Why specialisation is best

For years, language service providers (LSPs for short, or translation agencies for non-industry folk) have generally taken on all that they can in terms of translations. Do you need a certified translation of a marriage certificate for Germany? Sure. Do you need your terms and conditions into Czech? Yeah, we can do that. Do you need a technical financial report translated for your teams in France? No problem.

And similarly, because that’s what the market was demanding of them, freelance linguists followed suit. Listing things like IT, Marketing, Tourism, Game Localisation, Finance, and Medical all on the same CV.

At first thought, it makes sense. You want to give yourself as wide of an opportunity as possible in order to get the most business. But research is finding that specialising your offering can lead to higher profits. According to The Wow Company’s Agency Benchmarking Report 2019, the agencies that top the charts are specialists, and more and more agencies are moving toward niche offerings.

Which actually makes more sense. Once you focus on what your niche offering is, you’re way clearer on where your to channel your efforts instead of chasing every opportunity that may come your way. You also get better at your job. Reading one subject thoroughly leaves you to focus on making a bit of translated copy sound good, rather than getting hung up on industry-specific terminology. Everyone wins.

So I’ve completely convinced you – it’s best to specialise. Great. Now how do you choose what to specialise in? My best advice: what you already love.

See, you could go where the money is. Where there are already huge markets, lots of jobs going, and you could get in fairly easily. It’s not a bad option. But if you find these industries boring, you’re not going to want to stay current. You won’t want to do additional reading. You’ll fall behind quick.

But say that you love bouldering. Or modern art. Or independent films. You’re much more likely to be invested in your work when you also actively participate in it outside of your billable hours. Of course, be wary of specializing in something so niche that there will never be any jobs. However, your best option is to create authority in your sphere by building up a portfolio of work that you feel passionately about.

Want to learn more? There are so many resources out there for you. Listen to this brilliant episode of Marketing Tips for Translators podcast by Tess Whitty. This great blog post by ‘DanTheAgencyMan’ from the Agency Collective. Or get in touch if you need a helping hand!