The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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32 The Linguist Vol/56 No/4 2017 www.ciol.org.uk INSTITUTE MATTERS DIVISIONS & SOCIETIES you how to develop your own terms of business. 'CONFIDENTIALITY ISSUES FOR INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS' Saturday 30 September Perth With speaker Sue Leschen. For further details, see ciol.org.uk/scottish-society. November TWO IN ONE: MAUGHAN LIBRARY & TEMPLE CHURCH Friday 3 November City of London, 10.30am & 2pm A unique opportunity to visit KCL's Maughan Library. This guided visit will include the original cells, special collections and beautiful rooms, tracing the building's history from 1232, through conversions, demolition and modernisation. The group will move on to the magnificent Temple Church at about 2pm. TRANSLATORS' WORKSHOP Saturday 11 November Berlin For further details, email germansociety@ciol.org.uk. 'THEATRE TRANSLATION': TALK AND LUNCH Saturday 18 November Wig & Mitre, Lincoln, 12-4pm The speaker at this event, Dr John Whittaker, is a SCOT BPG GER LINC Martina Eco, founder of 3PTranslation, started the Interpreting Division's recent 'Digital Marketing for Interpreters' event with some statistics: 50% of the world population is online, and 37% of them are active on social media. Speaking to Interpreting Division members at the Novotel London City South on 22 April, she explained that people in the UK spend an average of almost six hours a day online. In this context, digital marketing can increase your visibility and credibility, help you to develop a personal brand, and grow your client base and sales. She recommended starting by defining your targets, going where clients are (offline and online), finding out their needs and speaking their language. It is important to choose appropriate tools and set milestones, which will help you to measure progress, but communicating your personal brand clearly across all channels is paramount. You should use the social media platforms favoured by your clients, and posting can be scheduled and automated. To conclude, Martina gave an example of channel integration and the way this can save businesses valuable time. Meg Dziatkiewicz, founder of Websites for Translators, spoke about the importance of having a website, starting with the assumption that 'freelance' means being a business. Do-it-yourself website creation is an option, but if you decide to hire an agency or a freelance web designer you will need to prepare an accurate brief. Customers do not trust poorly presented websites, so striving for quality is a must. A good website is comprehensive, correct, current and connected to the rest of the web, with the aim of turning visitors into customers. A six-page website is ideal, covering: Home (your shop window); Profile (bio, qualifications, photo, voice samples); Services and Specialisations; Portfolio (recent projects, photos, videos, client testimonials); Rates and T&Cs; and Contact. Once you have launched your website, Meg suggests spreading the word by connecting it to your social profiles, including it in your CV, and introducing it to clients and associates. Investing in AdWords and keeping it updated will benefit in the long-term. Dr Jonathan Downie, trading as Integrity Languages, delivered a session entitled 'Writing Quality Content that Gets your Clients' Attention'. He stressed the need to identify who your clients are, what you do for them and the reasons they should choose you. Customers need to be convinced that interpreting will make a difference to their business, and shown how we can deliver that difference. Jonathan suggested picking a market in the country of one of your working languages and choosing 2-3 industrial publications to write for. Demonstrating knowledge of the client's world will enhance your reputation and bring you more work from that client/industry. Pitching to an editor should be done in a short and knowledgeable way, using their industry-specific language. Then, "write like a wild person, edit like a critic!" he advised. In this way, the final product becomes another marketing tool that will add to your expertise and professional brand. All three speakers mentioned blogging as a means to boost both your image and your income. Lots of food for thought for all of us! For further advice on creating and marketing your brand, see Alba Sort's article on page 24. Getting ahead online GABRIELA BOCANETE GAINS SOME USEFUL INSIGHTS AT THE INTERPRETING DIVISION'S DIGITAL MARKETING EVENT CONTACT DETAILS bpg@ciol.org.uk Judith Ridgway id@ciol.org.uk Christine Pocock td@ciol.org.uk Pavla Dohnalová cambridgesociety @ciol.org.uk Leslie Ray germansociety@ciol .org.uk Stephanie Tarling hongkongsociety @ciol.org.uk Francis Lee lincolnshiresociety @ciol.org.uk Candia Hillier londonsociety@ciol .org.uk Rannheid Sharma midlands@ciol .org.uk Eleanor Bridgwood northwestsociety@ ciol.org.uk Katrin Hiietam scottishsociety @ciol.org.uk Eneida García Villanueva spanishsociety@ ciol.org.uk Jean Boyd BPG ID TD CAM GER HK LINC LON NW SCOT SP technical translator with 34 years' teaching experience. He contributed four entries to The Encyclopedia of Literary Translation into English (2000), and worked on the 'Translation and the British Stage' project at the University of Hull. 30 Steep Hill, Lincoln. For details, call Candia Hillier on 01522 526695. 'MINORITY LANGUAGES': TALK AND AGM Saturday 25 November Edinburgh A presentation by Professor Bernie O'Rourke of Heriot-Watt University. For further details see ciol.org.uk/scottish-society. SCOT MIDS