What is a W9 and Why Do I Need One?
For many new freelancers, the business aspects can be confusing. There are entire lists of documents you’ll need to have on hand that can be incredibly foreign if you’ve never worked in an independent contracting capacity. Luckily, that’s why Foundations in Freelance was created. Let’s dive in and demystify one of the most common documents…
Diversifying Your Practice
As interpreters, it’s very easy for us to rely on one of two agencies and maintain a reasonable schedule for years at a time. While the stability of it all can be incredibly rewarding, it can also place your future and practice at risk. Without a diverse variety of work in your practice, when things…
Late Payments & Nonpayment.
As independent contractors, we’re in charge of own rates, schedules and billing which can sometimes be a real hassle if you have a client that just won’t pay you. Non-payment can happen for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes, you’ll send your invoice to an inbox that is no longer monitored because the person in charge…
NET15, NET30 or NETwhenever?
You might be wondering why a specific payment structure matters. Plenty of interpreters ask this exact same question. In reality, when you get paid might not be a huge issue but if you consider the long game of freelancing… it might be bigger than cashing a single check. While it might also feel better to…
Ready to Sign Your First Client? Start Here.
Whether by prospecting on your own or by a blind referral, when you’ve landed your first client, you’ll need to sign them to your list. What this means is that you will maintain their services for them either as a one off gig or as a requests come in over some time period. Obviously the…
How to Record Portfolio Videos
Without fail, every time I ask a new student to send me videos of their work I receive some chaotic, exasperated and unedited version of what they think is their best shot. I don’t say this in criticism of them. When I look back at the videos I submitted to my interpreting program, I immediately…
Ready to Invoice? Start Here.
Whether you’ve just come into the field or you’re a seasoned interpreter, invoicing can be confusing. For many educational interpreters, the process can feel chaotic and awkward. That’s because it is. Nobody really enjoys it and if you meet an interpreter who says they do, they’ve probably misheard the question. Invoicing doesn’t have to be…
25 Places for Sourcing New Clients
Here’s a list of 25 places you can source new clients right now. Let me know where else you’d consider this week in the comments! Theatres I know you’re picturing stage, have you ever pictured rehearsals or community acting workshops? There are plenty of ways to work in a theatre without having to dress up…
The Travel Booking Template
The last database you’ll ever need to book your travel is finally available. Often when I teach about how I travel, colleagues feel entirely lost in where to start. I did too so I began making tools that would help me stay organized and make sense of the process. I use a database for all…
The Ultimate Guide to Traveling & Working as an Interpreter
Of all the fun questions I get asked about this work in my DMs, my favorite is “how do you travel all the time?” Surprisingly easy. I spent the first few years of my career learning what travel conference interpreting required. I quickly realized that the vast majority of interpreters out there doing, are doing…
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