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Someone once said that many professionals are one skill shy of success. That skill is salesmanship. This month, the Bulletin focuses on sales: what it is, why you should care, and how to do it. Read about this important aspect of the business in the Feature Articles. In addition to new articles, a number of related articles were culled from other areas of JAT Web. The links on the right will take you to a short, introductory paragraph and a link for each article. Of course, sales isn't everything, and other interesting information and contributions can be found in the News, Announcements and Reviews section.
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Feature Articles
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初めてJATミーティングに参加した1980年代末ごろから今日までの体験を紹介しながら、フリーの翻訳者として生き延びるための知恵と工夫と教訓について話をした。当日は、会場に入りきらないほど多数の参加者で冷房が効かないほどの盛況だった。 more
Much of the discussion on translation sales is about where to find new clients and maybe what to do with them once you've got them. There are articles on JAT Web about getting higher rates and other useful tips. Yet, sometimes things are easier said than done. Particularly for new people . . . .Another solution is to bridge the gap with practice and training. That is the objective of this presentation. I'm going to talk about making sales contacts and what to say to those contacts, then I'm going to answer any questions, and then we are going to practice selling our services. more
For colleagues eager to sell their services in Japan, I have some good news or some bad news. As you read this, you are going to have to decide which it is for yourself, based on your particular situation, including such factors as your level of experience, your desire to make more money, and your commitment to translation as a career (and to living in Japan). That last point, living in Japan, is important, because it appears that very few translators have been successful at developing business with high-end Japanese clients from overseas. People have been able to "port" their existing clients over the border when they move away from Japan, but developing a new Japanese client--at least a direct client--is too difficult to be thought of as a reasonable goal, from what I have seen and heard. In fact, few translators have even been successful in getting high-end clients from outside major urban areas within Japan, unless they come to the big cities to sell. more
I have a very simple, yet very important, reminder for you: We very often say we are in the translation business. And we spend great amounts of time honing our translation skills. These skills are important. But just as important is the other half of the “translation business.” It is a business, and we should not lose sight of that side either. more
Before becoming a full-time Japanese-to-English translator specializing in finance and IT, I worked for five years as a sales representative in the IT industry, mostly in Tokyo. I regularly made cold calls and otherwise approached around 300 companies, had direct responsibility for handling business with dozens of companies and negotiated deals for a wide variety of computer and Internet-related products and services. My greatest triumph was closing a multi-million dollar deal, which I started with a cold call, with the Japanese IT manager at a major Japanese insurance company. In this article I discuss twelve off-the-cuff points about sales . . . more
The June Kansai Meeting covered many of the topics translators face with new clients. The Kansai Meeting uses a round table format, a moderated discussion based on an agenda of questions. This brief report presents the answers offered to questions like "How do translators find new clients?" and "What makes a client remember you for follow-up jobs?" more
結論から先にいうと、翻訳業界というのは、本当にコネの世界だと思いませんか。翻訳関係の雑誌の中で、ある翻訳者がクライアント開拓について書いた記事を読んだことがあります。自らの経験を元に、複数の翻訳会社に履歴書を送った場合、返事が来たのは何社、試訳をするまでたどり着いたのは何社、仕事につながったのは何社、といった例を挙げて、ランダムに履歴書を送ったところで、それが実際の仕事になる確率がいかに少ないか、という内容を扱った記事でした。残念ながら、今その数値が思い出せません。more
Cliff describes how he came to translation--from "Wow, you mean I can get paid for doing this?" to deciding to pursue translation as a business. Cliff then briefly discusses three ways to find clients (knocking on doors, replying to ads, and introductions) and some of their advantages and disadvantages. He also offers some suggestions about how to keep and develop clients. more
Many volunteers help JAT out on a regular basis. This effort is much appreciated and under acknowledged. To report on every contribution in detail would be difficult to say the least, so instead, here is a list of those who have contributed some way recently.
Yuriko Aoyama, Ron Craig, Atsuko Crum, Chris Green, Bill Lise, Scott Mason, Shawn Thir, Steve Venti, Kay Vreeland, Jeremy Whipple, John Zimet.
If your name should be on this list, or if you would like to help, please contact the Volunteer Activities Officer at volunteer@jat.org
The July Tokyo meeting was a lot of fun. More than 40 people came to be edified and entertained by Susumu Ando, Paul Flint, and Bill Lise, all speaking on the topic of Translation and Sales. (See Feature Articles for links to their presentations).
Susumu Ando presents Bob Oliver with a plaque |
At the end of the meeting, Bob Oliver was presented with a plaque to acknowledge his contributions to JAT. Bob was the JAT Treasurer for nine consecutive years before stepping down after the 2002 elections. Susumo Ando presented the plaque to Bob, who was taken completely by surprise. Bob expressed his gratitude for the award with a short acceptance speech, punctuated with the inimitable Oliver laugh. The Nijikai was also quite fun, with a melee of war stories, television trivia, and alcoholic beverages. Oh, and I can't forget the yakitori. Thanks go to the JAT Tokyo Meeting Chair, Hiro Sato, for a wonderful meeting. |
If you have a topic you would like to see presented at a JAT meeting, contact the Tokyo Meeting Chair at hanami@siren.ocn.ne.jp
The purpose of this report is to give readers of the JLD Times some insight into the advantages and disadvantages of using the Macintosh’s new operating system OS X (read "OS Ten") in day-to-day Japanese-to-English translation. more
This article originally appeared in the JLD Times, a publication of the Japanese Language Division of the American Translators Association, and appears here with the permission of the author.
The Board is happy to announce the establishment of Special Interest Groups (SIGs). SIGs are a way by which like-minded JAT members can get form groups within JAT on a particular area of interest.
A description of SIGs can be found at http://www.jat.org/sig/index.html.
A SIG on the business side of translation is currently being established by JAT member Bill Lise, and instructions on how to join it will be posted soon under the URL noted above and here on the JAT-list.
The Board hopes that SIGs will help JAT members to pursue common interests and participate in lively discussions on specialized topics (such as patents, medical, legal translation etc.).
If there is a SIG that you would like to see established, please let us know about it by sending your suggestion to the Board of Directors at board@jat.org
A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes at www.jat.org. This work has resulted in vast improvements in not only the appearance but also the functionality of the site. I’d like to offer special thanks to John Zimet, Jeremy Whipple and Edward Lipsett for all the efforts and achievements.
There are more exciting features planned for the near future, and I hope to have more to report in the next bulletin. Until then, if you would like to become involved in the JAT Web site, please contact me, Brian Hyman, at webmaster@jat.org.
Brought to you by JAT member Yuriko Aoyama, this index page lists the table of contents for all online JAT Bulletins from 1996. This improvement enables quick scanning of bulletin contents, making it easier to find the material you need. Thanks Yuriko! JAT Bulletin Index
Brought to you by JAT member Steve Venti, this index page lists the table of contents for all online board reports and minutes from 1996. This improvement enables quick scanning of meeting contents, making it easier to find decisions made by the board as well as reports on various activities. Thanks Steve! Board Meetings Index
Google.com has recently indexed the public pages of JAT Web, including the public membership directory. This makes it possible for anyone to search JAT Web using Google.com. The members only area is not available for indexing and is not included in a Google search.
But wait, there's more! The private membership directory has also been made searchable! JAT member Paul Flint created a search engine that enables targeted searching of the public membership directory and a members only search of the private directory. To find a translator in a specific field and region, users can enter simple search strings like "J-E medic 医 東京" or similar string. The search is based on the member profile and language pairs given in the directory entries, so members who want to be found on these searches should ensure their directory entry contains the appropriate keywords. Use the update form to update your entry, and see the directory page for more information on searching.
After more than a year, the JAT Bulletin is back. As you can see, it has been redesigned and is now integrated with the JAT Web site. In addition to short introductions and links to new articles on the Web site, the bulletin also contains links to the meeting reports, board reports and other pages of interest to JAT members. The JAT Bulletin is your bulletin, so if you have any ideas or comments or would like to submit an article or help in any way, please contact us at bulletin@jat.org.
The President's Brunch is an informal meeting of JAT members that provides an opportunity to get together and talk about the issues of the day, or anything at all. The brunch is held in months without Tokyo JAT meetings, and in contrast to JAT meetings, the President's Brunch is held on Sunday mornings, is by reservation only, and is limited to small groups of 10 to 15 members. It is open to all members on a first-come first-served basis, and it is free. As the name suggests, the President's Brunch is held in a lounge or resturaunt, though attendees are responsible for purchasing their own food and drinks. The next President's Brunch is on 25 August (Sun). See the meetings page for details.
The board has been busy over the last month, working diligently to achieve JAT's purpose and deliver the goods on membership services. Board reports are issued on a regular basis, and they contain the nitty gritty details of board decisions as well as reports from all JAT committees and other member activities. For the latest board report, see Board Meetings.