In this Croudie story, María C. Estrada shares her journey into the world of copywriting and freelance, and her experience with the Croudie Network so far.
Books and writing, languages, art, drawing… Isn’t it beautiful to grow up surrounded by people who pass their passion for the arts onto you?
Since I was a child, I was always encouraged to continue drawing and learning new languages. While these were passions of mine, it was difficult to imagine these activities as anything more than just hobbies or side hustles. Apparently, in order to have a steady income, studying economics, medicine or law was a wiser choice.
Is it actually impossible to make a good living working as a translator or linguist? I needed to test this theory out for myself, so I challenged myself to pursue the bachelor’s degree of my dream – translation and interpreting.
Discovering what’s behind the copywriting and translation industry
After finishing my master’s degree, I started working for an e-commerce company, where I learned how to improve data sheets, in order to help customers choose the product that best meets their needs. Although I didn’t realise it at the time, this was my first experience with the copywriting world.
While my intention was to keep exploring copywriting, I lacked the time to do so, as my role spanned across several other responsibilities that were unrelated to translation and writing. In order to grow and evolve as a linguist, I decided it’d be best to try diving into freelancing so I could fully explore my passion. I said goodbye to the company and to the colleagues from whom I had learned so much, and I plunged into a new adventure.
At the beginning of my new journey, I met two mentors at a local workshop on entrepreneurship, who guided me in setting realistic goals and taking the right steps to achieve them. One of the best pieces of professional advice I received was: ‘More and more companies understand the importance of creating valuable content for their customers. Apart from translations, you could help them create this content from scratch.’
Then it was my turn. I started researching and exploring the plethora of opportunities available, and what a surprise! The skills that I had picked up in my previous job and workshop pointed me towards one direction: copywriting.
Thanks to the combination of translation and copywriting, I was able to start freelancing and promoting my services. This led me to collaborate with international brands that were looking to build brand awareness and enhance communication with their Spanish-speaking customers.
My experience and lifestyle as a freelancer
Freelancing is not always an easy path. You have to learn how to work on projects for someone else, while still being your own boss. It’s also imperative that you stay on top of managing your finances, creating your own marketing strategy and finding the right projects that are aligned with your values and skills. Despite how challenging it can be to juggle all of this, I’ve greatly enjoyed freelancing, as it’s allowed me to gain the quality of life that I was hoping for.
This lifestyle has not only given me the chance to meet new people and work with brands from all over the world, but it has also allowed me to learn how to better manage my time. Since I work on a goal-driven basis, I have time to work out every day, spend more quality time with my family and friends and explore new hobbies. While I usually work from home, I assure you I never feel alone! My lovely assistant, Indi, accompanies and ‘supervises’ me all the time (she says she can supervise me while taking four or five naps during the morning).
Becoming a Croudie
During a search for new opportunities and clients in 2022, I saw that Croud was seeking linguists that could help translate and create engaging copy for their clients. I contacted the team because I thought I could be a good fit for this position.
After a year of being part of the Croudie community, I have a feeling that contacting them was a very good decision. Not only has Croud let me be a part of an interesting range of projects, but they’ve also never failed to send me clear instructions for each task, provide me with useful writing and proofreading tools, and deliver payments on time. Working with Croud is always a smooth, easy process.
A supportive team
Apart from the reasons mentioned above, there are two other positive aspects that make collaborating with Croud so enjoyable – the first being their management team, who’ve always been very professional and supportive.
Communication with project managers flows effortlessly, with them always being willing to send further instructions if needed, jumping on a call to discuss a potential project or extending deadlines when necessary.
The second is the way that the agency promotes partnership. One of the disadvantages of freelancing is that you might not be exposed to regular feedback on your work, but this is not the case when working on the Croudie Network. I have always been able to contact and engage with those who review my tasks. Thanks to this open line of communication, we are able to learn from each other and improve our own professional skills.
A wide variety of projects
I have an inquiring mind, and I often like to work on different kinds of projects.
There are several goals I try to reach every year: to never stop learning, to work for companies whose products or services contribute to society, to help these companies grow by writing effective copy that their audience connects with, and to keep up-to-date with the latest marketing, copywriting and translation trends…this is the combo that makes me feel fulfilled.
Throughout my time working with Croud, the team has sent me projects that are aligned with my professional objectives and skills, and that are related to my specialisms: audiovisual products, marketing, technical texts, e-learning and sustainable fashion (among others).
Collaborating with clients and agencies like Croud gives me hope for linguists and creative professionals looking to grow in their careers.
I’m increasingly seeing linguists working in computational linguistics, medicine, Web3, e-commerce, marketing, international trade, audiovisual products, entertainment and so on. We are the bridge that connects thousands of companies, organisations and sectors, with clients and experts all across the world!
Are you interested in becoming a digital freelancer? Explore more about the Croudie Network, or start your onboarding process today.
