Life costs money. Despite my efforts, I have yet to find a way to exist without spending money. Translators, like all business professionals, have to be aware of the financial aspects of their livelihood. This I call the translator’s balance sheet. No one will ever get rich quick translating material from one language to another, but like any business, the most important thing is to come out ahead, to have the black exceed the red. Previous articles have discussed how to get and do translation jobs; in other words, how to make money to enter into the black side of the balance sheet. This article will show you how to make the black exceed the red by that much more.

A landmark verdict has just been handed down at Leeds County Court that will strike fear into the hearts of all sub-contractors in the translation industry - translators, interpreters, translation editors and proofreaders, maybe even language teachers - anyone who subcontracts language services to private companies.

One problem most freelance translators are faced with is how to receive payment. In particular: How to receive payment for small jobs. Many translation agencies are reluctant to pay small fees via wire transfer due to the transaction fees; often they will send you a check instead. And I suppose I don't have to tell you: The banks charge an enormous commission when you come and want to cash in your check.

Working as a freelance translator is often a solitary business and usually our direct contact with clients is limited. Nowadays it is not uncommon to deal with our clients entirely over the internet; never talking to them or meeting them face-to-face.

The objective of this article is to improve communication between freelance translators and translation agencies on various payment issues.

Here are a few tips for dealing with direct clients and translation agencies (based on personal experience and accounts of colleagues):

Dear Globalization Insider,

Providing a translation is providing a service. Imagine you having provided the appropriate service, delivered it on time, invoiced the client accordingly (indicating a payment date not so far into the future) and the suggested payment date comes and goes without any money pouring in on your needy bank account - what do you do, how do you react? Needless to say that we are not considering the fact of this being a client that has been employing your company for a while or due to some unknown stroke of fate the bank made a mistake.