Here is a thought: So many people pay good money to become qualified in practising as professional linguists; people doing the DPSI, people doing the DipTrans, people going and doing a Masters in Interpreting and translation... But there seems to be one KEY ingredient that is missing from their education, across the whole board. It is called BUSINESS ACUMEN... What Ive learned in my past (almost) 3 years of interpreting and translation is that, if we really want to succeed, and I mean REALLY succeed, we must view ourselves not as a qualified linguist looking for work but rather as a diligent and adept business offering language services on a business to business basis. There is a BIG difference. On this basis, we have some decisions to make; Do we want the comfort and security of servicing assignments for agencies? Or do we want the fruitful challenge of the higher paying realms of working completely freelance on a business to business basis? Both have their pros and cons, of course. I, personally, enjoy having a mix of both. Ive been servicing an ongoing, long term project for a translation agency since around March 2012, but at the same time I prospect for freelance (business to business) assignments also. There is one key factor that, in my opinion, sets apart the mentality of working for agencies from the mentality of working independently on a business to business basis. That factor is most definitely the development of business acumen and an understanding of the intricacies of the world of business. Many linguists who qualify to practise in their field dont even consider themselves as businesses. Until, of course, they begin functioning on a business to business basis. Because if they dont develop business relationship skills, then they will not last very long in the business to business environment. Business acumen and prowess brings empowerment. And empowerment encourages creativity and production. Creativity and production then lead on to other things, and before we know it we are not just translators and interpreters, but we are also writers and business coaches, CV experts and marketing gurus, strategists and financial connoisseurs/adepts... As a result of the above mentioned effect, I have recently branched out into the world of copywriting. On top of the wealth of translation assignments I service, I also write marketing texts on a business to business basis. My professional life has never felt more fruitful and fulfilling. If you, too, want to develop business acumen and apply it to your professional life, then I recommend that you start, first, by being a great student for Ms Vocalise Esol Beata Werner ;), then passing your DPSI examinations, and THEN moving on to read the following books: amazon.co.uk/The-Entrepreneurial-Linguist-Business-School-Translation/dp/0557256232 amazon.co.uk/The-Prosperous-Translator-Chris-Durban/dp/0615404030/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z amazon.co.uk/Wealthy-Freelancer-Steve-Slaunwhite/dp/1592579671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413875762&sr=1-1&keywords=wealthy+freelancer amazon.co.uk/Whole-New-Mind-Right-Brainers-Future/dp/1905736541/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413875779&sr=1-1&keywords=Dan+pink+whole+new+mind amazon.co.uk/Rich-Dad-Poor-Robert-Kiyosaki/dp/1612680003/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413875796&sr=1-1&keywords=Kiyosaki+rich+dad+poor+dad amazon.co.uk/Habits-Highly-Effective-People/dp/0684858398/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413875844&sr=1-1&keywords=Highly+effective+people amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413875868&sr=1-1&keywords=influence+people NOTA BENE: This little selection of gems is not exhaustive, so please dont take it to be so. However, I believe that all of the books listed above will give you a solid foundation in business and financial thinking processes to go out there and really KILL IT yourselves. I wish you all the very best of luck in your careers :). Your friend and colleague, Marc-John Brown
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 07:19:37 +0000
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