As a Spanish translator, you are always working. You might not always be translating, but you are always working to get more clients. One of the ways to do this is by becoming an online Spanish translator.

Now what do I mean becoming an online Spanish translator? Well, the term is ambiguous I know, but what I mean is becoming a translator who is not afraid to use the power of the Internet to increase your translation business, be it through actual translations or other aspects, such as administrative functions or marketing activities.

In order to become an effective online Spanish translator, there are some tips and techniques that will help you take advantage of the online help out there for translators, especially in getting clients. Here I'd like to mention seven in particular:

1) Get an email address. This may seem like a no-brainer, but believe it or not there are translators out there still too afraid of this thing called the Internet to even get an email address. If you don't have one, there are a ton of free places to get one, and you should do it right away.

2) Build a website. In order to become a more effective online Spanish translator, you should invest in a website for your freelance translation business. It doesn't have to be anything fancy but it should be clean and crisp and have all the information on it you want a potential client to have access to. While merely having a website might not bring in hundreds of clients at first, it will at least lend some professionalism to your business.

3) Create (and use) an email signature block. Going back to email, one tool that many online Spanish translators use nowadays is an email signature block in every email they send, whether that email is sent to their grandma living in Oklahoma or a potential client in L.A. The signature block shouldn't be too long and should mention your website and maybe your area of specialization. You never know when an email could eventually end up in the hands of a potential client.

4) Join and participate in online forums. Forums are areas on the Internet where people gather virtually to share opinions and ideas on a topic of specific interest to the group as a whole. There are all sorts of forums out there on a million different topics. Find a topic that you're interested in and start reading and posting messages in these forums. Some even allow you to add a signature block to your posts.

5) Write articles. One of the things I love to do is what I'm doing right now, writing articles. Not only do I like sharing knowledge that I have with others, but it is a good way to let people know about my website and what other services I can offer them. You could write articles about what interests you (translation, for example) and submit these to various article directories you find online. People reading your articles might be interested in becoming your clients.

6) Make long-distance pitches. In becoming an online Spanish translator, you will be connected to the outside world in ways never before possible. What this means for your translation business is that you will be able to bid on translation jobs, decide on terms, do the job, and return it to the client without ever having to leave your computer. And the process is getting even more and more sophisticated and streamlined.

7) Save yourself some time. As a translator, time is money, and any time you save is time that can be spent looking for more clients, or even relaxing. Taking full advantage of online Spanish translator techniques will really help you do that.

Clint Tustison is a Spanish <--> English translator interested in helping businesses and translators better understand the translation industry. If you're interested in how to improve your translation business or your relationship with translation companies, check out his website at http://www.spanish-translation-help.com.