Business Practice in Japan, How to Become More Independent as a Translator and Interpreter

Many translators and interpreters are effectively independent, operating as a sole proprietorship or an employee of their own company. As independent businesspersons, several areas become quite important in developing and maintaining their practices. This session, presented in the English language, will discuss (1) Having an appropriate presence as an independent, Japanese <> English translation or interpreting business, (2) Having the skills to own and manage such a business, and (3) Knowing how to sell and acquire clients. The session will describe the basics for establishing a proper translation or interpreting business presence, consider the prospects of obtaining direct clients, defined here as businesses other than translation and interpreting agencies (or companies with such a function), and explain some expectations that such clients will most likely have for such an independent translation/interpreting enterprise. The session will feature a Q&A session at the end and the audience is encouraged to bring their questions about how to successfully run their own translation or interpreting practice.