5 Ways to Collaborate With Other T&I Freelancers
Sometimes we get into the habit of putting our heads down to work and not coming up for air. But perhaps just as important as working hard to grow in our profession is taking the time to develop relationships with others who do what we do for a living.
One of the ways we can do this is to collaborate! Not only does collaborating help you to grow in your craft, but it could very well open the door to new opportunities, even if that isn't your primary intention for the starting a collaboration.
Here are 5 ways to collaborate with other T&I freelancers to grow in your career.
1. Attend client-facing conferences together.
This can be a really wonderful way to work with a colleague in a strategic way. When you find someone who is willing to attend a conference with you in one of your areas of specialization, you can benefit from this experience both in the long term and the short term.
Split up at the event and talk to as many people as you can. Think of one another as your "wingperson" throughout the conference weekend. By pairing up with a colleague at client-facing events, you can promote your own business, as well as theirs, more widely. Circle back to one another every few hours and share ideas, contact information for possible leads, notes to follow up with certain people or companies, etc.
2. Write an article together.
This might be one way to collaborate that most people don't think about. However, when you write an article on a given topic related to your area of specialization or language pair, you are often seen by readers as an authority on that topic.
Split up the work involved in pitching and writing the article. Decide who will do what part of the research and writing process, benefit from editing one another's work, and enjoy seeing your names together in writing. Then share the article with your colleagues and clients!
3. Present together.
This may be another rarely considered form of collaboration among colleagues. Let's say you live near a colleague who is also a translator/interpreter. Take a look at the organizations in your local region and pinpoint a few venues where you could propose a presentation together, including local conferences, chamber of commerce gatherings, local "lunch and learn" events, etc. Just like with the article idea in #2, split up the work involved: pitching, preparing the outline of the presentation, putting slides together, preparing and printing handouts or marketing materials, etc.
After your presentation, split up and talk to as many attendees as you can. Regroup after the presentation and Q&A portion to share notes and ideas for follow-up.
4. Join forces and pitch to similar clients.
Do you know someone who works in the same language pair(s) and specialization(s) as you? Consider becoming a translator/editor team and pitching to clients in the same industry. By embracing a collaboration over competition mentality, you can reach more potential clients and benefit from each other's legwork. When you pick up a new client from this process, hire your colleague to edit your work as part of the scope of the project, and vice versa.
Even if you don't have a close colleague who works in the same language pair(s) and specialization(s), you can still find a colleague who you can refer work to whenever a client inquires about a project you don't feel particularly qualified to handle. When you begin referring work to colleagues, they will remember your kindness and will often return the favor.
5. Volunteer together.
A lot of us meet colleagues who we become friends with simply from volunteering together. If you're a member of a local, regional or national association, consider volunteering a few hours a month with the goal of promoting the profession and meeting like-minded colleagues. I can tell you from my own experience that I have found so many colleagues to collaborate with over the years, and most of them are people I've met through professional volunteer activities.
Other ways to collaborate with T&I colleagues
Mentor one another. Let's say that you want to learn something new in your area of specialization, or you might want to establish yourself in a new one. You may have a colleague who could mentor you. In exchange, you could offer to pay this person for their time or mentor them in something you are particularly well skilled in. Another option is to find a mentor through your local, regional or national translators/interpreters association. Whatever you choose, try to find a mentoring program that is mutually beneficial for both the mentor and mentee.
Be each other's accountability partner. Is there something you'd like to do in your business this year? I'm guessing there are others who would like to reach certain professional or business goals as well. Look for someone in the same or a similar stage of their career and offer to be one another's accountability partner. Check in with and support one another on a regular basis. Brainstorm new ideas together, and continue to build your professional relationship with that person.
Host a social/learning event together for other colleagues. Is there a topic you'd like to learn about that would lend well to a one-day workshop style event? My guess is that if you want to learn about a topic, there are others in your region (or even virtually!) who would like to do the same. Partner with a colleague to organize an event, and invite others to join you to learn about this topic, share their professional experience and exchange advice on a given topic.
I recently heard about this idea from a colleague in France who attended an event hosted by another colleague as part of a larger T&I association. She told me that it was very well organized, and the topic (Machine Translation) drew several attendees in the area. If you're thinking of organizing an event like this on a specific topic, check out this Speaking of Translation podcast episode to hear about the event Eve Bodeux organized for her local translators association colleagues on technology for translators.
There are countless ways to collaborate with other T&I freelancers. If you find yourself feeling stuck or on the verge of burnout, now might be the perfect time to get that extra boost of energy from joining forces with a colleague.
And if you're not sure who that person could be, put out a "call" on Twitter or elsewhere for another serious freelancer who has similar goals. It's doable! And you might just find that you'll meet new people in this process or become closer to a colleague you've already admired and respected for some time. Win-win!
Have you collaborated with other colleagues before? What was your experience, and would you recommend it to others?
