June 2023. I get a call from an unusual potential client: a big construction company. 🔹Client: We need a French copywriter who also understands Dutch. We have to submit files for calls for tenders, for the construction of locks on canals in Wallonia. They’re being written by engineers and need editing and partly translating. 🔸Me:… I'm indeed a bilingual copywriter. But let’s be honest: I don’t know ANYTHING about locks. 🔹Client: Our engineers could help you with the vocabulary. 🔸Me (thinking: Writing with engineers, OMG how’s that going to happen): And what amount of text are we talking about exactly? 🔹Client: 4 files of 200 pages. But don’t worry, 3 of them will be mostly copy-paste from the first one. 🔸Me: ??? And for when do you need that??? 🔹Client: By the end of August. It all sounded like a really bad plan 😱. But finding a bilingual freelance copywriter, able to edit AND to translate AND who knows something about locks AND is available throughout the summer: now that seemed totally mission impossible. So I said yes. I teamed up with Thibault Charpentier, me translating and he editing and designing the layout (well yes, that also appeared to be completely missing). We worked directly with the company’s engineers, which was as unusual for them as for us. And it all went smoothly. We met the deadline. But hang on, there's more happy end to come. ... Fast-forward to March 2024. Tenders take time, but finally we got the good news: Our client won the first tender! 🎉 🍾 (Still waiting for the outcome for the 3 other tenders) I'm so proud we've contributed a tiny bit to their success. And so happy that a company less familiar with communication understood how important clear writing and structure is. #copywriting #editing #clearwritingmatters
Amazing project, well done Julie !
Creative and certified English-Polish translator. Chartered Linguist.
7moFantastic story! Love the bit when you said "it seemed totally mission impossible", and then "So I said yes" :-D