| Practical tips to help you resolve the dilemma | | | | unfavourably with freelancers. Once you have taken |
| When you have set up a translation agency you are | | | | on a translator as a member of your permanent staff, |
| not likely to bother about hiring staff at first, as you will | | | | it may prove very difficult to cancel their employment |
| have to invest all of your energy and effort in putting in | | | | contract, for example if their translations prove to be |
| place effective mechanisms to attract clients. In the | | | | substandard . In addition to that, even if you do |
| beginning, therefore, the focus will be on Marketing | | | | eventually manage to terminate the contract this is |
| & Sales rather than on the actual translation work. | | | | bound to be preceded by a difficult period marred by |
| However, as orders start coming in – which | | | | mutual mistrust and disappointment, which may |
| they will once paper and online tools are operational | | | | depress the overall atmosphere at your company. |
| – you may soon find that you run out of | | | | Having said that, there are also good arguments in |
| capacity, especially if you do the translating yourself as | | | | favour of hiring internal staff. Flexibility is one. Even if |
| well as the marketing. Unless you firmly intend to | | | | your internal translators work on scheduled projects, |
| remain a one-man business, your well-run and | | | | they can be expected to take on small incidental |
| ambitious translation agency will inevitably face the | | | | translation work for your clients that you would not |
| dilemma of expansion, usually within a year. | | | | usually want to bother your freelancers with. This is an |
| The principal question, then, is whether to hire | | | | important benefit, because your ability to deal |
| permanent staff or operate a network of independent | | | | effectively with ad hoc requests from your regular |
| freelance translators. This article sets out to explore | | | | clients is one of the principal criteria by which they will |
| the advantages and disadvantages of either choice to | | | | judge the quality of your organisation. Clients really |
| help you make an informed decision. | | | | value suppliers that can respond effectively to their |
| Perhaps the best thing about working with freelancers | | | | own inadvertent changes in production schedules, for |
| is that you owe them nothing outside the remuneration | | | | example. You will need internal human resources to be |
| for the work they do for you. There is a direct, | | | | able to provide that type of flexibility. |
| one-to-one relationship between what they give you | | | | Another reason to prefer internal staff to freelancers |
| and what you pay them in return. Your freelancers are | | | | is the relative dependability of the former as a |
| themselves responsible for tax, social security | | | | business resource. Their permanent availability offers a |
| contributions, insurance and the like and will offer their | | | | range of important benefits, such as guaranteed |
| services at a “clean” rate that provides | | | | capacity, helpdesk resources, and the possibility to |
| immediate insight into the margin on any specific order | | | | assign specific translators to specific clients, which will |
| you place with them. | | | | enhance the quality of the translations in terms of |
| In the case of permanent staff, this is very different. | | | | consistency in style and terminology. To a certain |
| What you pay an experienced internal translator is an | | | | extent, a permanent relationship with freelancers |
| agreed salary which is not principally intended to be | | | | offers similar possibilities, but there is no guarantee that |
| cost-effective, but to prevent him or her from moving | | | | your preferred freelancer is available the moment you |
| on to a competitor. Before taking on a translator for a | | | | need him or her, and, overall, communication with |
| permanent position you will obviously have made | | | | freelancers is less efficient and more time-intensive |
| some calculations as to their profitability, but the fact | | | | than with your own employees. |
| remains that internal staff constitute a permanent cost | | | | In terms of recruitment, freelancers and in-house |
| item that is not balanced by proportionate revenues | | | | translators pose very different challenges on the |
| the way freelancers are. When business is slow, your | | | | business owner. Both will obviously need to be vetted |
| in-house translators may in fact yield less than what | | | | extensively before they can be considered for a job |
| they cost in terms of salary. The reverse side of this | | | | or a position, but overall the selection process is far |
| coin, of course, is that in busy times your translators | | | | more critical in the case of permanent staff, |
| may well generate far more than what they cost | | | | considering your legal obligations towards them. In this |
| – although this significant benefit may be undone | | | | sense, freelancers are more suitable subjects for a |
| by the lack of an incentive on your translator to | | | | trial and error process, as they are easier to dismiss |
| produce more than agreed daily or weekly outputs. | | | | and easier to replace. In addition, freelancers are far |
| Another very important benefit of freelancers is that | | | | less scarce. While it may be relatively easy to find |
| you have very few legal obligations towards them, | | | | translators in your country who are native speakers of, |
| other than paying them for their specific deliverables. If | | | | or have an excellent passive understanding of, the |
| the translation is not satisfactory, you can simply | | | | world’s principal languages (a clear prerequisite |
| decide not to engage that particular freelancer any | | | | for most internal positions), more outlandish language |
| more. Once your translation business is up and running | | | | combinations can usually only be arranged in a |
| and advertised online, there will be a constant flow of | | | | freelance relationship. |
| freelancers offering their services to your company. | | | | In all, it is safe to conclude that at a translation agency |
| This means that it will not generally prove very difficult | | | | the balance does not tilt toward either freelancers or |
| to find freelancers to replace those you have decided | | | | in-house staff, as each offer specific benefits and |
| not to work with any more. On the other hand, if you | | | | drawbacks. As for costs, the two options may, in the |
| are happy with freelance providers of translation | | | | final analysis, prove to be fairly similar – unless |
| services and outsource significant volumes of work to | | | | you are prepared to work with extremely cheap |
| them, they will appreciate the relative certainty you | | | | freelancers or offer exorbitant salaries. In terms of |
| offer them. This provides you with an excellent | | | | administrative hassle and legal obligations, the freelance |
| opportunity to build up a steady working relationship | | | | relationship is definitely the preferred option, but the |
| with freelancers the way you would with your in-house | | | | disadvantage of internal translators in this regard is |
| staff, but without the mutual obligations that come with | | | | outweighed by the benefits they offer in terms of |
| an employment contract. | | | | guaranteed availability, flexible deployment and the |
| In this respect, too, in-house translators compare | | | | development of skills oriented towards specific clients. |