If you want to be a successful translator and have a thriving translation business you need to make sure you meet your deadlines. As Tips for Translators states, “…if you are serious about building your credibility with your clients and taking the next big step to advancing your career, then you need to figure out what measures you can implement so that you are able to complete your projects on time. It’s that simple.”
Here are my tips for handling deadlines:
1.) Care about the deadline. You have to be very serious about meeting them, and make them a priority.
2.) Estimate how long a job will take and plan accordingly
3.) Give your client a timeline of when you can complete the task and occasionally update the client on your progress – it keeps you accountable and lets them know you are indeed working on the job
4.) Make sure the deadline is realistic. There’s just 8 hours in a work day (give or take, depending your work environment) and you can only do so much. Don’t think of yourself as a robot. If you feel that your client thinks of you this way, talk to them about it, but in a professional manner.
5.) Maintain a job board – I use a dry erase board, but others use Post-It notes, calendars, or software programs to keep track of current jobs and the deadlines
6.) Avoid distractions. This means if you have work to do don’t start that book or plop down in front of the TV. If you need a break (and everyone does at some point), make sure the break is brief.
7.) One way to do this it to try the Pomodoro technique (I know it as the FlyLady technique) – set a timer and work intensely for a short amount of time (25 to 30 minutes) and then take a brief break (the key here is BRIEF) before starting the next timed interval.
8.) Don’t accept too much work – know what you can handle and then say no. You aren’t doing yourself or your client any favors by accepting too much work. Quality will inevitably suffer
9.) That said, once you have accepted a job, do everything you can to ensure you finish the job. This means pulling an all-nighter or working longer hours or on the weekend if you are running late.
10.) If you absolutely cannot make deadline (because you overcommitted, had a family emergency or your kid or dog got sick), you should contact your client and negotiate a second deadline. Don’t just drop off the face of the earth and stop answering e-mails and phone calls. Communication with the client is key. And whatever you do, make sure you meet the second deadline!
