Episode 79: Smart Legal Habits for Translators with Nicole Fenwick

Episode 79: Smart Legal Habits for Translators with Nicole Fenwick

Legal protection is a must for any freelance translator. And we all know how vital it is to get this part right! But it can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and nerve-racking if we don’t know where to start or feel unsure of the legal protections we have (or should have) in place. That's why we're excited to be joined this month by a guest who can talk to us more about the legal aspects of running a freelance translation business.

But first, we want to share some legal protections of our own… As you listen to this episode, please remember that we are not attorneys, and nothing in this episode is meant to represent legal advice. The content of this episode is meant to encourage you to put legal protections in place in your freelance translation business and seek the necessary legal advice you need. If you have questions about the legal aspects of your freelance business, we encourage you to consult a qualified attorney before making any changes.

We are excited to welcome Nicole Fenwick to the podcast this month!

Nicole is an entrepreneurial French-to-English legal translator and lawyer-linguist based in Barcelona. When she’s not translating or traveling the world, she enjoys making translators’ lives easier by helping them understand their legal rights and obligations and drafting their terms of business, so they can do what they love, safe in the knowledge that they have the legal protection they need to protect their work and pay the bills, preferably on time.

Tune in to hear our conversation on:

• What services Nicole offers, and how her career has evolved over time

• What values led her to become a freelancer, and how they developed in her business

• What smart habits have been crucial in her career, and what systems, processes, or habits have helped her stay focused and organized

• What habit she had earlier in her career that she no longer practices, and why

• What translators should look out for when clients ask them to sign a contract

• What terms and conditions translators should consider including in their own contracts with clients

• Nicole’s thoughts on taking out professional indemnity insurance, or as many people refer to it, errors and omissions insurance

• What other ways translators can protect themselves legally

• How freelance translators can find a small business attorney to help them draft or review contracts for the type of work we do

• Other tips on how to approach the legal landscape of working as a translator

• What advice Nicole would give to her past self

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

• Follow Nicole on LinkedIn and Instagram

• Visit Nicole’s website

• Legal templates for translators

• LSP.expert

• Sign up for our newsletter below to get a free resource that Nicole graciously shared with our listeners: Top Tips for Client Contracts

See the full list of links and resources for this episode: https://smarthabitsfortranslators.com/podcast-episodes/79