Will You Add? - Business

Advertising Risk - Social Proof Overpowers Authority
The other day I was out for a mountain bike ride in a nearby wilderness area. As I neared the woods, I noticed a police SUV stopped by two bikers. It looked like the police were talking to them about something, then the car took off down a trail in the direction of a dense part of the forest. When I reached the bikers that had been stopped by the police car, they flagged me down and told me that a bear had been spotted in the area. The police asked them advertise the presence of the bear to other bikers.The couple seemed a bit excited. They explained that they were new to the area and asked if bear sightings were common. I told them that I had been riding in the area for fifteen years and had only seen bear twice. I thought this would reassure them that bear were rare. They took it as confirmation that a bear was a very real threat and took off in the opposite direction. I thought I would explore a bit more and went down the trail in the direction of the police and presumably the bear.

ternatively, you can actively recruit them and check out CVs on a variety of collective freelance websites, such as Translators Caf? or GoTranslators. The snag is that you will be hard put to appraise a freelancer’s skills if you do not master the language concerned. CV assessment is important, but by no means sufficient: you will need to be able to judge the quality of a freelancer’s actual output before entrusting him or her to your clients!

To obviate this problem, check your own network of colleagues or friends for highly-educated native speakers of the language concerned, ask several freelancers to submit (free) trial translations, have them assessed and select the two or three most promising freelancers for each language combination you intend to offer. Carefully document the strengths and weaknesses of each selected freelancer and list the specialisations. Note that you won’t get a truly reliable picture of a freelancer’s capa

Successful Telecommuting Mom Story Number 1
Do you ever wonder if there are people out there that actually make it in the telecommuting industry? When getting started in this industry it is easy to get frustrated when you are waiting to get your first job. Let’s take a look at the work life of one telecommuter who as made it – Paula Williams.Paula decided to give telecommuting a try back in March of 2005 because she wanted the flexibility to care for her aging parents and to be able to travel at a moments notice. Both of these are important aspects of her every day life and make working in the regular 9-5-office environment impossible. Telecommuting was the perfect solution for her. She is able to work from home and can step out of her office at any time to take care of Mom and Dad. If she decides to pack her bags and travel for a few weeks, she just stops accepting work for that period of time. When she gets back home, she picks up where she left off.Being able to contribute to the family income is important for Paula. Wh

There is no shortage of translators who take the plunge and set up shop as self-employed freelancers, but few have the ambition or the spirit to start up their own all-round translation agency. This is not surprising, of course, as the establishment of a full- scale translation agency is a quantum leap compared with what it takes to launch a viable freelance practice. Nevertheless, the intellectual and financial rewards of business ownership can be substantial. Below I will discuss various aspects you will have to take into account should you consider beginning your own professional and all-round translation business.

All-round translations
First of all, what is meant, in this particular context, by the term ‘all-round’? Basically, it refers to the scope of your product. As a freelancer your output would be confined to your own language combination and degree of specialisation; as an agency owner you will be able to supply your clients with translations across a whole range of source and target languages and disciplines, including commercial, technical, medical and legal documents. In theory, your range would be limited only by the number of staff you would be prepare to contract.

Internal organisation
If you want to establish your own translation company, you would be well advised to find a competent partner first – unless you are willing to hire staff right from the start (which, in most cases, is not a recommendable procedure). Ideally, your business partner should be a person whose qualities are complementary to your own, if only because in such cases the division of tasks is usually quite obvious (and a potential source of conflict is removed). There are good reasons to separate responsibility for product quality (i.e., the quality of the translations) from organisational responsibilities (order processing, account management, etc.). These two roles do not go together very well in practice, and the associated skills are not usually combined within one and the same person anyway.

Find suitable office accommodation that includes at least two rooms: one library-style room where you can work in peace, and one nerve centre where the business is done. Make sure you have at least three computer workstations (one spare station is no luxury) and an office printer, a telephone switchboard with at least two external lines and a fax. Get yourself a straightforward high-quality accounting programme with a CRM module and document your working methods in detailed systematic procedures.

Don’t forget to lay down and formalise a number of essential agreements on tasks and responsibilities with your business partner, so as to prevent any misunderstandings.

Business Plan
Once you have gathered all the information you need, you should draw up a Business Plan. Examples of such plans are available at your local Chamber of Commerce, or can be downloaded (for a fee) from the Internet. These specimen copies are structured in such a way that they will assist you in each step of your own Business Plan. One of the main advantages of having a reliable Business Plan is that it will present you with a realistic estimate of the money you will need to get your agency off the ground. If your capital requirements exceed your private budget (and it is quite likely that they will), you will have to present a thorough Business Plan to the bank in order to persuade them that your plans will pay off.

High-quality freelance translator network
The main asset of any translation agency is obviously its network of reliable translators. Incidentally, you need not be a networking freak to build up such a freelance network. Many freelancers will present themselves to you spontaneously as soon as they get wind of your existence; alternatively, you can actively recruit them and check out CVs on a variety of collective freelance websites, such as Translators Caf? or GoTranslators. The snag is that you will be hard put to appraise a freelancer’s skills if you do not master the language concerned. CV assessment is important, but by no means sufficient: you will need to be able to judge the quality of a freelancer’s actual output before entrusting him or her to your clients!

Twelve Key Questions You Need to Ask About Your Computer Security for Your Home or Business
Security technology is only a part of an overall security plan. If you own a small business or a home-based business, or if you've been tasked with implementing security at your organization, developing a comprehensive security plan should be a very important part of your overall security strategy. Get the information you need to get started on the right track! In the computer/internet security game, the best move is one of Prevention! Prevention! Prevention! With that in mind, here are the twelve questions you need to be asking, or, at least, be thinking about if you're serious about preventing or stopping security risks, threats, and attacks:1. Do I have a solid security policy or strategy? If you don't, begin immediately to get sample security plans, policies, and best practices for your business and/or home.2. Where would I go for key information and news on keeping your information private? Search the internet for managed security services. Ask if they

clients with translations across a whole range of source and target languages and disciplines, including commercial, technical, medical and legal documents. In theory, your range would be limited only by the number of staff you would be prepare to contract.

Don’t forget to lay down and formalise a number of essential agreements on tasks and responsibilities with your business partner, so as to prevent any misunderstandings.

Writing A Cover Letter For A New Construction Job
When applying to a new construction job, your cover letter is the first thing an employer will read, even before a CV, so it is one of the most important things to get right!The role of the cover letter is to highlight your main skills and experiences that match what the company is looking for in order to emphasize that you are right for the job.There is no strict formula but there are some important things to remember when writing a cover letter.IntroductionThis sets the cover letter tone and focus and is the most important sentence of the whole thing. You need to provide a catchy start to encourage the reader to carry on. It should be brief, stating the construction job you are applying to and an explanation as to why you have applied for this role. You must address the letter to the individual if you have this information.Main BodyThis is your opportunity to match your skills, qualifications and experiences to that of the job you are applying. First

es do not go together very well in practice, and the associated skills are not usually combined within one and the same person anyway.

Don’t forget to lay down and formalise a number of essential agreements on tasks and responsibilities with your business partner, so as to prevent any misunderstandings.

Vending Machine Company - Finding A Reputable One Online
Vending machines are quite popular nowadays. After arriving in a subway train station, you do not have to locate the nearest convenience store in that area just to purchase your favorite beverage. Just look for a beverage vending machine in the entrance or exit points of that station and presto! You now have your beverage at hand.Vending machines basically dispense certain merchandise after customer deposits money. In other words, it works just like a conventional store. The only difference is it works even without a manned supervision. In addition, such machines also have a currency and value detector that identifies if the money deposited is sufficient enough to purchase the desired merchandise.Aside from each subway train station, other locations where vending machines are installed include next to the water fountain inside the shopping center, in front of public restrooms, next to the cash register of different shops, next to the listening section of the music store, or in a

ns are available at your local Chamber of Commerce, or can be downloaded (for a fee) from the Internet. These specimen copies are structured in such a way that they will assist you in each step of your own Business Plan. One of the main advantages of having a reliable Business Plan is that it will present you with a realistic estimate of the money you will need to get your agency off the ground. If your capital requirements exceed your private budget (and it is quite likely that they will), you will have to present a thorough Business Plan to the bank in order to persuade them that your plans will pay off.

Three Myths About The Translation Business
There are countless languages in the world, most of which have many thousands and some even billions of monolingual or bilingual speakers. The laws of statistics would seem to dictate, therefore, that any attempt to set up a translation business is futile, if only because the number of potential competitors is overwhelming. However, once you have begun your translation business you will realise that serious competition – i.e., from rivals with business acumen and the nerve to question translation myths – is in fact comparatively scarce.Native speakers are generally held to be indisputable authorities on translation issues. This leads us to the first myth about the translation business: the native speaker is infallible. When you start up your own translation business you will soon discover that most customers, especially the more knowledgeable ones, will demand that the translation be done by a native speaker, on the assumption that a native speaker is automatically a good writer. Not so

Once you have a pool of reliable freelance translators for each language combination, you can obviously also ask them to check and assess trial translations submitted by other candidates.

Another point to bear in mind is that the freelancers you decide to work with should comply with all the requirements imposed by your country’s Tax & Customs Administration. Each freelancer should be able to produce a formal statement, issued by the tax authorities, attesting to his/her status as an independent translator.

Reliable network of suppliers
Your freelance translators are obviously your most important suppliers, but the supply network comprises other parties as well that will need to be carefully selected as you will need to use their services on an ongoing basis. These include the bank, the accountant, the printer and the graphic designer.

Marketing
Once the internal set-up of your agency is in place, your first priority should be to recruit clients in a systematic manner. For many start-ups in the translation business, this is the most difficult hurdle. Obviously there is a multitude of strategies that can help you attract clients in the business-to-business segment (which accounts for most of the turnover of any self-sufficient translation agency). One very helpful tool, if used correctly, is Direct Marketing. In principle, two different Direct Marketing strategies are available:

1. Internet marketing
One effective and relatively cheap method of generating business in the short term is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), a term that refers to a variety of techniques to help you strengthen your presence on the Internet, and to help prospective clients find you there. A strong position in Internet search engines will increase the number of times you are invited to submit a quote for a translation job, for the simple reason that you will be more likely to be selected if you are easy to find on the Internet.

Some Internet facility agencies have specialised in Search Engine
Optimisation and will be able to improve your search engine rating within a couple of months. Most of these companies charge annual subscription fees. If you want immediate results, ask for an adword campaign.

2. Database marketing
This a rather more expensive client acquisition technique. Call large international corporations and government agencies likely to produce texts for translation on a regular basis, and ask for the name of the person who is responsible for translation services (usually an official at the Director’s Office, Communications or the Marketing Department). Gather the information in a database and mail the contact persons four or five times a year. The mailing could comprise your company brochure, a letter of recommendation, flyers, a magazine for business relations or any other item that will help remind the reader of your name and the level of quality that you offer.

An effective database contains at least 1,000 companies or other organisations, and should also contain the names of the contact persons. It goes without saying that you will also have to invest in continually updating your database.

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Education is the key to success. Knowing where to go to get it is the real secret.

Within the first 3 minutes of an interview an employers knows if you are a good fit for their position. In this article we will discuss several things you can do in order to be taken as a serious candidate.

I want to say something quite clearly and emphatically, and ask you to repeat it to yourself a few times: MY COMPENSATION IS ENTIRELY ARBITRARY! For example, let’s say you write computer programs for a software company that packages your “code” into products that it sells to customers. You will probably be paid a salary, perhaps earn an annual bonus, and accrue some vacation time. You may also get some benefits, including a partially paid health plan. All of this seems so normal, so typical that you never question this menu of dollars and perks. Sure, you may want a greater helping of salary, but still, as long as there is a salary and a few other goodies, you’re set. But what if one of your software programs really takes off in the marketplace? Will you be entitled to receive royalties from it, have any ongoing equity interest in it, or ever be able to claim a bigger desk, a reserved parking space, or any material advantage from its performance? The short answer is “no,” not because you can't, but because it isn't traditional and you haven't negotiated for it, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author, keynote speaker and seminar producer, and Fortune 1000 consultant.

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Will You Add? - Tips To Help You Start Your Own All-Round Translation Business

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