| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: Do you use Facebook to promote your translation business? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
I don't use Facebook (or any other social media) at all !!
| | | | Anthony Baldwin 
United States
Local time: 02:23
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| not any more | Nov 12, 2014 |
I used to, but it didn't really have any impact, and that this juncture I've completely stopped using facebook for anything at all.
Haven't even logged into my account there in over a year.
Don't miss it one bit.
| | | | | Certainly not | Nov 12, 2014 |
I steer clear of Facebook and Twitter as much as I can.
I only have a Facebook account to keep track of some relatives who like to communicate that way. I think 95% of what people post on Facebook is a waste of time, and that it is used mainly by people who use a computer or smartphone for entertainment or to chat with their friends or relatives, not for work.
I have not eliminated the option of receiving email notifications because I never open Facebook, except when ... See more I steer clear of Facebook and Twitter as much as I can.
I only have a Facebook account to keep track of some relatives who like to communicate that way. I think 95% of what people post on Facebook is a waste of time, and that it is used mainly by people who use a computer or smartphone for entertainment or to chat with their friends or relatives, not for work.
I have not eliminated the option of receiving email notifications because I never open Facebook, except when I get a notification of a posting by someone I am interested in, so I get many notifications of really stupid postings that simply irritate me. Fortunately I just send them directly to the trash.
A translator friend told me she uses Facebook to promote her work and she claims she has got a lot of jobs through it, but I doubt it would work for me.
[Edited at 2014-11-12 15:48 GMT]
[Edited at 2014-11-12 15:50 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | R. Alex Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 03:23
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
I use Facebook occasionally, and I was really keen on it for a while when I first registered, but besides commenting on a photo that I was tagged in by my wife over the weekend, blessedly holding a babe-in-arms , I rarely ever use it.
There is, on the other hand, a group of very ambitious, overly aggressive (I feel) translators who have set up a group on Facebook, used for promoting and mostly complaining about everyth... See more I use Facebook occasionally, and I was really keen on it for a while when I first registered, but besides commenting on a photo that I was tagged in by my wife over the weekend, blessedly holding a babe-in-arms, I rarely ever use it.
There is, on the other hand, a group of very ambitious, overly aggressive (I feel) translators who have set up a group on Facebook, used for promoting and mostly complaining about everything going on in the translation industry. Personally, I feel very uncomfortable commenting in this group on a 'social network'. Sometimes, however, the group posts very useful information, but I'm far too squeamish to discuss work matters there. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Alex Lago wrote:
Facebook is not free of charge, just because you don't pay money for something it doesn't mean it's free of charge.
Hmm... Don't really get the logic of that, I'm afraid.
If Facebook want to make money from my belfies, so be it. I know my central bank customers love them.
[Edited at 2014-11-12 18:10 GMT]
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 07:23
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| I can't understand half of what's said on FB | Nov 12, 2014 |
I'm not sure I have more than a handful of "friends", but I have joined several groups and try to keep up to date with what's being said on them All are connected with Fuerteventura and its tourism/music scene. Unfortunately (for me, anyway) loads of people use the same groups for inane unrelated chat or sniping at others (mostly in some sort of code, it seems to me). It has a most unpleasant side to it and I'd never expose business matters on there.
| | | |
I promote my business on most of the social media sites. It's not the only way I market myself, but I have found it to be a valuable tool. It probably won't work for all industries, but for my video game translations, it was a great choice. I have picked up a lot of work from independent developer groups.
I have helped some of my other clients (I'm a freelance web developer, too) set up on Facebook and they have had great success. One client, a small business dedicated to selling h... See more I promote my business on most of the social media sites. It's not the only way I market myself, but I have found it to be a valuable tool. It probably won't work for all industries, but for my video game translations, it was a great choice. I have picked up a lot of work from independent developer groups.
I have helped some of my other clients (I'm a freelance web developer, too) set up on Facebook and they have had great success. One client, a small business dedicated to selling homemade soaps, is bringing in an extra $4,000 a month just through Facebook.
I think that Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and all those other social sites can be great tools, but you get what you put into them. The idea is simple: Go to where your customers are; show them that you can add value to their company; and be available to meet those needs. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Deirdre Brophy (X)
France
English to Irish
+ ...
| Facebook group for translators | Nov 12, 2014 |
@R-i-c-h-a-r-d
I also joined a group for translators some time back on Facebook, perhaps the same one, but I left after about three days because couldn't stand the constant barrage of negativity. Complaining about clients, rates, etc. I prefer to hear success stories!
| | |
|
|
|
R. Alex Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 03:23
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| Hello Deirdre | Nov 12, 2014 |
Deirdre Brophy wrote:
@R-i-c-h-a-r-d
I also joined a group for translators some time back on Facebook, perhaps the same one, but I left after about three days because couldn't stand the constant barrage of negativity. Complaining about clients, rates, etc. I prefer to hear success stories!
...and Proz is sometimes included in that constant barrage too, but these groups serve a dual purpose: scaremongering, yes to an extent, but also news and updates. I'm just a bit squeamish of discussing work related topics on social media sites, which are of very little interest to the majority of people. In fact, most of the information on Facebook is beyond tedious.
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 07:23
| Weighing in with a big yes! | Nov 12, 2014 |
I used to say that Facebook was for friends and family.
Then, in 2013, I attended an International Proz Conference in Porto, Portugal (my country of residence). As it happened, I made friends with one of the organisers of the conference. A few months later, she asked if we could be friends on Facebook. Since, by this time I knew her quite well, I said yes.
It turned out that she is very popular, and most of her friends are translators and interpreters. As a result of ou... See more I used to say that Facebook was for friends and family.
Then, in 2013, I attended an International Proz Conference in Porto, Portugal (my country of residence). As it happened, I made friends with one of the organisers of the conference. A few months later, she asked if we could be friends on Facebook. Since, by this time I knew her quite well, I said yes.
It turned out that she is very popular, and most of her friends are translators and interpreters. As a result of our interactions on Facebook, other translators started asking me to be Facebook friends - and since I had already met them in person, I accepted these requests quite happily. Given that most of these interactions were in Portuguese - with people who like to write good Portuguese moreover! - and I am keen to continue to improve my skills in this language, I can honestly say that the experience has been pleasant as well as instructive.
At the beginning of 2014, while doing my annual planning, I decided that for me, 2014 was going to be the "year of communication". Coinciding with this decision, I received an invitation from another person I have met in real life to join a Facebook translation group (Portuguese language, mainly) called Tradutores com Vida, which now has over 1,800 translator/interpreter members.
As its name suggests, it is a lively place and dynamic and positive in nature. Through this group, I have received numerous jobs outsourced by other members - and many times my availability is confirmed via the FB chat box, then documents for translation sent to my normal e-mail. I am able to contribute on Pt-En terminological questions, and have my say on other translated matters where I feel my opinion is of some value. This group has a sense of community - and not a week goes by where I do not have a private chat with one of its members on a friend/colleague basis, rather than on matters relating to business.
The next group I joined was "Watercooler: for translators and interpreters" , where I am less active, but it is here that I spotted the names of a couple of people who were on the same mailing list as I in the late 1990s, who had disappeared off my radar for some years. I befriended them, and am now back in their group. Again, terminological and other issues are discussed in this friendly environment, and it is good for a laugh now and then.
One other Facebook phenomenon, Standing Out, the business/community page of Prozian Andrew Morris, is a source of daily interest too, and the people there overlap slightly with the Watercooler group, but are in general a lot more positive in outlook than Watercooler.
There are other translator groups on Facebook which I have no wish to join, "The League of Extraordinary Translators" being one, because the general attitude there does not align with my spirit.
Somewhere in the mix of these three groups, I have become friends with many ProZ members, many of whom are quite prominent as presenters and trainers.
My Facebook page is a personal one. I talk about translation quite often in Facebook updates. When I write a new blog, I post a link on my Facebook page. I do not care if any one of my friends - including the translator friends and connections I have made - knows how much I love my sister, or that I play Scrabble. I am indifferent as to whether they look at pictures of me as a kid , or my most recent holiday.
Why? Because I am a real person, with real interests, and a real life. What you see is what you get - grey hairs and all! It seems that many other translators on Facebook feel the same way.
None of my family or non translator friends have complained. I have even seen that one of my translator friends (in France) has become friends with one of my real life friends (in Australia) because of a shared interest in vegetarian food and books.
So, by broadening my Facebook horizon this year, I now have (apart from the pleasure of interacting with nice people) the advantage of:
- notification of translation trends and training course/conferences on offer
- notification of sources of terminology
- translation-related discussions which are dynamic and informative
- a significant source of income (I haven't calculated, but possibly as much as 15% of my income this year so far, with some repeat business)
- greater confidence in myself - because mutual encouragement is one of the spin-offs of all this Facebook interaction.
This greater confidence to market myself has had a direct impact on improving my income, and in my getting the kinds of jobs I like doing the most.
When I go on holiday to visit family next month, I will be meeting yet another "translator from Facebook" in person. I look forward to that!
Does all of the above make me a better translator?
Yes. Indirectly, yes.
Oh, and if I get any enquiry for work which I cannot do (wrong language pair, lack of availability), it is the translators on Facebook to whom I will turn for help, as they have done with me.
When I published my new website recently, two things happened: Over 100 people in the translation business (and I do call it a business, because I pay business taxes, and issue business invoices and make business plans) viewed the site and I recommended my web designer to over 100 people,, because web designers also have businesses - and Facebook pages.
As to pictures of other people's cats - you can keep them! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Joao Correia
Portugal
Local time: 07:23
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I certainly do, and it's naive not to in times like this. It's purely relevant, profitable and worthwhile in terms of getting fast help when needed. By not using it, I wouldn't have earned some of my income in the latest months, not to mention there's plenty of information provided by other specialized colleagues. So yes, I have, I am and I will.
| | | | | Allison pretty much said it all... | Nov 12, 2014 |
Hear, hear, Allison!
On my to-do list is sorting out my private FB from professional FB...but the privacy settings already let me keep from sharing hundreds of vacation pictures with my professional contacts.
| | |
|
|
|
Thanks Allison for mentioning my Standing Out page (https://www.facebook.com/standingoutasatranslator)
It is certainly free of the famous barrage of negativity, and it's a place where we try to explore the freelance life from a more philosophical angle, looking at what makes outstanding practitioners succeed, and finding that it's not only about quality work but above all ... See more Thanks Allison for mentioning my Standing Out page (https://www.facebook.com/standingoutasatranslator)
It is certainly free of the famous barrage of negativity, and it's a place where we try to explore the freelance life from a more philosophical angle, looking at what makes outstanding practitioners succeed, and finding that it's not only about quality work but above all about mentality, attitudes, a sense of autonomy etc.
The atmosphere is relaxed, supportive and positive, and the comments often have a great sense of humour.
I'd certainly invite readers wary of Facebook infighting to give it a try... there's nothing to lose!
And for those who are really allergic to FB, there's a book coming out. With real pages and things
[Edited at 2014-11-13 08:57 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | mckay2
Local time: 08:23
German to English
+ ...
I've always enjoyed Facebook as a personal site, but over the last year I have been following The Watercooler and Standing Out. I find them both excellent resources for interacting with other translators, getting help and advice, or simply having a chat and some fun in our rather isolated working environment. I don't use FB to promote my business, but my involvement on these forums does at least raise my profile in the translation world! Thanks to Andrew Bell and Andrew Morris for the excellent ... See more I've always enjoyed Facebook as a personal site, but over the last year I have been following The Watercooler and Standing Out. I find them both excellent resources for interacting with other translators, getting help and advice, or simply having a chat and some fun in our rather isolated working environment. I don't use FB to promote my business, but my involvement on these forums does at least raise my profile in the translation world! Thanks to Andrew Bell and Andrew Morris for the excellent work they do to keep these two forums useful and positive.
[Edited at 2014-11-13 09:41 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 07:23
How odd it is to see the four contributions above in a Proz forum.
I feel as if I am talking to relative strangers again, instead of the feeling of chatting with colleagues and/friends which I get from Facebook groups, though, essentially none of the above four individuals have changed much since I last encountered them on FB.
How frustrating it is not to click "Like"! Oh, well, one like each, then.
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Do you use Facebook to promote your translation business? | TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
| | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
