Approaching People Who Need Your Services

[downtherabbithole]

I'm going to be living abroad starting next week (!!!) in a country who's native language is not English. I've been doing a lot of content writing this summer and I'd love to "expand" into doing websites over there. Since Budapest is starting to come into it's own and actually become an international travel destination, they are finding it necessary to translate their websites into English. Unfortunately, a lot of these places need a lot of clean up. The info is essentially translated, but clearly not by a native speaker and the sentences sound funky and choppy.

How do I approach businesses and tell them they might benefit from someone who is a writer and native English speaker to re-write their web content? I definitely don't want to sound pushy, but some of it is....well pretty bad.

[JoNightshade]

You might consider doing a few for free, to build a resume of sorts. I think most businesses would appreciate a little complimentary help. :) That way you'll feel more confident in approaching others and being able to say, "This is what I did, and for X amount I could do the same for you."

ETA: On the other hand, make sure before you do the work that they're truly planning on implementing the changes. I corrected/rewrote the website text for a little company I worked at (BRIEFLY, thank God) a few years ago, and they never even bothered to put it up on the site. And this was in America. Idiots.

[downtherabbithole]

You might consider doing a few for free, to build a resume of sorts. I think most businesses would appreciate a little complimentary help. :) That way you'll feel more confident in approaching others and being able to say, "This is what I did, and for X amount I could do the same for you."

ETA: On the other hand, make sure before you do the work that they're truly planning on implementing the changes. I corrected/rewrote the website text for a little company I worked at (BRIEFLY, thank God) a few years ago, and they never even bothered to put it up on the site. And this was in America. Idiots.

That's rough! Well, as long as they pay you...haha.

That's a good idea actually. I'll approach a few businesses and do things for free. I was looking at a resort we're thinking of visiting there...wow. Their English was rough riding. The pictures were nice though...

[Aquilegia]

Ah, I'm a little jealous. :-) I'll not be returning home until maybe October or maybe January. Been away for a few years. I stopped by your site and checked out your resume. You're teaching at Karinthy Frigyes this academic year then? I'm assuming you have some kind of working rights that allow you to work independently. If so, no problem.
Remember, you might be asked to give a receipt for your work so the company that pays you can write off the expenses for tax purposes. That's very common. Otherwise, though, many will just pay you under the table.

A few (5?) years ago the cops were confiscating computers of people (citizens) who did this sort of work illegally or who weren't paying enough taxes or something. I also wanted to do Web sites because back then the prices were outrageous, but my husband was too scared of the cops to let me. Seriously, though, he was paranoid and there was about .05% chance of something happening.

Anyway, as for finding clients, I would say in addition to freebies, make up a little brochure detailing your services. Include some examples of errors in English (from real sources, if possible) and explain what the incorrect version means (usually something funny) versus what the writer want to say. Often, people think their errors are only minor grammatical mistakes that don't really affect meaning. You've got to show them they haven't written quite what they think they have.

Now don't be too hard on Hungarians for making mistakes in English. Remember that Hungarian, while a very elegant language, is not Indo-European. The differences between it and the neighbors' languages like German and Polish are significant.

Hey, if you have any good connections at Karinthy Frigyes, let me know, eh? :-) (Only half kidding, actually.) I used to do corporate ESL teaching and translating for Semmelweis. I'm debating about whether to start that kind of work again. I love translating, but writing pays better.

Anyway, best of luck to you.

[downtherabbithole]

Well, I do have a work visa for teaching, but I guess I don't know the rules exactly for working outside (i.e. doing something else besides tutoring). I guess I'll have to talk to someone about it.

As far as Hungarian, I know it is a difficult language...almost impossible, so it must be difficult for them to learn English. However, with more English-speaking people coming to Budapest on vacation, they're going to need some cleanage on their resort/tourist attraction websites.

[Aquilegia]

As for working on the side, it probably is best to speak with the consulate or a local lawyer. Normally a work visa only allows you to work for one employer and do no work on the side (legally). Otherwise, how would you pay taxes on your side income? An inquiring government wants to know. I'm just assuming from your resume that you're not an EU-citizen. If you are, then of course, you have more wiggle room. Mind, lots of people, even citizens, work under the table because of the high taxes.

In regard to editing, though, the thing is, in the minds of many, there is no real need. I haven't seen the recent stats, but just from observation, most of the tourists with money are German-speakers or Italians. Germans-speakers expect and get German. Italians seem to expect Italian, but get English, which is amusing. Their English isn't perfect either, so they don't care too much. Same with the Spanish and French. There are actually quite a few wealthy monolingual Russian tourists, but then the over-30 generations can still speak decent Russian when needed. Plus, those people often hire private guides.

So, unless a company specifically caters to Anglophones, having flawless English on the site is really more of a matter of "image" than anything. Sometimes that improved image can translate into more sales, but not everyone feels it necessary.

The BKV (transit authority) for instance, has more than a few errors in their English translations and hiring some broke expat to edit those signs would be cheap, but they just don't care that much. Once road the train from Budapest to Istanbul with a dear Hungarian conductor who just spoke Hungarian to everyone. He knew a smattering of some other languages, but chose not to use them.

Really, I never could get through to anyone about English grammar mistakes until I translated the error so they could hear just how silly it sounds. Certainly, there *is* English copyediting work available, though. I have a British friend who makes a modest living just copyediting graduate theses.

Now I've written too much because I'm homesick *and* looking to procrastinate. Back to work...

[downtherabbithole]

That's interesting. I think, though, with Budapest starting to boom there might be a need for more correct English.

In addition, there are a few programs in English with non-native English speakers, so I could, of course, help there! :)

[Cate]

One thing to consider is that people rarely appreciate you pointing out errors on their site alonside an offer of service. For whatever reason, most find it very annoying. I know many people who have had bad experiences with this approach.

I would put together a proposal and send it out without mention of errors on their website. See how it goes.

Best of luck to you!!