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Is it worth having a personal website?
Thread poster: Ilona van Leeuwen
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Content Oct 13, 2020

Rebecca Hendry wrote: If you're just starting out now, a professional website will go a long way.


It is worth mentioning that your website stands out, Rebecca, because you have been able to provide examples of your published work. Few translators will be in a position to do that, especially beginners. I’m not sure I could, even after 27 years. I think I’ve been credited in a total of three translations, and I’ve disowned two of those due to subsequent editing.

So a cheaper “calling card” website might be the better option for many.

I’ve never had a website as I’ve always got by on word of mouth, but I’m definitely suffering from website envy now...


Rebecca Hendry
Gina Centanni
Alexsandro Pizziolo
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Sanjin Grandić
P.L.F. Persio
 
Rebecca Hendry
Rebecca Hendry  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:41
Member (2005)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Portfolio section Oct 13, 2020

Chris S wrote:

Rebecca Hendry wrote: If you're just starting out now, a professional website will go a long way.


It is worth mentioning that your website stands out, Rebecca, because you have been able to provide examples of your published work. Few translators will be in a position to do that, especially beginners. I’m not sure I could, even after 27 years. I think I’ve been credited in a total of three translations, and I’ve disowned two of those due to subsequent editing.

So a cheaper “calling card” website might be the better option for many.

I’ve never had a website as I’ve always got by on word of mouth, but I’m definitely suffering from website envy now...


True. The portfolio section is the hardest to fill up. I've worked on quite a few projects that would look great in there but I'm not credited as a translator and when I've asked to display them on my website the client hasn't said yes. And when I do get permission to add a new one I like to add photos too, I need to get my Spanish translator to translate the text, etc. so it does take a bit of work.


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:41
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Aha! Oct 13, 2020

Rebecca Hendry wrote:

-----I need to get my Spanish translator to translate the text, etc.


Aha! More time and money! I've added that to my list (in previous post)


 
Sarah Maidstone
Sarah Maidstone  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:41
Member (2020)
German to English
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Would you be willing.... Dec 1, 2020

Heinrich Pesch wrote:

I pay also a yearly fee for a German site for translators, managed by Frank Truu.


... to share the name of the site? Or is it only for translators working into German?


 
Mair A-W (PhD)
Mair A-W (PhD)
Germany
Local time: 17:41
German to English
+ ...
Search Dec 1, 2020

Sarah Maidstone wrote:

Heinrich Pesch wrote:

I pay also a yearly fee for a German site for translators, managed by Frank Truu.


... to share the name of the site? Or is it only for translators working into German?


You could just google Frank Truu, Sarah


Jorge Payan
 
Danielle Crouch
Danielle Crouch  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:41
Member (2019)
German to English
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Not worth it for agency clients Dec 1, 2020

Julie Barber wrote:

I think that it also depends on who you want to target. If you are targeting direct clients - companies or private individuals, then I would say yes it's more important to have one. It acts as a reference and provides reassurance I think.

If you are mainly aiming for agency clients, then perhaps Proz and Linkedin will work just as well? along with direct approaches to the agencies.


I completely agree. So far I have focused on agency clients and I have never felt the need to have anything other than complete and frequently updated ProZ and LinkedIn profiles. I have found the vast majority of my clients through those sites (mainly ProZ) with a few word-of-mouth referrals. However, I would like to move more into the direct client market in the future and one of the first things I will do when I actually make the jump is to set up a website.


 
Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 13:41
Portuguese to English
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Very expensive Dec 2, 2020

The big problem is the cost. One webmaster quoted about BRL 2500 for a website, which works out at about USD 450. This would have to be paid again with any change, and as people mention that a site always needs new material this would mean USD 450 every week or so.
In fact, due to peanuts rates, bottom-feeders, and the arrival of MT, translation is a very expensive profession. First the expensive ProZ membership fee. Then a couple of grand for a CAT tool, a couple of grand for a good compu
... See more
The big problem is the cost. One webmaster quoted about BRL 2500 for a website, which works out at about USD 450. This would have to be paid again with any change, and as people mention that a site always needs new material this would mean USD 450 every week or so.
In fact, due to peanuts rates, bottom-feeders, and the arrival of MT, translation is a very expensive profession. First the expensive ProZ membership fee. Then a couple of grand for a CAT tool, a couple of grand for a good computer, then association fees - so a website is just another expense. I can see it working IF you have money and time to manage it.
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Josephine Cassar
Alice Crisan
 
Rebecca Hendry
Rebecca Hendry  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:41
Member (2005)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Why do sites need to change all the time? Dec 3, 2020

Paul Dixon wrote:

The big problem is the cost. One webmaster quoted about BRL 2500 for a website, which works out at about USD 450. This would have to be paid again with any change, and as people mention that a site always needs new material this would mean USD 450 every week or so.



Why do people think we need to be updating our websites all the time? My existing clients aren't going to keep looking at it every few days, and potential clients aren't going to keep tabs on it for weeks before they decide to use my services. A website is like a business card, an online CV, a presentation - why change it all the time?


Sanjin Grandić
Christopher Schröder
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EHANLI
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Sanjin Grandić
Sanjin Grandić  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 17:41
Member (2020)
French to Croatian
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Website price Dec 3, 2020

@Paul Dixon.

You can have a website for much less than a $450 not to mention that every change of content is $450 more.
These prices are really steep.
If you search online you ll see that $450 for a simple web page is way too much.

A cimputer and a cat tool are tools for work, one has to invest in order to earn some money but the membership on Proz is the best investment I ever made.

Cheers


 
Sanjin Grandić
Sanjin Grandić  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 17:41
Member (2020)
French to Croatian
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It is worth having in a digital world... Dec 5, 2020

Joakim Braun wrote:

It doesn't have to contain all that much material.
You're not concerned about revisits or being up to date. A prospective customer will visit once and never again. It's just a calling card with a CV, showing that you run a business independently of Proz or other sites.

If you're able to use Trados you're able to set up a website in 1-2 days. A free Wordpress template should cover the needs.



Well said. There is no need for a freelancer's webpage to be renewed weekly or even monthly.
It is useful as a part of overall internet visibility since we all strive to be as "visible" as possible since, ultimately, our business depends on the search engines for the most part of us.

Having a simple, yet effective webpage, maybe with a photo is a relatively cheap way to appear more credible, especially if you add a nice portfolio of your past projects.
One can also clearly state his or her's rates for different language pairs and write a short biography.

A few credits or "willing to work again" are welcome.

A freelancer's web page is a sophisticated business card if it is done well.

A business card that carries a punch because there is a portfolio of the past projects, we all have saved our translations, why not use them for a good purpose?

When a client sees a few big projects that are successfully done (not all translated material is confidential) he or she will feel reassured that You have been around for a while and that you're more than able to the job.
That is the purpose of a freelancer's webpage.

I am having one done and it will soon be up and running, just the way I described above. And it is far cheaper than $450.

I am sure that I made a sound investment having my webpage done, but that is my opinion naturally. I paid some $100 and later $20 in local currency to a friend who is an IT specialist in my company.

Some content may always be added over time, I am thinking about some jokes or linguistic fails that are easily understandable followed by the text, "The reason why NOT to use google-translate" but that s just my idea.

Anyway, no harm with a web page in the digital age.



[Edited at 2020-12-06 12:10 GMT]

[Edited at 2020-12-06 12:12 GMT]


Becca Resnik
Rebecca Hendry
Daniel Olsson
 
Becca Resnik
Becca Resnik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 12:41
Member
German to English
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More important now than ever for us newcomers Dec 6, 2020

Because of the status of the world right now, I think a website is important for those of us getting into the field. If nothing else, it's a vetting tool. There is a surge of new translators due to shifts in employment, so it does help provide a layer of assurance to agencies and direct clients that we are serious, professional translators. Which is absolutely NOT to imply that a translator without a website isn't serious or professional, as loads of them are! Rather, for those of us breaking in... See more
Because of the status of the world right now, I think a website is important for those of us getting into the field. If nothing else, it's a vetting tool. There is a surge of new translators due to shifts in employment, so it does help provide a layer of assurance to agencies and direct clients that we are serious, professional translators. Which is absolutely NOT to imply that a translator without a website isn't serious or professional, as loads of them are! Rather, for those of us breaking into the field amidst this crowd of fellow newcomers and trying to make the initial build of a regular client base, it's a boost in showing that we're legitimate. I feel the same way about having a professional email address. Is it vital to have these? Certainly not. Beneficial? I think so!

As far as time goes, with all the website-building engines (I use Squarespace), it's really not that much of a time commitment. If you don't want extra bells and whistles (and you really don't need them), it's incredibly easy, even if you're not very tech savvy - that's how these engines are designed. I share the opinion of several others that you do not need to update your content regularly, as none of your clients are going to being returning to it. As far as money goes, everything else in this paragraph means you really don't have to hire someone to build and manage it. And I think if it gives you even a couple good agencies or clients, it's well worth it.
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Rebecca Hendry
Sanjin Grandić
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:41
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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Affordable and easy to try out Dec 6, 2020

Paul Dixon wrote:
The big problem is the cost. One webmaster quoted about BRL 2500 for a website, which works out at about USD 450. This would have to be paid again with any change, and as people mention that a site always needs new material this would mean USD 450 every week or so.


Yes, but you can create a professional-looking web site yourself using web site builder sites. They often have a free package where you can test it out, and once you're happy with your web site, you can buy a premium package so that you can connect your own domain name to it (and get rid of the adverts). For example, jimdo.com costs about €110 per year for their cheapest package, and when you do decide to upgrade from the free package to the paid package, you can buy a domain name via jimdo.com for about €25.00 per year (for e.g. pauldixonbrazil.com). So that's €135 per year.

(If you are able to do a lot of technical stuff yourself, you can get away a lot cheaper, but I think €135 per year is sufficiently affordable to make it worth one's while to pay for having it easy.)

Furthermore, although a subdomain site is less professional-looking, I suspect that most agencies are aware that freelance translators are, well, freelancers, and may be less put off by e.g. pauldixonbrazil.wordpress.com. So, if you were to register for that site, you can create a Wordpress site (which is somewhat more difficult than a Jimdo site but still very easy) and then register pauldixonbrazil.com via Wordpress' upgrade functionality for about €25.00 per year (which means that the domain name will redirect to pauldixonbrazil.wordpress.com with no adverse effect on your search engine ranking). So you can tell clients that your web site is at pauldixonbrazil.com for a just €25.00 per year, and don't pay anything for any updates to the site.


[Edited at 2020-12-06 11:04 GMT]


Becca Resnik
Christopher Schröder
Rebecca Hendry
Sanjin Grandić
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Antoine Wicquart
Antoine Wicquart  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 18:41
German to French
+ ...
I don't know but I give it a go Dec 6, 2020

I'm getting started for good as a freelance translator right now. And I moved to Estonia as I needed some change. Before being able to register my company here, I had to wait for the end of the quarantine and for the time to get all the registration documents etc. So I had nothing to do for some weeks and decided to invest it into my future business.

Refreshing my CVs in all languages, creating a Linkedin profile, preparing the accountancy for my business and... creating a website.
... See more
I'm getting started for good as a freelance translator right now. And I moved to Estonia as I needed some change. Before being able to register my company here, I had to wait for the end of the quarantine and for the time to get all the registration documents etc. So I had nothing to do for some weeks and decided to invest it into my future business.

Refreshing my CVs in all languages, creating a Linkedin profile, preparing the accountancy for my business and... creating a website. I have no idea if it will be any worth but I intend to create a blog about what I want to specialise in in the future, maybe about my struggles as a translator too. I can then share all the content on linkedin/instragram for instance, meaning more visibility. I will create some kind of portfolio as well - if customers agree that I publish an insight into my work. If not, you can also share some of your work as a volunteer (e.g. TED/Amara).

It didn't cost much and it is still looking kind of cheap for now, but I have the feeling that it might be worth it on the long run as long as you take the time to take care of it and to bring some updates now and then.

[Edited at 2020-12-06 15:12 GMT]
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finnword1
finnword1
United States
Local time: 12:41
English to Finnish
+ ...
I like it Dec 7, 2020

I use IONOS. Design does not cost anything. They have templates that you can use. If you can copy and paste, text and pictures, you can do it yourself. You can log on as the owner and make changes any time. Never had any problems. They bill me $38.97 every 3 months to host it.
I don't know if any clients have come through my site, but it shows 4,498 visitors.


 
Sarah Maidstone
Sarah Maidstone  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:41
Member (2020)
German to English
+ ...
Doh! Dec 7, 2020

Mair A-W (PhD) wrote:

Sarah Maidstone wrote:

Heinrich Pesch wrote:

I pay also a yearly fee for a German site for translators, managed by Frank Truu.


... to share the name of the site? Or is it only for translators working into German?


You could just google Frank Truu, Sarah


Clearly hadn't switched my brain on that day, sorry!


 
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