Roxana Acosta Sosa : English-Spanish Translator/ Content Developer/ Proofreader
My name is Roxana Acosta Sosa, I am from Argentina and I have Commerce with Economic and Organization Management orientation degree. But I was a very restless person so later, I decided to pursue something completely different path: a Master’s Degree in Biological Sciences, also a Biology Teacher and an English Teacher. My career in Biology has been incomplete because in 2015 I moved to India. I had planned to finish it once installed in the country but I have not been able to since my adaptation to India has
taken me at least 2 years.
My decision to move to India has not been easy but I did it because of who is my husband today since he could not go to Argentina at that moment. Being in India has been and is a constant learning and I have had incredible opportunities, for example, in 2016 I was invited by Indo-Hispanic Language Academic in Kolkata city to give a speech at the International Book Fair on Argentine Culture. And it was the beginning of my journey.
MY CAREER AS A FREELANCER BEGAN A YEAR AFTER MOVING TO INDIA, PRECISELY IN 2016.
At that time, I was unaware of the freelance world but I discovered it by browsing the Internet since I wanted to work because I have always been very active, however, my condition in terms of documents did not allow me to work legally, I had to wait to have those documents by the Indian government and to have them, I had to live actively in India for 3 consecutive years for then obtain the legal residency. Waiting 3 years was a lot to me while I started receiving a lot of work offers from different companies but yes, they could not hire me because I had to wait to get those documents. So it was at that time that I read a blog where someone told about his experience as a freelancer and what it was like to be a freelancer.
So it was at that time that I read a blog where someone told about his experience as a freelancer and what it was like to be a freelancer. Then he recommended some platforms to get started.
I decided to create my first profile on one of those platforms that he recommended, which is UpWork . I had started with small writing projects for e-commerce and translations and I started to have my first income but I did not have a happy ending since the platform, only few months after starting, closed my profile notifying me that my income was very little. It seemed very unfair to me.
Well, some people say that when one door closes, thousands open.
IN MY SEARCH TO FIND WHERE TO START FROM SCRATCH AS A FREELANCER,
I found a list of new platforms and there was Truelancer. I read its operation, conditions, etc., and I liked it. I decided to stay and since then, I have met amazing people. Although I must say that I started very slowly but with a firm footing.
MY EXPERIENCE SINCE THEN HAS BEEN VERY GOOD, IF
I had questions along the way, the administrators team was always there to answer me or help me when I needed it. And I am grateful that Truelancer did not “kick me out” for starting slowly or for starting earning little, they gave me my space and my time to grow and that I must admit, it is an opportunity that was denied me previously.
TO FIND NEW CLIENTS WITHIN TRUELANCER,
I send my request or proposal to clients explaining why I am good at completing their project. I have gained many new clients in this way; many of them continue to choose me after more than a year working together. On the one hand, on LinkedIn I have also been able to find some clients who have contacted me and Twitter has also been a good tool since they have seen that my Truelancer profile is linked to it. And on the other hand, old clients have recommended me to their colleagues and friends to work with me, thus gaining new clients.
AS I AM DEDICATED TO WRITING AND TRANSLATING, MY MAIN TOOLS ARE:
- Grammarly because it can happen that when writing fast, I have made a mistake, so having this tool installed in my document word helps me to quickly detect if I had an error.
- WordReference.com is another very useful tool since it helps me to find synonyms in both English and Spanish for my translations because my job consists of translating exactly what the author wants to transmit from his native language. This online dictionary is a very nice tool.
- Also, the tools that I use a lot are those that help to search for keywords and headline generators like buzzsumo or contentrow because they also analyze the titles according to SEO since I also write for my own blog.
TO BE A FREELANCER, IN MY OPINION AND WHAT HAS WORKED VERY WELL FOR ME IS BEING
Able to have good communication with the client. In other words, before starting a project it is important to know exactly what the client needs and when they need it, since respecting the deadline is also important. This does not mean that you should always say yes to the client’s orders. If you are a freelancer, many times you will also have to say No, for example, if the client needs an article that requires a little more time because you have to do a deeper research, you must be honest and say that you will need a few days more than he or she gave you. As I said before, these are things that are discussed before starting a project, especially if you already have other projects in hand. I always tell my clients “currently, I’m working on something, can we start in two days?” in this way, the client will decide whether to wait or not. There are many freelancers who accept many projects at once but do not finish them on time, leaving several clients waiting (and upset), who of course, then do not return. Time is something you must know how to handle and sincerity is paramount since in a way, you are your own boss.
MY GREATEST SUCCESS HAS BEEN TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH DIFFERENT AUTHORS AND TRANSLATE THEIR BOOKS,
And although our contact was only online or by phone, I always strive to understand the intentions and the message that each author wanted to convey. And although adding my name to their books as a translator was not part of the contract, some authors decided to give me that credit and add my name on their work. I am very grateful for that.
I ALWAYS LIKED TO WRITE AND GROWING UP, I HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY TWO VERY FAMOUS WRITERS,
on the one hand Elizabeth Gilbert and on the other J. K. Rowling. I have felt identified with Gilbert when I got to know her work and the fact that I also liked to write novels and tell a story made me have her as one of my inspirations. And the writer Rowling is a universal inspiration, I think, rather because she is an example of life that no matter how difficult your life is, if you love something and you work hard, sooner or later that dream comes true. The same thing has been transmitted to me by the entrepreneur Chris Gardner; he was a homeless and single dad but he trusted on himself and he did everything he could to get to the top. That is inspiring!
Check out her testimony