Although the word "resolution" sounds like a clear-cut decision to me, especially one made by a board of directors or a body like the United Nations, the resolutions we often make at New Year are less binding – at the end of the day, New Year's resolutions are really just expressions of well-meant intentions and are often abandoned quite quickly.
Even so, it can be a good idea for us translators to spend a little time reflecting on what last year was like and wondering how certain things might be improved. Since many of us work alone, either at home or in a small office elsewhere, it's up to us to "review" our own working (and private) lives and do some planning to achieve a few specific goals over the coming twelve months. We're our own boss, after all, so we're in the enviable position of being able to set our own goals if we want to, with no-one looking over our shoulder but our own friends and partners (occasionally). I see New Year's resolutions as part of this planning.
What kind of resolutions might come to mind for a translator, I wonder? Well, apart from resolving to "boost your income" a little more this year, you could try being more specific: boost your income by 5 or even 10% by (a) translating more material yourself or (b) taking on more work and sharing part of it with some reliable colleagues. You could also diversify your services a little – perhaps by offering a new one such as copy-editing or subtitling videos, for example. If you possess the right skills, that is (which you can also resolve to acquire this year, of course).
In connection with diversification, you might also decide to invest some time each month in acquiring new customers. Again, be as specific as you can here: set yourself a concrete goal like spending two hours a week or five or ten hours a month on internet research and contacting potential customers). This needs careful planning and, above all, patience. You could try it out for six months and see what the outcome is.
Another idea is to make sure you retain your current customers. This is easier than attempting to win new ones, but it still involves some effort. Like ensuring you have enough quality checks in place in your translation workflow and improving them if necessary, either by using better procedures or quality-assurance software, or by getting your translations read by a colleague before you send them off to customers.
Improving your skills in another language is another idea. Why not take part in a course in the morning or evening together with other learners? Or improve your knowledge of a particular subject area or a useful computer program over a number of months? That would also get you out of the office regularly, which would be a good way of combating the enforced isolation that's so typical of our particular line of work. Alternatively, you could start attending online lectures run by universities, some of which are now free (see Jayne Fox's interesting blog post on mass online courses, or "MOOCs").
An additional idea might be to go along to monthly get-togethers held by a translators' association in your area and get to know some more fellow translators personally. You might even consider playing a more active, voluntary role in the association's activities by helping to organise and/or advertise them.
There are lots of things we could do. Even reducing your workload is one if last year's was a bit too heavy. Think about your work/life balance. New Year's resolutions are an opportunity for us all to change things in our lives and achieve a little more satisfaction in them.
What objectives would you like to achieve this year as a translator? Have you thought about any yet?
Regards,
Carl
Some reading to inspire you
- Charles Duhigg's blog post on how to stick to your New Year's resolutions
- "The Entrepreneurial Linguist" by Judy and Dagmar Jenner, 2010 (see my review)
- (in German) "Marketing für Dolmetscher und Übersetzer" by Birgit Golms, 2011, BDÜ Fachverlag (see my review)
image: © Bernd Kasper, pixelio.de
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