The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation Paperback – April 9, 2010

I’m considering going into freelance translation after several years away from the language. This book has helped give me confidence that this is an achievable goal, and that in spite of my weakness in the area of business management, by just getting a few practical things in place, I can avoid being scammed and make decent money.I think this book is great for anyone offering a service in their business, whether it’s editing, translation, custom artwork, or similar things that require one to negotiate and find new clients. There are many relevant things that cross professions here. Thanks, Judy and Dagmar, for being generous in sharing your experience!

As someone who recently started out in the translation business, I had a million questions: how will I market myself as a translator, how should I set my rates, how will I get new clients...This book answered many of my questions in a time of uncertainty and made this new career option seem attainable to me. The book is written by Judy and Dagmar Jenner, twins who are experienced translators with a background in business. It is not a book on translation theory, rather it will guide readers into running a successful business, and as the authors point out translators are businesses!I found the tips and advice in the book to be very useful and will recommend this book to anyone starting a new business (not just linguists). I liked the layout and found it very easy to read.

Very practical and informative for any linguist who wants to improve their business! I for one as a linguist knew very little about business, so it helps to have a practical and informative reference at hand.

Judy and Dagmar's book offers a plethora of advice for new and experienced translators and/or interpreters who want to hone their entrepreneurial skills. Finding helpful information on how to run a translation/interpreting business in such a competitive, constantly evolving field is very difficult, but the Jenners put together the answers to many aspects of real-life situations a freelance linguist may encounter. It includes a lot of details on marketing, social media, customer service, and business management that many times can only be learned through trial and error (very few translation and interpreting curricula include courses on these topics). I would recommend this book to those interested in venturing into the T&I field.

Very down to earth, very easy to read and a gold mine for practitioners who want to know more about business skills, marketing and finding direct clients. Based on real life, on "learning by doing". As T&I practitioners, we usually are not trained as business persons and becoming one will require a lot of personal hard work: 'The Entrepreneurial Linguist' provides heaps of pragmatic information and guidance, then it is up to us to take it one step further for ourselves. Discover also the authors' blog "Translation Times".

The book generally is ok and introduces fundamental business concepts. However, I did not find the insights I was hoping for in the web2.0 section. I believe web 2.0 can do more than passive blogging. I am hoping one day translators can work and interact with the team and the clients in some interactive ways, both realtime and offline.

Exactly what I was looking for. I already knew some things (especially the ones about social media and other software tools.) But there's very good insight from the twin sisters who have been in business for many years. Great book for anybody who is just starting in the translation industry and wants to become a freelancer or most especially a business owner.

How concise the book was and the organization and flow.