There is no shortage of translators who take the plunge and set up shop as self-employed freelancers, but few have the ambition or the spirit to start their own all-round translation agency. It is not surprising, of course, such as the establishment of a full-scale translation agency is a quantum leap compared with what it takes to launch a viable freelance practice. Nevertheless, the intellectual and financial rewards of business ownership can be substantial. Below I will discuss various aspects you need to take into account you should consider professional translation start your own business and all-round.

Rumble translation
First of all, what is meant, in certain contexts, the term ‘all’? Basically, it refers to the scope of your product. As a freelancer output will be limited to the combination of your own language and level of specialization; as an agency owner you will be able to provide your clients with translations in various source and target languages ​​and disciplines, including commercial, technical, medical and legal documents. In theory, your coverage will be limited only by the number of staff you will be preparing for the contract.

Internal organization
If you want to set up your own translation company, you would be well advised to find a competent partner first – unless you are willing to hire staff right from the beginning (which, in many cases, the procedure is not recommended). Ideally, your business partners should be complementary quality of your own, if only because in such cases is usually fairly clear division of tasks (and a potential source of conflict is removed). There is good reason to separate responsibility for product quality (eg, quality of translation) of organizational responsibilities (order processing, account management, etc.). The two roles do not go together well in practice, and related skills are not usually combined in one and the same person anyway.

Find a suitable office accommodation which includes at least two rooms: a library-style room where you can work in peace, and a nerve center where business is conducted. Make sure you have at least three computer workstations (one station spare no luxury) and an office printer, telephone switchboard with at least two external lines and faxes. Get your own high-quality accounting program directly with the CRM module and document your method works in detail a systematic procedure.

Do not forget to put and inaugurate a number of important agreements on tasks and responsibilities with your business partners, so as to prevent misunderstandings.

Business Plan
Once you have gathered all the information you need, you should prepare a Business Plan. Examples of these plans is available at your local Chamber of Commerce, or can be downloaded (for a fee) from the Internet. Copies of this specimen was structured so that they will assist you in every step of your own Business Plan. One of the main advantages of having a reliable business plan is that it will present you with a realistic estimate of the money you will need to get your agency off the ground. If your capital requirements exceeding your personal budget (and very likely that they will), you should present a comprehensive business plan to banks to persuade them that your plan will pay.

High-quality network freelance translators
The main asset of any obvious translation agency network of skilled translators. Incidentally, you do not need to be a strange network to establish a loose network. Many freelancers will present themselves to you spontaneously as soon as they get wind of your existence, an alternative, you can actively recruit them and check the CV on various freelance web sites collectively, such as translators or GoTranslators Café. Hitch is that you will be hard to assess the skills of placing a freelancer if you do not master the language in question. CV assessment is essential, but by no means sufficient: you will need to be able to assess the quality of the actual output freelancer before entrusting him or her to your clients!

To avoid this problem, examine your own network of colleagues or friends for highly educated native speakers of the language is concerned, ask several freelancers to send you (free) translation experiments, have them assessed and select two or three most promising freelancer for each language combination you intend to offer. Carefully document the strengths and weaknesses of each freelancer is selected and a list of specialties. Note that you will not get a picture of a truly reliable capacity and skills of a freelancer until he / she has the chance to do some translation work for you.

Once you have a dependable pool of freelance translators for any language combination, you obviously can also ask them to examine and assess the translation of trial filed by other candidates.

Another thing to remember is that the freelancer you decide to work with must comply with all requirements imposed by your country’s Tax & Customs Administration. Every freelancer should be able to produce an official statement, issued by the tax authorities, to prove to his / her status as an independent translator.

Network of reliable suppliers
Freelancer you clear your most important suppliers, but the supply network consisting of other parties also need to be carefully selected because you will need to use their services in a sustainable manner. These include banks, accountants, printers and graphic designers.

Marketing
After the internal set-up your body are in place, your first priority should systematically recruit clients. For many start-ups in the business of translation, this is the most difficult hurdle. Obviously there are many strategies that can help you attract clients in this segment of business-to-business (which accounts for most of the turnover of each independent translation agency). One very helpful tool, if used correctly, is Direct Marketing. In principle, two different strategies available Direct Marketing:

1. Internet marketing
One method that is effective and relatively inexpensive generating business in the short term is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), a term that refers to a variety of techniques to help you strengthen your presence on the Internet, and to help prospective clients find you there. A strong position in Internet search engines will increase the amount of time you are invited to submit a quote for translation projects, for the simple reason that you will be more likely to be selected if you are easy to find on the Internet.

Some facilities have specialized internet agencies in Search Engine Optimisation and will be able to increase your search engine rankings within a few months. Most of these companies charge an annual subscription. If you want immediate results, ask Adword campaign.

2. Database marketing
It’s a bit more expensive client acquisition techniques. Call major international companies and government agencies as possible to produce a text to be translated on a regular basis, and ask for the name of the person responsible for the translation service (typically an official at the Office of the Director, Communications or Marketing Department). Gather information in a database and email contact person four or five times a year. This list can consist of your company brochures, letters of recommendation, flyers, magazines for business relationships or other items that will help remind the reader of your name and level of quality that you offer.

An effective database containing at least 1,000 companies and other organizations, and should also contain the names of those contacts. It goes without saying that you should also invest in continually updating your database.