Independent Contractors

IC-1 (F, 10:00-10:45am) - INTERMEDIATE
The Freelancer's Website: If You Build It, Will They Come?
Frank Dietz, technical translation (English-German) and software localization, Austin, Texas

This session will discuss whether every freelance translator needs a Website and look into some misconceptions concerning the creation, maintenance, and effectiveness of Websites as marketing tools for freelancers. It will also evaluate various tools for creating Websites, show do's and don'ts of Website design through the use of specific examples, and deal with techniques for generating site traffic. Most importantly, it will focus on content creation as the most effective method for making your Website stand out from the crowd.

(F, 10:45-11:30am) - ALL
Successful Team Translation—What Does it Take?
Silvia Fosslien, freelance, ATA-accredited (English-German) translator and interpreter, Glen Ellyn, Illinois; and Margot Lück-Zastoupil, freelance technical translator, Memphis, Tennessee

Today, high-volume projects with ever-shrinking turnaround times account for a significant portion of the translation business. In order to meet this challenge, many translators work in teams with fellow linguists. The ability to contribute to the team effort in an efficient and productive manner has become an important aspect of a translator's professional qualification. Two experienced translators will look at what it takes to put an effective and compatible translation team together, discuss a few possible scenarios, and propose some teamwork "do's and don'ts." Comments and suggestions from the audience are encouraged throughout the discussion.

IC-2 (F, 1:30-3:00pm) - ALL
Why You Should Work as a Full-time In-house Translator
Mario Chávez, Spanish software localization specialist, Interactive Intelligence Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

The ATA 2000 membership survey indicated that only 10 percent of ATA members work as full-time private-sector employees, 39 percent as full-time independent contractors, and 29 percent as part-time independent contractors. In other words, two-thirds of the individual translation suppliers who are ATA members are freelancers. In my conversations with some of them, the prospect of a full-time, in-house job is not a very attractive one, mainly because of two misconceptions: a lower income and a restrictive work schedule. It is my objective to debunk these myths and invite freelancers to join the ranks of the fully-employed translation professionals.