| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Tips for new translator's CV? Thread poster: Bee Bee
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Bee Bee
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:20
Hello,
Could anyone suggest key headings and information that I should include in a CV for a translation agency? I took the Dip Trans in January (French to English) and am trying to get started. My only professional translation experience dates from 1994 (a one year in-house role). I am hoping that they will at least look at my CV, as a friend is a business associate of theirs.
Many thanks x
| | | | Sheila Wilson 
Spain
Local time: 14:20
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Where's your CV? | Mar 11, 2010 |
Hello,
I think you should at least upload your current CV if you want some help. There's already an awful lot of general advice in the forum if you care to search through it. For anything more specific, we need to know a lot more about you.
Only then could we possibly be in a position to help ypu.
| | | | Edward Vreeburg
Netherlands
Local time: 15:20
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
| fill the holes | Mar 11, 2010 |
Well apart from the usual name, address, date of birth, education and experience, people are probably interested what you did from 1994 until now...
And now for the special secret stuff on translator CVs:
Language skills (DUH), computer skills, software packages you have (Wordfast, SDL Trados, Acrobat writer...), sometimes fees per word / page / line, (but if they keep an old CV for years, they might contact you after 10 years with for your old rates)
If applica... See more Well apart from the usual name, address, date of birth, education and experience, people are probably interested what you did from 1994 until now...
And now for the special secret stuff on translator CVs:
Language skills (DUH), computer skills, software packages you have (Wordfast, SDL Trados, Acrobat writer...), sometimes fees per word / page / line, (but if they keep an old CV for years, they might contact you after 10 years with for your old rates)
If applicable : countries you lived in... stuff like that...
really it's not that diffucult or different from any other CV, really!
Ed ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 06:20
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Are you looking for a full time position? Then you need a CV.
Do you want to work as a freelancer? Then a CV is silly. You send a kind of Bio / "About Me" / Profile-thing, but never a CV.
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Nicole Schnell wrote:
Are you looking for a full time position? Then you need a CV.
Do you want to work as a freelancer? Then a CV is silly. You send a kind of Bio / "About Me" / Profile-thing, but never a CV.
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Monique van Prehn wrote: Why no CV? Nicole Schnell wrote:
Are you looking for a full time position? Then you need a CV.
Do you want to work as a freelancer? Then a CV is silly. You send a kind of Bio / "About Me" / Profile-thing, but never a CV.
A CV is something that a person looking for employment sends to potential employers. A person/business (which is what a freelance translator is) supplies potential clients with marketing material aimed at securing a contract. This can be in the shape of a bio or profile, but I would suggest a professional, or at least semi-professional, small brochure which focuses on which unique skills you/your business can offer the potential client. Where you went to school, and your grades, is pretty irrelevant to potential clients.
| | | | Bee Bee
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:20
TOPIC STARTER
Many thanks for all your advice. I am looking for freelance work, and will look for more tips on proz before I contact the agency. I hope that my work experience since 1994 in events organising and marketing will help me to secure projects.
| | | | | Why not a CV?" | Mar 11, 2010 |
Monique van Prehn wrote: Nicole Schnell wrote:
Are you looking for a full time position? Then you need a CV.
Do you want to work as a freelancer? Then a CV is silly. You send a kind of Bio / "About Me" / Profile-thing, but never a CV.
Because it is wasted time, may be? Freelance translators are businessmen/businesswomen and as such we are not used to waste our time. ROI is important to us. And businessmen/businneswomen offer real solutions to real problems . As such, it is silly to lose our time sending CVs.
Another cause not to send a CV from a business point of view: If you do what everybody does (translations agencies receive hundreds of CV each day, thousends each month, millions each year and they go directly to the wastebin, as nobody stands out from the crowd), which is your competitive advantage? No one?
I never give advices. However, if I were new in any business, I would ask myself this questions before to run it and in it:
1) Where am I and where I would like exactly to go? (planification)
2) Wich steps should I do to have this done? (Getting Things Done). Timed mindmaps are very helpful here.
3.1) Does it turn out to be profitable to me? (Return Of Investment, not just in money, but in time too)
3.2) Am I able to do more with less? (ROI)
5) Why should a client choose just me (or my services) and not any other (Unique Selling Proposition or very near of it)?
6) How can I give added value to my clients trough my services? (competitive advantage/s).
[Editado a las 2010-03-11 23:15 GMT]
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| Tips for new translator's CV? | Mar 11, 2010 |
Madeleine MacRae Klintebo wrote: Monique van Prehn wrote: Why no CV? Nicole Schnell wrote:
Are you looking for a full time position? Then you need a CV.
Do you want to work as a freelancer? Then a CV is silly. You send a kind of Bio / "About Me" / Profile-thing, but never a CV. A CV is something that a person looking for employment sends to potential employers. A person/business (which is what a freelance translator is) supplies potential clients with marketing material aimed at securing a contract. This can be in the shape of a bio or profile, but I would suggest a professional, or at least semi-professional, small brochure which focuses on which unique skills you/your business can offer the potential client. Where you went to school, and your grades, is pretty irrelevant to potential clients.
Completely agree: Professional brochure instead of CV.
| | | | Crystal Jiang (X)
China
Local time: 21:20
English to Chinese
+ ...
| Good suggestions | Mar 12, 2010 |
Pablo Bouvier wrote: Monique van Prehn wrote: Nicole Schnell wrote:
Are you looking for a full time position? Then you need a CV.
Do you want to work as a freelancer? Then a CV is silly. You send a kind of Bio / "About Me" / Profile-thing, but never a CV. Because it is wasted time, may be? Freelance translators are businessmen/businesswomen and as such we are not used to waste our time. ROI is important to us. And businessmen/businneswomen offer real solutions to real problems . As such, it is silly to lose our time sending CVs. Another cause not to send a CV from a business point of view: If you do what everybody does (translations agencies receive hundreds of CV each day, thousends each month, millions each year and they go directly to the wastebin, as nobody stands out from the crowd), which is your competitive advantage? No one? I never give advices. However, if I were new in any business, I would ask myself this questions before to run it and in it: 1) Where am I and where I would like exactly to go? (planification) 2) Wich steps should I do to have this done? (Getting Things Done). Timed mindmaps are very helpful here. 3.1) Does it turn out to be profitable to me? (Return Of Investment, not just in money, but in time too) 3.2) Am I able to do more with less? (ROI) 5) Why should a client choose just me (or my services) and not any other (Unique Selling Proposition or very near of it)? 6) How can I give added value to my clients trough my services? (competitive advantage/s). [Editado a las 2010-03-11 23:15 GMT]
so that I'm collecting it via posting this reply. Thank you for your sharing.
| | | | Lucas Rayel
Brazil
Local time: 10:20
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Not a waste of time | Mar 12, 2010 |
I don't think it's waste of time if you send your CV to offices as a freelancer.
I actually always send bio-about-me-profile together with my CV, cause it contains more info about me or places I've already worked. Then I specify to the potencial clients to look up my CV or contact me if they need more detailed info about me.
So, I send general info and detailed info. If you are interested in details, download my CV which is attached to the e-mail ... See more I don't think it's waste of time if you send your CV to offices as a freelancer.
I actually always send bio-about-me-profile together with my CV, cause it contains more info about me or places I've already worked. Then I specify to the potencial clients to look up my CV or contact me if they need more detailed info about me.
So, I send general info and detailed info. If you are interested in details, download my CV which is attached to the e-mail
[Edited at 2010-03-12 03:22 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Tips for new translator's CV? | Mar 12, 2010 |
Lucas Rayel wrote: I don't think it's waste of time if you send your CV to offices as a freelancer. I actually always send bio-about-me-profile together with my CV, cause it contains more info about me or places I've already worked. Then I specify to the potencial clients to look up my CV or contact me if they need more detailed info about me. So, I send general info and detailed info. If you are interested in details, download my CV which is attached to the e-mail [Edited at 2010-03-12 03:22 GMT]
If you were a client: Would it matter to you where your provider has born or if it plays golf ...?
If I were a client, I would be much more interested to know if your translations services will help me to prevent my engineers from mounting a crane the wrong way and a further civil claim. Or if they will allow to grow my business in foreign markets to get more money.
I won't care, neither more nor less, about where you have born, if you are a white or black people or if you have worked as hightower bricklayer before. What I would like to get are solutions, not to know about your life and miracles, I really do not care.
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Theo Bernards (X)
France
Local time: 15:20
English to Dutch
+ ...
| In the end each translator has to decide for him or her self about sending a CV | Mar 12, 2010 |
I am personally of the opinion that I run a one-man company. Granted, that makes a small company, but it is a business never the less. From that point of view showing a CV does nothing to help me getting orders and if I am dealing with so-called end customers I see no added value in showing my CV. Potential clients only "want" to be dazzled with the fact that you are the translator in the language combination they have a need for at that particular time and could indeed not want to know where yo... See more I am personally of the opinion that I run a one-man company. Granted, that makes a small company, but it is a business never the less. From that point of view showing a CV does nothing to help me getting orders and if I am dealing with so-called end customers I see no added value in showing my CV. Potential clients only "want" to be dazzled with the fact that you are the translator in the language combination they have a need for at that particular time and could indeed not want to know where you went to school and what your hobbies are (unless they want a text translated which is related to your hobby).
When dealing with a translation agency, however, that approach falls short of the mark: the biggest asset of any freelancer is the the freelancer. OK, we all claim to be excellent translators, but what have we done to become an excellent translator? Since translation agencies are willing to trust you with confidential material from their clients (granted, at a lower rate than they themselves get for the translation you submit), it is no more than natural that they want to know a little bit more about you. Besides, what is the harm in giving your CV with your employment history? The worst it can do is to show that you worked in a poultry factory hanging live chickens on the production line (that is what my CV states) when studying to make ends meet. If anything, it shows a willingness to work. No harm in that!
Not even so long ago I vigorously advocated -on various translation-related fora- the stance that a CV is for employment purposes and not to get orders. I am slowly turning around because that rigid stance was not exactly winning me orders. In the end I think that everyone has to decide for him or herself if sending a CV is beneficial in landing orders. I have learned over the past months that changing my stance has made it easier to talk with agencies about getting that first order from them. And getting that first order from an agency is what it is all about. It is then up to you to ensure they come back with more, but that is a different kettle of fish altogether...
Theo Bernards
Dutchman in France
Translation - So much more than substituting language A with language B ▲ Collapse
| | | | Katia Perry
Brazil
Local time: 10:20
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| I fully agree with Theo | Mar 12, 2010 |
I understand that it doesn't make sense to send a typical CV to agencies, but I see no harm in telling them that I am a chemist besides being a translator, what kind of professional activities I had before becoming a translator, and which hobbies I have.
This helps me to get jobs in subjects related both to my academic formation and my personal interests. And I believe it makes a big difference sometimes.
| | | | Stuart Dowell
Poland
Local time: 15:20
Member (2007)
Polish to English
+ ...
| Online forms | Mar 12, 2010 |
If you fill out a few online forms for translation agencies, you'll soon get an idea of what kind of inormation they are looking for (if indeed you are targeting agencies). Then just prepare your resume, CV, bio, or whatever you want to call it, based on that.
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