"Never miss an opportunity which, coupled with knowledge, leads to success" - would be a fair description of the general feeling among Russian translators and interpreters at the networking lunch we had in Nottingham this month. We met up at Carluccio's to catch up on the news and developments in the Russian translation industry and to exchange practical tips all of us could find useful.
No industry stays the same and the language profession is hardly an exception. With public sector clients increasingly looking to cut spending on language services, Russian translators gauge and learn where their skills can be used to most advantage.
Customers, who value a quality service and are prepared to pay a fair rate for it, know what they are looking for: expertise, professional attitude and speedy delivery. Companies, which run the risk of using machine translation or their Russian-speaking customer service staff as interpreters at important meetings, soon learn that these are not always the best solutions or arrangements.
As in any profession, keeping your finger on the pulse is vital: any external factor, including geopolitics, plays its role in supply and demand and in how things shape up for the future.
We had a lively discussion about marketing tricks and finding clients sometimes through most unusual channels. We shared personal stories of working on certain projects and generally had a good laugh. And that pretty much sums up the power of networking: getting to know each other better which ultimately leads to mutual trust and ability to work together.
[Tip: Contact Talk Russian on 0207 043 6940 or email enquiry@talkrussian.com to book a Russian interpreter or place a Russian translation order.]