Winter was still
here for most of January, and more snow arrived in Rutland! In Bavaria, where I
grew up, even the smallest roads were salted and gritted, and snow ploughs did
the rounds regularly to ensure life could continue as normal. This being rural
England, however, no such service seems available and our village transformed
into a large ice rink. I feel very grateful to have a job I can do from home,
instead of having to brave the icy conditions to commute into the office!
The pleasures of networking
Despite the poor
weather, I have managed to get to three networking events so far this year. The
first was a local business breakfast meeting held by the Rutland andStamford Business Network, the second was a get-together
(or “fuddle”, to use the local term) of the Institute of Translation and
Interpreting’s East Midlands regional network in Derby, and the third was a
community networking event held in London by the ever-inspirational business
coach Corrina Gordon-Barnes. This
means networking has obviously been on my mind, and at one of these events a
question arose that made me think about the reasons for and benefits of
networking in more depth. In Derby, ITI Board member Anne de Freyman mentioned that in the past she had attended meetings at her local Chamber of
Commerce. One fellow translator, obviously somewhat bewildered by this, asked
why you would go to a Chamber of Commerce meeting as a translator. Anne
responded: “To make business contacts and get direct clients!” I agreed with
her, but some other attendees seemed to find the idea of this kind of
networking daunting. But does it have to be? And what are the advantages of the
different kinds of networking we might engage in? I had a chat about this with
local marketing expert Deborah King, a.k.a. “Mrs Marketing”,
and here are our thoughts!
Networking
with other translators
I love meeting
up with other translators. They are such an interesting bunch of people – most
of them have lived in different countries and cultures and have a wealth of
interesting stories to share. If you work on your own and most of your work
contact is via the internet (which is certainly true for most freelance
translators I know), it can be wonderful to meet others who work in the same
profession to reassure yourself that you are in fact not on your own.
Furthermore, you can exchange industry news and tips and tricks for
translation-specific problems. Last but not least, you may be lucky enough to
pick up some referrals from colleagues, which can help you to gain business – as Deborah King emphasises: “Think collaboration, not competition!”
Networking in
your marketplace
If your niche or
target market is fairly clearly defined, attending industry events in this
field can be useful, too. Ideally, you’ll be interested in this industry and in
the people who work in it, so networking means you get to spend time with
interesting individuals discussing interesting subjects! This will help you to
stay abreast of developments in the field, get to know some of the industry’s
key players and connect with potential clients. You may be able to meet direct
clients or people who are in a position to refer your services to others who
need them. According to Deborah, one important thing to bear in mind is that at
these events, many potential clients may not be in a buying mode, so a “hard
sell” probably won’t be effective: “The best attitude to have is ‘What can I do
for you?’ rather than ‘What can I
get?’”
Networking
outside your field
By taking part
in business networking events outside of your field, you can help to promote
the translation and language industries within the wider business community
(aren’t we always complaining that translation has far too low a profile?).
These events show you that you are not just a freelancer slogging away in her
spare bedroom – you are part of a wider community of entrepreneurs, some of
whom may be able to support you and your business (need a web designer? An
accountant? You’re likely to find them here). Some of them might even need your
services, or know of someone who does! Mrs Marketing’s advice is: “Connect with
other entrepreneurs who can be a support network for you and your business –
they are a bit like the ‘people you know at work’ when you have an office job!”
From a personal perspective, these events help me to gain ideas and inspiration
from beyond my “niche”, broadening my perspective and heightening my
creativity. Best of all, explaining to other people what it is I do always
reminds me how much I love my job, which means I return to my spare bedroom
office full of enthusiasm.
Do you enjoy
networking? If you do, what are the things you like the best? I’d love to hear
your thoughts.
Here’s hoping
you enjoy the last days of winter,
