Careers for Translators and Interpreters

Business Practices

US CalPro

How much do you really know about your business—operating costs? average hourly rate? target income? US CalPro is a free spreadsheet that can put it all together for you, from costs to earnings to income. This is way more than a budget. Just plug your numbers into the five interrelated worksheets, and you get a thorough assessment of your business, not someone else's and not an "I thought I would make" income.

It's this kind of top-to-bottom analysis that will show you the number of hours you need to work to earn the salary you want to make. And it's a tool that allows you to ask yourself "what if" I lowered costs or worked more hours or changed my rates.

Originally created for the European market and the Spanish Translators, Copy-Editors, and Interpreters Association (ASETRAD), CalPro has now been Americanized. The development of the U.S. version was led by ATA's Board of Directors and carried out by volunteers Odile Legeay (chair), Frieda Ruppaner-Lind, and Stephanie Cash, with additional help from, among others, Paula Gordon, Jonathan Hine, Andrew Steel, and Dorothee Racette.

Click to download US CalPro.

Learn more about T&I business practices

• Join the Yahoo! ATA Business Practices group
  
  ATA members can discuss business issues online in the Yahoo! ATA Business Practices group. You will need to register with Yahoo! (at no charge), if you have not already done so, and provide your full name and ATA member number in order to join the group.


• Read ATA Business Smarts
  
  From 2006 to 2009, the ATA Business Practices Education Committee addressed management practices in The ATA Chronicle. The "Business Smarts" columns are available on the ATA website for easy reference.


• Explore T&I agreements and contracts
  
  Translation services contracts and agreements are key to a successful freelancer's business. The ATA Guide to a Translation Service Agreement and the ATA Translation Job Model Contract review best practices and provide samples that can be easily customized for individual use.


• Learn from the professionals
  
  Advice from colleagues is priceless. The ATA Chronicle offers peer-to-peer solutions to T&I business problems. Read "Pricing Strategies for Translators and Interpreters," "The 'Business' of Freelancing," and "Running Your Translating/Interpreting Business From Home."