Bid on a translation job — and win it!

Translators often ask themselves why they receive so few positive responses to their quotes for projects. The fact is that the translation industry is highly competitive and there may be dozens or even hundreds of bids for a single translation job.

What should translators do to get their quote past the screening stage and, ultimately, to win the job?

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Things you SHOULD do:

1. Read the project description attentively: do you meet the job poster’s specifications? If you do not, don’t waste your time or the poster’s.
2. Write a brief and to-the-point cover letter. Bear in mind that it will get only a few seconds’ attention during the first screening. Sum up the important information in the first paragraph: your language pair(s), native language, qualifications/experience, output per day/week, rates, payment terms, and your webpage or online professional profile. If you feel there is more important information that the poster should know, include it AFTER the initial summary paragraph.
3. Personalize your response: tailor your cover letter to the poster’s requirements. If you know the project manager’s name, use it. Make sure you spell it right and use the proper title (Mr. Ms., etc.); if you are not sure of the person’s gender because the name is foreign, take the time to find out. If the language you are writing in has “familiar” and “formal” forms, use the formal address.
4. If the poster emphasizes a particular issue (e.g., location, experience, availability, software, and so on) be sure to address it in the body of your cover letter, preferably very near the top.
5. Follow the instructions in the job posting to the letter. If candidates are asked to mention the job number, language, rates or anything else in the subject line of the email, be sure to give exactly the information requested.
6. When you are ready to deliver your quote, make sure you’ve included everything the poster has requested: your proposed rate (or rate range), CV, certificates and/or samples of your work, if requested. Sample translations should not violate confidentiality: consider using your translations of public government documents, model contracts, a paragraph from a document you have already translated (redacting any identifying information first, of course) or even a short text that you have chosen yourself to highlight your skills. If your translation of a book has been published online, don’t hesitate to include the link.
7. Send it to the person specified by the deadline given, and send it to the address specified, whether it is the agency’s email address or the response service of the platform the job was posted on.
8. Spell check, and then spell check again every time you make a change. There must be NO spelling errors!

But it’s not enough to tick all the boxes of the “SHOULDS”; just as important to winning that project are a few things that you SHOULD NOT do.

1. Apply for projects for which you are not qualified, whether it’s a matter of the field of expertise, software used, rates, or any other specification in the job posting. Not only will you waste your time (which is your prerogative), you will also waste the project manager’s time, and you will not get the job. Worse yet, you may end up being flagged as a time-waster and future bids for projects you ARE qualified for may be discarded before they are even read.
2. Ignore the poster’s instructions about subject line information. Instead, include it somewhere in the body of your cover letter (see number 3, below).
3. Write a cover letter that reads like a novel. Job posters may received hundreds of cover letters; if they can’t find the information they need at a glance because it’s buried somewhere deep in your 15-paragraph cover letter, you can be sure that it will end up in the virtual version of the circular file. If you make it past the first screening, the client can always contact your for more detailed information, if required.
4. Ignore the poster’s request for your experience, qualifications, rates or availability. Refer him to your webpage or online professional profile.
5. Send your information to the HR department of the job poster’s company instead of the poster himself.
6. Send your CV with a colored background or in a colored font. These may cause readability problems.
7. Send a one-size-fits-all cover letter and CV to multiple potential clients regardless of the particular project you are quoting on and copy it to undisclosed recipients in a mass mailing.
8. Misrepresent your abilities and experience. Not only is this the road to professional ruin for the translator, it can be disastrous for your client once you have been entrusted with a project.
9. Fail to do that final check to make sure you have met all requirements regarding the subject line, request for specific information and/or documentation on qualifications, rates and experience, cover letter information, CV format and samples…and fail to do one final spell-check and proofreading before you send it off.

There are many factors at play when a project manager entrusts a project to a translator; just because you did not win this project does not mean that you will never hear from the poster again. Should the poster contact you to let you know you were not chosen, thank him politely for letting you know. Consider this an opportunity to offer yourself for future projects and ask him to keep your information on file for anything suitable that might come up. You may hear from him sooner than you think!