Chapter 4 Results and Discussion
4.1 The purpose of interpreters’ personal branding
Interestingly, among the eight subjects who were thought to build their personal
brands on social media, half of them reported not promoting themselves purposely, but
all of them have received jobs from social media. Subject A and D posted and shared
things related to interpretation just because they loved it. As a result, they were followed
by a large number of fans who also loved interpretation on Sina Weibo. Subject H and I
were invited to introduce what interpreters did and how they were trained on a program
called “職人介紹所” (“Job Center”) on Zhihu. Many interpreters use Zhihu to obtain
insightful information when preparing for interpretation cases. Since the program was
viewed by a lot of people, including Zhihu users who were interpreters, the two subjects
were followed by a large number of fans on Zhihu, gaining visibility both inside and
outside the interpretation industry. However, they claimed that they did not intend to
promote themselves on social media. It seems that it does not matter whether
interpreters intend to promote themselves, as long as they are renowned, they will have
job opportunities. So it might be safe to suggest that gaining visibility helps interpreters
obtain job opportunities:
Subject B: The point of branding oneself on social media is to be known by more
potential clients and their friends. They know what you do and whether you do it
well through your posts on social media. So when they need translation and
interpretation service, they will think of you or recommend you.
Subject D: Branding oneself on Sina Weibo and other social media helps
interpreters obtain more job opportunities. Since there is an increasing number of
interpreters, it is harder for interpreters to be known by clients, which is the
premise of obtaining clients. Promoting oneself on Sina Weibo and other social
media helps interpreters be recognized by more clients and customer loyalty will
be increased through constant communications on social media.
The result demonstrates that the aim of freelancers’ self-branding activities is to
gain a reputation in the industry (Gandini, 2016). The competition in the interpretation
market in Mainland China is quite fierce. Novice interpreters usually find it difficult
entering the market, especially for those who are self-taught. Branding oneself on social
media is a good way for them to be known by other interpreters and potential clients.
Interpreters’ personal branding is a ubiquitous phenomenon. Many subjects
expressed that “proficiency is always first, and self-promotion comes second”. They
also mentioned that self-branding on social media is “the current trend” because the
number of interpreters has been increasing over the years:
Subject I: Interpreters who branding themselves on social media are quite active.
It is the current trend. Today, you need to interpret well and promote yourself as
well. In the past, I thought being proficient was all I needed to do. But today,
exposure is also important…Proficiency in interpretation was always the priority,
but promoting yourself was also necessary when the number of interpreters in the
market has been increasing.
Interpreters in Mainland China mainly have three job sources, one is direct clients,
another is intermediary agencies which provide interpretation service, the third is peer
referral, which is similar to the interpretation market in Taiwan (Lin et al., 2012).
Subject E claimed that he mainly worked with interpretation agencies because they
could issue invoices. 70% of his jobs came from agencies. Direct clients and peer
referral took up 10% and 20% respectively. However, the situation of subject F and G
were totally different with E. 40% of subject F’s job came from interpretation agencies,
20% direct clients, and 40% peer referral (both to clients and interpretation agencies).
The ratio for subject G were 40% from interpretation agencies, 30% from direct clients,
and 30% from peer referral.
Interpreters usually use different social media for different purposes at the same
time. Sina Weibo, Zhihu, and Linkedin serve as platforms for interpreters to gain
visibility, offer interpreters one more channel to reach out to clients, and display
strengths. Subject B suggested the purpose of promoting oneself on social media:
Subject B: Personal branding helps you build connections with other interpreters
whom you do not know before, to be known by more potential clients, and show your
expertise. So when your followers need interpretation service, they will think of you
because they recognize your ability.
Subject E and L told their stories about how Sina Weibo enabled them to reach out
to more clients and interpreters:
Subject G: I got two opportunities through Sina Weibo. An interpreter who got to know me somewhere recommended me to the client to be his/her partner. He/she
only had my Sina Weibo account. I put my email address on my profile. So the
client sent an email to me. I decided to take the case. I did not remember the other
time clearly... Sina Weibo serves as a window for clients to know you.
Subject L: I followed an experienced interpreter on Sina Weibo. After he quitted
his day job, I asked him whether his company hired interpreters by sending a
message on Sina Weibo. We got to know each other after that. Later I found that we
had a mutual friend, which brought us closer. So we exchanged Wechat accounts.
Later he introduced me an interpretation case.
Subject F branded himself on Zhihu by “answering questions related to
interpretation in a profound way” to show his expertise. Gradually, he was known both
inside and outside the interpretation industry, followed by more than 6,000 fans. As he
also positioned himself as a video game lover, his colleagues “recommended
conferences related to games” to him.
4.1.1 Linkedin
Among the four social media mentioned by subjects, what is special about Linkedin is that it is believed to bring overseas job opportunities and help interpreters build connections with interpreters of other working language pairs who were not based
Linkedin, a platform for job searchers and employers to build connections, helps interpreters gain visibility, as well as assist them to get into foreign interpretation markets. Subject H reported obtaining several escort interpretation cases and translation cases on Linkedin. Subject D also said he knew interpreters receiving overseas job opportunities on Linkedin as many of its users were foreigners. Subject G mainly branded himself on Linkedin. He said that he had obtained many jobs on it and connected with interpreters of different working language pairs:
Subject G: I got many job opportunities through Linkedin. You can put your
working experience on it, which can be seen by potential clients. Several clients who searched for interpreters to interpret financial meetings contacted me on Linkedin. One of them hired me several times. He/she is a foreigner. I asked him why me. He/she answered that he/she thought I was the best choice after browsing through my CV. I was impressed by the experience. There are many interpreters’
groups on Linkedin. Interpreters of different language pairs communicate with each other. There are three to four headhunters contacting me on Linkedin. They use Linkedin, 51 Job or Zhi lian zhao pin (job recruitment websites) to find interpreters. Linkedin is the most trustworthy one. I got over 10 jobs on Linkedin.
Linkedin provides employment-oriented social networking service, so the main
purpose of its users is to find jobs or seek candidates. There are over 500 million users
in more than 200 countries on Linkedin by April 2017, which means it offers overseas
job opportunities. Linkedin gives interpreters a channel to connect with colleagues of
other working language pairs and to enter foreign interpretation markets.
4.1.2 Moments of Wechat
Moments, a function of Wechat allows users to share and get access to accepted
WeChat friends' information, and create an intimate and private communicating circle
within the users' choice of close friends. Many subjects stressed the significance of
building personal brands on Moments. As it is the largest social media in Mainland
China, interpreters can use it to maintain relationships with clients and colleagues whom
they already know, bringing direct benefits for interpreters’ career development. Clients,
agents, and colleagues often use Wechat to contact each other, so posts on Moments
help shape how interpreters are perceived by others. The grouping function enables
interpreters to decide which posts can be seen by whom, making the self-promoting
process more target-oriented. Subjects, whether they promote themselves or not, all
acknowledged the benefits of self-branding on Moments and several of them mentioned
the grouping function:
Subject D: Interaction on Wechat is very helpful. If your client goes to Japan and
that you are here to support him/her. Some clients like receiving Likes. Your image
is strengthened and enhanced by clicking the Like button.
Subject G: Sometimes I post work life photos on Moments to tell clients that I am
still an active freelance interpreter and I am capable of interpreting difficult
conferences. But I do not do that frequently or they will think I am annoying…
When I started working as a freelance interpreter, I posted many work photos. I
also shared my thoughts and my daily life.
Subject I: According to my knowledge, the more interpreters post working photos
on Moments, the more job opportunities they have. I suggest interpreters
classifying friends into different groups and make sure that work photos can only
be seen by clients.
According to Tencent, there were 889 million monthly active users of Wechat by
December 2016, over 30% of whom used it more than 4 hours a day. 79.6% of China’s
netizens chose Wechat as their most frequently used APP, which shows Wechat now
plays an integral role in Chinese people’s life. Since interpreters’ friends on Wechat are
those who they have already known or worked with, their self-branding activities are
believed to bring direct benefits. With the help of the grouping function, their efforts
can be made in a more target-oriented manner that impresses clients but not offends
colleagues.