by ROMINA ESPINOSA

One of my first and most enduring lessons as a freelance interpreter involved receiving compensation for work rendered. It was within the first year of quitting my stable job with a prestigious university, the workplace of my dreams, that I learned the challenges of dedicating myself full time to being a small-business owner. As a novice, I was poorly equipped to deal with the occasional unreliable client. I had been attempting to educate myself about negotiation strategies and the myriad aspects of running a freelance language service on my own; this was not something I learned in school, and I did not have a mentor to speak openly and freely about how to run a business.

Readers who are just starting their own businesses might find this anecdote helpful...

It was summer 2021, and over 50 days had passed since I’d sent an invoice to one of the language agencies to whom I’d provided freelance interpreting services. I sent the invoice after a full month’s worth of completed assignments. It had been over 30 days, and I wondered when the payment would come in. I understand checks can take time, and this agency in particular liked to pay by check. So I sent a courtesy email, and I did not receive a response. After four days had passed, I sent a second courtesy email to check on my payment. By this point, I was beginning to worry. I referred back to the contract I had signed with the agency earlier that year. The contract clearly stated, “X agency will pay Interpreter for Services within thirty (30) days after X agency receives Interpreter’s Invoice.”

Finally, two days later, I received an affirmative response, but the experience made me keenly aware that I needed to refine my strategy for dealing with late payments.

It was then that a good friend of mine taught me something I had never heard before. Mrs. Tripp was a retired career woman who owned a small business with her husband. It was through her that I learned the concept of “net 10” and “net 30.” Net 10 means getting paid 10 days after submitting an invoice; net 30 means receiving the payment 30 days after. I used to send this agency invoices with a 45-day payment deadline! It was silly, I know, but I hadn’t been taught any better. As the saying goes, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Mrs. Tripp counseled that I should NEVER get to the point of net 45. By then, she said, you lose any semblance of authority.

She also gave me brilliant advice for handling a client who would not pay on time. This is the procedure I learned to follow:

• First, call the language agency and ask: “Who is in charge of accounts payable?” 
• Once you’re speaking with that person, say: “Can you tell me when I can expect payment?” and WAIT for the response. If they say they already put a check in the mail, ask for the check number.

And... a special addendum for that particular client who is persistently delinquent: I am a woman entrepreneur and a small business owner. I provide excellent work at fair prices. I need to be paid on time in order for my business to be sustainable.

If you are reading this, you are more than welcome to lift that message for your own use. Hopefully, you will never have to encounter this situation: having to ask a large language agency to pay you — on time — the money you earned.

Finding my footing as a woman entrepreneur was a difficult process, but my dynamic and energetic personality pushed me to persist towards my goal. I had my small community — primarily support from family and a small network of professional colleagues; I was not alone. Of course, there wasn’t always time to reach out and connect, but that motivated me to externalize my thoughts by writing down anecdotes like this one!

I hope those of you who are starting your own businesses may find some helpful tips herein, and that you are lucky enough to come across your own amazing mentor (like I did with Mrs. Tripp). Keep your heart open, always believe in kindness, and, most importantly, do not give up!  ❖

Thanks to Glenda Carelhue for editing the early drafts.

Romina Espinosa (Lima, Peru) is an interpreter and translator based in San Diego, California. A left-handed eclectic soul, Romina holds degrees from UC San Diego and the University of Oviedo (Spain). She is either catching a sunset, buying flowers for herself, or running outdoors when she is not saving lives as a medical interpreter at UC San Diego Health.