Drafting Agreements to Work with International Clients
Being a location-independent entrepreneur or remote worker often includes working for international clients. While the working language may be English, some elements of an agreement between a service provider and a client may require translating the terms into one or more local languages. This is an article in partnership with Day Translations.
Drafting an Agreement
Whether you are a freelancer or a business owner, you may require some support when writing contracts scoping out a project with its timescales and deliverables.
It is often the case that, for large scale projects, some of the work will need to be carried out by subcontractors, possibly in a different country. While the key points of the agreement may be written in English, some instructions for local workers may be required to be written in English and one other language.
Agreements also require the input of a legal professional to ensure the terms comply with current regulations and legislation. A legal professional may also be involved in ensuring that translations are certified.
Stumbling Blocks
Are you a freelancer who has found it difficult to put down on paper the terms to be agreed with a new client? Drafting documents can be a challenging task for freelancers and other self-employed people, particularly if they have moved to a different country and they may not have the right contacts yet.
Places such as LinkedIn can be a good source of reliable contacts: for example, on LinkedIn you can ask people in your network to recommend a trusted professional.
Asking the local Chamber of Commerce is also a good starting point to search for qualified professionals. Members of a local Chamber tend to have a higher level of reliability as they have already developed business relationships within the organisation.
Budget constraints can also represent a major stumbling block for businesses, sole traders and freelancers. High upfront investments may not be affordable, so you need to look for solutions where the service you need is within budget.
Finding Deals During Black Friday
Black Friday, the one day shopping spectacular happening every year in November, can be a good opportunity to purchase a professional service at a reduced price.
One strategy that can be helpful when planning to invest in professional services is to do some background research into prices. It is useful to keep a file on your phone or laptop with a list of the items you need to purchase in the near future with current prices and dates so you can update it on a regular basis and use it as a reference to cross-check prices. For example, I personally have a file with a wishlist of items I will use and update it every few weeks noting any price variations. I used this method to purchase headphones, for instance, after comparing different brands or even the same brand and model across various shops.
Investments that businesses have to make such as buying professional services to either expand or simply ensure their smooth running of their operations, may see that there are fluctuations in price. Tracking prices can be beneficial when you are reading to make a purchasing decision. Spotting a good discount, even when it’s available for a limited time, can make a difference when sticking to a budget.
In the case of translating contracts, Black Friday could potentially save a business money. Day Translations has a limited time offer on Black Friday in 2022 to get 15% off translation services between the 21st and the 25th November.
