The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2018 - 8

FEATURE

BY MADALENA SÁNCHEZ ZAMPAULO
the T&I industry and being open to
different ways of doing things.
1. You don't have to do things the
same way as everyone else in your
industry. I hear a lot of professionals
in our industry making comments
about how they feel like they have to
do something a certain way because
that's just the way it's done or has
always been done. It turns out that
this thing they think they should be
doing is actually not working for
them at all. If that's the case, I say
"Stop it." If you spend time and
energy on something you're really
not excited about, it's going to show.
Instead, do something different. Do
something that will drive you closer to
your goals, even if it means that you'll
stand out from the rest of those in
your profession. In fact, I would
say standing out is a good thing,
especially if you feel like the market
for your specialization and/or language
pair is oversaturated.

Nine Ways to Stand Out in the
Translation and Interpreting Industry
By looking at other industries and what they do differently, I quickly found
some trends and items I could implement in my own small agency that would
shake things up a bit. I saw results almost immediately.

O

ne of the things I really dedicated
time to in 2017 was looking at
what I could learn from other
industries-those totally unrelated to
translation and interpreting (T&I). What
I found was eye-opening and intriguing.
I had been feeling like I was in a bit of a
rut. I had also been hearing the same tired
complaints from colleagues (no offense!)
about how it can be difficult to educate
potential clients, close deals, and grow in
an industry where it seems like the large
corporations are eating up the little guys.
I knew there had to be a way to change
this mindset and look at it from a different

8

The ATA Chronicle | March/April 2018

perspective in order for smaller guys like
us to thrive.
By looking at other industries and
what they do differently, I quickly
found some trends and items I could
implement in my own small agency
that would shake things up a bit. I saw
results almost immediately.
Whether you're a freelancer or a
small agency owner, looking to other
industries for inspiration and tips can
provide you with innovative ways of
doing things in your own business. Here
are nine things I learned and was able
to implement simply by looking outside

2. Make your industry and your
work attractive to your clients,
especially if it's a topic that requires
client education. You might think,
"But I'm a translator. My work isn't
'attractive.'" I really beg to differ. What
we do in our industry is exciting,
and it's different every day. How
many people can say that about their
work? Think about it. You go to a
networking event, or even a random
social gathering, and somebody asks
you what you do for a living. When
you tell them, "I'm a patent translator,"
do their eyes glaze over? If so, it might
be how you're portraying what you
do. The next time you're asked what
you do for a living, tell people how
you help your clients do business in
other countries, or how you connect
people across languages who otherwise
would never be able to communicate
with one another. Paint a picture. And
while you're working on your elevator
speech, think about your web
presence, too.
Not only is it important to relay what
you do verbally in a way that others

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2018

Contents
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