Many fellow translators out there strongly believe that becoming a #transentrepreneur, that is an entrepreneur in the Translation (#t9n) and Localization (#l10n) industry, takes lots of money. And since many starting translators do not have much money, they can only see themselves as slaves to their clients that they eventually happen to consider as their bosses. But as I am going to demonstrate it the lines below, and based on my personal experience, it takes more of one’s internal change than financial status upgrade to become a transentrepreneur. Let’s consider 3 key elements that will help you trigger that vital shift for your career as a freelance translator.
KEY #1
CHANGE YOUR MINDSET RADICALLY!
Stop considering yourself as an employee! You are not a subject, you are not a victim. Start considering yourself as a high-profile independent professional, even if you are working as a staff member in a company for now! Why is it so important to stop considering yourself as a mere employee? Because an employee’s level of commitment is basically lower than the commitment of someone who runs their own business. And if you consider yourself as a high-profile professional, it means you consider yourself as a burning business owner, which develops in you the mindset of an investor, who constantly looks for ways to grow their business and avoid pitfalls. And even if you don’t have money to invest at the beginning in your solo business, you will find ways to invest in your professional reputation, by always struggling to hone your skills and enhance your performance, thus giving yourself chances to earn more money, and, at the end of the day, to start running your own localization company, and officially become a genuine #transentrepreneur!
KEY #2
TAKE CONCRETE ACTION NOW!
Once you have changed your mindset from (employee) translator to transentrepreneur, it is time to take the transentrepreneur you are OUT OF YOUR MIND by implementing the necessary actions. Below are three steps you can take to get your career to the next level:
KEY #3
ASSESS YOUR PROGRESS ON A REGULAR BASIS!
Always keep track of your achievements and failures on your journey to success as a transentrepreneur. By so doing, every recorded achievement will feed up your energy and motivation to do things even better, and each failure will help you identify where you did it wrong, and what steps you can take to avoid the same mistakes in the future. More importantly yet, keeping track of everything you are doing to move your career from translator to transentrepreneur will help you have concrete food for thought when time comes to ponder over your overall progress… oh yes, you have to schedule periodical time frames in the year when you review your vision, objectives and achievements, in order to see what necessary adjustments will lead you to a successful transentrepreneurship career. Remember, if you fail to plan your success, you are undoubtedly paving the way to failure! Well-thought journaling and honest progress assessment are key to a long-lasting success as a transentrepreneur.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this copy, but I am also convinced that there are many entrepreneurs in the localization industry (#transentrepreneurs) that have taken their valuable time to read this. Therefore, as a transentrepreneur, what are your keys to success? Let us know your thoughts about this topic in the Comments section, please. We look forward to your warm and constructive input!