Negen vragen aan Kay Dixon

I work from home as a Dutch to English freelance translator and language editor and am one of those ‘native-speakers’ who fell into the profession almost by chance. I have direct clients in the financial services sector and in IT and I do quite a bit of work for agencies too.

 

I love language and can appreciate the occasional eccentricities of Dutch. They’re not always easy to translate, but that’s the fun of it. Tight deadlines are always a problem but over the years I’ve become more assertive about not accepting unrealistic ones.

 

I’ve always been reluctant about ‘selling’ myself to potential customers. I’ve been very lucky: right from the start customers have come to me. I started working for former colleagues who then passed my name on to others. When I can, I like to build up some sort of a personal relationship with customers. I don’t expect to chat to them for ages on the phone, but I do occasionally pass on a little bit of personal information and often get some in return.

 

Joining SENSE. I found a network of friendly, like-minded people working with English and prepared to share their knowledge. It’s given me confidence in my abilities, too, which has indirectly led to my getting more work.

 

I hope that the next five years will be as profitable as the last five.

 

Collective action to promote the profession ought to be the answer, but until professional associations can get their act together, it’s up to individuals to provide good work and demand realistic pay.

 

I think that editing texts written in English by Dutch people will become a growth market for native speakers. Universities are using English more and more, but the standard often leaves much to be desired.

 

Don’t take on work if you know nothing about the subject! And if you go to a workshop, or especially to meet a customer, dress well – appearance counts!

 

Annemie Briggen, a fellow member of our regional NGTV group.