve established your standard rate and have boundaries that you don’t, as a rule, cross, remember - you’re in charge here! It’s fine to decide to bend the rules just a little now and then.

Every job and every client is different, so you’ll have to adapt your approach accordingly. When it comes to getting down to brass tacks, ask yourself plenty of questions to help decide whether you can be more or less flexible.

They might include:

• How important is this client to you?
• Are there any other perks to working with them? Do they pay on receipt? Are they pleasant to deal with?
• How much do/would you enjoy the work?
• How would you feel if you didn’t get the job or lost the client?

All these questions and more will help you decide how to move forward in each individual case.

7. Bounce things off a fellow translator

No translator should be an island. If you’re deliberating over how to approach a negotiation, reach out to a fellow translator who’ll understand and ask for their advice, or their opinion on your plan of action. There’s no need to struggle in silence!

8. Don’t ask too much of yourself

You won’t develop crack negotiation skills overnight, so go easy on yourself!

If you find this kind of thing super daunting, focus on taking baby steps and gradually try and push yourself a little bit further, using each success as a launch pad to take you a little further.

Don’t forget to celebrate all the little wins, and accept that you can’t (and won’t!) win them all.

9. Remember you can just say no

Don’t negotiate yourself into a corner if, deep down, you just really don’t want to do something. Before you start the process, make sure it’s something you’d genuinely be happy to do if your negotiations are successful and they agree to your proposal.

If red flags are waving and warning lights are flashing in your mind, then it’s best to just say no before digging yourself a hole or committing yourself to something you’ll regret.

That being said, of course you’re always quite within your rights to pull out at any stage of the negotiation process, you just might find it harder to backtrack if they’ve already agreed to your requests but you’re still not convinced.

Get the solid data you need to make informed decisions in your business with the help of LSP.expert.

Try it with our 30-day free trial and discover all the ways it can help you as a freelance translator.