Poll: Do you market your services in your source language as well as your target language? Persoa que publicou o fío: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you market your services in your source language as well as your target language?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Lieven Malaise 
Belgium
Local time: 15:25
Membro (2020)
French to Dutch
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I would think that you should market your services in a language that is understood by your potential customers, which may differ from your source languages. I don't really understand the emphasis on "source/target" for marketing in this poll question. It seems irrelevant.
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Marketing was never my strong point. Of course I had to do it at the very beginning. As I was living in Brussels at the time, I did this mainly in English and French, but also in Portuguese (Embassy, consulates, emigrant associations). Then I have been very fortunate as over the years potential clients have come directly to me through word of mouth (referrals from colleagues and clients), ATA, Proz, my translator association and my website. When I returned to Lisbon in 2015, I had a solid client... See more Marketing was never my strong point. Of course I had to do it at the very beginning. As I was living in Brussels at the time, I did this mainly in English and French, but also in Portuguese (Embassy, consulates, emigrant associations). Then I have been very fortunate as over the years potential clients have come directly to me through word of mouth (referrals from colleagues and clients), ATA, Proz, my translator association and my website. When I returned to Lisbon in 2015, I had a solid client’s base, so I didn’t market my services here. A lot has changed in these 10 years, but fortunately(?) I’m at the end of my career. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ricardo Aries
Indonesia
Local time: 20:25
Membro (2020)
English to Indonesian
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| A Tale of Two Sides of the Same Coin | Oct 10, 2025 |
When it comes to marketing our services, both the source and target languages are super important. Think about it: customers who speak your native language are usually your main source of income, acting as that solid safety net that helps balance out what you earn from clients who speak your second language. By appreciating both groups, you can build a lively and lasting business in your second language.
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jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 09:25
Membro (2005)
English to Chinese
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| This depends on the targeted market | Oct 10, 2025 |
As far as I know, most translators market their services targeting the Chinese market in Chinese. If Chinese is their source or target language is not that relevant.
[Edited at 2025-10-11 01:49 GMT]
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Marketing in my target language, which I did when I started 23 years ago, only resulted in monolingual proofreading jobs.
My translation work is mostly software localization, dominated by American end clients, which hire international agencies, staffed by non-native English speakers. So I communicate with them in English, my source language.
One German agency gives me instructions in German sometimes. Which is fine - it's perfectly understandable to me, but it doesn't m... See more Marketing in my target language, which I did when I started 23 years ago, only resulted in monolingual proofreading jobs.
My translation work is mostly software localization, dominated by American end clients, which hire international agencies, staffed by non-native English speakers. So I communicate with them in English, my source language.
One German agency gives me instructions in German sometimes. Which is fine - it's perfectly understandable to me, but it doesn't mean I could translate from German. ▲ Collapse
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