Entrepreneurial Linguist Book: Coming Soon

Hot off the presses: we are about halfway through writing our translation book, cleverly titled "The Entrepreneurial Linguist," which will focus very strongly on the practical aspects of running a translation business, based on many lessons that Judy learned in business school. Here's why we have undertaken this monumental project:
  • We were inspired by Corinne McKay's "How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator"
  • We were encouraged by colleagues at Judy's "Entrepreneurial Linguist" workshops
  • We realized that there are very few books about translation as a business
  • Writing runs in the family -- our mom is a German-language children's book writer
  • Because running a small business and writing a dissertation in Romance languages (Dagmar) isn't keeping us busy enough -- not!

We are currently on page 90 or so, and if the stars align correctly, we are hoping to self-publish it this year. We figured the subject matter is too narrow to shop it around to publishers, and the idea is for it to be available easily and quickly, so we are going with Lulu.com. Since the book is, in part, a direct result from conversations we have had with linguists around the world, we'd love your feedback. Is there any area that you would like us to explore in detail? As it stands at the moment, the book will focus on marketing, economics, entrepreneurship, client relations, work/life balance, etc. It will also include chapters on social media, innovative marketing ideas, etc. Feel free to leave a comment and tell us what you think - after all, the book will be for all of you!


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I’m all for innovative marketing ideas, especially when they are introvert-friendly, like the one with a laptop sticker! :-)
Can’t wait for the book to be out there. (Too bad you don’t run an agency, I would so love to work with you two.)

Judy Jenner and Dagmar Jenner on July 22, 2009 at 3:30 PM said...

Thanks, Johanka! You just gave us a good idea: including a chapter on "marketing for introverts" -- we knew it would be a good idea to ask our readers. :) We'll keep you posted on the release date.
Yep, we are not an agency, and pretty much do all the work ourselves. Once in a blue moon, a client asks us for a language we don't do, and we either pass the job on to a colleague or, if the client wants to deal only with us, we do the project management, but that doesn't happen very often. Thanks for the kind words.

Pedro on July 23, 2009 at 3:38 AM said...

Hello,

As a follower of your blog, I'm quite interested in this. You usually provide great tips. The sticker as Johanka mentioned, really was good one.

I hope that you also include some of the your tips on open-source software.

I blog on the topic of marketing for translators, so as far as I'm concerned you already have a sale and a review in the wings :)

P.S.: I hope that last bit didn't sound too self-promotional, fell free to edit it out.

Unknown on July 23, 2009 at 9:44 AM said...

I cannot wait to read this book! There is a huge market for translation business books, I think it will be a great success.

Lisa said...

I follow your blog too - and think this book will be a great asset to freelancers.

I'll be very interested to read the chapter on social media as that side of networking is a bit of a mystery to me!

Litterate T&L on July 24, 2009 at 2:42 AM said...

I am also a regular follower, so naturally I am looking forward to read it!

Marie L. said...

I am so buying this book...I am starting my freelance business in the coming year!

Guija Matías on July 24, 2009 at 12:38 PM said...

That's very good news!

Keep on writing, here and there! ;-)

Join the conversation! Commenting is a great way to become part of the translation and interpretation community. Your comments don’t have to be overly academic to get published. We usually publish all comments that aren't spam, self-promotional or offensive to others. Agreeing or not agreeing with the issue at hand and stating why is a good way to start. Social media is all about interaction, so don’t limit yourself to reading and start commenting! We very much look forward to your comments and insight. Let's learn from each other and continue these important conversations.

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The entrepreneurial linguists and translating twins blog about the business of translation from Las Vegas and Vienna.

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