Translation Vendor Management Group

As a Vendor Manager, I probably post about 5 adverts per month in order to cover my company's needs for translators. I will be honest and admit that Proz.com is my go-to website to recruit translators in most cases. With each advert posted, I receive between 20 to 60* emails applying/bidding for the project advertised. However, I would generally choose around 5 translators to onboard per language combination. A high volume of applications is great news for any Vendor Manager, but it means some translators will pass unnoticed and won't be successful on their application for this particular opening. So, how to make your application stand out from the crowd as a freelance translator? Don't start your email with "Dear Sir/Madam, Sirs, hiring manager". Always find the name of the person hiring and address them directly wherever possible. Whenever I advertise a position, my name and position are always clearly stated, but if you are still not sure, check the profile and...

I have been working in Vendor Management for 4 years now, and checking CVs/applications is now an automatic task in my brain. Much like driving, my eyes are trained to scan the document or email looking for the key information I need. In my previous article on this topic, I focused on the content that is necessary (or not) in a CV, so in this one I would like to talk about formatting and presentation of the information. As you already know, being a freelancer looking for new clients, you can’t afford to appear unprofessional to your clients and peers. Your CV is the first impression your new client will have of your business. Therefore, you want to make it count. The layout of your CV has to adapt to the content you are including in it, this means you can't use a CV template that is designed for people looking for a full time position (for example Europass), because you will find yourself deleting most of the default fields trying to make it work. I always recommend Canva.com, whic...

Most of my daily work involves recruiting freelance translators. I send hundreds of emails and screen dozens of CVs every week. I have held the role of Resource Administrator for a year and during this time I have been able to interact with translators from all around the globe. This has given me an overview of how freelance translators present themselves to their potential clients. Recruiting freelance translators is not an easy job. The market is endless and finding the right freelance translator for your projects can seem like finding a needle in a haystack. Personal impressions play a big part in the recruitment process. We all have different personalities, priorities and goals and this should be clearly shown on your CV. Together with your introductory e-mail, this is the first impression your new client will have of your business. Therefore, I would like to share with you my opinion of what makes a successful freelance translator CV. As a freelancer, you are not applying for any ...

During my first year working at Xerox, I worked part-time in the Quality Department monitoring our supplier's performance, and giving feedback when necessary. I loved it. I still find it fascinating to see how a supplier performs over time on different projects, but the most exciting part was always the answers I got to my emails. For most translators, their business is their own self, and that is why feedback can make or break someone's day. The definition of constructive feedback I like the most is taken from a Harvard Business Review article: Feedback is about telling people what we think of their performance and how they should do it better. I use this definition, because this is the version I think is most widely used in the translation industry. Each client will have their own reference material for which suppliers working on the project should adhere to on every occasion. I would say that around 95% of the feedback I see from clients is in regards to their opinion on how...