Happy Friday!
Today I wanted to dedicate this edition of Traduestrategia to a crucial topic: commercialization.
Sometimes translators are driven by our passion for words, our care for craft and subtlety. It might look like we work purely “for the love of it.”
However, unlike hobbies or unpaid activities, a personal brand operating in the market needs structure, deep research into the environment it operates in, and enough flexibility to adapt to that environment.
Why am I telling you this? Because I come across many personal brands that could stand out through their business model, because they have something powerful to bring to market, and they don’t dare to. And other brands that stay stuck in the castle in the air they want to build, without paying attention to the foundations that will hold that structure up.
Still with me? Every translation business is unique and has its own specifics that will vary based on factors as diverse as: the working languages you’ve chosen, the geographic area you operate in, your cost structure, your clients’ specific needs and your own, and of course your market positioning and how clients perceive your value.
When you have the idea of starting a company or going freelance, the first question we usually ask ourselves is “How do I develop a business model?” Turning your business idea into reality is a long, extensive process where you need to carefully analyze your project’s profitability and viability. To do that, it’s essential to gather data, analyze it, and create a differentiating solution the market genuinely needs.
Yes, even if numbers, market research, validating your unique value proposition, direct conversations with your clients, networking, and investing in tools, mindset, and systems all feel tedious, we can’t set them aside.
Do you see the connection between these factors and whether your translation business can last over time? If you’d like to dig deeper into this around personal branding and strategy, come join the Traducción con Estrategia community and tell us what you need. We have plenty of options (challenges, guided training, mastermind sessions, consulting, audits, seminars) to help you with your translation business, your professional translators’ association, university, organization, or company. Shall we talk?
